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US 2003/0190949 A1Published application
Gaming apparatus with power saving feature
AssigneeIgt
InventorRichard C. Williams
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AssigneeIgt
InventorRichard C. Williams
Estimating the term…
A gaming apparatus may include a display unit capable of generating video images, a detection apparatus capable of detecting the presence of a person by detecting radiation from the person, and a controller operatively coupled to the display unit and said detection device. The controller may comprise a processor and a memory and may be programed to allow a person to make a wager, to cause a video image representing a video gambling game to be generated on the display unit, to determine an outcome of the video gambling game and a value payout associated with the outcome of the video gambling game, and to cause the gaming apparatus to enter a sleep mode after no detection of a person for a period of time, and to cause the gaming apparatus to terminate the sleep mode upon detection of a person.
A gaming apparatus, comprising:
A gaming apparatus, comprising:
A gaming apparatus, comprising:
A gaming apparatus, comprising:
A gaming method comprising:
A slot machine, comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.
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Player-machine interfaces: player sensing means, e.g. presence detection, biometrics
Coin-freed apparatus for hiring articles; Coin-freed facilities or services: for games, toys, sports, or amusements
For games, toys, sports, or amusements: hardware aspects of a gaming system, e.g. components, construction, architecture thereof
Coin-freed or like apparatus
Term end not estimated
The present invention is directed to a gaming apparatus, which could be either an individual gaming unit or a gaming system having a plurality of gaming units, that is capable of shifting into a power-saving sleep, mode.
A conventional gaming unit has been provided with a display unit that is capable of generating video images, a coin or bill acceptor, and a controller with a memory and a processor that controls the overall operation of the gaming unit. The controller was programmed to allow a person to make a wager, to cause video images to be generated on the display unit, to determine an outcome of the video gambling game, and to determine a value payout associated with the outcome of the video gambling game. The conventional gaming unit was programmed to display video images representing a video gambling game, which included a number of user-selectable video gambling games including video poker, video blackjack, video slots, video keno and video bingo.
The conventional gaming unit was also programmed to cause a screen-saver sequence to be performed on the display unit. The screen-saver sequence included a plurality of video images relating to the game without the generation of sound. The gaming unit would periodically exit the screen-saver sequence to perform an attract sequence, which included a plurality of video images and the generation of one or more sound segments that were designed to attract a player to the gaming unit. If a player deposited a coin or a bill or made another input to the gaming unit during performance of the attract sequence, the gaming unit would termination the attract sequence and generate another display, such as a game-selection display, to allow the player to begin gambling. The conventional gaming unit also included an instruction sequence that included a plurality of help displays that could be displayed in response to the player pressing a “help” key or similar key.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a gaming system in accordance with the invention;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an embodiment of one of the gaming units shown schematically in FIG. 1;
FIG. 2A illustrates an embodiment of a control panel for a gaming unit;
Although the following text sets forth a detailed description of numerous different embodiments of the invention, it should be understood that the legal scope of the invention is defined by the words of the claims set forth at the end of this patent. The detailed description is to be construed as exemplary only and does not describe every possible embodiment of the invention since describing every possible embodiment would be impractical, if not impossible. Numerous alternative embodiments could be implemented, using either current technology or technology developed after the filing date of this patent, which would still fall within the scope of the claims defining the invention.
It should also be understood that, unless a term is expressly defined in this patent using the sentence “As used herein, the term ‘______’ is hereby defined to mean . . . ” or a similar sentence, there is no intent to limit the meaning of that term, either expressly or by implication, beyond its plain or ordinary meaning, and such term should not be interpreted to be limited in scope based on any statement made in any section of this patent (other than the language of the claims). To the extent that any term recited in the claims at the end of this patent is referred to in this patent in a manner consistent with a single meaning, that is done for sake of clarity only so as to not confuse the reader, and it is not intended that such claim term by limited, by implication or otherwise, to that single meaning. Finally, it is not intended that the scope of any claim element be interpreted based on the application of 35 U.S.C. § 112, sixth paragraph.
FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of a gaming system 10 in accordance with the invention. Referring to FIG. 1, the gaming system 10 may include a first group or network 12 of gaming units 20 operatively coupled to a network computer 22 via a network data link or bus 24. The gaming system 10 may include a second group or network 26 of gaming units 30 operatively coupled to a network computer 32 via a network data link or bus 34. The first and second gaming networks 12, 26 may be operatively coupled to each other via a network 40, which may comprise, for example, the Internet, a wide area network (WAN), or a local area network (LAN) via a first network link 42 and a second network link 44.