Slot machine with insurance function and control method thereof

• US 8,235,802 B2
• Filed: 03/12/2008
• Issued: 08/07/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Aruze Gaming America Incorporated (Aruze Gaming America, Inc. /Okada/)
• Original Assignee: Aruze Gaming America Incorporated (Aruze Gaming America, Inc. /Okada/)
• Inventors: Okada, Kazuo
• Primary Examiner(s): DEODHAR, OMKAR A
• Application Number:
  US12/047,002
• Publication Number:
  US 20090111568A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,609 Days
• Field of Search: 463 16- 20, 463 25- 29
• US Class Current: 463/25
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3267 Game outcomes which determine the course of the subsequent game, e.g. double or quits, free games, higher payouts, different new games

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 normal game in which the plurality of symbols are variably displayed and then stop-displayed by the symbol display device after game media have been BET in number equal to or less than a previously set maximum number of BETs, and a payout value is determined 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 have been inserted; (C) counting the number of normal games played after the mode has been shifted to the insurance mode, in the insurance mode; and (D) paying out a predetermined number of game media and also conducting a free game that is executed even without a game medium BET thereon, when the number of normal games counted in the processing (C) has reached a specific number.

Claims

1. A slot machine comprising:

a symbol display device capable of variably displaying a plurality of symbols; and

a controller,

said controller programmed to execute the processing of

(A) executing a normal game in which said plurality of symbols are variably displayed and then stop-displayed by said symbol display device after game media have been BET in number equal to or less than a previously set maximum number of BETs, and a payout value is determined 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 have been inserted,

(C) counting the number of normal games played with a bet of the maximum number of game media after the mode has been shifted to said insurance mode, in said insurance mode,

(D) displaying the number of normal games remaining before the number of normal games, having been played with a bet of the maximum number of game media after the mode has shifted to the insurance mode, reaches a predetermined specific number, and

(E) paying out a predetermined number of game media and also conducting a free game that is executed even without a game medium BET thereon, when the number of normal games with a bet of the maximum number of game media counted in said processing (C) has reached the specific number.

2. The slot machine according to claim 1, wherein

said free game is comprised of a unit free-game that is executed once or executed repeatedly for a plurality of times, and

said unit free-game is a game in which said plurality of symbols are variably displayed and then stop-displayed by said symbol display device and a payout value is determined according to the stop-displayed symbols or a combination thereof even without a game medium BET thereon.

3. The slot machine according to claim 1, wherein

said free game is comprised of a unit free-game that is executed once or executed repeatedly for a plurality of times;

said controller is further programmed to execute the processing of (F) determining at a predetermined timing the number of times for which said unit free-game is to be executed; and

said processing (E) includes paying out a predetermined number of game media and also executing said unit free-game for the number of times determined in said processing (F), when the number of normal games counted in said processing (C) has reached the specific number.

4. The slot machine according to claim 3, wherein

said processing (C) includes counting the number of all of the normal games executed after the mode has been shifted to said insurance mode, and the number of normal games executed with a BET of game media of said maximum number of BETs after the mode has been shifted to said insurance mode, in said insurance mode;

and

said processing (F) includes determining the number of said unit free-games to be executed, based on the number of normal games executed with a BET of game media of said maximum number of BETs after the mode has been shifted to said insurance mode, out of the number of all of the normal games counted in said processing (C).

5. A control method of a slot machine comprising the steps of:

(A) executing a normal game in which a plurality of symbols are variably displayed and then stop-displayed by a symbol display device capable of variably displaying a plurality of symbols after game media have been BET in number equal to or less than a previously set maximum number of BETs, and a payout value is determined 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 have been inserted;

(C) counting the number of normal games played after the mode has been shifted to said insurance mode, in said insurance mode;

(D) displaying the number of normal games remaining before the number of normal games, having been played after the mode has shifted to the insurance mode, reaches a predetermined specific number, and

(E) paying out a predetermined number of game media and also conducting a free game that is executed even without a game medium BET thereon, when the number of normal games counted in said processing (C) has reached the specific number.