Source: http://www.google.ca/patents/US7628701
Timestamp: 2013-05-24 10:14:14
Document Index: 503109190

Matched Legal Cases: ['Application No. 2002256429', 'Application No. 2007234626', 'application No. 2004131668', 'Application No. 02', 'Application No. 02', 'Application No. 04', 'Application No. 04', 'Application No. 08100588', 'Application No. 08100588', 'application No. 2002255924', 'application No. 2002255924', 'application No. 2004131668', 'application No. 02']

Patent US7628701 - System for interfacing a user and a casino gaming machine - Google PatentsSearch Images Maps Play YouTube News Gmail Drive More »Advanced Patent Search | Web History | Sign inAdvanced Patent SearchPatentsMethods and apparatus for interfacing with a user at a casino gaming machine are disclosed. An input control panel with a plurality dynamic buttons is provided. The dynamic buttons may be activated by a player to select games, make wagers, make gaming decisions, etc. Each dynamic button may include a...http://www.google.ca/patents/US7628701?utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatent US7628701 - System for interfacing a user and a casino gaming machinePublication numberUS7628701 B2Publication typeGrantApplication number10/178,283Publication date8 Dec 2009Filing date24 Jun 2002Priority date24 Jun 2002Also published asUS20040038721InventorsWilliam WellsOriginal AssigneeIgtU.S. Classification463/37463/30463/31463/36345/172463/16341/23International ClassificationA63F13/02H03K17/94G07F17/32A63F1/00A63F13/10A63F13/08G09G5/22A63F3/06G06F3/02H03M11/06Cooperative ClassificationG07F17/32G07F17/3227G07F17/3209G07F17/3262European ClassificationG07F 17/32E2G07F 17/32C2DG07F 17/32M2G07F 17/32ReferencesPatent Citations (118)Non-Patent Citations (42)Referenced by (9)External LinksUSPTOUSPTO AssignmentEspacenetSystem for interfacing a user and a casino gaming machineUS 7628701 B2Abstract Methods and apparatus for interfacing with a user at a casino gaming machine are disclosed. An input control panel with a plurality dynamic buttons is provided. The dynamic buttons may be activated by a player to select games, make wagers, make gaming decisions, etc. Each dynamic button may include a display area (e.g., an LCD), a transparent tactile feedback portion (e.g., a pliable polyurethane membrane), and an input detection portion (e.g., a transparent touch screen). A dynamic button may be depressed to make an input selection and may include a display area which is visible through the button. During operation of a dynamic button, the controller may send image data for display on the button and receive input signals from the input detection portion of the button when a user depresses the button.
32. The gaming apparatus of claim 24, wherein each transparent switch member comprises a molded hinge portion adjacent the tactile feedback portion. Description
BACKGROUND A video gaming machine employing both touch screen buttons and electromechanical buttons to permit a number of different games to be played on the same machine is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,342,047. The video gaming machine accepts inputs from both the touch screen and the electromechanical game buttons to control games played on the machine. In order to indicate the function of a touch screen or electromechanical button, each button is provided with an input label. The video gaming machine is capable of playing a number of different games. When the game being played changes, both the touch screen input labels and the electromechanical button labels may change under machine control.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In accordance with a first aspect of the invention, a gaming apparatus is provided. The gaming apparatus may comprise a display unit, a value input device, a transparent touch screen surface, a transparent switch member, and a controller. The display unit may be capable of generating video images. The transparent touch screen surface may cover at least a portion of the display unit. The transparent switch may cover at least a portion of the touch screen surface. The transparent switch member may be structured to avoid contact with the transparent touch screen surface when the transparent switch member is in a first position, and the transparent switch member may be structured to contact the transparent touch screen surface when the transparent switch member is in a second position. The controller may be operatively coupled to the display unit, the value input device, and the transparent touch screen surface. The controller may include a processor and a memory operatively coupled to the processor. The controller may be programmed to cause an input indicator to be generated at the portion of the display unit covered by the transparent touch screen surface. In operation, the input indicator may be visible through the transparent switch. The input indicator may represent a portion of one of the following games: video poker, video blackjack, video slots, video keno or video bingo. The controller may also be programmed to receive an input signal generated in response to movement of the transparent switch member from the first position to the second position.
It should also be understood that, unless a term is expressly defined in this patent using the sentence �As used herein, the term �_� is hereby defined to mean . . . � or a similar sentence, there is no intent to limit the meaning of that term, either expressly or by implication, beyond its plain or ordinary meaning, and such term should not be interpreted to be limited in scope based on any statement made in any section of this patent (other than the language of the claims). To the extent that any term recited in the claims at the end of this patent is referred to in this patent in a manner consistent with a single meaning, that is done for sake of clarity only so as to not confuse the reader, and it is not intended that such claim term be limited, by implication or otherwise, to that single meaning. Finally, it is not intended that the scope of any claim element be interpreted based on the application of 35 U.S.C. � 112, sixth paragraph.
FIG. 2A illustrates one possible embodiment of the control panel 66, which may be used where the gaming unit 20 is a slot machine having a plurality of mechanical or �virtual� reels. The input control panel 66 may be provided with a plurality of buttons 72, 74, 76, 78, 80, 82. The buttons 72, 74, 76, 78, 80, 82 may be dynamic buttons and/or static buttons. The buttons 72, 74, 76, 78, 80, 82 may be activated by a player to select games, make wagers, make gaming decisions, etc. Although the control panel 66 is shown to be separate from the main display unit 70, it should be understood that the control panel 66 could be generated by the main display unit 70.
The control panel 66 may include a �See Pays� button 72 that, when activated, causes the main display unit 70 to generate one or more display screens showing the odds or payout information for the game or games provided by the gaming unit 20. In addition to the �See Pays� button, the control panel 66 may include a �Cash Out� button 74 that may be activated when a player decides to terminate play on the gaming unit 20, in which case the gaming unit 20 may return value to the player, such as by returning a number of coins to the player via the payout tray 64.
If the gaming unit 20 provides a slots game having a plurality of reels and a plurality of paylines which define winning combinations of reel symbols, the control panel 66 may be provided with a plurality of selection buttons 76, each of which allows the player to select a different number of paylines prior to spinning the reels. For example, five buttons 76 may be provided, each of which may allow a player to select one, three, five, seven or nine paylines. In addition, the control panel 66 may be provided with a plurality of selection buttons 78 each of which allows a player to specify a wager amount for each payline selected. For example, if the smallest wager accepted by the gaming unit 20 is a quarter ($0.25), the gaming unit 20 may be provided with five selection buttons 78, each of which may allow a player to select one, two, three, four or five quarters to wager for each payline selected. In that case, if a player were to activate the �5� button 76 (meaning that five paylines were to be played on the next spin of the reels) and then activate the �3� button 78 (meaning that three coins per payline were to be wagered), the total wager would be $3.75 (assuming the minimum bet was $0.25).
In FIG. 2A, a rectangle is shown around the buttons 72, 74, 76, 78, 80, 82. It should be understood that that rectangle simply designates, for ease of reference, an area in which the buttons 72, 74, 76, 78, 80, 82 may be located. Consequently, the term �control panel� should not be construed to imply that a panel or plate separate from the housing 50 of the gaming unit 20 is required, and the term �control panel� may encompass a plurality or grouping of player activatable buttons. In one embodiment, each of the areas designated by a rectangle in FIG. 2A is a cutout area of a control panel cover. The control panel cover may hide unused portions of a display when one or more of the buttons 72, 74, 76, 78, 80, 82 is a dynamic button.
FIG. 2F is an illustration of an embodiment of buttons that may be displayed during performance of a video slots routine. In this embodiment, a �cash out� button 95 a, a �see pays� button 95 b, a �bet one� button 95 c, a �bet max� button 95 d, and a �spin� button 95 e are displayed. The operation of these buttons is described in detail below. Some of these buttons 95 a-95 e may be static buttons, and some of these buttons 95 a-95 e may be dynamic buttons. FIG. 2G is an illustration of an embodiment of buttons that may be displayed during performance of a video poker routine. In this embodiment, buttons 95 a-95 d remain unchanged from the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2F. However, because the game has changed from video slots to video poker, the �spin� button 95 e may dynamically changed from �spin� to �deal/draw.� In this manner, buttons with tactile feedback may be made to dynamically match the current game selection.
Video Poker FIG. 6 is an exemplary display 350 that may be shown on the main display unit 70 during performance of the video poker routine 210 shown schematically in FIG. 4. Referring to FIG. 6, the display 350 may include video images 352 of a plurality of playing cards representing the player's hand, such as five cards. To allow the player to control the play of the video poker game, a plurality of player-selectable buttons may be displayed. The buttons may include a �Hold� button 354 disposed directly below each of the playing card images 352, a �Cash Out� button 356, a �See Pays� button 358, a �Bet One Credit� button 360, a �Bet Max Credits� button 362, and a �Deal/Draw� button 364. The display 350 may also include an area 366 in which the number of remaining credits or value is displayed. If the main display unit 70 is provided with a touch-sensitive screen, the buttons 354, 356, 358, 360, 362, 364 may form part of the video display 350. Alternatively, one or more of those buttons may be provided as part of a control panel that is provided separately from the main display unit 70.
FIG. 8 is a flowchart of the video poker routine 210 shown schematically in FIG. 4. Referring to FIG. 8, at block 370, the routine may determine whether the player has requested payout information, such as by activating the �See Pays� button 358, in which case at block 372 the routine may cause one or more pay tables to be displayed on the main display unit 70. At block 374, the routine may determine whether the player has made a bet, such as by pressing the �Bet One Credit� button 360, in which case at block 376 bet data corresponding to the bet made by the player may be stored in the memory of the controller 100. At block 378, the routine may determine whether the player has pressed the �Bet Max Credits� button 362, in which case at block 380 bet data corresponding to the maximum allowable bet may be stored in the memory of the controller 100.
At block 382, the routine may determine if the player desires a new hand to be dealt, which may be determined by detecting if the �Deal/Draw� button 364 was activated after a wager was made. In that case, at block 384 a video poker hand may be �dealt� by causing the main display unit 70 to generate the playing card images 352. After the hand is dealt, at block 386 the routine may determine if any of the �Hold� buttons 354 have been activated by the player, in which case data regarding which of the playing card images 352 are to be �held� may be stored in the controller 100 at block 388. If the �Deal/Draw� button 364 is activated again as determined at block 390, each of the playing card images 352 that was not �held� may be caused to disappear from the video display 350 and to be replaced by a new, randomly selected, playing card image 352 at block 392.
Video Blackjack FIG. 7 is an exemplary display 400 that may be shown on the main display unit 70 during performance of the video blackjack routine 220 shown schematically in FIG. 4. Referring to FIG. 7, the display 400 may include video images 402 of a pair of playing cards representing a dealer's hand, with one of the cards shown face up and the other card being shown face down, and video images 404 of a pair of playing cards representing a player's hand, with both the cards shown face up. The �dealer� may be the gaming unit 20.
To allow the player to control the play of the video blackjack game, a plurality of player-selectable buttons may be displayed. The buttons may include a �Cash Out� button 406, a �See Pays� button 408, a �Stay� button 410, a �Hit� button 412, a �Bet One Credit� button 414, and a �Bet Max Credits� button 416. The display 400 may also include an area 418 in which the number of remaining credits or value is displayed. If the main display unit 70 is provided with a touch-sensitive screen, the buttons 406, 408, 410, 412, 414, 416 may form part of the video display 400. Alternatively, one or more of those buttons may be provided as part of a control panel that is provided separately from the main display unit 70.
FIG. 9 is a flowchart of the video blackjack routine 220 shown schematically in FIG. 4. Referring to FIG. 9, the video blackjack routine 220 may begin at block 420 where it may determine whether a bet has been made by the player. That may be determined, for example, by detecting the activation of either the �Bet One Credit� button 414 or the �Bet Max Credits� button 416. At block 422, bet data corresponding to the bet made at block 420 may be stored in the memory of the controller 100. At block 424, a dealer's hand and a player's hand may be �dealt� by making the playing card images 402, 404 appear on the main display unit 70.
Slots FIG. 10 is an exemplary display 450 that may be shown on the main display unit 70 during performance of the slots routine 230 shown schematically in FIG. 4. Referring to FIG. 10, the display 450 may include video images 452 of a plurality of slot machine reels, each of the reels having a plurality of reel symbols 454 associated therewith. To allow the player to control the play of the slots game, a plurality of player-selectable buttons may be displayed. The buttons may include a �Cash Out� button 456, a �See Pays� button 458, a plurality of payline-selection buttons 460 each of which allows the player to select a different number of paylines prior to �spinning� the reels, a plurality of bet-selection buttons 462 each of which allows a player to specify a wager amount for each payline selected, a �Spin� button 464, and a �Max Bet� button 466 to allow a player to make the maximum wager allowable.
FIG. 12 is a flowchart of the slots routine 230 shown schematically in FIG. 10. Referring to FIG. 12, at block 470, the routine may determine whether the player has requested payout information, such as by activating the �See Pays� button 458, in which case at block 472 the routine may cause one or more pay tables to be displayed on the main display unit 70. At block 474, the routine may determine whether the player has pressed one of the payline-selection buttons 460, in which case at block 476 data corresponding to the number of paylines selected by the player may be stored in the memory of the controller 100. At block 478, the routine may determine whether the player has pressed one of the bet-selection buttons 462, in which case at block 480 data corresponding to the amount bet per payline may be stored in the memory of the controller 100. At block 482, the routine may determine whether the player has pressed the �Max Bet� button 466, in which case at block 484 bet data (which may include both payline data and bet-per-payline data) corresponding to the maximum allowable bet may be stored in the memory of the controller 100.
Video Keno FIG. 11 is an exemplary display 520 that may be shown on the main display unit 70 during performance of the video keno routine 240 shown schematically in FIG. 4. Referring to FIG. 11, the display 520 may include a video image 522 of a plurality of numbers that were selected by the player prior to the start of a keno game and a video image 524 of a plurality of numbers randomly selected during the keno game. The randomly selected numbers may be displayed in a grid pattern.
To allow the player to control the play of the keno game, a plurality of player-selectable buttons may be displayed. The buttons may include a �Cash Out� button 526, a �See Pays� button 528, a �Bet One Credit� button 530, a �Bet Max Credits� button 532, a �Select Ticket� button 534, a �Select Number� button 536, and a �Play� button 538. The display 520 may also include an area 540 in which the number of remaining credits or value is displayed. If the main display unit 70 is provided with a touch-sensitive screen, the buttons may form part of the video display 520. Alternatively, one or more of those buttons may be provided as part of a control panel that is provided separately from the main display unit 70.
Referring to FIG. 13, at block 550, the routine may determine whether the player has requested payout information, such as by activating the �See Pays� button 528, in which case at block 552 the routine may cause one or more pay tables to be displayed on the main display unit 70. At block 554, the routine may determine whether the player has made a bet, such as by having pressed the �Bet One Credit� button 530 or the �Bet Max Credits� button 532, in which case at block 556 bet data corresponding to the bet made by the player may be stored in the memory of the controller 100. After the player has made a wager, at block 558 the player may select a keno ticket, and at block 560 the ticket may be displayed on the display 520. At block 562, the player may select one or more game numbers, which may be within a range set by the casino. After being selected, the player's game numbers may be stored in the memory of the controller 100 at block 564 and may be included in the image 522 on the display 520 at block 566. After a certain amount of time, the keno game may be closed to additional players (where a number of players are playing a single keno game using multiple gambling units 20).
Video Bingo FIG. 14 is an exemplary display 600 that may be shown on the main display unit 70 during performance of the video bingo routine 250 shown schematically in FIG. 4. Referring to FIG. 14, the display 600 may include one or more video images 602 of a bingo card and images of the bingo numbers selected during the game. The bingo card images 602 may have a grid pattern.
To allow the player to control the play of the bingo game, a plurality of player-selectable buttons may be displayed. The buttons may include a �Cash Out� button 604, a �See Pays� button 606, a �Bet One Credit� button 608, a �Bet Max Credits� button 610, a �Select Card� button 612, and a �Play� button 614. The display 600 may also include an area 616 in which the number of remaining credits or value is displayed. If the main display unit 70 is provided with a touch-sensitive screen, the buttons may form part of the video display 600. Alternatively, one or more of those buttons may be provided as part of a control panel that is provided separately from the main display unit 70.
Referring to FIG. 15, at block 620, the routine may determine whether the player has requested payout information, such as by activating the �See Pays� button 606, in which case at block 622 the routine may cause one or more pay tables to be displayed on the main display unit 70. At block 624, the routine may determine whether the player has made a bet, such as by having pressed the �Bet On Credit� button 608 or the �Bet Max Credits� button 610, in which case at block 626 bet data corresponding to the bet made by the player may be stored in the memory of the controller 100.
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