US20080020816A1 - Multiple-state display for a gaming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

A gaming apparatus may include a display system, a value input device and a controller operatively coupled to the display system and value input device. The display system may include a first display unit, a second video display unit disposed in front of the first display unit and a light valve disposed between the first and second display units. The second display unit may include an opening. The controller may include a processor and a memory operatively coupled to the processor. The controller may be programmed to cause the display system to generate a game display on the first display unit, cause the light valve to become substantially transparent so that the first display unit is visible through the opening, cause the display system to generate a video display on the second display unit, and determine a value payout associated with an outcome of the game.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
• This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/755,598, filed Jan. 12, 2004 and entitled, “MULTIPLE-STATE DISPLAY FOR A GAMING APPARATUS”, which is incorporated in its entirety herein for all purposes.
BACKGROUND
• This patent is directed to a casino gaming apparatus, which could be either an individual gaming unit or a casino gaming system having a plurality of gaming units, each gaming unit including a display system having a light valve.
• Conventional casino gaming units often included multiple display panels for displaying a variety of images. The gaming unit consisted of three, separately located display panels: the top glass, the bottom (or “belly”) glass, and the primary display. The top glass and the belly glass were typically static images that provided game instructions, game information (e.g., paytables), images to attract players to the game, or images otherwise associated with the games that could be played on the gaming unit. Sometimes, the top glass and/or the belly glass provided bonus games. The primary display has included active images that may vary as part of a player-attract sequence or as part of the game play. Mechanical moving parts were often used to display a variety of images as part of the game play. For example, in a conventional slot machine, the primary display was a “reel glass” having multiple spinning reels with various images on each reel. In some cases, some or all of the display panels were video display units.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
• In one aspect, the invention is directed to a gaming apparatus that may include a display system, a value input device and a controller operatively coupled to the display system and the value input device. The display system may include a first display unit, a second video display unit disposed in front of the first display unit and a light valve disposed between the first and second display unit. The second display unit may include an opening. The light valve may include a suspended particle device. The controller may include a processor and a memory operatively coupled to the processor. The controller may be programmed to cause the display system to generate a player attraction display on the second display unit and to cause the suspended particle device to become substantially opaque if the attraction display is generated on the second display so that the first display unit is obscured through the opening of the second display unit. The controller may also be programmed to cause the display system to generate a game display on the first display unit and to cause the suspended particle device to become substantially transparent if the game display is generated on the first display unit so that the game display is visible through the opening of the second display unit. The game display may relate to poker, blackjack, slots, keno or bingo. The controller may further be programmed to cause the display system to generate a bonus game display on the second display unit and to cause the suspended particle device to become substantially opaque if the bonus game display is generated on the second display unit so that the first display unit is obscured through the opening of the second display unit. The controller may additionally be programmed to determine a value payout associated with an outcome of the game and to cause the suspended particle device to become substantially transparent if a non-zero value payout is determined so that at least a portion of the first display unit is visible through the opening of the second display unit.
• In another aspect, the invention is directed to a gaming apparatus which may include a display system, a value input device and a controller operatively coupled to the display system and the value input device. The display system may include a first display unit, a second display unit disposed in front of the first display unit and a light valve disposed between the first and second display units. The second display unit may comprise a video display unit and may include an opening. The controller may include a processor and a memory operatively coupled to the processor. The controller may be programmed to cause the display system to generate a game display on the first display unit, to cause the light valve to become substantially transparent if the game display is generated on the first display unit so that the game display is visible through the opening of the second display unit, to cause the display system to generate a video display on the second display unit, and to determine a value payout associated with an outcome of the game. The game display may relate to poker, blackjack, slots, keno or bingo.
• In a further aspect, the invention is directed to a gaming method which may include causing a game display to be generated on a first display unit, causing a video display to be generated on a second display unit disposed in front of the first display unit, the second display unit comprising an opening, causing a light valve disposed between the first and second display units to become substantially transparent if the game display is generated on the first display unit so that the game display is visible through the opening of the second display unit, and determining a value payout associated with an outcome of the game represented by the video image. The game display may relate to poker, blackjack, slots, keno or bingo.
• Additional aspects of the invention are defined by the claims of this patent.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
• FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a gaming system in accordance with the invention;
• FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an embodiment of one of the gaming units shown schematically inFIG. 1;
• FIG. 2A illustrates an embodiment of a control panel for a gaming unit;
• FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of an embodiment of a display system for the gaming unit ofFIG. 2;
• FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the electronic components of the gaming unit ofFIG. 2;
• FIG. 5 is a flowchart of an embodiment of a main routine that may be performed during operation of one or more of the gaming units;
• FIG. 6 is a flowchart of an alternative embodiment of a main routine that may be performed during operation of one or more of the gaming units;
• FIG. 7 is a flowchart of an embodiment of a display routine that may be performed during operation of the gaming units;
• FIG. 8 is an illustration of an embodiment of a visual display that may be displayed during performance of the display routine ofFIG. 7;
• FIG. 9 is an illustration of an alternative embodiment of a visual display that may be displayed during performance of the display routine ofFIG. 7;
• FIG. 10 is an illustration of an embodiment of a visual display that may be displayed during performance of the video poker routine ofFIG. 12;
• FIG. 11 is an illustration of an embodiment of a visual display that may be displayed during performance of the video blackjack routine ofFIG. 13;
• FIG. 12 is a flowchart of an embodiment of a video poker routine that may be performed by one or more of the gaming units;
• FIG. 13 is a flowchart of an embodiment of a video blackjack routine that may be performed by one or more of the gaming units;
• FIG. 14 is an illustration of an embodiment of a visual display that may be displayed during performance of the slots routine ofFIG. 16;
• FIG. 15 is an illustration of an embodiment of a visual display that may be displayed during performance of the video keno routine ofFIG. 17;
• FIG. 16 is a flowchart of an embodiment of a slots routine that may be performed by one or more of the gaming units;
• FIG. 17 is a flowchart of an embodiment of a video keno routine that may be performed by one or more of the gaming units;
• FIG. 18 is an illustration of an embodiment of a visual display that may be displayed during performance of the video bingo routine ofFIG. 19; and
• FIG. 19 is a flowchart of an embodiment of a video bingo routine that may be performed by one or more of the gaming units.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF VARIOUS EMBODIMENTS
• Although the following text sets forth a detailed description of numerous different embodiments of the invention, it should be understood that the legal scope of the invention is defined by the words of the claims set forth at the end of this patent. The detailed description is to be construed as exemplary only and does not describe every possible embodiment of the invention since describing every possible embodiment would be impractical, if not impossible. Numerous alternative embodiments could be implemented, using either current technology or technology developed after the filing date of this patent, which would still fall within the scope of the claims defining the invention.
• 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, unless a claim element is defined by reciting the word “means” and a function without the recital of any structure, 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. 1 illustrates one possible embodiment of acasino gaming system10 in accordance with the invention. Referring toFIG. 1, thecasino gaming system10 may include a first group ornetwork12 ofcasino gaming units20 operatively coupled to anetwork computer22 via a network data link orbus24. Thecasino gaming system10 may include a second group ornetwork26 ofcasino gaming units30 operatively coupled to anetwork computer32 via a network data link orbus34. The first andsecond gaming networks12,26 may be operatively coupled to each other via anetwork40, which may comprise, for example, the Internet, a wide area network (WAN), or a local area network (LAN) via afirst network link42 and asecond network link44.
• Thefirst network12 ofgaming units20 may be provided in a first casino, and thesecond network26 ofgaming units30 may be provided in a second casino located in a separate geographic location than the first casino. For example, the two casinos may be located in different areas of the same city, or they may be located in different states. Thenetwork40 may include a plurality of network computers or server computers (not shown), each of which may be operatively interconnected. Where thenetwork40 comprises the Internet, data communication may take place over the communication links42,44 via an Internet communication protocol.
• Thenetwork computer22 may be a server computer and may be used to accumulate and analyze data relating to the operation of thegaming units20. For example, thenetwork computer22 may continuously receive data from each of thegaming units20 indicative of the dollar amount and number of wagers being made on each of thegaming units20, data indicative of how much each of thegaming units20 is paying out in winnings, data regarding the identity and gaming habits of players playing each of thegaming units20, etc. Thenetwork computer32 may be a server computer and may be used to perform the same or different functions in relation to thegaming units30 as thenetwork computer22 described above.
• Although eachnetwork12,26 is shown to include onenetwork computer22,32 and fourgaming units20,30, it should be understood that different numbers of computers and gaming units may be utilized. For example, thenetwork12 may include a plurality ofnetwork computers22 and tens or hundreds ofgaming units20, all of which may be interconnected via thedata link24. The data link24 may be provided as a dedicated hardwired link or a wireless link. Although thedata link24 is shown as asingle data link24, thedata link24 may comprise multiple data links.
• FIG. 2 is a perspective view of one possible embodiment of one or more of thegaming units20. Although the following description addresses the design of thegaming units20, it should be understood that thegaming units30 may have the same design as thegaming units20 described below. It should be understood that the design of one or more of thegaming units20 may be different than the design ofother gaming units20, and that the design of one or more of thegaming units30 may be different than the design ofother gaming units30. Eachgaming unit20 may be any type of casino gaming unit and may have various different structures and methods of operation. For exemplary purposes, various designs of thegaming units20 are described below, but it should be understood that numerous other designs may be utilized.
• Referring toFIG. 2, thecasino gaming unit20 may include a housing orcabinet50 and one or more input devices, which may include a coin slot oracceptor52, apaper currency acceptor54, a ticket reader/printer56 and acard reader58, which may be used to input value to thegaming unit20. A value input device may include any device that can accept value from a customer. As used herein, the term “value” may encompass gaming tokens, coins, paper currency, ticket vouchers, credit or debit cards, smart cards, and any other object representative of value.
• If provided on thegaming unit20, the ticket reader/printer56 may be used to read and/or print or otherwise encodeticket vouchers60. Theticket vouchers60 may be composed of paper or another printable or encodable material and may have one or more of the following informational items printed or encoded thereon: the casino name, the type of ticket voucher, a validation number, a bar code with control and/or security data, the date and time of issuance of the ticket voucher, redemption instructions and restrictions, a description of an award, and any other information that may be necessary or desirable. Different types ofticket vouchers60 could be used, such as bonus ticket vouchers, cash-redemption ticket vouchers, casino chip ticket vouchers, extra game play ticket vouchers, merchandise ticket vouchers, restaurant ticket vouchers, show ticket vouchers, etc. Theticket vouchers60 could be printed with an optically readable material such as ink, or data on theticket vouchers60 could be magnetically encoded. The ticket reader/printer56 may be provided with the ability to both read andprint ticket vouchers60, or it may be provided with the ability to only read or only print or encodeticket vouchers60. In the latter case, for example, some of thegaming units20 may haveticket printers56 that may be used to printticket vouchers60, which could then be used by a player inother gaming units20 that haveticket readers56.
• If provided, thecard reader58 may include any type of card reading device, such as a magnetic card reader or an optical card reader, and may be used to read data from a card offered by a player, such as a credit card or a player tracking card. If provided for player tracking purposes, thecard reader58 may be used to read data from, and/or write data to, player tracking cards that are capable of storing data representing the identity of a player, the identity of a casino, the player's gaming habits, etc.
• Thegaming unit20 may include one or moreaudio speakers62, acoin payout tray64, aninput control panel66, and adisplay system70. Where thegaming unit20 is designed to facilitate play of a video casino game, such as video poker or video slots, thedisplay system70 may include color video display units that display images relating to the particular game or games. Where thegaming unit20 is designed to facilitate play of a reel-type slot machine, thedisplay system70 may comprise a plurality of mechanical reels that are rotatable, with each of the reels having a plurality of reel images disposed thereon. Theaudio speakers62 may generate audio representing sounds such as the noise of spinning slot machine reels, a dealer's voice, music, announcements or any other audio related to a casino game. Theinput control panel66 may be provided with a plurality of pushbuttons or touch-sensitive areas that may be pressed by a player to select games, make wagers, make gaming decisions, etc.
• FIG. 2A illustrates one possible embodiment of thecontrol panel66, which may be used where thegaming unit20 is a slot machine having a plurality of mechanical or “virtual” reels. Referring toFIG. 2A, if thedisplay system70 is provided with a video display unit, thecontrol panel66 may include a “See Pays”button72 that, when activated, causes thedisplay system70 to generate one or more display screens showing the odds or payout information for the game or games provided by thegaming unit20. As used herein, the term “button” is intended to encompass any device that allows a player to make an input, such as an input device that must be depressed to make an input selection or a display area that a player may simply touch. Thecontrol panel66 may include a “Cash Out”button74 that may be activated when a player decides to terminate play on thegaming unit20, in which case thegaming unit20 may return value to the player, such as by returning a number of coins to the player via thepayout tray64.
• If thegaming unit20 provides a slots game having a plurality of reels and a plurality of paylines which define winning combinations of reel symbols, thecontrol panel66 may be provided with a plurality ofselection buttons76, each of which allows the player to select a different number of paylines prior to spinning the reels. For example, fivebuttons76 may be provided, each of which may allow a player to select one, three, five, seven or nine paylines.
• If thegaming unit20 provides a slots game having a plurality of reels, thecontrol panel66 may be provided with a plurality ofselection buttons78 each of which allows a player to specify a wager amount for each payline selected. For example, if the smallest wager accepted by thegaming unit20 is a quarter ($0.25), thegaming unit20 may be provided with fiveselection buttons78, 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” button76 (meaning that five paylines were to be played on the next spin of the reels) and then activate the “3” button78 (meaning that three coins per payline were to be wagered), the total wager would be $3.75 (assuming the minimum bet was $0.25).
• Thecontrol panel66 may include a “Max Bet”button80 to allow a player to make the maximum wager allowable for a game. In the above example, where up to nine paylines were provided and up to five quarters could be wagered for each payline selected, the maximum wager would be 45 quarters, or $11.25. Thecontrol panel66 may include aspin button82 to allow the player to initiate spinning of the reels of a slots game after a wager has been made.
• InFIG. 2A, a rectangle is shown around thebuttons72,74,76,78,80,82. It should be understood that that rectangle simply designates, for ease of reference, an area in which thebuttons72,74,76,78,80,82 may be located. Consequently, the term “control panel” should not be construed to imply that a panel or plate separate from thehousing50 of thegaming unit20 is required, and the term “control panel” may encompass a plurality or grouping of player activatable buttons.
• Although onepossible control panel66 is described above, it should be understood that different buttons could be utilized in thecontrol panel66, and that the particular buttons used may depend on the game or games that could be played on thegaming unit20. If thedisplay system70 is provided with a video display unit, thecontrol panel66 could be generated by thedisplay system70. In that case, each of the buttons of thecontrol panel66 could be a colored area generated by thedisplay system70, and some type of mechanism may be associated with thedisplay system70 to detect when each of the buttons was touched, such as a touch-sensitive screen.
Gaming Unit Display System
• FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of one possible embodiment of thedisplay system70. Although the following description describes thedisplay system70 as a primary display, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that thedisplay system70 is applicable towards other displays, such as a top glass and a belly glass. Referring toFIG. 3, thedisplay system70 may include a frontvideo display unit90. The frontvideo display unit90 may comprise a flat display screen incorporating flat-panel display (FDP) technology including, but not limited to, a plasma display panel (PDP), a liquid crystal display (LCD), a liquid crystal on silicon (LCOS) display, a light emitting diode (LED) display, a ferroelectric LCD display, a field emissions display (FED), an electroluminescent display (ELD), and a microelectromechanical device (MEM) display, such as a digital micromirror device (DMD) display or a grating light valve (GLV) display, etc. The display screen of the frontvideo display unit90 may further include organic display technologies such as an organic electroluminescent (OEL) display and an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display, as well as a light emitting polymer display. In addition, the frontvideo display unit90 may be a touch-sensitive display for control of the game routine by a player. In many of above examples, the display screen may incorporate emissive display technology. That is, the display screen, such as an electroluminescent display, is capable of emitting light and is self-illuminating. However, some FPD technologies, such as a liquid crystal display, are not emissive. In other words, they generally do not emit light or emit only low amounts of light, and are not self-illuminating. In the case of non-emissive displays for the frontvideo display unit90, thedisplay system70 may include abacklight91 to provide additional luminescence to video images displayed on the frontvideo display unit90, whereas an absence of a back lighting source may cause images on non-emissive displays to be virtually invisible to a viewer. Additionally, some of the display technologies described above, such as electroluminescent displays and LCDs, may be transparent when no video images are displayed thereon. For example, an electroluminescent display may utilize non-organic phosphors that are both transparent and emissive, and addressed through row and column drivers.
• Thedisplay system70 may further include arear display unit92. As shown inFIG. 3, therear display unit92 may comprise mechanical slot machine reels that are rotatable, each of the reels having a plurality of reel images disposed thereof. Each mechanical reel may further include a light element, such as an electroluminescent light element, to illuminate the reel images or other portions of the mechanical reel. The mechanical reel may comprise a reel strip manufactured from a translucent material, such as plastic, with a light element disposed behind the reel strip. When activated, the light element illuminates the reel strip from behind, allowing all or part of the mechanical reel to be illuminated. An example of a mechanical reel having a light element is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,027,115 which is expressly incorporated by reference herein. Although therear display unit92 is shown to include a plurality of mechanical slot machine reels, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that therear display unit92 may comprise other mechanical displays, and/or therear display unit92 may comprise one or more video display units, including a cathode ray tube (CRT) display, a front projection display, or a rear projection display, in addition to the FPD technologies described above. Additional mechanical displays may include mechanical, motion-capable devices. For example, mechanical, motion-capable devices, such as balls, donuts, wheels, etc., may spin in place on therear display unit92. Other mechanical, motion-capable devices, such as “falling” tokens, “bouncing” balls, etc., may follow a predefined motion or predetermined path to give the appearance of movement, such as falling or bouncing.
• Alight valve93 may be disposed between the frontvideo display unit90 and therear display unit92. Various devices may be utilized for thelight valve93, including, but not limited to, suspended particle devices (SPD), electrochromic devices, polymer dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) devices, etc. Generally, thelight valve93 may switch between being transparent, and being opaque (or translucent), depending on whether a current is applied or not. For example, SPDs and PDLC devices become transparent when applied with a current and become opaque or translucent when little or no current is applied. On the other hand, electrochromic devices become opaque when applied with a current, and transparent when little or no current is applied. Additionally, thelight valve93 may attain varying levels of translucency and opaqueness. For example, while a PDLC device is generally either transparent or opaque, suspended particle devices and electrochromic devices allow for varying degrees of transparency, opaqueness or translucency, depending on the applied current level.
• The frontvideo display unit90 may include one or more openings which may allow a player to view therear display unit92 when thelight valve93 is transparent or substantially transparent. When thelight valve93 is opaque, or substantially opaque, a player's view of therear display unit92 may be obscured (or obstructed). Thelight valve93 may also be translucent and provide varying degrees of visibility of therear display unit92 through the opening, thereby varying the visibility of the rear display unit92 (e.g., gradually “dimming” or “brightening” the visibility of the rear display unit92). Varying the translucency of the light valve may cause the visibility of therear display unit92 to range from allowing the player to view and recognize the images on therear display unit92 to merely allowing light and color through without being able to distinguish the images.
• The frontvideo display unit90 may includemultiple openings94 that are aligned with the mechanical reels of therear display unit92. Likewise, if provided with abacklight91, thebacklight91 may include a plurality ofopenings95 that coincide with theopenings94 of the frontvideo display unit90. Theopenings94,95 may allow a player to see at least a portion of therear display unit92 when thelight valve93 is transparent. Therear display unit92 may also be visible when thelight valve93 is translucent, though this may depend on the degree to which thelight valve93 is translucent. The frontvideo display unit90 may includeadditional openings96,97,98,99, to view additional information displayed on therear display unit92. For example, one or more of the reel images may be viewable by a player through the correspondingopenings94,95, whereas additional display units, such as static displays or video displays, may be included as part of therear display unit92 and visible to the player through theopenings96,97,98,99. Corresponding openings (not shown) may be provided in thebacklight91, if provided.
• Theopenings94,96,97,98,99 in the frontvideo display unit90 may be provided as physical openings in the frontvideo display unit90. Physical openings may be formed by forming openings in the display screen material and connecting the resulting edges to appropriate video control lines for row and column addressing to display video images on the remaining display screen. Physical openings may also be formed by using multiple smaller, interconnected display screens for the frontvideo display unit90, which are arranged to leave spacing between the display screens to form the openings. Alternatively, theopenings94,96,97,98,99 may be provided as virtual openings. For example, if the frontvideo display unit90 comprises a transparent display screen, such as an electroluminescent display, the frontvideo display unit90 may appear transparent if a video image is not displayed. By selectively preventing images from being displayed on the frontvideo display unit90 using row and column addressing, virtual openings may be formed that allow a player to see through the frontvideo display unit90. If the frontvideo display unit90 comprises an LCD, or other non-emissive display, with abacklight91, physical openings may be formed in thebacklight91 causing any image on the LCD in front of theopenings95 to be virtually invisible to the player without lighting from the rear.
• If thelight valve93 is transparent, the player may see through the virtual openings of the display screen to view an image on therear display unit92. Video images may also be displayed on portions of the front video display unit that do not correspond to theopenings94,96,97,98,99, whether physical or virtual. However, if theopenings94,96,97,98,99 are provided as virtual openings, video images may be displayed on the portions of the frontvideo display unit90 corresponding to the virtual openings. The video images may be displayed on the virtual openings when thelight valve93 is opaque (or translucent). Video images may also be displayed on the virtual openings when the light valve is transparent, thereby superimposing the video images on an image displayed on therear display unit92.
Gaming Unit Electronics
• FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a number of components that may be incorporated in thegaming unit20. Referring toFIG. 4, thegaming unit20 may include acontroller100 that may comprise aprogram memory102, a microcontroller or microprocessor (MP)104, a random-access memory (RAM)106 and an input/output (I/O)circuit108, all of which may be interconnected via an address/data bus110. It should be appreciated that although only onemicroprocessor104 is shown, thecontroller100 may includemultiple microprocessors104. Similarly, the memory of thecontroller100 may includemultiple RAMs106 andmultiple program memories102. Although the I/O circuit108 is shown as a single block, it should be appreciated that the I/O circuit108 may include a number of different types of I/O circuits. The RAM(s)104 andprogram memories102 may be implemented as semiconductor memories, magnetically readable memories, and/or optically readable memories, for example.
• Although theprogram memory102 is shown inFIG. 4 as a read-only memory (ROM)102, the program memory of thecontroller100 may be a read/write or alterable memory, such as a hard disk. In the event a hard disk is used as a program memory, the address/data bus110 shown schematically inFIG. 4 may comprise multiple address/data buses, which may be of different types, and there may be an I/O circuit disposed between the address/data buses.
• FIG. 4 illustrates that thecontrol panel66, thecoin acceptor52, thebill acceptor54, thecard reader58, the ticket reader/printer56 and thedisplay system70 may be operatively coupled to the I/O circuit108, each of those components being so coupled by either a unidirectional or bidirectional, single-line or multiple-line data link, which may depend on the design of the component that is used. The speaker(s)62 may be operatively coupled to asound circuit112, that may comprise a voice- and sound-synthesis circuit or that may comprise a driver circuit. The sound-generatingcircuit112 may be coupled to the I/O circuit108.
• As shown inFIG. 4, thecomponents52,54,56,58,66,70,112 may be connected to the I/O circuit108 via a respective direct line or conductor. Different connection schemes could be used. For example, one or more of the components shown inFIG. 4 may be connected to the I/O circuit108 via a common bus or other data link that is shared by a number of components. Furthermore, some of the components may be directly connected to themicroprocessor104 without passing through the I/O circuit108.
Overall Operation of Gaming Unit
• One manner in which one or more of the gaming units20 (and one or more of the gaming units30) may operate is described below in connection with a number of flowcharts which represent a number of portions or routines of one or more computer programs, which may be stored in one or more of the memories of thecontroller100. The computer program(s) or portions thereof may be stored remotely, outside of thegaming unit20, and may control the operation of thegaming unit20 from a remote location. Such remote control may be facilitated with the use of a wireless connection, or by an Internet interface that connects thegaming unit20 with a remote computer (such as one of thenetwork computers22,32) having a memory in which the computer program portions are stored. The computer program portions may be written in any high level language such as C, C++, C#, Java or the like or any low-level assembly or machine language. By storing the computer program portions therein, various portions of thememories102,106 are physically and/or structurally configured in accordance with computer program instructions.
• FIG. 5 is a flowchart of amain operating routine200 that may be stored in the memory of thecontroller100. Referring toFIG. 5, the main routine200 may begin operation atblock202 during which an attraction sequence may be performed in an attempt to induce a potential player in a casino to play thegaming unit20. The attraction sequence may be performed by displaying one or more video images on the frontvideo display unit90 and/or causing one or more sound segments, such as voice or music, to be generated via thespeakers62. The attraction sequence may include a scrolling list of games that may be played on thegaming unit20 and/or video images of various games being played, such as video poker, video blackjack, video slots, video keno, video bingo, etc.
• During performance of the attraction sequence, if a potential player makes any input to thegaming unit20 as determined atblock204, the attraction sequence may be terminated and a game-selection display may be generated on thedisplay system70 atblock206 to allow the player to select a game available on thegaming unit20. Thegaming unit20 may detect an input atblock204 in various ways. For example, thegaming unit20 could detect if the player presses any button on thegaming unit20; thegaming unit20 could determine if the player deposited one or more coins into thegaming unit20; thegaming unit20 could determine if player deposited paper currency into the gaming unit; etc.
• The game-selection display generated atblock206 may include, for example, a list of video games that may be played on thegaming unit20 and/or a visual message to prompt the player to deposit value into thegaming unit20. While the game-selection display is generated, thegaming unit20 may wait for the player to make a game selection. Upon selection of one of the games by the player as determined atblock208, thecontroller100 may cause one of a number of game routines to be performed to allow the selected game to be played. For example, the game routines could include avideo poker routine210, avideo blackjack routine212, a slots routine214, avideo keno routine216, and avideo bingo routine218. Atblock208, if no game selection is made within a given period of time, the operation may branch back to block202.
• After one of theroutines210,212,214,216,218 has been performed to allow the player to play one of the games, block220 may be utilized to determine whether the player wishes to terminate play on thegaming unit20 or to select another game. If the player wishes to stop playing thegaming unit20, which wish may be expressed, for example, by selecting a “Cash Out” button, thecontroller100 may dispense value to the player atblock222 based on the outcome of the game(s) played by the player. The operation may then return to block202. If the player did not wish to quit as determined atblock220, the routine may return to block208 where the game-selection display may again be generated to allow the player to select another game.
• It should be noted that although five gaming routines are shown inFIG. 5, a different number of routines could be included to allow play of a different number of games. Thegaming unit20 may also be programmed to allow play of different games.
• FIG. 6 is a flowchart of an alternativemain operating routine230 that may be stored in the memory of thecontroller100. The main routine230 may be utilized forgaming units20 that are designed to allow play of only a single game or single type of game. Referring toFIG. 6, the main routine230 may begin operation atblock232 during which an attraction sequence may be performed in an attempt to induce a potential player in a casino to play thegaming unit20. The attraction sequence may be performed by displaying one or more video images on the frontvideo display unit90 and/or causing one or more sound segments, such as voice or music, to be generated via thespeakers62.
• During performance of the attraction sequence, if a potential player makes any input to thegaming unit20 as determined atblock234, the attraction sequence may be terminated and a game display may be generated on thedisplay system70 atblock236. The game display generated atblock236 may include, for example, an image of the casino game that may be played on thegaming unit20 and/or a visual message to prompt the player to deposit value into thegaming unit20. Atblock238, thegaming unit20 may determine if the player requested information concerning the game, in which case the requested information may be displayed atblock240.Block242 may be used to determine if the player requested initiation of a game, in which case agame routine244 may be performed. Thegame routine244 could be any one of the game routines disclosed herein, such as one of the fivegame routines210,212,214,216,218, or another game routine.
• After the routine244 has been performed to allow the player to play the game, block246 may be utilized to determine whether the player wishes to terminate play on thegaming unit20. If the player wishes to stop playing thegaming unit20, which wish may be expressed, for example, by selecting a “Cash Out” button, thecontroller100 may dispense value to the player atblock248 based on the outcome of the game(s) played by the player. The operation may then return to block232. If the player did not wish to quit as determined atblock246, the operation may return to block238.
Display System Operation
• FIG. 7 is flowchart of adisplay routine250 which may be executed by thecontroller100 in conjunction with or as part of themain routines200,230. Referring toFIG. 7, atblock252, the routine may determine whether a game has been initiated, which may be similar to the determination made atblock204 of themain operating routine200 shown inFIG. 5. If a game has been initiated as determined atblock252, the routine may deactivate thelight valve93 and cause the light valve to become transparent atblock254. Depending on the particularlight valve93 being utilized, deactivating thelight valve93 may involve either applying (or increasing) a current to thelight valve93 or discontinuing (or decreasing) the current being applied to thelight valve93.
• Atblock256, the routine may generate graphics on therear display unit92 related to the game. If provided with mechanical slot machine reels having an illumination element, the mechanical reels of therear display unit92 may be illuminated. Other mechanical, motion-capable devices, if provided, may correspond to the game display and may be activated on therear display unit92 as part of the display on therear display unit92. Additional graphics related to the game may be generated on the frontvideo display unit90, which may be superimposed over the graphics of therear display unit92. Atblock258, the routine may generate graphics such as player information (e.g., player identification, cumulative winnings, a player profile, favorite games, etc.), game information, advertisements, graphics related to the game, etc., which may be displayed on the frontvideo display unit90. Atblock260, a game routine may be performed and the images of the front andrear display units90,92 may be updated accordingly as the game routine is performed. Thegame routine260 could be any of the game routines disclosed herein, such as one of the fivegame routines210,212,214,216,218, or another game routine.
• Thedisplay routine250 may further determine whether a bonus game has been initiated atblock262. If the bonus game has been initiated as determined atblock262, the routine may activate thelight valve93 atblock264, causing the light valve to become opaque and obscuring the player's view of therear display unit92. The routine may then generate graphics to play the bonus game on the frontvideo display unit90 atblock266 and further generate player information on the front video display unit atblock268. If provided with mechanical slot machine reels having an illumination element, the mechanical reels of therear display unit92 may be de-illuminated. Atblock270, the bonus game routine may be executed. Thebonus game routine270 may include any one of the game routines disclosed herein, such as one of the fivegame routines210,212,214,216,218, or another game routine.
• Thedisplay routine250 may further determine whether or not an attraction sequence is being performed, such as the attraction sequence shown schematically inFIGS. 4 and 5. As described above, the attraction sequence may include a scrolling list of games that may be played on thegame unit20 and/or video images of various games being played, such as video poker, video blackjack, video slots, video keno, video bingo, etc. The attraction sequence may further include the activation of thelight valve93 atblock274, thereby causing thelight valve93 to become opaque to obscure the view of therear display unit92. Attraction graphics, such as the scrolling list of games and/or video images of various games being played, may be generated on the frontvideo display unit90 atblock276. If provided with mechanical slot machine reels having an illumination element, the mechanical reels of therear display unit92 may be de-illuminated. As above, during performance of the attraction sequence, if a potential player makes any input to thegame unit20 as determined atblock278, the attraction sequence may be terminated and control may return to block252 to determine whether or not a game has been initiated.
• Thedisplay routine250 may also determine whether a player has won during performance of a game routine atblock280. The win determination may be based on any nonzero payout determination as determined during a game routine, including thegame routines210,212,214,216,218. In one example, the win determination may relate to a predetermined payout amount such as a jackpot. If the player has won, as determined atblock280, the routine may deactivate thelight valve93, causing the light valve to become transparent and allowing the player to view therear display unit92. Atblock284, the routine may cause graphics to be generated on therear display unit92 and/or the frontvideo display unit90 corresponding to a value payout display to indicating that the player has won. If provided with mechanical slot machine reels having an illumination element, the mechanical reels of therear display unit92 may be illuminated and de-illuminated to appear flashing. Other mechanical, motion-capable devices, if provided, may correspond to the bonus game display and may be activated on therear display unit92 as part of the display on therear display unit92, such as the falling tokens, or spinning wheel described above. Player information may further be generated on the frontvideo display unit90 atblock286, including updated graphical information accounting for the payout amount.
• Although thedisplay routine250 has been described as including various combinations of generating images on thedisplay units90,92 and activating/deactivating thelight valve93, based on the occurrence of a game routine, a bonus routine, an attraction sequence, or a winning game, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that additional criteria may cause such combinations to be initiated. For example, some game routines may be executed to include a game display on therear display unit92, whereas other game routines may be executed to include a game display on thefront display unit90. The game displays on the front andrear display units90,92 could be generated as part of any of the game routines disclosed here, such as one of the five game routines,210,212,214,216,218, or another game routine. In one example, therear display unit92 may be utilized for a mechanicalslots game routine214, whereas thefront display unit90 may be utilized for a video game routine such as video poker, video blackjack, video slots, video keno, video bingo, or any other video game routine. When a video game routine is to be performed, which may result from a player selection of such a game routine, thelight valve93 may be activated, thereby causing thelight valve93 to become opaque to obscure the view of therear display unit92. Other combinations that provide specific game routines to be displayed on eachdisplay unit90,92 may also be provided.
• Additionally, various combinations and permutations of generating images on thedisplay units90,92 and activating/deactivating thelight valve93 may be performed for the above occurrences or other criteria. Those of ordinary skill in the art will also recognize that each criteria (e.g., game, bonus game, attraction, win, etc.) may be embodied in its own routine or incorporated into other routines such as themain operating routines200,230. Thedisplay routine250 described herein may comprise additional or fewer criteria than indicated.
• Although examples of displays are described herein as comprising particular images on eachdisplay unit90,92, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that thedisplay units90,92 are not limited to any particular image.FIG. 8 is anexemplary display300 that may be shown on thedisplay system70 during performance of a slots routine utilizing mechanical reels. Referring toFIG. 8, thelight valve93 has been deactivated to allow images on therear display unit92 to be visible. As seen inFIG. 8, a player is able to view portions of the mechanical reels through theopenings94 in the frontvideo display unit90. Additional graphics may also be displayed by therear display unit92 and viewed through the various openings in the frontvideo display unit90. For example, the name of the game routine being played may be viewed through theopening96, the current bet may be viewed through theopening97, the number of remaining credits may be viewed in theopening98, and the minimum bet may be displayed in theopening99. Additional graphics relating to the game routine may be displayed on the frontvideo display unit90. For example, the frontvideo display unit90 may include video images of a plurality of player selectable buttons to allow the player to control the play of the slots game. The buttons may include a “See Pays”button302, a “Cash Out”button304, a “Spin”button306, and a “Max Bet”button308. Player information may also be generated as avideo image310 on the frontvideo display unit90. The playerinformation video image310 may include the player's name, the player's winnings, the player's profile, the player's wagers, the player's favorite games, etc. If provided as virtual openings, additional graphics (not shown) may be generated on the portions of the frontvideo display unit90 corresponding to one or more of theopenings94,96,97,98,99 and superimposed over images on therear display unit92 that are viewed through theopenings94,96,97,98,99.
• FIG. 9 is anexemplary display320 that may be shown on thedisplay system70 when thelight valve93 has been activated to obscure the images on therear display unit92. As seen inFIG. 9, a player viewing thevideo display unit70 is unable to see therear display unit92 through thevarious openings94,96,97,98,99 in the frontvideo display unit90. Thedisplay320 as shown inFIG. 9 may relate to a display shown during an attraction sequence. Attraction graphics may be generated on the frontvideo display unit90, which may include avideo image322 of a scrolling list of games that may be played on thegaming unit20, and avideo image324 of instructions for initiating a new game. Although not shown, images may be generated on theopenings94,96,97,98,99 if provided as virtual openings.
Video Poker
• Where thegaming unit20 is designed to facilitate play of a video poker game, therear display unit92 may comprise a video display unit.FIG. 10 is anexemplary display350 that may be shown on thedisplay system70 during performance of thevideo poker routine210 shown schematically inFIG. 5. Referring toFIG. 10, thedisplay350 may includevideo images352 of a plurality of playing cards representing the player's hand, such as five cards. Thevideo image352 of the playing cards may be displayed on therear display unit92 and viewed by the player through anopening353 in the frontvideo display unit90. To allow the player to control the play of the video poker game, a plurality of player-selectable buttons may be displayed on the frontvideo display unit90. The buttons may include a “Hold”button354 disposed directly below each of theplaying card images352, a “Cash Out”button356, a “See Pays”button358, a “Bet One Credit”button360, a “Bet Max Credits”button362, and a “Deal/Draw”button364. Thedisplay350 may also include anarea366 in which the number of remaining credits or value is displayed on therear display unit92 and viewed by the player through an opening367 in the frontvideo display unit90. If the frontvideo display unit90 is provided with a touch-sensitive screen, thebuttons354,356,358,360,362,364 may form part of thevideo display350. Alternatively, one or more of those buttons may be provided as part of a control panel that is provided separately from thedisplay system70.
• FIG. 12 is a flowchart of thevideo poker routine210 shown schematically inFIG. 5. Referring toFIG. 12, atblock370, the routine may determine whether the player has requested payout information, such as by activating the “See Pays”button358, in which case atblock372 the routine may cause one or more pay tables to be displayed on the frontvideo display unit90. Atblock374, the routine may determine whether the player has made a bet, such as by pressing the “Bet One Credit”button360, in which case atblock376 bet data corresponding to the bet made by the player may be stored in the memory of thecontroller100. Atblock378, the routine may determine whether the player has pressed the “Bet Max Credits”button362, in which case atblock380 bet data corresponding to the maximum allowable bet may be stored in the memory of thecontroller100.
• Atblock382, the routine may determine if the player desires a new hand to be dealt, which may be determined by detecting if the “Deal/Draw”button364 was activated after a wager was made. In that case, at block384 a video poker hand may be “dealt” by causing therear display unit92 to generate theplaying card images352. After the hand is dealt, atblock386 the routine may determine if any of the “Hold”buttons354 have been activated by the player, in which case data regarding which of theplaying card images352 are to be “held” may be stored in thecontroller100 atblock388. If the “Deal/Draw”button364 is activated again as determined atblock390, each of theplaying card images352 that was not “held” may be caused to disappear from thevideo display350 and to be replaced by a new, randomly selected, playingcard image352 atblock392.
• Atblock394, the routine may determine whether the poker hand represented by theplaying card images352 currently displayed is a winner. That determination may be made by comparing data representing the currently displayed poker hand with data representing all possible winning hands, which may be stored in the memory of thecontroller100. If there is a winning hand, a payout value corresponding to the winning hand may be determined atblock396. Atblock398, the player's cumulative value or number of credits may be updated by subtracting the bet made by the player and adding, if the hand was a winner, the payout value determined atblock396. The cumulative value or number of credits may also be displayed in the display area366 (FIG. 10).
• Although thevideo poker routine210 is described above in connection with a single poker hand of five cards, the routine210 may be modified to allow other versions of poker to be played. For example, seven card poker may be played, or stud poker may be played. Alternatively, multiple poker hands may be simultaneously played. In that case, the game may begin by dealing a single poker hand, and the player may be allowed to hold certain cards. After deciding which cards to hold, the held cards may be duplicated in a plurality of different poker hands, with the remaining cards for each of those poker hands being randomly determined.
Video Blackjack
• Where thegaming unit20 is designed to facilitate play of a video blackjack game, therear display unit92 may comprise a video display unit.FIG. 11 is anexemplary display400 that may be shown on thedisplay system70 during performance of thevideo blackjack routine212 shown schematically inFIG. 5. Referring toFIG. 11, thedisplay400 may includevideo images402 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, andvideo images404 of a pair of playing cards representing a player's hand, with both the cards shown face up. The “dealer” may be thegaming unit20. Thevideo images402,404 of the playing cards may be displayed on therear display unit92 and viewed by the player through anopening405 in the frontvideo display unit90.
• To allow the player to control the play of the video blackjack game, a plurality of player-selectable buttons may be displayed on the frontvideo display unit90. The buttons may include a “Cash Out”button406, a “See Pays”button408, a “Stay”button410, a “Hit”button412, a “Bet One Credit”button414, and a “Bet Max Credits”button416. Thedisplay400 may also include anarea418 in which the number of remaining credits or value is displayed on therear display unit92 and viewed by the player through anopening419 in the frontvideo display unit90. If the frontvideo display unit90 is provided with a touch-sensitive screen, thebuttons406,408,410,412,414,416 may form part of thevideo display400. Alternatively, one or more of those buttons may be provided as part of a control panel that is provided separately from thedisplay system70.
• FIG. 13 is a flowchart of thevideo blackjack routine212 shown schematically inFIG. 5. Referring toFIG. 13, thevideo blackjack routine212 may begin atblock420 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”button414 or the “Bet Max Credits”button416. Atblock422, bet data corresponding to the bet made atblock420 may be stored in the memory of thecontroller100. Atblock424, a dealer's hand and a player's hand may be “dealt” by making theplaying card images402,404 appear on therear display unit92.
• Atblock426, the player may be allowed to be “hit,” in which case atblock428 another card will be dealt to the player's hand by making anotherplaying card image404 appear in thedisplay400. If the player is hit, block430 may determine if the player has “bust,” or exceeded21. If the player has not bust, blocks426 and428 may be performed again to allow the player to be hit again.
• If the player decides not to hit, atblock432 the routine may determine whether the dealer should be hit. Whether the dealer hits may be determined in accordance with predetermined rules, such as the dealer always hit if the dealer's hand totals15 or less. If the dealer hits, atblock434 the dealer's hand may be dealt another card by making anotherplaying card image402 appear in thedisplay400. Atblock436 the routine may determine whether the dealer has bust. If the dealer has not bust, blocks432,434 may be performed again to allow the dealer to be hit again.
• If the dealer does not hit, atblock436 the outcome of the blackjack game and a corresponding payout may be determined based on, for example, whether the player or the dealer has the higher hand that does not exceed21. If the player has a winning hand, a payout value corresponding to the winning hand may be determined atblock440. Atblock442, the player's cumulative value or number of credits may be updated by subtracting the bet made by the player and adding, if the player won, the payout value determined atblock440. The cumulative value or number of credits may also be displayed in the display area418 (FIG. 11).
Slots
• Where thegaming unit20 is designed to facilitate play of a video slots game, therear display unit92 may comprise a video display unit.FIG. 14 is anexemplary display450 that may be shown on thedisplay system70 during performance of the slots routine214 shown schematically inFIG. 5. Referring toFIG. 14, thedisplay450 may includevideo images452 of a plurality of slot machine reels, each of the reels having a plurality ofreel symbols454 associated therewith. Thevideo images452 of the slot machine reels may be displayed on therear display unit92 and viewed by the player through an opening455 in the frontvideo display unit90. Although thedisplay450 shows fivereel images452, each of which may have threereel symbols454 that are visible at a time, other reel configurations could be utilized.
• To allow the player to control the play of the slots game, a plurality of player-selectable buttons may be displayed on the frontvideo display unit90. The buttons may include a “Cash Out”button456, a “See Pays”button458, a plurality of payline-selection buttons460 each of which allows the player to select a different number of paylines prior to “spinning” the reels, a plurality of bet-selection buttons462 each of which allows a player to specify a wager amount for each payline selected, a “Spin”button464, and a “Max Bet”button466 to allow a player to make the maximum wager allowable.
• FIG. 16 is a flowchart of the slots routine214 shown schematically inFIG. 14. Referring toFIG. 16, atblock470, the routine may determine whether the player has requested payout information, such as by activating the “See Pays”button458, in which case atblock472 the routine may cause one or more pay tables to be displayed on the frontvideo display unit90. Atblock474, the routine may determine whether the player has pressed one of the payline-selection buttons460, in which case atblock476 data corresponding to the number of paylines selected by the player may be stored in the memory of thecontroller100. Atblock478, the routine may determine whether the player has pressed one of the bet-selection buttons462, in which case atblock480 data corresponding to the amount bet per payline may be stored in the memory of thecontroller100. Atblock482, the routine may determine whether the player has pressed the “Max Bet”button466, in which case atblock484 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 thecontroller100.
• If the “Spin”button464 has been activated by the player as determined atblock486, atblock488 the routine may cause the slotmachine reel images452 to begin “spinning” so as to simulate the appearance of a plurality of spinning mechanical slot machine reels. Atblock490, the routine may determine the positions at which the slot machine reel images will stop, or theparticular symbol images454 that will be displayed when thereel images452 stop spinning. Atblock492, the routine may stop thereel images452 from spinning by displayingstationary reel images452 and images of threesymbols454 for each stoppedreel image452. The virtual reels may be stopped from left to right, from the perspective of the player, or in any other manner or sequence.
• The routine may provide for the possibility of a bonus game or round if certain conditions are met, such as the display in the stoppedreel images452 of aparticular symbol454. If there is such a bonus condition as determined atblock494, the routine may proceed to block496 where a bonus round may be played. The bonus round may be a different game than slots, and many other types of bonus games could be provided. If the player wins the bonus round, or receives additional credits or points in the bonus round, a bonus value may be determined atblock498. A payout value corresponding to outcome of the slots game and/or the bonus round may be determined atblock500. Atblock502, the player's cumulative value or number of credits may be updated by subtracting the bet made by the player and adding, if the slot game and/or bonus round was a winner, the payout value determined atblock500.
• Although the above routine has been described as a virtual slot machine routine in which slot machine reels are represented as images on therear display unit92, actual slot machine reels that are capable of being spun may be utilized instead, in which case therear display unit92 could be provided in the form of a plurality of mechanical reels that are rotatable, each of the reels having a plurality of reel images disposed thereon and viewed through the opening455 in the frontvideo display unit90.
Video Keno
• Where thegaming unit20 is designed to facilitate play of a video keno game, therear display unit92 may comprise a video display unit.FIG. 15 is anexemplary display520 that may be shown on thedisplay system70 during performance of thevideo keno routine216 shown schematically inFIG. 5. Referring toFIG. 15, thedisplay520 may include a video image522 of a plurality of numbers that were selected by the player prior to the start of a keno game and avideo image524 of a plurality of numbers randomly selected during the keno game. The randomly selected numbers may be displayed in a grid pattern. The video images522 of the plurality of numbers selected by the player may be displayed on therear display unit92 and viewed by the player through an opening523 in the frontvideo display unit90. Likewise, thevideo images524 of the plurality of randomly selected numbers may be displayed on therear display unit92 and viewed by the player through anopening525 in the frontvideo display unit90.
• To allow the player to control the play of the keno game, a plurality of player-selectable buttons may be displayed on the frontvideo display unit90. The buttons may include a “Cash Out”button526, a “See Pays”button528, a “Bet One Credit”button530, a “Bet Max Credits”button532, a “Select Ticket”button534, a “Select Number”button536, and a “Play”button538. Thedisplay520 may also include anarea540 in which the number of remaining credits or value is displayed on therear display unit92 and viewed through anopening541 in thefront display unit92. If the frontvideo display unit90 is provided with a touch-sensitive screen, the buttons may form part of thevideo display520. Alternatively, one or more of those buttons may be provided as part of a control panel that is provided separately from thedisplay system70.
• FIG. 17 is a flowchart of thevideo keno routine216 shown schematically inFIG. 5. Thekeno routine216 may be utilized in connection with asingle gaming unit20 where a single player is playing a keno game, or thekeno routine240 may be utilized in connection withmultiple gaming units20 where multiple players are playing a single keno game. In the latter case, one or more of the acts described below may be performed either by thecontroller100 in each gaming unit or by one of thenetwork computer22,32 to whichmultiple gaming units20 are operatively connected.
• Referring toFIG. 17, atblock550, the routine may determine whether the player has requested payout information, such as by activating the “See Pays”button528, in which case atblock552 the routine may cause one or more pay tables to be displayed on the frontvideo display unit90. Atblock554, the routine may determine whether the player has made a bet, such as by having pressed the “Bet One Credit”button530 or the “Bet Max Credits”button532, in which case atblock556 bet data corresponding to the bet made by the player may be stored in the memory of thecontroller100. After the player has made a wager, atblock558 the player may select a keno ticket, and atblock560 the ticket may be displayed on thedisplay520. Atblock562, 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 thecontroller100 atblock564 and may be included in the image522 on thedisplay520 atblock566. 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 units20).
• If play of the keno game is to begin as determined atblock568, at block570 a game number within a range set by the casino may be randomly selected either by thecontroller100 or a central computer operatively connected to the controller, such as one of thenetwork computers22,32. Atblock572, the randomly selected game number may be displayed on therear display unit92 and thedisplay systems70 of other gaming units20 (if any) which are involved in the same keno game. Atblock574, the controller100 (or the central computer noted above) may increment a count which keeps track of how many game numbers have been selected atblock570.
• Atblock576, the controller100 (or one of thenetwork computers22,32) may determine whether a maximum number of game numbers within the range have been randomly selected. If not, another game number may be randomly selected atblock570. If the maximum number of game numbers has been selected, atblock578 the controller100 (or a central computer) may determine whether there are a sufficient number of matches between the game numbers selected by the player and the game numbers selected atblock570 to cause the player to win. The number of matches may depend on how many numbers the player selected and the particular keno rules being used.
• If there are a sufficient number of matches, a payout may be determined atblock580 to compensate the player for winning the game. The payout may depend on the number of matches between the game numbers selected by the player and the game numbers randomly selected atblock570. Atblock582, the player's cumulative value or number of credits may be updated by subtracting the bet made by the player and adding, if the keno game was won, the payout value determined atblock580. The cumulative value or number of credits may also be displayed in the display area540 (FIG. 15).
Video Bingo
• Where thegaming unit20 is designed to facilitate play of a video bingo game, therear display unit92 may comprise a video display unit.FIG. 18 is anexemplary display600 that may be shown on thedisplay system70 during performance of thevideo bingo routine218 shown schematically inFIG. 5. Referring toFIG. 18, thedisplay600 may include one ormore video images602 of a bingo card and images of the bingo numbers selected during the game. Thebingo card images602 may have a grid pattern. Thebingo card images602 may be displayed on therear display unit92 and viewed by the player through anopening603 in the frontvideo display unit90.
• To allow the player to control the play of the bingo game, a plurality of player-selectable buttons may be displayed on the frontvideo display unit90. The buttons may include a “Cash Out”button604, a “See Pays”button606, a “Bet One Credit”button608, a “Bet Max Credits”button610, a “Select Card”button612, and a “Play”button614. Thedisplay600 may also include anarea616 in which the number of remaining credits or value is displayed on therear display unit92 and viewed by the player through anopening617 in the frontvideo display unit90. If the frontvideo display unit90 is provided with a touch-sensitive screen, the buttons may form part of thevideo display600. Alternatively, one or more of those buttons may be provided as part of a control panel that is provided separately from thedisplay system70.
• FIG. 19 is a flowchart of thevideo bingo routine218 shown schematically inFIG. 5. Thebingo routine218 may be utilized in connection with asingle gaming unit20 where a single player is playing a bingo game, or thebingo routine250 may be utilized in connection withmultiple gaming units20 where multiple players are playing a single bingo game. In the latter case, one or more of the acts described below may be performed either by thecontroller100 in eachgaming unit20 or by one of thenetwork computers22,32 to whichmultiple gaming units20 are operatively connected.
• Referring toFIG. 19, atblock620, the routine may determine whether the player has requested payout information, such as by activating the “See Pays”button606, in which case atblock622 the routine may cause one or more pay tables to be displayed on the frontvideo display unit90. Atblock624, the routine may determine whether the player has made a bet, such as by having pressed the “Bet One Credit”button608 or the “Bet Max Credits”button610, in which case atblock626 bet data corresponding to the bet made by the player may be stored in the memory of thecontroller100.
• After the player has made a wager, atblock628 the player may select a bingo card, which may be generated randomly. The player may select more than one bingo card, and there may be a maximum number of bingo cards that a player may select. After play is to commence as determined atblock632, at block634 a bingo number may be randomly generated by thecontroller100 or a central computer such as one of thenetwork computers22,32. Atblock636, the bingo number may be displayed on therear display unit92 and thedisplay systems70 of anyother gaming units20 involved in the bingo game.
• Atblock638, the controller100 (or a central computer) may determine whether any player has won the bingo game. If no player has won, another bingo number may be randomly selected atblock634. If any player has bingo as determined atblock638, the routine may determine atblock640 whether the player playing thatgaming unit20 was the winner. If so, at block642 a payout for the player may be determined. The payout may depend on the number of random numbers that were drawn before there was a winner, the total number of winners (if there was more than one player), and the amount of money that was wagered on the game. Atblock644, the player's cumulative value or number of credits may be updated by subtracting the bet made by the player and adding, if the bingo game was won, the payout value determined atblock642. The cumulative value or number of credits may also be displayed in the display area616 (FIG. 18).

Claims (1)

1. A gaming apparatus, comprising:

a display system comprising a first video display unit, a second video display unit disposed in front of said first video display unit, and a light valve disposed between said first display unit and said second video display unit;

a value input device;

a controller operatively coupled to said display system and said value input device, said controller comprising a processor and a memory operatively coupled to said processor,

said controller being programmed to cause said display system to generate a game display on said first video display unit,

said controller being programmed to cause said light valve to become substantially transparent when said game display is generated on said first video display unit,

said controller being programmed to cause said display system to generate a bonus game display on said second video display unit, and

said controller being programmed to cause said second video display unit to partially obscure said first video display unit when said bonus game display is generated on said second display unit.

Images