Game system including slot machines and game control method thereof

• US 20080058065A1
• Filed: 03/20/2007
• Published: 03/06/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Aruze Gaming America Incorporated (Aruze Gaming America, Inc. /Okada/)
• Original Assignee: Aruze Gaming America Incorporated (Aruze Gaming America, Inc. /Okada/)
• Inventors: Okada, Kazuo
• Application Number:
  US11/725,471
• Publication Number:
  US 20080058065A1
• 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 17/3244 Payment aspects of a gaming system, e.g. payment schemes, setting payout ratio, bonus or consolation prizes

Abstract

An interface capable of communicating with a cellular phone of a player, and a game controller are provided. The game controller accepts on a touch panel an input of credit number data indicating the number of credits the player purchases, and sends data of a send request for sending cash value data indicating a cash value to the cellular phone upon completion of acceptance of the input, and receives the cash value data from the cellular phone upon completion of sending of the send request, and then converts the cash value data received to the credit number data at a predetermined conversion rate.

Claims

1. A slot machine comprising:

an interface capable of communicating with a cellular phone of a player;

a display on which data can be input in a push operation by the player; and

a game controller accepting on the display an input of credit number data indicating a number of credits the player purchases, and sending data of a send request for sending cash value data indicating a cash value to the cellular phone upon acceptance of the input, and receiving the cash value data from the cellular phone upon sending of the send request, and then converting the cash value data received to the credit number data at a predetermined conversion rate.

2. The slot machine according to claim 1, further comprising:

a holder securing the cellular phone; and

a conversion decision button outputting a permit signal to permit conversion of the cash value data to the credit number data, wherein

the interface establishes communication with the cellular phone by wireless communication upon securing of the cellular phone to the holder; and

the game controller converts the cash value data to the credit number data when the conversion decision button outputs the permit signal.

3. The slot machine according to claim 1, wherein

the slot machine is connected so as to establish communication with a conversion rate management server storing a plurality of the predetermined conversion rates for each of a plurality of kinds of cash values;

the game controller receives data for a plurality of conversion rates indicating the plurality of the predetermined conversion rates at predetermined time intervals from the conversion rate management server, and displays on the display the plurality of the conversion rates data received, and accepts the input of the credit number data upon completion of displaying on the display.

4. The slot machine according to claim 1, wherein

the game controller accepts an input of an upper limit value of the cash value data to be converted to the credit number data, and converts the cash value data to the credit number data when the cash value data received does not exceed the upper limit value.

5. A slot machine connected so as to establish communication with a conversion rate management server storing a plurality of predetermined conversion rates for each of a plurality of kinds of cash values, the slot machine comprising:

a holder securing a cellular phone of a player;

an interface establishing communication with the cellular phone by wireless communication upon securing of the cellular phone to the holder;

a display on which data can be input in a push operation by the player;

a conversion decision button outputting, when the player performs a push operation of a predetermined position on the display, a permit signal to permit conversion of cash value data indicating cash values to credit number data indicating a number of credits the player purchases; and

a game controller (i) receiving data for a plurality of conversion rates indicating the plurality of predetermined conversion rates at predetermined time intervals from the conversion rate management server;

(ii) displaying on the display the data for the plurality of conversion rates received;

(iii) accepting on the display an input of the credit number data upon completion of displaying on the display;

(iv) sending data of a send request for sending the cash value data to the cellular phone upon completion of acceptance of the input;

(v) receiving the cash value data from the cellular phone upon completion of sending of the data of the send request; and

(vi) converting the cash value data received to the credit number data at the predetermined conversion rate when the conversion decision button outputs the permit signal.

6. A slot machine comprising:

a holder securing a cellular phone of a player;

an interface establishing communication with the cellular phone by wireless communication upon securing of the cellular phone to the holder;

a display on which data can be input in a push operation by the player;

a conversion decision button outputting, when the player performs a push operation of a predetermined position on the display, a permit signal to permit conversion of cash value data indicating cash values to credit number data indicating a number of credits the player purchases; and

a game controller (i) accepting on the display an input of an upper limit value of the cash value data to be converted to the credit number data;

(ii) accepting an input of the credit number data upon completion of acceptance of the input of the upper limit value;

(iii) sending data of a send request for sending the cash value data to the cellular phone upon completion of acceptance of the input of the credit number data;

(iv) receiving the cash value data from the cellular phone upon completion of sending of the data of the send request; and

(v) converting the cash value data received to the credit number data at a predetermined conversion rate when the conversion decision button outputs the permit signal and the cash value data received do not exceed the upper limit value.

7. A slot machine connected so as to establish communication with a conversion rate management server storing a plurality of predetermined conversion rates for each of a plurality of kinds of cash values, the slot machine comprising:

a holder securing a cellular phone of a player;

an interface establishing communication with the cellular phone by wireless communication upon securing of the cellular phone to the holder;

a display on which data can be input in a push operation by the player;

a conversion decision button outputting, when the player performs a push operation of a predetermined position on the display, a permit signal to permit conversion of cash value data indicating cash values to credit number data indicating a number of credits the player purchases; and

a game controller (i) receiving data for the plurality of conversion rates indicating the plurality of the predetermined conversion rates from the conversion rate management server at predetermined time intervals;

(ii) displaying on the display the data for the plurality of the conversion rates received;

(iii) accepting on the display an input of an upper limit value of the cash value data to be converted to the credit number data upon completion of displaying on the display;

(iv) accepting an input of the credit number data upon completion of the input of the upper limit value;

(v) sending data of a send request for sending the cash value data to the cellular phone upon completion of the input of the credit number data;

(vi) receiving the cash value data from the cellular phone upon completion of sending of the data of the send request; and

(vii) converting the cash value data received to the credit number data at the predetermined conversion rate when the conversion decision button outputs the permit signal and the cash value data received does not exceed the upper limit value.

8. A game control method in which a game controller advances a game in a slot machine comprising an interface capable of communicating with a cellular phone of a player, and a display on which data can be input by a push operation by the player, the method comprising the steps of:

accepting on the display an input of credit number data indicating a number of credits the player purchases;

sending data of a send request for sending cash value data indicating a cash value to the cellular phone upon completion of acceptance of the input;

receiving the cash value data from the cellular phone upon completion of sending of the send request; and

converting the cash value data received to the credit number data at a predetermined conversion rate.

9. The game control method according to claim 8, wherein

the slot machine further comprises:

(i) a holder securing the cellular phone; and

(ii) a conversion decision button outputting a permit signal to permit conversion of the cash value data to the credit number data when the player performs a push operation of a predetermined position on the display, and

the game controller includes the steps of;

(a) establishing communication with the cellular phone via the interface by wireless communication upon securing of the cellular phone to the holder; and

(b) converting the cash value data to the credit number data when the conversion decision button outputs the permit signal.

10. The game control method according to claim 8, wherein

the slot machine is connected so as to establish communication with a conversion rate management server storing a plurality of the predetermined conversion rates for each of a plurality of kinds of cash values;

the game controller includes the steps of;

(a) receiving data for a plurality of conversion rates indicating the plurality of the predetermined conversion rates from the conversion rate management server at predetermined time intervals;

(b) displaying on the display the data for the plurality of the conversion rates received; and

(c) accepting an input of the credit number data upon completion of displaying on the display.

11. The game control method according to claim 8, wherein the game controller includes the steps of:

accepting an input of an upper limit value of the cash value data to be converted to the credit number data; and

converting the cash value data to the credit number data when the cash value data received does not exceed the upper limit value.

12. A game control method in which,

a slot machine is connected so as to establish communication with a conversion rate management server storing a plurality of predetermined conversion rates for each of a plurality of kinds of cash values, and there are provided:

a holder securing a cellular phone of a player;

an interface establishing communication with the cellular phone by wireless communication upon securing of the cellular phone to the holder;

a display on which data can be inputted in a push operation by the player;

a conversion decision button outputting, when a player performs a push operation of a predetermined position on the display, a permit signal to permit conversion of cash value data indicating cash values to credit number data indicating a number of credits the player purchases, and

the method comprising the steps of;

(a) receiving data for a plurality of conversion rates indicating the plurality of the predetermined conversion rates from the conversion rate management server at predetermined time intervals;

(b) displaying on the display the data for the plurality of the conversion rates received;

(c) accepting on the display an input of the credit number data upon completion of displaying on the display;

(d) sending data of a send request for sending the cash value data to the cellular phone upon completion of acceptance of the input;

(e) receiving the cash value data from the cellular phone upon completion of sending of the data of the send request; and

(f) converting the cash value data received to the credit number data at the predetermined conversion rate when the conversion decision button outputs the permit signal.

13. A game control method in which there are provided:

a holder securing a cellular phone of a player;

an interface establishing communication with the cellular phone by wireless communication upon securing of the cellular phone to the holder;

a display on which data can be inputted in a push operation by the player;

a conversion decision button outputting, when the player performs a push operation of a predetermined position on the display, a permit signal to permit conversion of cash value data indicating cash values to credit number data indicating a number of credits the player purchases; and

the method comprising;

(a) accepting on the display an input of an upper limit value of the cash value data to be converted to the credit number data;

(b) accepting an input of the credit number data upon completion of acceptance of the input of the upper limit value;

(c) sending data of a send request for sending the cash value data to the cellular phone upon completion of the input of the credit number data;

(d) receiving the cash value data from the cellular phone upon completion of sending of the data of the send request; and

(e) converting the cash value data received to the credit number data at a predetermined conversion rate when the conversion decision button outputs the permit signal and the cash value data received do not exceed the upper limit value.

14. A game control method in which,

a slot machine is connected so as to establish communication with a conversion rate management server storing a plurality of predetermined conversion rates for each of a plurality of kinds of cash values, and there are provided:

a holder securing a cellular phone of a player;

an interface establishing communication with the cellular phone by wireless communication upon securing of the cellular phone to the holder;

a display on which data can be inputted in a push operation by the player;

a conversion decision button outputting, when the player performs a push operation of a predetermined position on the display, a permit signal to permit conversion of cash value data indicating cash values to credit number data indicating a number of credits the player purchases, and

the method comprising the steps of;

(a) receiving data for a plurality of conversion rates indicating the plurality of the predetermined conversion rates from the conversion rate management server at predetermined time intervals;

(b) displaying on the display the data for the plurality of the conversion rates received;

(c) accepting on the display an input of an upper limit value of the cash value data to be converted to the credit number data upon completion of displaying on the display;

(d) accepting an input of the credit number data upon completion of acceptance of the input of the upper limit value;

(e) sending data of a send request for sending the cash value data to the cellular phone upon completion of the input of the credit number data;

(f) receiving the cash value data from the cellular phone upon completion of sending of the data of the send request; and

(g) converting the cash value data received to the credit number data at the predetermined conversion rate when the conversion decision button outputs the permit signal and the cash value data received do not exceed the upper limit value.