Patent application number | Description | Published |
20080268957 | APPARATUS AND METHODS FOR WIRELESS GAMING COMMUNICATIONS - A gaming communication apparatus may include a wireless transceiver and a controller operatively coupled to the wireless transceiver. The controller may be programmed to establish a bidirectional wireless communication link with a gaming apparatus when in proximity to the gaming apparatus, receive a voice command relating to a first gaming function, transmit first gaming function data to the gaming apparatus via the wireless transceiver, and receive data relating to a second gaming function from the gaming apparatus via the wireless transceiver. The gaming apparatus may include a second wireless transceiver and a second controller operatively coupled to the second wireless transceiver. The second controller may be programmed to receive the first gaming function data via the second wireless transceiver, execute a first gaming function based on the first gaming function data, and transmit the second gaming function data to the wireless communication device via the second wireless transceiver. | 10-30-2008 |
20090069078 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR GAMING AND BRAND ASSOCIATION - A gaming system includes: (i) a base wagering game requiring a wager to made by a player; (ii) at least one winning outcome for the base wagering game; (iii) a paytable for the at least one winning outcome; a secondary award provided randomly to the player, the secondary party award provided by a secondary award provider and kept separate and apart from the paytable; and (iv) advertising for secondary award provider, the advertising provided in exchange for the provision of the secondary award. | 03-12-2009 |
20090104969 | Gaming Machine Reel Having a Rotatable Dynamic Display - A gaming machine reel having a motor capable of rotating the reel operatively coupled to a controller to control a reel rotation speed, a support mechanism coupled to the motor having an outer circumferential region, a rotatable display mounted on the outer circumferential region operable to rotate about an axis of the reel. The rotatable display may be used to display game play indicia utilized in a wager-based game of chance. A game controller coupled to the rotatable display may be configured to determine a portion of the rotatable display that is visible through a viewing window on the gaming machine at a particular, determine pixel locations associated with the visible portions and map visual content to the visible portions as a function of time while the rotatable display is rotating. | 04-23-2009 |
20090203433 | GAMING MACHINE INCLUDING REDO FEATURE - A wager manipulation feature for a wagering game is provided. The feature may be implemented after the player's wager is set but before game play takes place, after game play takes place or both simultaneously. If before game play, the feature enables the player to undo or nullify the wager, for example, if the player changes his or her mind or enters a wager incorrectly. If after game play, the feature provides a bonus to the player in which the player may nullify a bet after an unsuccessful outcome or increase the bet to enhance a favorable outcome. In any case, the redo feature can be accumulated in one embodiment and stored and/or restored on a gaming device ticket, player tracking card or promotion. | 08-13-2009 |
20110070951 | GAMING METHOD AND APPARATUS UTILIZING SECONDARY SOFTWARE APPLICATIONS - In a gaming method for facilitating game play via a gaming apparatus, the gaming apparatus comprising a controller and a first display unit, the controller communicatively coupled to the first display unit, a game software application may be executed, and value input data may be received. The first display unit may be caused to display a game image representative of one of the following games: poker, blackjack, slots, keno, or bingo. A secondary software application may be executed, and an icon associated with the secondary software application may be displayed simultaneous with the display of the game image, wherein a foreground of the game image is substantially unobstructed by the icon, and wherein the icon is substantially unobstructed by the foreground of the game image. Information may be conveyed using the secondary software application upon detecting an event, and a value payout associated with an outcome of the game may be determined. | 03-24-2011 |
20110212761 | GAMING MACHINE PROCESSOR - A wager gaming machine includes a graphics processing unit (“GPU”) configured to perform graphics processing tasks to control a display system. The machine also includes a central processing unit (“CPU”) comprising at least one central processor and configured to control the wager gaming machine to provide at least one wagering game, make a delegation determination regarding when to delegate a non-graphics processing task to the GPU, and send delegation instructions to the GPU after making the delegation determination, wherein the GPU is further configured to receive delegation instructions from the CPU and to perform the non-graphics processing task according to the delegation instructions. The non-graphics task may be, for example, a communication task, a security task, or a compute-intensive task. | 09-01-2011 |
20110251703 | TOURNAMENT GAME SYSTEM AND TOURNAMENT METHOD - In an embodiment of a gaming method, an identifier may be received from a first gaming unit, wherein the identifier is associated with a tournament game card, wherein the tournament game card is provided to a player in response to paying a fee. Whether the identifier received from the first gaming unit is authentic may be determined. A duration the player may play in a tournament may be determined based on the identifier, and the first gaming unit may be enabled for play in the tournament for the duration if the identifier is authentic. A tournament score of the player may be received, and a winning player of the tournament, if any, may be determined. Data indicative of a value payout to be awarded to the winning player may be generated if the winning player of the tournament is determined. | 10-13-2011 |
20110281646 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR GAMING AND BRAND ASSOCIATION - A gaming system includes: (i) a base wagering game requiring a wager to made by a player; (ii) at least one winning outcome for the base wagering game; (iii) a paytable for the at least one winning outcome; a secondary award provided randomly to the player, the secondary party award provided by a secondary award provider and kept separate and apart from the paytable; and (iv) advertising for secondary award provider, the advertising provided in exchange for the provision of the secondary award. | 11-17-2011 |
20120232967 | METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR PROVIDING FOR DISPOSITION OF PROMOTIONAL OFFERS IN A WAGERING ENVIRONMENT - Disclosed are data processing apparatus, systems, and methods implemented over a gaming network for providing for disposition of promotional offers in a wager-based gaming environment. A monitoring engine receives an identification of a promotional offer as having an unredeemed status. A determining engine determines that the promotional offer having the unredeemed status satisfies one or more parameters to designate the promotional offer for an auction. Such designation is independent of real-time wager-based game play in the gaming network. An auction control engine provides the designated promotional offer as an item to be auctioned in the wager-based gaming network. | 09-13-2012 |
20130005453 | VIRTUAL LEASH FOR PERSONAL GAMING DEVICE - Methods and systems for providing a virtual leash and command download capabilities on a hand-held personal gaming device (“PGD”) are disclosed. A host gaming system includes a game server configured to generate game seeds having data regarding predetermined game outcomes for various wager based games, and an authentication server configured to establish a virtual leash with a PGD. The virtual leash is adapted to repeatedly authenticate or verify a PGD user, a PGD location, the PGD itself, and/or software codes on the PGD. Included within an associated PGD are a display adapted to display gaming related information, a processor configured to execute gaming related code, and a memory containing a command download of computer code to be executed by the processor. The command download of computer code includes enough code for the PGD to process and display independently a game play based on a game seed. | 01-03-2013 |
20130102376 | GAMING MACHINE REEL HAVING A ROTATABLE DYNAMIC DISPLAY - A gaming machine reel having a motor capable of rotating the reel operatively coupled to a controller to control a reel rotation speed, a support mechanism coupled to the motor having an outer circumferential region, a rotatable display mounted on the outer circumferential region operable to rotate about an axis of the reel. The rotatable display may be used to display game play indicia utilized in a wager-based game of chance. A game controller coupled to the rotatable display may be configured to determine a portion of the rotatable display that is visible through a viewing window on the gaming machine at a particular, determine pixel locations associated with the visible portions and map visual content to the visible portions as a function of time while the rotatable display is rotating. | 04-25-2013 |
20140031119 | VIDEO PROCESSING AND SIGNAL ROUTING APPARATUS FOR PROVIDING PICTURE IN A PICTURE CAPABILITIES ON AN ELECTRONIC GAMING MACHINE - A gaming system used in a wager-based electronic gaming machine is described. The gaming system is configured to provide picture in a picture capabilities on the electronic gaming machine. In one embodiment, the gaming system can include a first gaming device and a second gaming device where the first gaming device controls the second gaming device. The first gaming device can be configured to receive data and/or communicate with an electronic gaming machine controller, a value input device and value output device. The second gaming device can be configured to receive touchscreen data from a touchscreen display and first video data from the first gaming device and second video data from the EGM controller. Under control of the first gaming device, the first video data and second video data can be output in various sizes and locations on the touchscreen display. | 01-30-2014 |
20140031125 | RADIO CANDLE MOUNT - An electronic gaming machine including a candle mount for securing a candle device to the gaming machine and providing wireless communication capabilities to the gaming machine is described. The candle device can include a number of stages that when activated alone or in combination with other stages convey information about the status of the gaming machine. A gaming machine with an existing candle device can be retrofitted with a candle mount that includes a wireless radio device that is operably coupled to the gaming machine. | 01-30-2014 |
20140038681 | GAMING DEVICE HAVING A PLURALITY OF INTERACTIVE PLAYER-SELECTABLE SYMBOLS - A gaming device which includes a plurality of sets of interactive player-selectable symbols which are sequentially offered to a player during a game played upon the gaming device. The player may select one or more of the player-selectable symbols to be added to one or more sets of symbols which were initially provided to the player. | 02-06-2014 |
20140051502 | TOURNAMENT GAME SYSTEM AND TOURNAMENT METHOD - In an embodiment of a gaming method, an identifier may be received from a first gaming unit, wherein the identifier is associated with a tournament game card, wherein the tournament game card is provided to a player in response to paying a fee. Whether the identifier received from the first gaming unit is authentic may be determined. A duration the player may play in a tournament may be determined based on the identifier, and the first gaming unit may be enabled for play in the tournament for the duration if the identifier is authentic. A tournament score of the player may be received, and a winning player of the tournament, if any, may be determined. Data indicative of a value payout to be awarded to the winning player may be generated if the winning player of the tournament is determined. | 02-20-2014 |
20140057707 | METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR PROVIDING FOR DISPOSITION OF PROMOTIONAL OFFERS IN A WAGERING ENVIRONMENT - Disclosed are data processing apparatus, systems, and methods implemented over a gaming network for providing for disposition of promotional offers in a wager-based gaming environment. A monitoring engine receives an identification of a promotional offer as having an unredeemed status. A determining engine determines that the promotional offer having the unredeemed status satisfies one or more parameters to designate the promotional offer for an auction. Such designation is independent of real-time wager-based game play in the gaming network. An auction control engine provides the designated promotional offer as an item to be auctioned in the wager-based gaming network. | 02-27-2014 |
20140094292 | JACKPOT INTERFACES AND SERVICES ON A GAMING MACHINE - A disclosed a player tracking unit provides a touch screen display with a touch screen controller integrated into the touch screen sensor assembly. Game service interfaces may be presented on the touch screen display that allow a user to obtain one or more game services. With the touch screen sensor, a user may navigate through the game service interface and supply information required to obtain a game service. Types of interfaces provided with the gaming machine include a jackpot interface for displaying one or more jackpots selected by the player or one or more jackpots that the player is eligible to win. | 04-03-2014 |
20140135116 | APPARATUS AND METHODS FOR WIRELESS GAMING COMMUNICATIONS - A method of connecting a wireless device to an electronic gaming machine is described. The method includes broadcasting, though a wireless transceiver of the gaming machine, a discovery message to wireless communication devices within a broadcast range of the wireless transceiver. The method further includes receiving, at the wireless transceiver, a response message from the wireless device. The method includes establishing, by the gaming machine, a wireless connection between the wireless device and the gaming machine. The method further includes requesting, by the gaming machine, a player identification and player preferences of a user of the wireless device. The method includes receiving, from the wireless device, the player identification and player preferences of the user. The method further includes broadcasting, through the wireless transceiver, an audio message customized for the user to the wireless device. | 05-15-2014 |