Wagering game with improved payline and payline-wager amount indicators

• US 20070270208A1
• Filed: 05/02/2007
• Published: 11/22/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sg Gaming, Inc. (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Sg Gaming, Inc. (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Inventors: Pacey, Larry, Caspers, Chris, Hoang, Trung, Halprin, James
• Application Number:
  US11/799,534
• Publication Number:
  US 20070270208A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/20
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3262 Player actions which determine the course of the game, e.g. selecting a prize to be won, outcome to be achieved, game to be played

Abstract

According to one aspect of the present invention, a gaming machine for conducting a wagering game includes a display for displaying a plurality of symbols on a plurality of reels defining an array. The array includes a plurality of player-selectable paylines indicating symbol combinations in the array. The gaming machine also includes a player-input device, a payline indicator, and a controller. The player-input device receives input from a player for selecting one or more of the player-selectable paylines. The payline indicator is movable along a vertical path in a direction alongside the plurality of reels and indicates a number corresponding to the selected ones of the player-selectable paylines. The controller is in communication with the display and is programmed to activate the selected ones of the player-selectable paylines during the wagering game.

Claims

1. A gaming machine for conducting a wagering game, comprising:

a display for displaying a plurality of symbols on a plurality of reels defining an array, said array including a plurality of player-selectable paylines indicating symbol combinations in said array;

a player-input device receiving input from a player for selecting one or more of said player-selectable paylines;

a payline indicator movable along a vertical path in a direction alongside said plurality of reels, said payline indicator indicating a number corresponding to selected ones of said player-selectable paylines; and

a controller in communication with said display and programmed to activate said selected ones of said player-selectable paylines during said wagering game.

2. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein said payline indicator is movable between a minimum number of paylines and a maximum number of paylines.

3. The gaming machine of claim 2, wherein said display is adapted to display each player-selectable payline as said payline indicator is moved between said minimum number of paylines and said maximum number of paylines.

4. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein said player-input device and said payline indicator are included on the same component.

5. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein said player-input device is adapted to receive input regarding the paylines in a sequential manner.

6. The gaming machine of claim 1, further comprising a wager-input device for receiving a wager for each of said selected ones of said player-selectable paylines.

7. The gaming machine of claim 6, further comprising a wager indicator movable along a path for indicating said wager per payline of said selected ones of said player-selectable paylines.

8. The gaming machine of claim 7, wherein said path for said wagering indicator is a vertical path.

9. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein said player-input device includes a rotatable dial.

10. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein said player-input device includes a movable slider bar.

11. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein said payline indicator includes a dial, said path being located on said dial.

12. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein said payline indicator includes a screen for numerically indicating the number of paylines.

13. The gaming machine of claim 1, further comprising a speaker for emitting a sound when a predetermined number of said paylines is selected.

14. The gaming machine of claim 1, further comprising a player-prompted slide-out window that is displayed on said display, said slide-out window providing a wager input device for receiving a wager for each of said selected ones of said player-selected paylines.

15. A method of conducting a wagering game, comprising the acts of:

displaying a plurality of symbols arranged in an array, said array including a plurality of player-selectable paylines indicating symbol combinations in said array;

selecting, via a player-input device, one or more of said player-selectable paylines, said player-selectable paylines ranging between a minimum number of paylines and a maximum number of paylines;

in response to said selecting, moving a payline indicator along a vertical path alongside said array for indicating a number corresponding to selected ones of said player-selectable paylines; and

activating said selected ones of said player-selectable paylines during said wagering game.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising the act of selecting, via a wager-input device, a wager for said selected ones of said player-selectable paylines, said wager having a range between a minimum number and a maximum number.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein at least one of said selected ones of said player-selectable paylines is a winning payline.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising indicating said winning payline via tags located on said winning payline.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein said tags indicate said wager that is associated with said winning payline.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising displaying an award-indication region on a display to indicate a total monetary award associated with said winning payline, said award-indication region including indicia corresponding to indicia on said tags.

21. The method of claim 15, wherein said selecting of selected ones of said plurality of paylines includes moving, via player input, said player-input device between a first location and a second location.

22. The method of claim 15, wherein said selecting includes prompting a player through a slide-out window to provide an input related to said player-selectable paylines.

23. A gaming machine for conducting a wagering game, comprising:

a display for displaying a plurality of symbols arranged in an array, said array including a plurality of player-selectable paylines extending across symbol locations in said array;

a payline input device receiving input from a player for selecting one or more of said player-selectable paylines;

a wager input device receiving input from a player for a wager for each of said selected player-selectable paylines;

a wager per payline indicator movable along a vertical path for indicating wagers corresponding to selected ones of said player-selectable paylines; and

a controller in communication with said display and programmed to activate said selected ones of said player-selectable paylines during said wagering game.

24. A gaming machine for conducting a wagering game, comprising:

a display for displaying a plurality of symbols arranged in an array, said array including a plurality of player-selectable paylines extending across symbol locations in said array;

a payline input device receiving input from a player for selecting one or more of said player-selectable paylines;

a plurality of tags displayed on the display along the selected ones of the player-selectable paylines, the plurality of tags visually indicating to the player at least one of the identification of the selected ones of the player-selectable paylines and the wager for the selected ones of the player-selectable paylines; and

a controller in communication with said display and programmed to activate said selected ones of said player-selectable paylines during said wagering game.