Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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Specification
IMPROVED ELECTRONIC GAMING APPARATUS
BACKGROUND OF TIfE INVENTION
Field of theTnvention
I O The present invention relates generally to electronic gaming apparatus,
and more particularly to an
improved gaming machine for improving the play and display of gaming graphics
utilizing a vertically oriented .
video screen having touch screen input as a player interface to the device.
Relation to Other Applications
I 5 This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Patent No. 6,287,202,
filed June 28, 1996, entitled
"Dynamic Tournament Gaming Method and System," and is related to U.S. Patent
No. 5,643,086 filed June 29,
1995, entitled "Electronic Casino Gaming System with Improved Play Capacity,
Authentication and Security."
Both applications are assigned to the Assignee of this present invention.
Brief Description of the Prior Art
Electronic gaming devices have long been provided for piaying gambling games
such as roulette, poker,
bingo, keno, lotto and various other games, and have historically been
constructed in a slot machine format
typically including a pay board wherein the winning pay-out combinations are
displayed; a play section in which
electronic or mechanical reels, card-playing indicia or other gaming objects
are displayed; and a third area in which
a player interface is provided by means of an assortment of buttons, switches,
etc. More modern gaming machines
have included a video display screen (CRT tube) that is driven by an image
generator coupled to a microprocessor
that serves as the game controller, In such video implementations, standard
television-style cathode ray tubes have
normally been used, and electronically generated reels, cards and other
objects have been depicted thereon for
implementing play of the game. In same embodiments, the pay board is also
included as part of the video display,
but because this limits the active display area available for gaming
presentation, a different screen ortype of screen
separate and apart from the video display is often utilized. Touch screen
interfaces have also been used itt gaming
machines, hut are often limited in their application because of the limited
space available on the video screen.
Another limitation of the prior art devices using video display screens is
that the display has been quite sterile in its
presentation, often comprising nothing more than an attempt to electronically
present a two-dimensional image
replicating the functional display elements of the prior art mechanical gaming
apparatus.
There is thus a need for an improved gaming station or machine that uses
modern video graphics and
sound technology to provide a complete user interface that in at least one
aspect conveniently integrates pay board,
play screen, and player input interface in a single uniquely designed and
oriented video screen format.
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SUMMARY OF THE INVENTfON
It is therefore a principal objective of the present invention to provide a
gaming machine having an
improved video display format and user interface which uses state-of the-art
video technology to provide animated
teEevision-quality video and graphics displays.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide an electronic gaming
machine having an electronic .
interface.which is substantially larger than the standard television-type
video screen typically used in present
casino-type games.
Still another objective of the present invention is to provide an improved
user interface for slot machine-
type games that readily accommodates in well-known three-part format, but on a
single screen, the pay board, play
screen, and user interface commonly used in gaming. stations.
Yet another objective of the present invention is to provide an enlarged video
display screen which
provides a complete display of all gaming essentials, yet generally conforms
to the familiar and more or less
standard "slot machine" footprint and height-to-width ratio common in casinos
throughout the world.
A further objective of the present invention is to provide a gaming machine
having both lifelike graphics
and realistic high-quality sound generators,
Briefly, a presently preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a
cabinet for housing video
and sound generating electronics, coin-handling and pay-out mechanisms, and a
video display screen. The display
screen is substantially taller than it is wide and preferably has a touch
screen associated therewith. Although the
displayed video presentation may take any form, the preferred slot machine
display embodiment includes graphics
replicating the standard play board at top, game board in middle, and
principal user input interface below.
An important advantage of the present invention is that since it uses a video
screen that is substantially
taller than it is wide, all familiar aspects of a standard slot machine can be
dynamically and graphically presented
on the video screen in their usual positional format.
Another advantage of the present invention is that a multitude of different
types of games can be
selectively displayed on a single gaming station.
Still another advantage of the present invention is that unusual attract modes
can be selectively displayed
on the video screen to attract the attention of potential players.
A still further advantage of the present invention is that unusual video
displays can be presented to
communicate and perhaps hold the attention of players as well as observers.
Yet another advantage of the present invention is that since a large part of
the frontal surface area is
occupied by the display screen, a plurality of adjacent machines can be
electronically linked together and driven in
concert with complementary video to create a segmented "picture wail" effect
when not in use by players. And
even when in use, an integrated background display can be used to change
environmental "mood" or "setting" of
the game room.
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2A
Another aspect of the invention is a slot machine, comprising: a cabinet
having a front face that is configured to have a display section with a height
and a
width, said height of said display section being larger than said width of
said
display section; a video display unit associated with said cabinet, said video
display unit having a video display screen having a height and a width, said
height
of said video display screen being larger than said width of said video
display
screen, said video display unit being disposed in a fixed position so that
said
height of said video display screen is parallel to said height of said display
section
of said front face of said cabinet and so that said width of said video
display
screen is parallel to said width of said display section of said front face of
said
cabinet, said height of said video display screen divided by said width of
said
video display screen forming a ratio having a magnitude greater than 4/3; a
value-
receiving mechanism associated with said cabinet; a spin button; a coin hopper
associated with said cabinet; a processor disposed in said cabinet and
operatively
coupled to said value-receiving mechanism and said video display unit; a read-
only memory disposed in said cabinet; a nonvolatile memory capable of storing
critical system data; critical data storage software that causes critical
system data
to be stored in said nonvolatile memory; program memory disposed in said
cabinet and operatively coupled to said processor; and system software stored
in
said program memory, said system software comprising software representing a
game that may be played by a player, said slot machine being operable in an
attract mode and a play mode, said display screen being electronically
subdivided
into a plurality of different display regions when said slot machine is in
said play
mode, said display regions comprising an upper region, a middle region
disposed
below said upper region, and a lower region disposed below said middle region,
one of said display regions displaying a plurality of user-input buttons and
another
of said display regions displaying a plurality of reels, said slot machine
additionally comprising a touch screen associated with said display region
displaying said plurality of user input buttons.
Another aspect of the invention is a gaming machine, comprising:
a cabinet; at least one user-interface button; a value-receiving mechanism
associated with said cabinet; a value-dispensing mechanism associated with
said
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2B
cabinet; a video display unit associated with said cabinet; a touch-sensitive
device
associated with said video display unit; a processor disposed in said cabinet
and
operatively coupled to said user-interface button, said value-receiving
mechanism,
said video display unit and said touch-sensitive device; a read-only memory
disposed in said cabinet; basic input/output system (BIOS) software stored in
said
read-only memory; a nonvolatile memory capable of storing critical system
data;
critical data storage software that causes critical system data to be stored
iri said
nonvolatile memory; disk memory disposed in said cabinet and operatively
coupled to said processor; system software stored in said disk memory, said
system software comprising: a first software portion representing a first game
that
may be played by a player; a second software portion representing a second
game
that may be played by a player; and a third software portion that causes a
first icon
representing said first game and a second icon representing said second game
to
be generated on said video display unit, said third software portion causing
one of
said first and second games to be initiated in response to a player touching
one of
said first and second icons; encoded data stored in said disk memory, said
encoded
data having been generated from at least one message digest that was generated
based on using an encoding function with said system software; secure loading
software stored in memory that loads system software from said disk memory
into
random-access memory and verifies correctness and authenticity of said system
software, said secure loading software verifying correctness and authenticity
of
said system software based on a comparison of data generated from said encoded
data and data generated from said system software; and operating system (OS)
software stored in memory, said operating system software comprising an
application programming interface including a first application programming
interface portion that provides a software interface to said video display
unit and a
second application programming interface portion that provides a software
interface to said touch-sensitive device.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will no doubt
become apparent to those skilled in the art after having read the following
detailed
description of the preferred embodiments which are illustrated in the several
figures of the drawing.
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IN THE DRAWING
Fig. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a gaming machine in accordance with
the present invention;
Fig. 2 depicts a typical screen display in accordance with the present
invention;
Fig. 3 is a functional block diagram illustrating the principal functional
components used in the gaming
machine of the present invention.; and
Figs. 4, 5 and 6 are diagrams generally illustrating software architecture and
features of the preferred
embodiment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
A preferred embodiment of the present invention is depicted at 10 in Fig. I
and includes a more or less
rectangularly configured cabinet 12 forming an enclosure for the various
functional mechanical, electrical and
electronic components. The front face 14 of cabinet 12 is uniquely configured
to include as the principal
component thereof a video display screen 16 disposed in portrait format with
its vertical dimension being
substantially larger than its horizontal dimension. As is apparent from the
illustration, the screen 16 occupies a
substantial part of the front face of the device 10. Positioned to the right
of screen I6 is a currency input section 18
including a coin-receiving slot 20, a paper money-receiving slot 22, and a
credit/debit card slot 24. A pair of
buttons 23 and 25 may be provided for allowing the player to select a "cash"
or "credit" mode for payout of
wmnmgs.
Disposed beneath screen 16 and at the bottom of the front face is a coin drop
receptacle 26. Immediately
above the coin drop receptacle are a pair of high-quality audio speakers 28
and 30. Above screen 16 is an
annunciator 32 including a third high-quality audio speaker or signal
generator 34 and a multi-colored, multi-light
display apparatus 36. Disposed immediately beneath screen 16 on a slightly
protruding shelf 38 are a plurality of
user interface buttons 40 that are of conventional configuration. Formed
integral with the front face of display
screen 16 is a transparent touch screen that is dynamically configurable to
allow manual user inputs at screen
positions determined by the software associated with the particular game or
attract mode being presented.
On the right side of cabinet 12 is a conventional pull handle 39 that may be
optionally used as a part of the
user interface to the gaming apparatus.
The cabinet 12 was designed to coincide with the overall dimensions of
traditional slot machines so that
the device can be placed in existing casino carousels without requiring
reconfiguration of the stands or machine
layouts. The right side of the cabinet forms a compartment for containing
currency input devices such as coin and
bill acceptors, a card reader, keypad, and perhaps a display for a player
tracking network interface. A locked
service door 41 forms the right side wall of the cabinet and allows access to
the currency components in this
section. The front 43 of the lower section of the enclosure contains a coin
hopper (a cache of coins that is used to
pay out the player's winnings when playing in cash mode). The back of the
lower section of the cabinet (behind the
hopper) contains a CPU box with all of the associated electronics and power
supplies. A locked service door
3$ allows access to the hopper in this section.
Player tracking network electronics are located in the top of the system and
are accessed by removing a
top cover (not shown).
The cabinet layout, which is more or less traditional for video-type slot
machines, leaves a tall and narrow
section at the upper left for the CRT that forms the display screen ~16. To
maximize the screen area in the available
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space, a 26", wide screen CRT display device rotated 90° into a
"portrait mode" is used with the screen origin at the
bottom left corner, and the image scanned from left to right. For purposes of
this disclosure "portrait mode" is
defined as a display configuration in which a display screen has a height
dimension that is substantially larger than
its width dimension. The wide screen CRT has a I 6x9 (height to width) aspect
ratio and a 0.69mm dot pitch
allowing for an 856x480 visible display area. Portrait mode configured display
screens or CRTs having other
aspect ratios may also be used. For example, although less desirable, a
standard 4x3 CRT monitor rotated into a
portrait mode could be used.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, when operating in a
game play mode, the display
screen may be electronically subdivided into three arbitrarily sized regions:
an upper region 15 in which a pay
I 0 board will be displayed, setting forth the jackpot payouts as a function
of the coins input; a mid region 17 in which
a game board, play reels, card hands, or other game play indicia is displayed;
and a lower region 19 in which touch
screen "buttons" are displayed for facilitating player selection of various
input functions such as "hold", "bet 1 ",
"draw", etc. One example of a "3-way" screen configuration is illustrated in
Fig. 2. Depending on the particular
game being played, the dimensions of these regions may change. Furthermore,
the configuration of the touch
15 screen responsive areas within each region may likewise change to
correspond to associated graphics displayed in
one or more of the regions. Moreover, in "attract mode" the screen may be
subdivided into a geometrical grid of
regions, e.g., a 2x4 or 2x6 (etc.) grid in which passive or active game logos
may be simultaneously displayed for
selection by a player. In such mode the touch screen would typically be
configured to call up the game
corresponding to the logo touched by the player.
20 An integrated touch screen overlaying the display screen, along with the
series of "hard" buttons 40
arrayed along the bottom edge of the display, provide the main player
interface to the system.
In Fig. 3 of the drawing, a generalized block diagram depicts the principal
functional components of the
system and includes a central processing unit (CPU) 45, the CRT 16, a user
interface 42 that includes the touch
screen buttons 40 and pull handle 39, a video storage subsystem 44, an audio
storage subsystem 46, a disk storage
25 subsystem 48, a peripheral memory subsystem 50, an annunciator and sound
system 52, a network I/O 54, a card
reader 56, a coin handler 58, and a bill reader 60. In the preferred
embodiment, CPU 45 is a 133MHz Pentium
processor using a combination of the DUCK Video Codec for motion video, A-RL
(Alpha Run-Length) decoding
of static graphics, and software compositing for the individual elements.
Although not shown in detail herein, the CPU 45 includes a motherboard, a PCI-
based video board and
30 SCSI controller, a peripheral memory board, a GPIO board, a power
transformer, a disk drive, and a CPU power
supply. The peripheral memory board is installed on the mother board PCI bus
and is used to replace the BIOS
ROMs of the standard PC architecture. Whereas on standard mother boards the
PCI-to-ISA bridge (PIB) chip
provides the interface to the system BIOS ROMs by subtractive decoding of PCI
accesses in the normal PCI BIOS
range and its high-memory aliases, the peripheral memory board in the
preferred embodiment responds to accesses
35 to the BIOS address range using positive decoding, responding to the
requested cycles before the PIB chip
responds. This allows the ROM-based BIOS and OS to reside at these locations
without modifying the mother
board.
In addition, the peripheral memory board provides a removable subsystem
containing all of the machine
states, thereby allowing secure system auditing. The peripheral memory board
contains 1 MB of EPROM to hold
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the BIOS and OS (including the secure loader described below), 64KB of
nonvolatile RAM to implement a
SafeStore system, and 128KB of electrically erasable PROM (BEPROM) to store
the system configuration.
A peripheral memory controller performs byte-assembly and disassembly on
memory reads/writes and
parity generation on the PCI reads.
The preferred embodiment exhibits total immunity to Electric-Static Discharge
(ESD) to a level of 27KV.
The requirement for this level of ESD immunity is an artifact of tow humidity
and prevalence of synthetic materials
(carpeting, etc.) in Nevada casinos. All standard mother boards support an
IEEE 1284 compatible parallel port, and
such port provides the interface to the general purpose inputloutput (GPIO)
board. The GPIO board provides an
electrically isolated interface to the external device ports and maps them to
registers accessible through the mother
board parallel port.
The system software is designed to address the unique requirements of casino
gaming machines, including
high.reliability and security, fautt detection and recovery, and responsive
performance. The system software
architecture is illustrated in Fig. 4.
A pSOS real-time operating system serves as the basis for the software
platform of the preferred
embodiment. This pSOS system consists of a multi-tasking kernel, the pREPC,
ANSI-C, run-time library
functions, and a driver support library to access physical devices through a
set of device drivers. The run-time
Application Programmers Interface (APl) is a layer of system software
providing a set of standard functions that
application programmers develop to. Because the API provides a layer of
abstraction between the applications and
the hardware,.the applications are not affected if the hardware or lower level
system software are modified. The
24 API is divided into a series of managers, each of which provides either
access to some physics! device or provides
some set of services for the programmer. Examples of these managers are shown
in the table illustrated in Fig. 5.
The system applications include a Navigator, Play Stoppage, a suite of games,
and the Machine
Management System. The Navigator presents the player with an animated icon of
each game. The animation
describes the key features of the game; users enter a game by touching its
icon. Each game is a custom application
offering a specific set of propositions to the player. Each game is
accompanied by. on-line help that describes the
rules of play, general disclaimers for the game, and so on. Play Stoppage is
an application that runs short
animations or video segments that entertain the player if a system fault
occurs, while communicating information
about why a game was interrupted and when it will be returned to play, The
Machine Management System (MMS)
provides a graphical interface to all .technical support functions of the slot
machine. This includes player conflict
resolution, accounting; product configuration, and machine diagnostics.
As described in detail in the above-referenced U.S. Patent No. 6,287,202,
before
software can be loaded from the hard disk, it must be verified as being an
authentic proprietary product. A secure
loader is the system software component that loads executable files from the
disk subsystem into RAM, verifies that
the contents are correct, and then executes the image. The secure loader is
based on the use of two-key
cryptographic authentication from RSA Data Security, Inc. of Redwood City,
California.
When a software release is ready for shipment, a HASH function designed for
cryptographic use generates
a unique fixed-length string of I28 bits for the loadable code image: This
string, called a message digest, is then
encrypted using RSA software and the proprietor's private key to produce a
digital signature for the image. The
signature is then written to disk with the loadabte code image. When the code
image is loaded from the disk and is
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ready to be executed during the system boot sequence, the secure loader
decrypts the digital signature using the
public key stored in ROM. The secure loader verifies that the image is
authentic by comparing the message digest.
computed for the loadable code image with the message digest decrypted from
disk. The software can be
authenticated at any time since the console diagnostics include tools that
allow the operator to query all loadable
applications and run the RSA verification algorithm on them on demand. The
authentication process is not limited
to just software images. Graphics files or any binary data set can be
authenticated. Because the graphics images
are so large, they are nat verified every time a game is loaded. If needed,
critical graphic images such as the faces
of cards can be verified before initial use in a game.
A SafeStore application provides fault-tolerant storage for critical system
data called safe objects stored in
system nonvolatile SRAM. To. facilitate recovery of information after a crash
or system failure, state information
about each safe object along with the object data is saved in an internal
format known as a binary large object
(BLOB). To protect against hardware or software faults corrupting SafeStore,
all safe objects are mirrored across
two independent nonvolatile SRAMs. if corruption occurs by hard or soft
failures lo indicate locations in SRAM,
or if complete SRAM failures occur, SafeStore will detect this corruption and
recover the data.
I 5 Fig. 6 depicts a BLOB in SafeStore with all of the important SLOB header
fields. The data check sum
feelds 0 and t contain the check sums of the data in data areas 0 and 1,
respectively. The active data area pointer
f eld indicates that data area 0 contains the latest data written to
SafeStore. The BLOB header check sum field
contains a check sum of the BLOB header, including the data area check sums
and the data area pointer. During a
SafeStore update, the BLOB header is read into main memory where the header
check sum is computed and
checked against the value of the header check sum field. If the check sum does
not match, the system will tilt.
Assuming it matches, the new data is copied into the inactive data area. The
copy of the BLOB header in main
memory is updated with the check sum of the new data; the active data area
pointer is updated to point to the data
area 1; and the new header check sum is computed and written to SafeStare,
Although the present invention has been described above in terms of specific
embodiments, it is
2S anticipated that alterations and modifications thereof will no doubt become
apparent to those skilled in the art. For
example, it is contemplated that video screens formed by other apparatus such
as liquid crystal displays, field
emission displays, interference element displays, projection TV, and perhaps
holographic and other display
technology may be used in place of the CRT device presently used in the
preferred embodiment. Furthermore,
other cabinet configurations and designs may be used to support a large
portrait-mode display screen, and whereas
the preferred embodiment utilizes a single means to form the display screen,
it is contemplated that a similar result
may be achieved by using a plurality of contiguous display devices
synchronously driven to display different
portions of a common image. It is therefore intended that the following claims
be interpreted as covering all such
alterations and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the
invention.
