SLOT MACHINE AND CONTROL METHOD OF GAME

• US 20080102922A1
• Filed: 04/13/2007
• Published: 05/01/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Universal Entertainment Corporation
• Original Assignee: Aruze Corp.
• Inventors: Okada, Kazuo
• Granted Patent: US 8,083,579 B2
• 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

A slot machine of the present invention comprises: a mechanical reel device provided with a plurality of reels each having a plurality of symbols drawn on its peripheral face;

an image display device which is provided at a front of the mechanical reel device and is capable of changing the state of the backside thereof from visible to invisible by displaying an image; and a controller, the controller programmed to execute the processing of: (A) executing a game in which the plurality of symbols are variably displayed and then stop-displayed to the mechanical reel device after game media are BET in number equal to or less than a previously set maximum number of BETs, and game media are paid out in number according to the plurality of symbols stop-displayed or a combination thereof; (B) shifting a mode from a non-insurance mode to an insurance mode on condition that a predetermined number of game media is inserted; (C) counting the number of games played after shifting to the insurance mode, in the insurance mode; (D) paying out a predetermined number of game media when the number of games counted in the processing (C) reaches a specific number; and (E) displaying a specific effect image at a position in front of the reels in the image display device during a period when game media are being paid out in the processing (D).

Claims

1. A slot machine comprising:

a mechanical reel device provided with a plurality of reels each having a plurality of symbols drawn on its peripheral face;

an image display device which is provided at a front of the mechanical reel device and is capable of changing the state of the backside thereof from visible to invisible by displaying an image; and

a controller,

said controller programmed to execute the processing of;

(A) executing a game in which said plurality of symbols are variably displayed and then stop-displayed to said mechanical reel device after game media are BET in number equal to or less than a previously set maximum number of BETs, and game media are paid out in number according to said plurality of symbols stop-displayed or a combination thereof;

(B) shifting a mode from a non-insurance mode to an insurance mode on condition that a predetermined number of game media is inserted;

(C) counting the number of games played after shifting to said insurance mode, in said insurance mode;

(D) paying out a predetermined number of game media when the number of games counted in said processing (C) reaches a specific number; and

(E) displaying a specific effect image at a position in front of said reels in said image display device during a period when game media are being paid out in said processing (D).

2. The slot machine according to claim 1,

wherein

said controller is programmed to further execute the processing (F):

changing the state of said image display device to a state where said reels are visible after the display of said specific effect image is finished.

3. The slot machine according to claim 1 or 2,

wherein

said controller is programmed to pay out game media in number according to said plurality of symbols stop-displayed or a combination thereof in said processing (A), after completion of the payout of game media in said processing (D) and the display of said specific effect image in said processing (E), when the number of games counted in said processing (C) reaches said specific number.

6. The slot machine according to any of claims 1 to 5,

wherein

said processing (C) includes

counting the number of games in which game media are BET in number equal to said maximum number of BETs after shifting to said insurance mode, in said insurance mode.

4. A slot machine comprising:

an image display device; and

a controller,

said controller programmed to execute the processing of;

(A) executing a game in which said plurality of symbols are variably displayed and then stop-displayed to said image display device after game media are BET in number equal to or less than a previously set maximum number of BETs, and game media are paid out in number according to said plurality of symbols stop-displayed or a combination thereof;

(B) shifting a mode from a non-insurance mode to an insurance mode on condition that a predetermined number of game media is inserted;

(C) counting the number of games played after shifting to said insurance mode, in said insurance mode;

(D) paying out a predetermined number of game media when the number of games counted in said processing (C) reaches a specific number; and

(E) displaying a specific effect image in place of said symbol to said image display device during a period when game media are being paid out in said processing (D).

5. The slot machine according to claim 4,

wherein

said controller is programmed to pay out game media in number according to said plurality of symbols stop-displayed or a combination thereof in said processing (A), after completion of the payout of game media in said processing (D) and the display of said specific payment image in said processing (E), when the number of games counted in said processing (C) reaches said specific number.

7. A game control method comprising the steps of:

(A) executing a game in which a plurality of symbols are variably displayed and then stop-displayed to a mechanical reel device provided with a plurality of reels each having a plurality of symbols drawn on its peripheral face after game media are BET in number equal to or less than a previously set maximum number of BETs, and game media are paid out in number according to said plurality of symbols stop-displayed or a combination thereof;

(B) shifting a mode from a non-insurance mode to an insurance mode on condition that a predetermined number of game media is inserted;

(C) counting the number of games played after shifting to said insurance mode, in said insurance mode;

(D) paying out a predetermined number of game media when the number of games counted in said step (C) reaches a specific number; and

(E) displaying a specific effect image at a position in front of said reels in an image display device, which is provided at a front of the mechanical reel device and is capable of changing the state of the backside thereof from visible to invisible by displaying an image, during a period when game media are being paid out in said step (D).