SLOT MACHINE AND CONTROL METHOD OF GAME

• US 20080146310A1
• Filed: 04/13/2007
• Published: 06/19/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Universal Entertainment Corporation
• Original Assignee: Aruze Corp. (Universal Entertainment Corporation)
• Inventors: OKADA, Kazuo
• Granted Patent: US 8,371,926 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 17/3202 Hardware aspects of a gaming system, e.g. components, construction, architecture thereof
• 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 symbol display device capable of variably displaying a plurality of symbols; an input device configured so as to output a detection signal when operated by a player; an output device for an image or a sound; and a 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 symbol 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 the stop-displayed symbols 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) outputting information about the insurance mode by the output device, when the detection signal is outputted by the input device in the non-insurance mode.

Claims

1. A slot machine comprising:

a symbol display device capable of variably displaying a plurality of symbols;

an input device configured so as to output a detection signal when operated by a player;

an output device for an image or a sound; and

a controller,

said controller programmed to execute the processings of;

(A) executing a game in which said plurality of symbols are variably displayed and then stop-displayed to said symbol 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 the stop-displayed symbols 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) outputting information about said insurance mode by said output device, when said detection signal is outputted by said input device in said non-insurance mode.

2. The slot machine according to claim 1,

wherein

said output device includes at least an image display device, and

said processing (E) includes

(E-1) displaying to said image display device a button type image for requesting an input of a command to output the information about the insurance mode in the non-insurance mode, and

(E-2) outputting said information about the insurance mode by said image display device, when said detection signal is outputted by said input device while said button type image is displayed to said image display device.

3. The slot machine according to claim 2,

wherein

said processing (E-1) comprises displaying said button type image to said image display device when a predetermined display condition is established in the non-insurance mode.

4. The slot machine according to claim 2,

wherein

said output device includes said image display device and a sound output device, and

said processing (E-1) comprises outputting the information about the insurance mode by at least said sound output device over a predetermined period of time when the number of credit of game media becomes one or more, and displaying said button type image by said image display device after a lapse of said predetermined period, in said non-insurance mode.

5. The slot machine according to claim 1,

wherein

said output device includes an image display device and a sound output device, and

said processing (E) includes

(E-1) displaying to said image display device a button type image device for requesting an input of a command to output information about the insurance mode in the non-insurance mode, and

(E-2) outputting said information about the insurance mode by said sound output device, when said detection signal is outputted by said input device while said button type image is displayed to said image display device.

6. The slot machine according to any of claims 2 to 5,

wherein

said input device is a touch panel provided at a front face of said image display device, which can detect a touch by the player, and outputs a detection signal indicating the touched portion when detecting the touch by the player, and

said processing (E-2) comprises outputting said information about the insurance mode, when the detection signal indicating the touched position corresponding to the displayed position of said button type image is outputted by said touch panel while said button type image is displayed to said image display device.

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

wherein

said information about the insurance mode includes information indicating said specific number.

8. The slot machine according to any of claims 1 to 7,

wherein

said information about the insurance mode includes information indicating the number of game media to be paid out when the number of games counted reaches said specific number.

9. The slot machine according to any of claims 1 to 8,

wherein

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

clearing the number of games counted in said processing (C), when a predetermined number-of-games clearing condition is established before the number of games counted in said processing (C) reaches said specific number, and

said information about the insurance mode includes information indicating said number-of-games clearing condition.

10. The slot machine according to any of claims 1 to 9,

wherein

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

shifting the mode from the insurance mode to the non-insurance mode when a predetermined insurance canceling condition is established before the number of games counted in said processing (C) reaches said specific number, and

said information about the insurance mode includes information indicating said insurance canceling condition.

11. The slot machine according to any of claims 1 to 10,

wherein

said processing (C) includes counting the number of games on which game media are BET with the maximum number of BETs after shifting to said insurance mode, in said insurance mode, and

said information about the insurance mode is information indicating that an object to be counted in said processing (C) is a game on which game media are BET with the maximum number of BETs.

12. 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 symbol display device capable of variably displaying a plurality of symbols 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 stop-displayed symbols 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) outputting information about said insurance mode by an output device for an image or a sound, when an input device configured so as to output a detection signal when operated by a player outputs said detection signal in said non-insurance mode.