Lot-to-lot roulette combination

• US 8,177,628 B2
• Filed: 10/12/2007
• Issued: 05/15/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CFPH LLC (Cantor Fitzgerald, L.P.)
• Original Assignee: CFPH LLC (Cantor Fitzgerald, L.P.)
• Inventors: Manning, Gregory P., Gelman, Geoffrey M., Miller, Mark A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hall, Arthur O.
• Application Number:
  US11/871,270
• Publication Number:
  US 20090098921A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,677 Days
• Field of Search: 463/16, 463/18, 463 20- 21, 463/17, 273/139, 273/142.H, 273/142.HA, 273/142.R, 273/145.R, 273/147, 273/243, 273/138.1
• US Class Current: 463/21
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 5/0094 with a plurality of roulette wheels A63F5/043 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3224 Transactions dependent on location of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3213 Details of moving display elements, e.g. spinning reels, tumbling members
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3225 Data transfer within a gaming system, e.g. data sent between gaming machines and users
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/34 depending on the stopping of moving members in a mechanical slot machine, e.g. "fruit" machines

Abstract

In various embodiments a single reel on a gaming device contains multiple symbols.

Claims

1. A method, comprising the steps of:

in response to a single bet by a bettor, presenting to the bettor in a visually-perceptible form a rectangular array of randomly-generated symbols arranged in an array of cells on a computer display, the array of cells having a primary pay line consisting of a primary group of cells that pays a primary prize to the bettor for one or more arrangements of symbols in the primary group of cells of the primary pay line, and one or more secondary pay lines each consisting of a respective secondary group of cells, at least one cell of each of the one or more secondary pay lines being off the primary pay line, the one or more secondary pay lines having respective secondary prize odds for arrangements of symbols in the respective secondary group of cells of the one or more secondary pay lines, the secondary prize odds being lower than the primary prize odds for arrangements of symbols in the primary group of cells of the primary pay line, at least one of the one or more secondary pay lines having cells that are not collinear or not contiguous with each other, wherein the primary prize odds and the secondary prize odds are each a ratio of a payoff value to a value of the single bet; and

paying the bettor a prize calculated based at least in part on a wager by the bettor and on the arrangements of symbols in the primary pay line and in the one or more secondary pay lines.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the array of symbols is generated in a single transaction and all prizes are computed based on the symbols of the single transaction.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein symbols in rows of cells that are contiguous in one dimension of the array are generated by single random symbol generators, and the random generators for rows in the other dimension are apparently independent of each other.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the primary pay line includes collinear cells across the dimension in which the random generators are apparently independent.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein at least one secondary pay line includes cells arranged on a diagonal.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein at least one secondary pay line includes cells arranged in a V shape.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein symbols for a row of contiguous cells are generated by a single roulette wheel.

8. The method of claim 3, wherein symbols for a row of contiguous cells are generated by a simulated roulette wheel, the symbols in the row being roulette numbers contiguous on a roulette wheel.

9. The method of claim 3, wherein the random symbol generator for a contiguous row is a sequence of symbols for a slot machine reel.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the secondary pay lines has non-contiguous cells selected from the array by a method other than single-cell shifting.

11. An apparatus, comprising:

a computer display designed to display in a visually-perceptible form a rectangular array of randomly-generated symbols arranged in an array of cells on the computer display;

a display generator designed to generate symbols to be displayed in the array cells in response to a single bet by a bettor, the array of cells having a primary pay line consisting of a primary group of cells that pays a primary prize to the bettor for one or more arrangements of symbols in the primary group of cells of the primary pay line, and one or more secondary pay lines each consisting of a respective secondary group of cells, at least one cell of each of the one or more secondary pay lines being off the primary pay line, the one or more secondary pay lines having respective secondary prize odds for arrangements of symbols in the respective secondary group of cells of the one or more secondary pay lines, the secondary prize odds being lower than the primary prize odds for arrangements of symbols in the primary group of cells of the primary pay line, at least one of the one or more secondary pay lines having cells that are not collinear or not contiguous with each other, wherein the primary prize odds and the secondary prize odds are each a ratio of a payoff value to a value of the single bet; and

a payoff calculator that calculates a prize for the bettor based at least in part on a wager by the bettor and on the arrangements of symbols in the primary pay line and the one or more secondary pay lines.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the array of symbols is generated in a single transaction and all prizes are computed based on the symbols of the single transaction.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the wager by the bettor on the arrangements of symbols in the primary and secondary pay line(s) is a single integrated bet.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein symbols in rows of cells that are contiguous in one dimension of the array are generated by single random symbol generators, and the random generators for rows in the other dimension are apparently independent of each other.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the primary pay line includes collinear cells across the dimension in which the random generators are apparently independent.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein at least one secondary pay line includes cells arranged on a diagonal.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein at least one secondary pay line includes cells arranged in a V shape.

18. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein symbols for a row of contiguous cells are generated by a single roulette wheel.

19. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein symbols for a row of contiguous cells are generated by a simulated roulette wheel, the symbols in the row being roulette numbers contiguous on a roulette wheel.

20. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the random symbol generator for a contiguous row is a sequence of symbols for a slot machine reel.