GAMING SYSTEM, A GAME CONTROLLER, A PLAYER INTERFACE, AND A METHOD OF GAMING

• US 20090191936A1
• Filed: 08/27/2008
• Published: 07/30/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Aristocrat Technologies Australia PTY Limited (Aristocrat Leisure Limited)
• Original Assignee: Aristocrat Technologies Australia PTY Limited (Aristocrat Leisure Limited)
• Inventors: Hawkins, Ryan Paul
• Application Number:
  US12/199,421
• Publication Number:
  US 20090191936A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/16
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3227 Configuring a gaming machine, e.g. downloading personal settings, selecting working parameters
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/34 depending on the stopping of moving members in a mechanical slot machine, e.g. "fruit" machines

Abstract

A gaming system comprising: a touch screen display arranged to display a plurality of reels; and a game controller arranged to: control display of the plurality of reels; receive a signal from the touch screen display indicative that the touch screen display has been touched at a position corresponding to one of the reels; and alter the speed of rotation of at least one reel based on the signal.

Claims

1. A gaming system comprising:

a touch screen display arranged to display a plurality of reels; and

a game controller arranged to;

control display of the plurality of reels;

receive a signal from the touch screen display indicative that the touch screen display has been touched at a position corresponding to one of the reels; and

alter the speed of rotation of at least one reel based on the signal.

2. A gaming system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the game controller is arranged to alter the speed of rotation by applying an acceleration to the reel.

3. A gaming system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the game controller is arranged to alter the speed of rotation by increasing the speed of rotation.

4. A gaming system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the game controller is arranged to process the signal to categorise the touch into one of a plurality of categories and apply different speed changes based on the categorisation.

5. A gaming system as claimed in claim 4, wherein the game controller decreases the speed of rotation of the reels when the touch is categorised into a first category and increases the speed of rotation when the touch is categorised into a second category.

6. A gaming system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the game controller is arranged to start at least one reel based on the signal.

7. A gaming system as claimed in claim 4, wherein the signal is categorised based on a direction of movement of the touch relative to the reels.

8. A gaming system as claimed in claim 5, wherein categorisation of the signal into the first category corresponds to determining that the touch was a movement against the direction of rotation of the reels.

9. A gaming system as claimed in claim 5, wherein categorisation of the signal into the second category corresponds to determining that the touch was a movement with the direction of rotation of the reels.

10. A gaming system as claimed in claim 1, wherein altering the speed of rotation of a reel alters the time for which it spins.

11. A gaming system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the game controller comprises a speed change module arranged to determine the speed alteration to be applied to the at least one reel.

12. A gaming system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the game controller is arranged to apply the same speed alteration to each reel.

24. A game controller as claimed in claim 1, arranged to apply the same speed alteration to each reel.

13. A game controller for a gaming system, the game controller arranged to:

control display of a plurality of reels on an associated touch screen display;

receive a signal from the touch screen display indicative that the touch screen display has been touched at a position corresponding to one of the reels; and

alter the speed of rotation of at least one reel based on the signal.

14. A game controller as claimed in claim 13, arranged to alter the speed of rotation by applying an acceleration to the reel.

15. A game controller as claimed in claim 13, arranged to alter the speed of rotation by increasing the speed of rotation.

16. A game controller as claimed in claim 13, arranged to process the signal to categorise the touch into one of a plurality of categories and apply different speed changes based on the categorisation.

17. A game controller as claimed in claim 13, arranged to decrease the speed of rotation of the reels when the touch is categorised into a first category and increase the speed of rotation when the touch is categorised into a second category.

19. A game controller as claimed in claim 16, wherein the signal is categorised based on a direction of movement of the touch relative to the reels.

20. A game controller as claimed in claim 17, wherein categorisation of the signal into the first category corresponds to determining that the touch was a movement against the direction of rotation of the reels.

21. A game controller as claimed in claim 17, wherein categorisation of the signal into the second category corresponds to determining that the touch was a movement with the direction of rotation of the reels.

22. A game controller as claimed in claim 13, wherein altering the speed of rotation of a reel alters the time for which it spins.

23. A game controller as claimed in claim 13, comprising a speed change module arranged to determine the speed alteration to be applied to the at least one reel.

18. A game controller as claimed in 13, arranged to start at least one reel based on the signal.

25. A player interface for a gaming system;

the player interface comprising a touch screen display arranged to display a plurality of reels and to receive a user input by touching at least one reel whereafter a speed alteration is applied to the speed of rotation of at least one displayed reel.

26. A player interface as claimed in claim 25 arranged to receive a plurality of different user inputs based on the touch applied by a user.

27. A method of gaming comprising:

displaying a plurality of reels to a player on a touch screen display;

determining that a player has touched the display at a position corresponding to at least one of the reels; and

altering the speed of rotation of the at least one reel touched by the player.

28. A method as claimed in claim 27, comprising altering the speed of rotation by applying an acceleration to the reel.

29. A method as claimed in claim 27, comprising altering the speed of rotation by increasing the speed of rotation.

30. A method as claimed in claim 27, comprising categorising the touch into one of a plurality of categories and apply different speed changes based on the categorisation.

31. A method as claimed in claim 30, comprising decreasing the speed of rotation of the reels when the touch is categorised into a first category and increasing the speed of rotation when the touch is categorised into a second category.

32. A method as claimed in claim 27, comprising starting at least one reel based on the signal.

33. A method as claimed in claim 30, wherein the touch is categorised based on a direction of movement of the touch relative to the reels.

34. A method as claimed in claim 33, wherein categorisation of the touch into the first category corresponds to determining that the touch was a movement against the direction of rotation of the reels.

35. A method as claimed in claim 33, wherein categorisation of the touch into the second category corresponds to determining that the touch was a movement with the direction of rotation of the reels.

36. A method as claimed in claim 27, wherein altering the speed of rotation of a reel comprises altering the time for which it spins.

37. A method as claimed in claim 27, comprising applying the same speed alteration to each reel.

38. A computer readable medium comprising computer program code which when executed implements the method of claim 27.