Temperature based haptic feedback on a gaming terminal display

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017168570-A1
Application number	US-201514969156-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 15, 2015
Priority date	Dec 15, 2015
Publication date	Jun 15, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

An electronic gaming machine (EGM) for providing haptic feedback to a player is provided. The EGM includes a touchscreen having a touchscreen surface. The EGM also includes a heating device coupled to the touchscreen to selectively radiate heat from the touchscreen surface. The EGM further includes a processor coupled to the touchscreen and to the heating device. The processor may be configured to detect a game condition associated with the game and, in response to detecting the game condition, control the heating device to set a level of heat radiating from the touchscreen surface.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An electronic gaming machine for providing a game to a player, the electronic gaming machine comprising:
a touchscreen having a touchscreen surface; a heating device coupled to the touchscreen to selectively radiate heat from the touchscreen surface; and a processor coupled to the touchscreen and to the heating device, the processor configured to:
detect a game condition associated with the game; and
in response to detecting the game condition, control the heating device to set a level of heat radiating from the touchscreen surface.

2 . The electronic gaming machine of claim 1 , wherein the detected game condition includes an instruction to display a game animation, wherein the processor is further configured to
display the game animation on the touchscreen; and wherein controlling the heating device comprises, while displaying the game animation, controlling the heating device to alter the level of heat radiating from the touchscreen surface according to one or more features of the displayed game animation.

3 . The electronic gaming machine of claim 1 , wherein the detected game condition includes an instruction to provide a game status level update, wherein the processor is further configured to:
determine a current heat level associated with a current game status level; determine a points tally to determine whether the player has collected a pre-determined number of points to advance to a subsequent game level; and wherein controlling the heating device comprises:
in response to determining that the player has collected the pre-determined number of points to advance to the subsequent game level, controlling the heating device to increase the level of heat radiating from the touchscreen surface, the increased level of heat corresponding to the subsequent game level.

4 . The electronic gaming machine of claim 1 , wherein the detected game condition includes an instruction to guide a player feature towards a target interface element, wherein the processor is further configured to:
provide the target interface element; and wherein controlling the heating device comprises:
detecting the player feature contacting the touchscreen surface at a first location;
controlling the heating device to set a first heat level in response to detecting the player feature at the first location;
detecting the player feature contacting the touchscreen surface at a second location;
determining whether the second location is nearer to the target interface element than the first location; and
in response to determining the second location is nearer to the target interface element than the first location, controlling the heating device to increase the level of heat radiating from the touchscreen surface.

5 . The electronic gaming machine of claim 4 , wherein the provided target interface element is not displayed on the touchscreen surface.

6 . The electronic gaming machine of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to provide two or more interface elements on the touchscreen surface, at least two of the two or more interface elements being game-value interface elements corresponding to a game value, and wherein controlling the heating device comprises:
for each of the game-value interface elements, defining a game-value level of heat to be radiated from the touchscreen surface.

7 . The electronic gaming machine of claim 6 , wherein defining the game-value level of heat to be radiated for each of the game-value interface elements comprises the processor further configured to define a greater level of heat for one of the game-value interface elements associated with a greater game value than for another one of the game-value interface elements associated with a lesser game value.

8 . The electronic gaming machine of claim 6 , wherein detecting the game condition comprises:
detecting a player feature contacting a selected game-value interface element on the touchscreen surface, the selected game-value interface element from the at least two game-value interface elements; and wherein controlling the heating device comprises:
in response to detecting contact with the selected game-value interface element, setting the level of heat radiating from the touchscreen surface according to the defined game-value level of heat for the selected game-value interface element.

9 . The electronic gaming machine of claim 6 , wherein the touchscreen surface includes two or more touchscreen surface portions, and at least two of the two or more touchscreen surface portions being associated with a corresponding game-value interface element, wherein the heating device is coupled to the two or more touchscreen surface portions and wherein controlling the heating device comprises:
for each of the two or more touchscreen surface portions associated with a game value interface element, controlling the heating device to set the level of heat radiating from that touchscreen surface portion according to the defined game-value level of heat for that game-value interface element.

10 . The electronic gaming machine of claim 1 , wherein the touchscreen surface includes two or more touchscreen surface portions, and at least two of the two or more touchscreen surface portions being associated with selectable interface elements, wherein the heating device is coupled to the two or more touchscreen surface portions, and wherein the processor is configured to:
display at least two selectable interface elements having a visually similar appearance on the touchscreen surface, at least one of the at least two selectable interface elements corresponding to a desirable outcome and another at least one of the at least two selectable interface elements not corresponding to the desirable outcome; and wherein controlling the heating device comprises:
setting a desirable outcome level of heat radiating from the at least one touchscreen surface portions associated with the selectable interface elements corresponding to the desirable outcome that is different than an undesirable outcome level of heat radiating from the at least one touchscreen surface portions associated with the selectable interface elements not corresponding to the desirable outcome.

11 . The electronic gaming machine of claim 1 , wherein the touchscreen surface includes two or more touchscreen surface portions, and at least one of the two or more touchscreen surface portions is associated with a selectable interface element and at least one of the two or more touchscreen surface portions is associated with a non-selectable interface element, wherein the heating device is coupled to the two or more touchscreen surface portions, and wherein controlling the heating device comprises:
setting a level of heat radiating from the at least one of the two or more touchscreen surface portions associated with the selectable interface element to be higher than the level of heat radiating from the at least one of the two or more touchscreen surface portions associated with the non-selectable element.

12 . The electronic gaming machine of claim 11 , wherein controlling the heating device further comprises:
withdrawing heat from the at least one of the two or more touch screen surface portions associated with the non-selectable interface element.

13 . A method for providing a game to a player at an electronic gaming machine, the electronic gaming machine comprising a touchscreen having a touchscreen surface and a heating device coupled to the touchscreen to selectively radiate heat from the touchscreen surface, the method comprising:
detecting a game condition associated with the game;

Assignees

• Igt Canada Solutions Ulc

Inventors

• Froy David

Classifications

• G07F17/3209

  Input means, e.g. buttons, touch screen · CPC title

• G06F3/016 Primary

  Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user · CPC title

• G06F3/0416

  Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers · CPC title

• G06F3/04842

  Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements (G06F3/0482 takes precedence) · CPC title