U.S. patent application number 10/871395 was filed with the patent office on 2005-12-22 for gaming machine providing pop-up advertising.
This patent application is currently assigned to Atronic International GmbH. Invention is credited to Gauselmann, Michael.
Application Number | 20050282614 10/871395 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 34981290 |
Filed Date | 2005-12-22 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050282614 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Gauselmann, Michael |
December 22, 2005 |
Gaming machine providing pop-up advertising
Abstract
In one embodiment, the invention is incorporated in a video
gaming machine that emulates the spinning and random stopping of
reels, where awards are granted based on symbol combinations across
one or more activated paylines. In one embodiment, during a time
when the virtual reels are spinning or at other times, a pop-up
advertisement or other offer appears on the screen either obscuring
or not obscuring the reels. In one embodiment, the player is
rewarded in any one of various ways for viewing the various
advertisements in the pop-up window. Offers made in the pop-up
window may be printed on a ticket by the gaming machine. Other
features are described.
Inventors: |
Gauselmann, Michael;
(Espelkamp, DE) |
Correspondence
Address: |
PATENT LAW GROUP LLP
2635 NORTH FIRST STREET
SUITE 223
SAN JOSE
CA
95134
US
|
Assignee: |
Atronic International GmbH
|
Family ID: |
34981290 |
Appl. No.: |
10/871395 |
Filed: |
June 17, 2004 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
463/20 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G07F 17/32 20130101;
G07F 17/3227 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
463/020 |
International
Class: |
A63F 009/24 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A method performed by a gaming machine for use in a casino
comprising: receiving a wager by the gaming machine for playing a
game; displaying a game by the gaming machine; displaying, upon
detecting a triggering event, a pop-up window on a video display
displaying information unrelated to the game being displayed; and
canceling the pop-up window after a certain period of time.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein displaying the game comprises
displaying rotating reels on the video display and randomly
stopping the reels, the triggering event occurring during the
rotating of the reels.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein displaying the game comprises
displaying rotating reels on the video display and randomly
stopping the reels, the triggering event occurring during a time
between when the reels are stopped and when the reels are
rotating.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein the triggering event occurs after
a certain number of games played.
5. The method of claim 1 wherein the triggering event occurs at a
random time.
6. The method of claim 1 further comprising offering a player a
choice to enable or disable displaying the pop-up window.
7. The method of claim 1 wherein the pop-up window comprises a
background for the information displayed.
8. The method of claim 1 wherein the pop-up window comprises a
frame around the information displayed.
9. The method of claim 1 further comprising offering a player a
choice to accept an offer displayed by the pop-up window.
10. The method of claim 1 wherein the pop-up window is an
advertisement.
11. The method of claim 1 wherein the pop-up window is an
offer.
12. The method of claim 1 further comprising printing out a ticket
documenting the information displayed by the pop-up window.
13. The method of claim 1 wherein the gaming machine is connected
to a network, the method further comprising transmitting the
information to be displayed by the pop-up window to the gaming
machine via the network.
14. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing a reward to
a player for viewing the information.
15. The method of claim 14 wherein the reward is other than a
reward offered by the information displayed by the pop-up
window.
16. The method of claim 1 wherein the information comprises
questions to be answered by a player.
17. The method of claim 1 wherein the pop-up window and game are
displayed on the same video screen.
18. The method of claim 1 wherein the pop-up window and game are
displayed on different video screens.
19. The method of claim 1 wherein the game is displayed on
motor-driven reels.
20. The method of claim 1 wherein the pop-up window comprises an
item of value, the value- being dependent on an amount wagered by a
player for the game.
21. A gaming device for being installed in a casino comprising: a
video display: one or more processors for carrying out a game, the
one or more processors also displaying on the video display, upon
detection of a triggering event, a pop-up window on the video
display displaying information unrelated to the game being
displayed; and canceling the pop-up window after a certain period
of time.
22. The gaming device of claim 21 wherein the game is displayed on
the video display.
23. The gaming device of claim 21 wherein the pop-up window and
game are displayed on the same video display screen.
24. The gaming device of claim 21 wherein the pop-up window and
game are displayed on different video display screens.
25. The gaming device of claim 21 wherein the game is displayed on
motor-driven reels.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] This invention relates to gaming machines, also referred to
as slot machines, and, in particular, to an advertising technique
using a video screen in a gaming machine.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Gaming machines that incorporate a video display are
extremely common in casinos. Thousands of people may be viewing
video screens at any single time in a casino while watching virtual
reels spin and randomly stop and while watching between games when
new bets are wagered. Video displays are also incorporated in
motor-driven reel-type slot machines for displaying information
such as the logo of the game, the winning symbol combinations, and
other game-related information.
SUMMARY
[0003] Disclosed herein is an advertising technique that may be
used to convey information to thousands of people at a great
benefit to the casino and yet not reduce the casino's revenue from
players playing the gaming machines. In one embodiment, the
invention is incorporated in a video gaming machine that emulates
the spinning and random stopping of reels, where awards are granted
based on symbol combinations across one or more activated paylines.
In one embodiment, during a time when the virtual reels are
spinning, a pop-up advertisement or other offer (referred to herein
as a pop-up window) appears on the screen either obscuring or not
obscuring the spinning reels. The pop-up window may arise at any
other time during play of the gaming machine in a way that is not
irritating to the player, such as between games, after a win, or at
any other time.
[0004] The pop-up window may also appear on a video screen in a
motor-driven reel-type slot machine, where the video screen is
typically used for displaying game-related information.
[0005] In one embodiment, the player is rewarded in any one of
various ways for viewing the various pop-up advertisements. The
player may even have the ability to disable the advertisement
feature, thus foregoing any rewards for having the advertisement
feature enabled. Such rewards may be a small percentage of the
player's wagers being paid back to the player after the player's
playing session, or may constitute free games, free gifts, or other
offers.
[0006] It is now popular for gaming machines to print tickets
rather than issuing cash to the player. Such tickets have a barcode
printed on them that is used to identify the number of credits or
monetary value stored in the machine when the player cashes out.
The ticket may be inserted into any suitable gaming machine, and
the credits represented by the barcode are loaded into the new
machine. In accordance with one embodiment of the present
invention, instead of printing on the ticket a code representing
the credits on the gaming machine, the ticket is printed to provide
the player with a tangible record of the offer made by the pop-up
window. For example, the pop-up window may display that the player
has won a $5.00 gift certificate at the casino's gift store or
restaurant. A ticket would then be printed documenting this $5.00
certificate. A barcode on the ticket may also be scanned at the
restaurant to verify the authenticity of the ticket.
[0007] The invention may be applied to gaming machines in casinos
other than those that display rotating reels.
[0008] Other features are described.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one type of video gaming
machine that may receive signals via a communications link to
generate pop-up ads or other offers on the video screen.
[0010] FIG. 2 illustrates virtual reels displayed on the video
screen as they are spinning in a conventional manner.
[0011] FIG. 3 illustrates a pop-up window with an ad or other offer
superimposed on the spinning reels.
[0012] FIG. 4 is a flow chart identifying basic steps in the
displaying and canceling of the pop-up ad or offer.
[0013] FIG. 5 illustrates a printed ticket dispensed by the gaming
machine documenting an accepted offer.
[0014] FIG. 6 illustrates various functional units in the gaming
machine of FIG. 1, including a communications board for receiving
signals for the display of the pop-up ads or other offers.
[0015] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a motor-driven reel-type
slot machine having a video screen above the reels for displaying
the pop-up ads or other offers.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0016] The present invention may be implemented using any gaming
machine having a video display. One example of such a video gaming
machine is shown in FIG. 1. Gaming machine 10 includes a display 12
that may be a thin film transistor (TFT) display, a liquid crystal
display (LCD), a cathode ray tube (CRT), or any other type of
display. Display 12 may include a touch screen, where a player can
make selections by touching areas of the display 12 overlying
images. A second display 14 provides game data or other information
in addition to display 12. Display 14 may provide static
information, such as the logo for the game, the rules of the game,
pay tables, paylines, or other information, or may even display the
game itself along with display 12. Alternatively, the area for
display 14 may be a display glass for conveying information about
the game.
[0017] A coin slot 22 accepts coins or tokens in one or more
denominations to generate credits within machine 10 for playing
games. A slot 24 for an optical reader and printer receives machine
readable printed tickets and outputs printed tickets for use in
cashless gaming. A bill acceptor 26 accepts various denominations
of banknotes.
[0018] A coin tray 32 receives coins or tokens from a hopper upon a
win or upon the player cashing out.
[0019] A card reader slot 34 accepts any of various types of cards,
such as smart cards, magnetic strip cards, or other types of cards
conveying machine readable information. The card reader reads the
inserted card for player and credit information for cashless
gaming. The card reader may also include an optical reader and
printer for reading and printing coded barcodes and other
information on a paper ticket. The card reader may also be used to
read player tracking cards.
[0020] A keypad 36 accepts player input, such as a personal
identification number (PIN) or any other player information. A
display 38 above keypad 36 displays a menu for instructions and
other information and provides visual feedback of the keys
pressed.
[0021] Player control buttons 39 include any buttons needed for the
play of the particular game or games offered by machine 10
including, for example, a bet button, a repeat bet button, a play
two-ways button, a spin reels button, a deal button, hold cards
buttons, a draw button, a maximum bet button, a cash-out button, a
display paylines button, a display payout tables button, select
icon buttons, and any other suitable button. In other embodiments,
buttons 39 are replaced by a touch screen with virtual buttons.
[0022] In the examples given below, the invention is incorporated
in a video gaming machine that emulates the spinning and random
stopping of reels, where awards are granted based on symbol
combinations across one or more activated paylines.
[0023] FIG. 2 illustrates three spinning virtual reels 42, 43, 44
displayed on screen 12 in FIG. 1. The rotation of the reels is
simply a delay time between the player initiating the rotation and
the final outcome of the game. During this delay time, the casino
is not generating any revenue from the machine. In one embodiment,
during this delay time, the gaming machine is programmed to display
a pop-up window 46, shown in FIG. 3. In the example of FIG. 3, the
pop-up window offers a $5.00 discount at the casino's restaurant.
The pop-up window may display an ad, an offer, or any other
information to the player not related to the play of the game. The
information will typically be such that it may be read in only a
few seconds by the player. Some examples of information that may be
displayed include an advertisement of new games by the
manufacturer, an award such as a free trip, a free drink, a free
movie, a free hotel room, complementary chips, a discount coupon,
or a raffle type ticket.
[0024] Additionally, instead of advertisements or offers, jokes,
cartoons, stories, questions to be answered, or other entertaining
statements may be displayed. If the pop-up window is a question to
be answered, such as multiple choice question that the player may
answer by touching a button or an area of the touch screen, the
player may be provided awards for a correct answer.
[0025] The player may receive a mystery win each time the pop-up
window appears, or may receive credits every second or third time
the pop-up window appears.
[0026] The player may be offered the opportunity to disable the
pop-up window feature by simply pressing one of the control buttons
39 or pressing an area on screen 12 if screen 12 is a touch screen.
The player may be offered an incentive to not disable the pop-up
window feature, such as by being given a gift certificate, or being
given an additional monetary award at any time, or being given free
games or other additional opportunities to win, such as additional
value symbols, additional winning combinations, etc. Offers made by
the pop-up windows themselves may provide sufficient incentive for
the player to not disable the pop-up window feature.
[0027] There are some jurisdictions where the delay time for the
reel spins has to be, for example, ten seconds. This delay time may
seem long for a player who seeks heightened excitement. Displaying
a pop-up ad provides such excitement during the ten second delay
while the reels are spinning. The window 46 would typically be
extinguished shortly before the reels stop spinning.
[0028] In normal use, after each game, the display of the stopped
reels remains fixed until the player wagers a certain amount and
initiates the rotation of the reels for the next game. During this
time between games, the pop-up window 46 may appear. In other
embodiments, the pop-up window 46 may appear any time, such as
randomly, or may be triggered by time, date, after a certain number
of games, or on a regular basis.
[0029] FIG. 4 is a flow chart illustrating basic steps in one
embodiment of the method. In step 50, the player operates the
gaming machine by either inserting money or a ticket, or initiating
the spin of the reels by pulling a handle or by pressing a button,
or performing other steps indicating that the gaming machine is
being operated. If the pop-up offer is such that a reward or gift
is provided, the casino does not want to present such pop-up offers
on idle gaming machines since the gifts may be retrieved by
passersby rather than active players. By providing pop-up windows
that offer rewards only to active players, the players may be
induced to continue playing the gaming machine.
[0030] In step 52, upon a certain event, which may be between
games, or while the reels are spinning, or randomly, the pop-up
window is presented on the video screen. This window may or may not
obscure the reels or other game being displayed. For example, the
pop-up window may appear beneath the display of the reels or may
appear on a separate screen, such as screen 14 in FIG. 1. The
window need not be in a pop-up form like that typically occurring
when connected to the Internet. For example, the pop-up window need
not have a frame or background surrounding the information.
[0031] In step 54, if applicable, a printer within the gaming
machine prints a coupon or other tangible evidence of the offer
made so that the player may present the coupon for redemption. Such
a ticket is dispensed through slot 24 in FIG. 1. FIG. 5 illustrates
one embodiment of a ticket 55 that is printed by the gaming machine
at the appropriate time and dispensed through slot 24. In another
embodiment, an accepted offer is stored on a player card or stored
in a central server and accessed using a player card inserted into
a card reader.
[0032] In one embodiment, the player is presented with the option
to accept or decline an offer made by the pop-up window, such as an
offer to receive a coupon for a $5.00 credit at the restaurant. The
player then presses an accept button for the offer to be printed on
the ticket. A barcode on the ticket may be scanned at the
restaurant to verify the authenticity of the ticket.
[0033] In step 56, the pop-up window is canceled and disappears at
the appropriate time, such as when the reels stop spinning or after
a win presentation is made.
[0034] Since, typically, offers and ads will be updated on a timely
basis, it is beneficial for the gaming machine to be connected via
a communications link to a central server that may be programmed to
present a series of ads or offers for the various gaming machines
in the casino.
[0035] The player has incentive to watch the pop-up ads since they
may lead to immediate prizes. The ad could be linked to the bet of
the player. For example, the player may only get a particular ad if
the player makes a maximum bet. Further, the value of the ad or
offer may be directly related to the size of the player's bet.
Therefore, the ads may provide incentive for the player to increase
her bets.
[0036] FIG. 6 illustrates functional units in a gaming machine 60
that carries out one embodiment of the invention. A communications
board 62 may contain conventional circuitry for coupling the gaming
machine 60 to a local area network (LAN) or other type of network
using Ethernet or any other protocol. The communications board 62
basically sets up a communication link and buffers data between a
server and the game controller board 64. The server identifies
information to be displayed by the pop-window 46 (FIG. 3) upon a
certain trigger event. The trigger event may be detected by the
gaming machine or the server.
[0037] The game controller board 64 contains memory and a processor
for carrying out programs stored in the memory and for providing
any information requested by the network. The game controller board
64 primarily carries out the game routines and controls the display
of the pop-up window 46.
[0038] Peripheral devices/boards communicate with the game
controller board 64 via a bus 66 using, for example, an RS-232
interface. Such peripherals may include a bill validator 67, a coin
detector 68, a smart card reader or other type of credit card
reader 69, and player control inputs 70 (such as buttons or a touch
screen). An audio board 71 converts coded signals into analog
signals for driving speakers. A display controller 72, which
typically requires a high data transfer rate, converts coded
signals to pixel signals for the display 73. Display controller 72
and audio board 71 may be directly connected to parallel ports on
the game controller board 64.
[0039] The electronics on the various boards may be combined onto a
single board. The software used to carry out the present invention
may be written without undue experimentation.
[0040] Although the invention has been described as being employed
in a pure video gaming machine, the pop-up ad or offer may also be
displayed on a video screen in a motor-driven reel-type slot
machine, as shown in FIG. 7. In FIG. 7, gaming machine 80 includes
three motor-driven reels 82, 83, and 84 that may operate in a
conventional manner. A video screen 86, which may be a touch
screen, normally displays the game logo or the various winning
combinations of symbols and their corresponding payouts. Video
screen 86 may be a thin film transistor LCD type, a plasma type, a
CRT type, or any other type of controllable display. In typical
prior art gaming machines, the game logo and the set of winning
combinations of symbols are printed on display glass.
[0041] Like the embodiment described with respect to FIG. 1, a
pop-up window for ads or other offers is displayed on screen 86 at
the appropriate times. The player may be given various options to
accept the ads, disable the pop-up window feature, or make other
selections as previously described. The player may make her
selections using the touch screen feature of screen 86. Machine 80
may include a ticket printer, as previously described. Machine 80
may contain the same functional units shown in FIG. 6.
[0042] Although the invention has been described in the context of
a gaming machine that displays rotating reels, the game played may
be a draw poker game, or any other type of video game.
[0043] Having described the invention in detail, those skilled in
the art will appreciate that given the present disclosure,
modifications may be made to the invention without departing from
the spirit and inventive concepts described herein. Therefore, it
is not intended that the scope of the invention be limited to the
specific embodiments illustrated and described.
* * * * *