GAMING MACHINE WITH INTERACTIVE SCORECARD

• US 20080096640A1
• Filed: 12/14/2007
• Published: 04/24/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/10/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Natalie Bryant, Nicholas Bennett, Philippa Graham
• Original Assignee: Natalie Bryant, Nicholas Bennett, Philippa Graham
• Inventors: Bryant, Natalie, Bennett, Nicholas, Graham, Philippa
• Granted Patent: US 8,002,629 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/20
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3211 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3213 Details of moving display elements, e.g. spinning reels, tumbling members

Abstract

A gaming machine (10) includes a controller for controlling operation of the machine (10), a primary display (16) is provided on which a game to be played is displayed. A secondary display (18) is also provided on which a scorecard (22), indicating prizes to be paid upon a winning game being achieved, is displayed. The game and the scorecard (22) are controlled by the controller and the scorecard (22) is a dynamic scorecard (22) with the relationship between combinations of symbols constituting a winning game and the prizes awarded by the scorecard (22) for that particular game changing from game to game.

Claims

1. :

A gaming machine which includes;

a control means for controlling operation of the machine;

a primary display means on which a game to be played is displayed; and

a secondary display means on which a scorecard, indicating prizes to be paid upon a winning game being achieved, is displayed, the game and the scorecard being controlled by the control means and the scorecard being a dynamic scorecard with at least one of;

a prize indicated by the scorecard for a particular combination of symbols being allocated from a pool of predetermined prizes and changing in-game randomly without player intervention; and

a combination of symbols indicated by the scorecard as constituting a prizewinning combination of symbols changing from game to game without player intervention.

2. :

The gaming machine of claim 1 in which the scorecard changes depending on the result of a game played.

3. :

The gaming machine of claim 1 in which the scorecard affects the result of the game.

4. :

The gaming machine of claim 1 in which changes in the scorecard affects the result of the game.

5. :

The gaming machine of claim 1 in which an animated character implements changes to the scorecard.

6. :

The gaming machine of claim 1 in which the game and the scorecard are displayed on a single screen of the gaming machine.

7. :

The gaming machine of claim 1 in which the game is displayed on one screen with the scorecard being displayed on a second screen.

8. :

The gaming machine of claim 7 in which the second screen is arranged in a top box of the gaming machine.

9. :

The gaming machine of claim 1 wherein the prize indicated by the scorecard for a particular combination of symbols is allocated randomly from the pool of possible prizes applicable to the particular combination of symbols.

10. :

The gaming machine of claim 1 wherein the dynamic scorecard is configured to indicate a plurality of prizes corresponding to a respective combination of symbols and wherein the prize corresponding to a plurality of combinations of symbols is changed by shuffling the correspondence between prizes and respective combinations of symbols from game to game.

11. :

The gaming machine of claim 10 wherein the dynamic scorecard is configured to indicate a plurality of prizes corresponding to a respective combination of symbols and wherein the prize values corresponding to respective combinations of symbols is not determined according to a relative likelihood of each combination of symbols arising in the game.

12. :

The gaming machine of claim 10 wherein the dynamic scorecard is configured to indicate a plurality of prizes corresponding to a respective combination of symbols and wherein the prize values corresponding to respective combinations of symbols is not determined according to a relative rank of each combination of symbols.

13. :

The gaming machine of claim 1 wherein the dynamic scorecard includes a reel configured to indicate at least one part of a prize corresponding to a combination of symbols.

14. :

The gaming machine of claim 13 wherein the dynamic scorecard includes a plurality of reels configured to a indicate a prize corresponding to a combination of symbols.

15. :

The gaming machine of claim 13 wherein the dynamic scorecard is configured to indicate a plurality of prizes corresponding to a respective combination of symbols and wherein a prize value associated with a first combination of symbols having a corresponding rank is displayed on a first group of one or more reels, and a prize value associated with a second combination of symbols having a corresponding rank is displayed on a second group of one or more reels, wherein the second combination of symbols has a higher rank than the first group of symbols and the second group of reels includes more reels than the first group of reels.

16. :

A gaming machine which includes;

a control means for controlling operation of the machine;

a primary display means on which a game to be played is displayed; and

a secondary display means on which a scorecard, indicating prizes to be paid upon a winning game being achieved is displayed, the game and the scorecard being controlled by the control means and the scorecard being a dynamic scorecard with at least one of, a prize indicated by the scorecard of for a particular combination of symbols, and a combination of symbols indicated by the scorecard as constituting a prize-winning combination of symbols changing from game to game without player intervention, wherein said change from game to game is implemented by an animated display feature.

17. :

The gaming machine of claim 16 wherein the change from game to game is implemented by an animated character.

18. :

The gaming machine of claim 16 wherein the change from game to game is implemented using one or more animated spinning reels.

27. :

The gaming machine of claim 16 wherein the prize indicated by the scorecard for a particular combination of symbols is not related to prize value for a given symbol combination as calculated on the basis of the size of a possible prize pool.

19. :

A gaming machine which includes;

a control means for controlling operation of the machine;

a primary display means on which a game to be played is displayed; and

a secondary display means on which a scorecard, indicating prizes to be paid upon a winning game being achieved, is displayed, the game and the scorecard being controlled by the control means and the scorecard being a dynamic scorecard with at least one of;

a prize indicated by the scorecard for a particular combination of symbols being allocated from a set of predetermined prizes and changing from game to game randomly without player intervention; and

a combination of symbols indicated by the scorecard as constituting a prizewinning combination of symbols changing from game to game without player intervention.

20. :

The gaming machine of claim 19 wherein the prize indicated by the scorecard for a particular combination of symbols is allocated randomly from the set of possible prizes applicable to the particular combination of symbols.

21. :

The gaming machine of claim 19 wherein the dynamic scorecard is configured to indicate a plurality of prizes corresponding to a respective combination of symbols and wherein the prize corresponding to a plurality of combinations of symbols is changed by shuffling the correspondence between prizes and respective combinations of symbols from game to game.

22. :

The gaming machine of claim 21 wherein the dynamic scorecard is configured to indicate a plurality of prizes corresponding to a respective combination of symbols and wherein the prize values corresponding to respective combinations of symbols is not determined according to a relative likelihood of each combination of symbols arising in the game.

23. :

The gaming machine of claim 21 wherein the dynamic scorecard is configured to indicate a plurality of prizes corresponding to a respective combination of symbols and wherein the prize values corresponding to respective combinations of symbols is not determined according to a relative rank of each combination of symbols.

24. :

The gaming machine of claim 19 wherein the dynamic scorecard includes a reel configured to indicate at least one part of a prize corresponding to a combination of symbols.

25. :

The gaming machine of claim 24 wherein the dynamic scorecard includes a plurality of reels configured to a indicate a prize corresponding to a combination of symbols.

26. :

The gaming machine of claim 24 wherein the dynamic scorecard is configured to indicate a plurality of prizes corresponding to a respective combination of symbols and wherein a prize value associated with a first combination of symbols having a corresponding rank is displayed on a first group of one or more reels, and a prize value associated with a second combination of symbols having a corresponding rank is displayed on a second group of one or more reels, wherein the second combination of symbols has a higher rank than the first group of symbols and the second group of reels includes more reels than the first group of reels.

28. :

The gaming machine of claim 19 wherein the prize indicated by the scorecard for a particular combination of symbols is not related to prize value for a given symbol combination as calculated on the basis of the size of a possible prize pool.