Controlling priority of wagering game lighting content

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9520018-B2
Application number	US-201514614089-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 4, 2015
Priority date	Jul 7, 2009
Publication date	Dec 13, 2016
Grant date	Dec 13, 2016

Abstract

A wagering game system and its operations which can include analyzing electronic information associated with a first gaming effect and a second gaming effect provided for concurrent presentation via an output device, determining that the first gaming effect has a higher priority than the second gaming effect, and causing the first gaming effect to be presented via the output device before the second gaming effect is presented based on the higher priority. The operations can further include preventing, without user input, presentation of a first portion of the second amine effect via the output device while the first gaming effect is presented. The operations can further include electronically determining that a second portion of the second gaming effect is available for presentation after an ending point for the first gaming effect, and causing the second portion to be presented via the output device after the first gaming effect.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of operating a gaming system comprising:
analyzing, via an electronic processing unit of the gaming system, electronic information received via a network communication interface of the gaming system, wherein the electronic information is associated with a first gaming effect and a second gaming effect provided for concurrent presentation via a first output device associated with the gaming system;
determining, via the electronic processing unit based on the analyzing, that the first gaming effect has a higher priority than the second gaming effect for presentation via the first output device;
causing, via the electronic processing unit, presentation of the first gaming effect via the first output device before presentation of the second gaming effect based on the higher priority;
preventing, via the electronic processing unit without user input, presentation of a first portion of the second gaming effect via the first output device while the first gaming effect is being presented via the first output device;
electronically determining, via the electronic processing unit, that a second portion of the second gaming effect is available for presentation via the first output device after an ending point for the first gaming effect; and
causing, via the electronic processing unit, the second portion of the second gaming effect to be presented via the first output device after the ending point for the first gaming effect.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second portion of the second gaming effect follows the first portion of the second gaming effect in a timing sequence for the second gaming effect, and wherein a duration for the first portion of the second gaming effect is substantially equal to a duration of the first gaming effect.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the determining that the second portion of the second gaming effect is available for presentation via the first output device comprises:
tracking timing of the second gaming effect from a starting point of the first gaming effect as the first gaming effect is presented via the first output device; and
determining, at the ending point of the first gaming effect, that the timing of the second gaming effect continues to run.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the causing the second portion of the second gaming effect to be presented after the ending point for the first gaming effect comprises:
presenting the second gaming effect via the first output device starting from the beginning of the second portion of the second gaming effect, wherein the beginning of the second portion of the second gaming effect coincides with the ending point of the first gaming effect.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
evaluating a first priority value for the first gaming effect against a second priority value of the second gaming effect, wherein the first priority value and the second priority value correspond to the first output device; and
determining, based on the evaluating, that the first priority value is greater than the second priority value.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
determining that a second output device of the gaming system is available for presentation of the first portion of the second gaming effect while the first gaming effect is presented via the first output device;
causing the second gaming effect to be presented on the second output device while simultaneously the first gaming effect is presented on the first output device; and
after the first gaming effect ends, switching presentation of the second gaming effect from the second output device to the first output device.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the determining that the second output device of the gaming system is available comprises determining that the first gaming effect does not require presentation on the second output device.

8. The method of claim 6 , wherein the second gaming effect is one of a plurality of gaming effects in a presentation queue for the first output device, and further comprising before determining that the second portion of the second gaming effect is available for presentation via the first output device, determining that the second gaming effect has a greater presentation priority than any other gaming effect in the presentation queue.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the preventing the presentation of the first portion of the second gaming effect comprises:
providing the first gaming effect for presentation via first display elements of the first output device;
providing the second gaming effect for presentation via second display elements of the first output device; and
while the first gaming effect is presented via the first display elements, causing the second gaming effect to be transparent via the second display elements, wherein causing the second gaming effect to be transparent causes the first portion of the second gaming effect to not be presented via the first output device while the first gaming effect is presented via the first output device.

10. A gaming system comprising:
at least one electronic processing unit;
one or more output devices;
a network communication interface; and
at least one memory storage device configured to store instructions that, when executed by the at least one electronic processing unit, cause the gaming system to perform operations to
analyze electronic information received via the network communication interface, wherein the electronic information is associated with a first gaming effect and a second gaming effect provided for concurrent presentation via a first output device of the one or more output devices,
determine, based on analysis of the electronic information, that the first gaming effect has a higher priority than the second gaming effect for presentation via the first output device,
present the first gaming effect via the first output device before presentation of the second gaming effect based on the higher priority,
prevent, without user input, presentation of a first portion of the second gaming effect via the first output device while the first gaming effect is being presented via the first output device,
electronically determine that a second portion of the second gaming effect is available for presentation via the first output device after an ending point for the first gaming effect, and
present the second portion of the second gaming effect via the first output device after the ending point for the first gaming effect.

11. The gaming system of claim 10 , wherein the second portion of the second gaming effect follows the first portion of the second gaming effect in a timing sequence for the second gaming effect, and wherein a duration for the first portion of the second gaming effect is substantially equal to a duration of the first gaming effect.

12. The gaming system of claim 10 , wherein the at least one memory storage device is configured to store instructions that, when executed by the at least one electronic processing unit, cause the gaming system to perform operations to:
track timing of the second gaming effect from a starting point of the first gaming effect as the first gaming effect is presented via the first output device; and
determine, at the ending point of the first gaming effect, that the timing of the second gaming effect continues to run.

13. The gaming system of claim 12 , wherein the at least one memory storage device is configured to store instructions that, when executed by the at least one electronic processing unit, cause the gaming system to perform operations to:
present the second gaming effect via the first output devi

Assignees

• Bally Gaming Inc

Inventors

• Brunell Edward G
• Greenberg Jacob C
• Gronkowski Timothy T
• Holmes John Michael
• Loose Timothy C
• Radek Paul J
• Ugarte Jr Martin R
• Velu Muthu

Classifications

• H05B47/155

  Coordinated control of two or more light sources · CPC title

• G07F17/3227

  Configuring a gaming machine, e.g. downloading personal settings, selecting working parameters · CPC title

• G07F17/34

  depending on the stopping of moving members {in a mechanical slot machine}, e.g. "fruit" machines · CPC title

• G07F17/3216

  Construction aspects of a gaming system, e.g. housing, seats, ergonomic aspects · CPC title

• G07F17/3213 Primary

  Details of moving display elements, e.g. spinning reels, tumbling members · CPC title