Slot machine

• US 5,050,881 A
• Filed: 09/17/1990
• Issued: 09/24/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 09/01/1988
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Aruze Corp. (Universal Entertainment Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sigma Corporation (Avis Budget Group Incorporated)
• Inventors: Nagao, Yuji
• Primary Examiner(s): Coven, Edward M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): HARRISON, JESSICA
• Application Number:
  US07/584,497
• Time in Patent Office: 372 Days
• Field of Search: 273/138 R, 273/138 A, 273/143 R, 364/410, 364/412, 364/717
• US Class Current: 463/21
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3244 Payment aspects of a gaming system, e.g. payment schemes, setting payout ratio, bonus or consolation prizes

Abstract

This invention relates to a slot machine which comprises random number generating unit and X reels each having a plurality of symbols. All the combinations of the symbols among the reels made when one symbol of each reel is selected are identified by respective numbers, and one random number is generated by the random number generating unit, so that a combination of the symbols bearing an identification number corresponding to the random number is selected.

Claims

1. A slot machine, comprising:

a plurality of reels with each reel having a plurality of symbols arranged thereon;

means for displaying said symbols;

means for assigning a distinguishing identifier to each and every combination of symbols among the reels when one symbol of each reel is selected;

storage means for storing the assigned distinguishing identifiers;

identifier selection means for selecting one of the distinguishing identifiers stored in said storage means;

means for stopping said reels in accordance with the selected distinguishing identifier such that the combination of symbols represented by said distinguishing identifier is displayed by said means for displaying;

said distinguishing identifiers being numbers and said identifier selection means including random number generator means for generating a random number which is representative of said one of the distinguishing identifiers;

said random number generating means comprising a reference random number generating means and a random number processing means;

said reference random number generating means having means for generating a reference random number from a predetermined length of a natural number sequence which extends without repeating each generated random number;

said random number processing means having means for setting a plurality of non-overlapping preset segments of said predetermined length of a natural number sequence, said preset segments having the same number of natural numbers as the total number of distinguishing identifiers; and

segment selecting means for selecting one preset segment out of said plurality of preset segments, said identifier selection means utilizing a reference random number generated by said reference random number generating means only when the reference number is in the preset segment selected by said segment selecting means, and said reference random number generating means continues to generate a new random number in one play until a random number generated by said reference random number generating means is processed by said identifier selection means as a random number for selecting a distinguishing identifier.

2. A slot machine according to claim 1, wherein said reference random number generating unit generates M sequence random numbers.

3. A slot machine according to claim 2, wherein said segment selecting means selects one preset segment at random out of said plurality of said preset segments, and another preset segment is selected by said segment selection means after all the numbers in said one preset segment have been chosen to represent distinguishing identifiers by said identifier selection means.

4. A slot machine according to claim 2, wherein said segment selecting means selects one preset segment at random and unrepeatedly out of said plurality of said preset segments, and another preset segment is selected by said segment selecting means after all the numbers in said one preset segment have been chosen to represent distinguishing identifiers by said indentifier selection means.

5. A slot machine according to claim 2, wherein there is provided segment selecting means for selecting two preset segments or more out of said plurality of said preset segments, said identifier selection means utilizing a random number generated by said reference random number generating means as a random number for selecting a distinguishing identifier only when the random number is in said two or more preset segments selected by said segment selecting means;

and said reference random number generating means continues to generate a new random number in one play until a random number generated by said reference random number generating means is processed by said identifier selection means as a random number for selecting a distinguishing identifier.

6. A slot machine according to claim 5, wherein there is provided means for selecting at random the number of preset segments to be set by said random number processing means;

and said segment selecting means selects one or more of the preset segments from the random number of preset segments determined by said means for selecting at random the number of preset segments.

7. A slot machine according to claim 6, wherein said segment selecting means selects at random two or more preset segments out of said plurality of said preset segments;

and said segment selecting means and said means for selecting at random the number of preset segments make another selection after all the numbers in the selected two or more preset segments have been chosen to represent distinguishing identifiers by said identifier selection means.

8. A slot machine according to claim 6, wherein said segment selecting means selects at random and unrepeatedly two or more preset segments out of said plurality of said preset segments;

and said segment selecting means and said means for selecting at random the number of preset segments make another selection after all the numbers in the selected two or more segments have been chosen to reprsent distinguishing identifiers by said identifier selection means.

9. A slot machine according to claim 1, wherein said segment selecting means selects one preset segment at random out of said plurality of said preset segments, and another preset segment is selected by said segment selection means after all the numbers in said one preset segment have been chosen to represent distinguishing identifiers by said identifier selection means.

10. A slot machine according to claim 1, wherein said segment selecting means select one preset segment at random and unrepeatedly out of said plurality of said preset segments, and another preset segment is selected by said segment selecting means after all the numbers in said one preset segment have been chosen to represent distinguishing identifiers by said identifier selection means.

11. A slot machine according to claim 1, wherein there is provided segment selecting means for selecting two preset segments or more out of said plurality of said preset segments, said identifier selection means utilizing a random number generated by said reference random number generating means as a random number for selecting a distinguishing identifier only when the random number is in said two or more preset segments selected by said segment selecting means, and said reference random number generating means continues to generate a new random number in one play until a random number generated by said reference number generating means is processed by said identifier selection means as a random number for selecting a distinguishing identifier.

12. A slot machine according to claim 11, wherein there is provided means for selecting at random the number of preset segments to be set by said random number processing means;

and said segment selecting means selects the preset segments from the random number of preset segments determined by said means for selecting at random the number of preset segments.

13. A slot machine according to claim 12, wherein said segment selecting means selects at random two or more preset segments out of said plurality of said preset segments;

and said segment selecting means and said means for selecting at random the number of preset segments make another selection after all the numbers in the selected two or more preset segments have been chosen to represent distinguishing identifiers by said identifier selection means.

14. A slot machine according to claim 12, wherein said segment selecting means selects at random and unrepeatedly two or more preset segments out of said plurality of said preset segments;

and said segment selecting means and said means for selecting at random the number of segments make another selection after all the numbers in the selected two or more preset segments have been chosen by said identifier selection means to represent distinguishing identifiers.

15. A slot machine, comprising:

a plurality of reels with each reel having a plurality of stop positions;

means for assigning a distinguishing identifier to each and every combination of stop positions among the reels when one stop position of each reel is selected, and said distinguishing identifiers being a sequence of positive integers of predetermined length (L1);

storage means for storing the assigned distinguishing identifiers;

identifier selection means for selecting one of the distinguishing identifiers stored in said storage means;

means for stopping said reels in accordance with the selected distinguishing identifier;

said identifier selection means including a random number generator means which generates for each game, at random and without repeating each generated number, one selective number out of a predetermined length (L2) of a natural number sequence which is made up of positive integers; and

means for setting a plurality of preset segments without overlapping one another in said predetermined length (L2) of the natural number sequence, and said means for setting a plurality of preset segments including means for determining the number of preset segments based on the ratio of (L2/L1).

16. A slot machine, comprising:

a plurality of reels with each reel having a plurality of stop positions;

means for assigning a distinguishing identifier to each and every combination of stop positions among the reels when one stop position of each reel is selected, and said distinguishing identifiers being a sequence of positive integers of predetermined length (L1);

storage means for storing the distinguishing identifiers;

identifier selection means for selecting one of the distinguishing identifiers stored in said storage means;

means for stopping said reels in accordance with the selected distinguishing identifier;

said identifier selection means including a random number generator means which generates for each game, at random and without repeating each generated number, one selective number out of a predetermined length (L2) of a natural number sequence which is made up of positive integers; and

means for setting preset segments (A) in said predetermined length (L2) of the natural number sequence, a length (L3) of each of the preset segments (A) being equal to said predetermined length (L1) of said distinguishing identifiers, whereby only when a random number generated for each game is in a predetermined one of said preset segments does said identifier selection means select a distinguishing identifier corresponding to said generated random number.