Symbol displaying unit for a game machine

• US 20040036218A1
• Filed: 01/09/2003
• Published: 02/26/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dragon
• Original Assignee: Dragon
• Inventors: Inoue, Haruo
• Granted Patent: US 7,351,143 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 273/292
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/34 depending on the stopping of moving members in a mechanical slot machine, e.g. "fruit" machines

Abstract

A first symbol and a second symbol constituting a composition symbol “horse” are arranged on an inner reel and an outer reel respectively. When the outer reel is rotated and it is determined to display the composition symbol, the inner reels of first though third reel units are stopped so as to align the first symbols at a reference position, which is set relative to a central game line. After that, the outer reels of the first through third reel units are rotated and are stopped so as to align the second symbols on the central game line. When aligning the composition symbols “horse” on the central game line, the inner reel is rotated by a predetermined angle in forward and backward directions. This operation is carried out prescribed times to perform dynamic attraction in that pupil of the horse is changed.

Claims

1. A symbol displaying unit used for a game machine in which winning and loss are determined in accordance with a kind of a symbol combination completed on a game line crossing display windows, said symbol displaying unit including:

a plurality of reel units disposed so as to intersect said game line, at least one of the reel units having a double-reel structure comprising an inner reel and an outer reel, which are coaxially and individually rotated, and at least a part of said outer reel being transparent;

at least one outer symbol carried on a peripheral surface of said outer reel;

a plurality of inner symbols carried on a peripheral surface of said inner reel, said inner symbol being observable through said outer reel; and

animation-display-mode executing means for executing an animation display mode, at least one of the outer reel and the inner reel being rotated in the animation display mode to dynamically change a symbol-display state by a combination of the inner symbol and the outer symbol.

2. A symbol displaying unit according to claim 1, wherein the animation-display-mode executing means rotates one of the outer reel and the inner reel in forward and/or backward directions by predetermined times within a predetermined range.

3. A symbol displaying unit according to claim 1, wherein the animation-display-mode executing means rotates both of the outer reel and the inner reel.

4. A symbol displaying unit according to claim 3, wherein the animation-display-mode executing means rotates the outer reel and the inner reel in the same direction.

5. A symbol displaying unit according to claim 3, wherein the animation-display-mode executing means rotates the outer reel and the inner reel in opposite directions.

6. A symbol displaying unit according to claim 1, wherein the outer symbol and the inner symbol constitute a single composition symbol.

7. A symbol displaying unit according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the inner reel and the outer reel is rotated again after completion of the animation display mode.

8. A symbol displaying unit according to claim 1, wherein the animation-display-mode executing means includes a first stepping motor for rotating the inner reel, and a second stepping motor for rotating the outer reel.

9. A symbol displaying unit used for a game machine in which winning and loss are determined in accordance with a kind of a symbol combination completed on a game line crossing display windows, said symbol displaying unit including:

a plurality of reel units disposed so as to intersect said game line, at least one of the reel units having a double-reel structure comprising an inner reel and an outer reel, which are coaxially and individually rotated, and at least a part of said outer reel being transparent;

at least one extra symbol carried on a peripheral surface of said outer reel;

a plurality of inner symbols carried on a peripheral surface of said inner reel, said inner symbol being observable through said outer reel; and

animation-display-mode executing means for executing an animation display mode, either of the outer reel and the inner reel being rotated in the animation display mode to dynamically change a symbol-display state by a combination of the inner symbol and the extra symbol.

10. A symbol displaying unit according to claim 9, wherein a number of said reel units is three.

11. A symbol displaying unit according to claim 10, wherein said reel units are disposed in a horizontal direction.