Gaming machine and control method that accumulatively adds a value less than one credit as a fractional value

• US 7,985,135 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2007
• Issued: 07/26/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Universal Entertainment Corporation
• Original Assignee: Universal Entertainment Corporation
• Inventors: Fujimoto, Jun, Inamura, Yukinori
• Primary Examiner(s): Suhol; Dmitry
• Assistant Examiner(s): DUFFY, DAVID W
• Application Number:
  US11/932,962
• Publication Number:
  US 20080254868A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,364 Days
• Field of Search: 463 16- 20, 463/23, 463/25
• US Class Current: 463/26
• 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 gaming machine switchable between an insurance mode and a non-insurance mode and which activates insurance compensation irrespective of a result of a game when a predetermined condition is established and a playing method thereof are disclosed. In accordance therewith, when a bet value or a payout value to be paid out includes a value less than one credit, that value is accumulatively stored as a fractional value, and the mode is switched from an insurance mode to a non-insurance mode when the accumulatively added fractional values reach a predetermined value or the number of unit games in which the fractional value is accumulatively added reaches a predetermined number.

Claims

1. A gaming machine switchable between an insurance mode and a non-insurance mode and which activates insurance compensation irrespective of a result of a game when a predetermined condition is satisfied, the gaming machine comprising:

a controller programmed to conduct processes of;

(A) when a bet value that is not smaller than one credit is bet, receiving specification of a number of a plurality of BET objects of which game results are determined independently of each other;

(B) calculating an individual bet value by dividing the bet value by the specified number of bet objects, determining the game results for each of the bet objects, and determining an amount of payout for each of the bet objects based on the individual bet value and the game results;

(C) when the total of the amounts of payout determined in (B) includes a value lower than one credit, determining the value lower than the one credit as a fractional value;

(D) paying out an amount determined by subtraction of the fractional value determined in (C) from the amount of the payout determined in (B);

(E) accumulatively adding the fractional value determined in (C);

(F) shifting a mode to an insurance mode from a non-insurance mode, on condition that the fracrional value accumulatively added in (E) reaches a predetermined value; and

(G) executing a free game even when no game media have been bet, when a predetermined trigger condition is established in said insurance mode.

2. The gaming machine according to claim 1,

wherein

said controller is further programmed to conduct processing of (H) counting, in said insurance mode, the number of unit games executed after shifting the mode to said insurance mode, and

said processing (G) is processing for executing said free game, when the number of unit games counted in said processing (H) reaches a specific number.

3. The gaming machine according to claim 1,

wherein

said controller is further programmed to conduct processing of (H) counting, in said insurance mode, the number of unit games played with BETs by game media in number equal to a maximum number of BETs, after shifting the mode to said insurance mode, and

said processing (G) is processing for executing said free game, when the number of unit games counted in said processing (H) reaches the specific number.

4. The gaming machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3,

wherein

said controller is further programmed to conduct processing of paying out, to the player, game media in number corresponding to the fractional value accumulatively added in said processing (E), during said free game.

5. The gaming machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3,

wherein

said free game comprises one or more unit free games that are repeatedly executed plural times,

said unit free game is a game in which a game result is determined, and an amount of a payout is determined on the basis of the game result and a value of a predetermined automatic BET, even when the player has BET no game media thereon, and

said controller is programmed to conduct, in said unit free game, processing for subtracting said value of the automatic BET from the fractional value obtained by the accumulative addition in said processing (E),

processing for determining the game result of said unit free game, and

processing for determining the amount of the payout on the basis of the determined game result and said value of the automatic BET.

6. A gaming machine which is switchable between an insurance mode and a non-insurance mode and activates insurance compensation irrespective of a result of a game when a predetermined condition is established, comprising:

a controller programmed to conduct processes of;

(2A) when a bet value of not smaller than one credit is bet, receiving specification of a number of plurality of BET objects of which game results are determined independently of each other;

(2B) calculating an individual bet value by dividing the bet value by the specified number of BET objects, determining a result of the game for each of the BET objects, and determining an amount of payout for each of the BET objects based on the individual bet value and the result of the game;

(2C) when the total of the amounts of payout determined in said processing (2B) includes a value lower than one credit, determining the value lower than one credit as a fractional value;

(2D) paying out an amount determined by subtraction of the fractional value determined in said processing (2C) from the amount of payout determined in said processing (2B);

(2E) accumulatively adding the fractional value determined in said processing (2C);

(2F) shifting a mode to an insurance mode from a non-insurance mode, on condition that the number of unit games in which the fractional value is accumulatively added in said processing (2C) has reached a predetermined value; and

(2G) executing a free game that is executed even when the player BET no game media thereon, when a predetermined trigger condition is established in said insurance mode.

7. The gaming machine according to claim 6, wherein

said controller is further programmed to conduct processing of (2H) counting, in said insurance mode, the number of unit games executed after shifting the mode to said insurance mode, and

said processing (2G) is processing for executing said free game, when the number of unit games counted in said processing (2H) reaches a specific number.

8. The gaming machine according to claim 6, wherein

said controller is further programmed to conduct processing of (2H) counting, in said insurance mode, the number of unit games played with BETs by game media in number equal to a maximum number of BETs, after shifting the mode to said insurance mode, and

said processing (2G) is processing for executing said free game, when the number of unit games counted in said processing (2H) reaches the specific number.

9. The gaming machine according to any one of claims 6-8, wherein

said controller is further programmed to conduct processing of paying out, to the player, game media in number corresponding to the fractional value accumulatively added in said processing (2E), during said free game.

10. The gaming machine according to anyone of claims 6-8, wherein

said free game comprises one or more unit free games that are repeatedly executed plural times,

said unit free game is a game in which a game result is determined, and an amount of payout is determined on the basis of the game result and a value of a predetermined automatic BET, even when the player has BET no game media thereon, and

said controller is programmed to conduct, in said unit free game, processing for subtracting said value of the automatic BET from the fractional value obtained by the accumulative addition in said processing (2E),

processing for determining the game result of said unit free game, and

processing for determining the amount of the payout on the basis of the determined game result and said value of the automatic BET.

11. A game control method executed by a processor of a gaming machine which is switchable between an insurance mode and a non-insurance mode and activates insurance compensation irrespective of a result of a game when a predetermined condition is established, comprising the steps performed by the processor of:

(4A) when a bet value of not smaller than one credit is bet, receiving, by the processor, a specification of the number of plurality of BET objects of which game results are determined independently of each other;

(4B) calculating, by the processor, an individual bet value by dividing the bet value by the specified number of BET objects, determining, by the processor, a result of the game for each of the BET objects, and determining, by the processor, an amount of payout for each of the BET objects based on the individual bet value and the result of the game;

(4C) when the total of the amounts of payout determined in said step (4B) includes a value lower than one credit, determining, by the processor, the value lower than one credit as a fractional value;

(4D) via the processor, paying out an amount determined by subtraction of the fractional value determined in said processing (4C) from the amount of payout determined in said step (4B);

(4E) accumulatively adding, by the processor, the fractional value determined in said step (4C);

(4F) via the processor, shifting a mode to an insurance mode from a non-insurance mode, on condition that the fractional value accumulatively added in said step (4E) has reached a predetermined value; and

(4G) via the processor, executing a free game that is executed even when the player BET no game media thereon, when a predetermined trigger condition is established in said insurance mode.

12. A game control method executed by a processor of a gaming machine which is switchable between an insurance mode and a non-insurance mode and activates insurance compensation irrespective of a result of a game when a predetermined condition is established, the processor conducting the steps of;

(5A) when a bet value of not smaller than one credit is bet, receiving, by the processor, a specification of the number of plurality of BET objects of which game results are determined independently of each other;

(5B) calculating, by the processor, an individual bet value by dividing the bet value by the specified number of BET objects, determining, by the processor, a result of the game for each of the BET objects, and determining, by the processor, an amount of payout for each of the BET objects based on the individual bet value and the result of the game;

(5C) when the total of the amounts of payout determined in said step (5B) includes a value lower than one credit, determining, by the processor, the value lower than one credit as a fractional value;

(5D) via the processor, paying out an amount determined by subtraction of the fractional value determined in said processing (5C) from the amount of payout determined in said step (5B);

(5E) accumulatively adding, by the processor, the fractional value determined in said step (5C);

(5F) via the processor, shifting a mode to an insurance mode from a non-insurance mode, on condition that the number of unit games in which the fractional value is accumulatively added in said processing (5C) has reached a predetermined value; and

(5D) executing, by the processor, a free game that is executed even when the player BET no game media thereon, when a predetermined trigger condition is established in said insurance mode.

13. A gaming machine which is switchable between an insurance mode and a non-insurance mode and activates insurance compensation irrespective of a result of a game when a predetermined condition is established, comprising;

a controller programmed to conduct processes of;

(6A) when a bet value of not smaller than one credit is bet, receiving specification of a number of plurality of BET objects of which game results are determined independently of each other;

(6B) determining an amount of payout based on the bet value and the game results;

(6C) when the bet value received in the processing (6A) includes a value lower than one credit, determining the value lower than one credit as a fractional value;

(6D) paying out the amount determined in said processing (6B);

(6E) accumulatively adding the fractional value determined in said processing (6C);

(6F) shifting a mode to an insurance mode from a non-insurance mode, on condition that the fractional value accumulatively added in said processing (6E) has reached a predetermined value; and

(6G) executing a free game that is executed even when the player BET no game media thereon, when a predetermined trigger condition is established in said insurance mode.

14. A gaming machine which is switchable between an insurance mode and a non-insurance mode and activates insurance compensation irrespective of a result of a game when a predetermined condition is established, comprising:

a controller programmed to conduct processes of;

(7A) when a bet value of not smaller than one credit is bet, receiving specification of a number of plurality of BET objects of which game results are determined independently of each other;

(7B) determining an amount of payout based on the bet value and the game results;

(7C) when the bet value received in the processing (7A) includes a value lower than one credit, determining the value lower than one credit as a fractional value;

(7D) paying out the amount determined in said processing (7B);

(7E) accumulatively adding the fractional value determined in said processing (7C);

(7F) shifting a mode to an insurance mode from a non-insurance mode, on condition that the number of unit games in which the fractional value is accumulatively added in said processing (7C) has reached a predetermined value; and

(7G) executing a free game that is executed even when the player BET no game media thereon, when a predetermined trigger condition is established in said insurance mode.