Slot machine and control method of game

• US 8,062,118 B2
• Filed: 04/13/2007
• Issued: 11/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Universal Entertainment Corporation
• Original Assignee: Universal Entertainment Corporation
• Inventors: Okada, Kazuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Suhol; Dmitry
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hsu; Ryan
• Application Number:
  US11/735,016
• Publication Number:
  US 20090054128A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,684 Days
• Field of Search: 463/16, 463/20, 463/25, 463/29, 463/42, 2731381- 2, 273/143.R
• US Class Current: 463/20
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3232 wherein the operator is informed
• 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; 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 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) clearing the number of games counted in the processing (C), when a game is played in which game media are paid out in number equal to or more than a predetermined number before the number of games counted in the processing (C) reaches the specific number.

Claims

1. A slot machine comprising:

a symbol display device capable of variably displaying a plurality of symbols; 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 a number of games played in which game media are BET in number equal to the maximum number of BETs 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;

(E) clearing the number of games counted in the processing (C), when a game is played in which game media are paid out in number equal to or more than a predetermined number before the number of games counted in the processing (C) reaches the specific number; and

(F) displaying, on the symbol display device, sets of information (I)-(III) regarding the insurance mode, which are;

(I) the specific number in the step (D);

(II) the predetermined number of game media paid out when the number of games counted in the step (C) reaches the specific number; and

(III) a clearing condition in which the number of games counted in the step (C) is cleared before reaching the specific number.

2. The slot machine according to claim 1, wherein

the processing (E) further comprises the processing of:

clearing the number of games counted in the processing (C) and also shifting the mode from the insurance mode to the non-insurance mode when a game is played in which game media are paid out in number equal to or more than a predetermined number before the number of games counted in the processing (C) reaches the specific number.

4. The slot machine according to claim 1, wherein

the symbol display device has an input button, and

the step (F) is carried out to display the information regarding the insurance mode on the symbol display device in response to the input button being pressed.

3. A game control method for a gaming device, the method comprising:

(A) executing, by the gaming device, a game in which a plurality of symbols are variably displayed and then stop-displayed to a symbol display device of the gaming 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 in the gaming device 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 by the gaming device in which game media are BET in number equal to the maximum number of BETs after shifting to the insurance mode, in the insurance mode;

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

(E) clearing the number of games counted in the step (C) when a game is played by the gaming device in which game media are paid out in number equal to or more than a predetermined number before the number of games counted in the step (C) reaches the specific number; and

(F) displaying, on the symbol display device of the gaming device, sets of information (I)-(III) regarding the insurance mode, which are;

(I) the specific number in the step (D);

(II) the number of game media paid out by the gaming device when the number of games counted in the step (C) reaches the specific number; and

(III) a clearing condition in which the number of games counted in the step (C) is cleared before reaching the specific number.