Play field reel glass enhancement

Abstract

Techniques for providing a play field reel glass enhancement on a gaming machine with mechanical spinning reels. A plurality of mechanical spinning reels are configured to indicate a gaming outcome for a wager game played on the gaming machine by a player. A light board located in front of the plurality of mechanical spinning reels lights up individual or groups of the light emitting elements. A graphic element on a reel glass is placed in front of the light board, creating the play field reel glass enhancement that is backlit by the light board to indicate gaming information to a player. A touch screen may be communicatively coupled with the reel glass to receive game input from the player, thereby making the play field reel glass enhancement interactive.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A gaming machine comprising:
 a plurality of mechanical spinning reels configured to indicate a gaming outcome for a wager game played on the gaming machine by a player;   a light board including a plurality of light emitting elements, the light board located in front of the plurality of mechanical spinning reels, the light board configured to light up individual or groups of the light emitting elements responsive to the gaming outcome; and   a reel glass including a graphic element, the reel glass located in front of the light board, the graphic element configured to be backlit by the light board to indicate wager game information or secondary game information to the player.   
     
     
         2 . The gaming machine of  claim 1 , further comprising a light barrier configured to pass only some of the light from the lit up individual or groups of the light emitting elements on the light board to the graphic element to indicate the wager game information or secondary game information to the player. 
     
     
         3 . The gaming machine of  claim 1 , further comprising a touch screen communicatively coupled with the reel glass, the reel glass located in front of the touch screen, the touch screen configured to receive input from the player when the player touches an interactive area of the reel glass. 
     
     
         4 . The gaming machine of  claim 3 , wherein the interactive area corresponds with the graphic element and the input from the player includes secondary game input. 
     
     
         5 . The gaming machine of  claim 3 , wherein the interactive area corresponds with a gaming meter configured to display wager game session data, the gaming meter being communicatively coupled with the touch screen and the input from the player includes wager game input. 
     
     
         6 . The gaming machine of  claim 1 , further comprising a touch screen located in front of the reel glass, the touch screen configured to receive input from the player when the player touches an interactive area of the touch screen. 
     
     
         7 . The gaming machine of  claim 6 , wherein the interactive area corresponds with the graphic element and the input from the player includes secondary game input. 
     
     
         8 . The gaming machine of  claim 6 , wherein the interactive area corresponds with a gaming meter configured to display wager game session data, the gaming meter being communicatively coupled with the touch screen, the input from the player includes wager game input. 
     
     
         9 . The gaming machine of  claim 1 , wherein the light board is a printed circuit board and the light emitting elements are light emitting diodes, incandescent, florescent, fiber optic, light pipes, EL panel, cold cathode, or combinations thereof. 
     
     
         10 . The gaming machine of  claim 1 , wherein the graphic element configured to be backlit by the light board further represents an attraction routine. 
     
     
         11 . A computer-implemented method comprising:
 receiving wager game input from a player;   displaying a wager game outcome on a plurality of mechanical spinning reels;   determining at a microprocessor the availability of a secondary game based on the wager game outcome;   lighting up individual or groups of light emitting elements on a light board, upon determining that the secondary game is available; and   displaying secondary game information at a reel glass, the reel glass including a graphic element, the graphic element configured to be backlit by the light board.   
     
     
         12 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 11 , the method further comprising passing, through a light barrier, only some of the light from the lit individual or groups of light emitting elements on the light board to the graphic element to display the secondary game information to the player. 
     
     
         13 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 11 , the method further comprising receiving input from a user that touches an interactive area of the reel glass, the reel glass communicatively coupled with a touch screen located behind the reel glass. 
     
     
         14 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 13 , the method further comprising receiving secondary game input at the interactive area of the reel glass, wherein the interactive area of the reel glass corresponds with the graphic element, wherein the input from the user includes secondary game input. 
     
     
         15 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 13 , the method further comprising receiving wager game input at the interactive area of the reel glass, wherein the interactive area of the reel glass corresponds with a gaming meter configured to display wager game session data, the gaming meter being communicatively coupled with the touch screen and the input from the user includes wager game input. 
     
     
         16 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 11 , the method further comprising receiving input from a user that touches an interactive area of a touch screen, the touch screen located in front of the reel glass. 
     
     
         17 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 16 , the method further comprising receiving bonus game input at the interactive area of the touch screen, wherein the interactive area of the touch screen corresponds with the graphic element, wherein the input from the user includes secondary game input. 
     
     
         18 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 16 , the method further comprising receiving wager game input at the interactive area of the touch screen, wherein the interactive area of the touch screen corresponds with a gaming meter configured to display wager game session data, the gaming meter being communicatively coupled with the touch screen and the input from the user includes wager game input. 
     
     
         19 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 11 , wherein the light board is a printed circuit board and the light emitting elements are light emitting diodes, incandescent, florescent, fiber optic, light pipes, or combinations thereof. 
     
     
         20 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 11 , the method further comprising representing an attraction routine with the graphic element configured to be backlit by the light board.