Dynamically configurable gaming machine and gaming system
View Patent ↗A gaming machine includes a cabinet having a main video display mounted on a front side of the cabinet. The gaming machine also includes at least one additional video display mounted on the front side of the cabinet either above or below the game video display. The player controls include a separate player control touch screen mounted on a deck projecting forwardly at the front side of the gaming machine cabinet, and facing upwardly to present reconfigurable player touch controls for the gaming machine. These controls may be reconfigured within a game or to change the game presentations on the machine in response to player commands or gaming network conditions.
1. A gaming system comprising:
(a) two or more gaming machines each comprising (i) a main video display located at a front side of a cabinet for the gaming machine, (ii) at least one additional video display located above or below the main video display, (iii) a player control deck projecting forward from a plane of the main video display and providing a player control area below the main video display, (iv) an upward-facing player control touch screen extending the entire width of the player control area and configured to present reconfigurable player controls and receive player touch inputs thereon, (v) a processor for controlling the main video display, at least one additional video display, and player control touch screen, and (vi) a first mechanical player control button located on the player control deck between a front edge of the player control touch screen and a front edge of the player control deck; and
(b) a game modification controller in communication with each respective gaming machine, the game modification controller for selectively communicating presentation switching instructions to each respective gaming machine, the presentation switching instructions being executable at the respective gaming machine to cause the respective gaming machine to switch the content of the main video display and the at least one additional video display from content for a first game presentation to content for a second game presentation, and to reconfigure the player controls presented on the player control touch screen from a first set of controls for the first game presentation to a second set of controls for the second game presentation.
2. The gaming system of claim 1 in which a respective one of the gaming machines further comprises a second mechanical player control button located on the player control deck between the front edge of the player control touch screen and the front edge of the player control deck.
3. The gaming system of claim 2 in which one of the first and second mechanical player control buttons in the respective gaming machine is offset laterally from a center of the player control touch screen.
4. The gaming system of claim 1 in which the player control touch screen of a respective one of the gaming machines is centered laterally in the player control deck.
5. The gaming system of claim 1 in which the game modification controller is further operable to issue presentation switching instructions in response to a control signal derived from a presentation change request that a player enters through a player control at a respective one of the gaming machines.
6. The gaming system of claim 1 in which the game modification controller is further operable to monitor usage conditions on the gaming system and communicate the presentation switching instructions to one or more of the gaming machines based upon detecting designated predetermined usage conditions.
7. The gaming system of claim 1 in which the game modification controller is further operable to, based upon determining that a given proportion of the gaming machines at a facility offering a particular game presentation are in use, issue instructions to one or more unused gaming machines offering a respective different game presentation to switch to the particular game presentation.
8. The gaming system of claim 1 further including a presentation server with a presentation storage arrangement for storing multiple sets of presentation instructions, each set of presentation instructions being executable at a respective one of the gaming machines to define the video content of each respective video display on the respective gaming machine during the operation of the respective gaming machine.
9. The gaming system of claim 8 wherein the game modification controller is also for directing a transfer of a set of presentation instructions from the presentation server to a respective one of the gaming machines in connection with the presentation switching instructions communicated to the respective gaming machine.
10. A gaming machine including:
(a) a cabinet;
(b) a main video display located at a front side of the cabinet;
(c) at least one additional video display located at the front side of the cabinet above or below the main video display;
(d) a player control deck extending forward from a plane of the main video display, the player control deck providing a player control area below the main video display and including an upward-facing player control touch screen extending the entire width of the player control area, the player control touch screen configured to present reconfigurable player controls and receive player touch inputs thereon;
(e) a first mechanical player control button located on the player control deck between a front edge of the player control touch screen and a front edge of the player control deck; and
(f) a processor for controlling the main video display, the at least one additional video display, and player control touch screen, the processor configured to receive presentation switching instructions executable to cause the gaming machine to switch the content of the main video display and the at least one additional video display, from content for a first game presentation to content for a second game presentation, and to switch the player control touch screen to reconfigure the player controls presented thereon from a first set of controls for the first game presentation to a second set of controls for the second game presentation.
11. The gaming machine of claim 10 further comprising a second mechanical player control button located on the player control deck between the front edge of the player control touch screen and the front edge of the player control deck.
12. The gaming machine of claim 11 in which one of the first and second mechanical player control buttons is offset laterally from a center of the player control touch screen.
13. The gaming machine of claim 10 in which the player control touch screen is centered laterally in the player control deck.
14. The gaming machine of claim 10 in which the player control touch screen is further operable to reconfigure the player controls presented thereon within the first game presentation.
15. The gaming machine of claim 10 in which the presentation switching instructions are derived from a presentation change request that a player enters through a player control at the gaming machine.
16. The gaming machine of claim 15 in which the gaming machine is further configured to transmit the presentation change request to a game modification controller and receive the presentation switching instructions from a game modification controller over a network in response.
17. The gaming machine of claim 10 in which the gaming machine is further configured to receive the presentation switching instructions from a game modification controller over a network.
18. The gaming machine of claim 10 wherein the player control touch screen, the main video display, and the at least one additional video display together produce an entire graphic content for the first game presentation prior to the switch and also produce an entire graphic content for the second game presentation once the switch is complete.