Game server, game machine under control of the server, and game control method executing return on judgment that cumulative credit consumption reaches upper limit

• US 8,485,895 B2
• Filed: 07/31/2008
• Issued: 07/16/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Universal Entertainment Corporation
• Original Assignee: Universal Entertainment Corporation
• Inventors: Okada, Kazuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Lewis, David L
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hoel, Matthew D.
• Application Number:
  US12/183,721
• Publication Number:
  US 20080293497A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,811 Days
• Field of Search: 463/30, 463/31, 463 40- 42, 463/25, 463/16, 463/20, 463 11- 13, 463 17- 19, 463/29, 463/43, 463/27
• US Class Current: 463/27
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• 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 17/3232 wherein the operator is informed
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3234 about the performance of a gaming system, e.g. revenue, diagnosis of the gaming system
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3258 Cumulative reward schemes, e.g. jackpots

Abstract

A game server controls plural game machine groups including a collection of game machines, each of which is brought into a status enabling to start a game based on a thrown coin or a given credit number and is given a payout according to a result of the game. The game server includes a processing unit that judges whether a cumulative credit consumption of a predetermined game machine group reaches a predetermined upper limit, based on information about credit consumptions of the plural game machine groups. The game server also includes a communication interface that sends, when the processing unit judges that the cumulative credit consumption of the predetermined game machine group reaches the predetermined upper limit, a return signal for executing a return based on a predetermined return rate, to one game machine of the predetermined game machine group. The return is executed regardless of a game result.

Claims

1. A game server for collectively controlling a plurality of game machine groups installed in a game center, said plurality of game machine groups including a first game machine group and a second game machine group respectively including a plurality of game machines, each of which is brought into a status enabling to start a game based on a thrown coin or a given credit number and is given a payout according to a result of said game, said game server including:

a memory configured to individually store cumulative credit consumptions of each of said plurality of game machine groups, wherein said memory has a plurality of units for each of said game machine groups respectively storing a cumulative credit consumption of each of said game machine groups;

judge means for judging whether a cumulative credit consumption of a predetermined game machine group reaches a predetermined upper limit, based on information stored in said memory, and for executing a return at a time point depending on a game condition of one game machine of said predetermined game machine group, after a completion of a lottery to select the one game machine where the return is to be executed; and

first sending means for sending, when said judge means judges that said cumulative credit consumption of said predetermined game machine group reaches the predetermined upper limit, a return signal for executing said return based on a predetermined return rate, to the one game machine of said predetermined game machine group, said return being executed regardless of a game result,

wherein at least one of the predetermined upper limit and the predetermined return rate is individually set for each of said plurality of game machine groups and

wherein the game machines in the first game machine group are different from the game machines in the second game machine group.

4. The game server according to claim 1, further including:

second sending means for sending a notification signal to notify the one game machine of said predetermined game machine group that said return will be executed or that said return was executed.

5. The game server according to claim 1, wherein the return is executed to the one game machine, which has been selected by the lottery in said predetermined game machine group, after confirming that the one game machine is in play.

2. The game server according to claim I, further including:

lottery means for determining by the lottery the game machine to which said return is executed.

3. The game server according to claim 2, further including:

second sending means for sending a notification signal to notify the one game machine of said predetermined game machine group that said return will be executed or that said return was executed.

6. A game machine that is controlled by a game server for collectively controlling a plurality of game machine groups including a first game machine group and a second game machine group and installed in a game center, the game machine included in a game machine group of said plurality of game machine groups, said game server judging whether cumulative credit consumptions of said game machine groups reach predetermined upper limits, based on information stored in a memory configured to individually store cumulative credit consumptions of each of said plurality of game machine groups, wherein said memory has a plurality of units for each of said game machine groups respectively storing a cumulative credit consumption of each of said game machine groups, the game machine brought into a status enabling to start a game based on a thrown coin or a given credit number and is given a payout according to a result of said game, said game machine including:

a first receiving means for receiving a return signal sent from said game server, said first receiving means receiving the return signal, when said game server judges that said cumulative credit consumption of said game machine group reaches the predetermined upper limit, the return signal executing a return based on a predetermined return rate, said return being executed regardless of a game result, and when said game server executes a return at a time point depending on a game condition of the game machine, after a completion of a lottery to select the game machine where said return is to be executed and

a display configured to display symbol combinations as a result of said game,

wherein at least one of the predetermined upper limit and the predetermined return rate is individually set for each of said plurality of game machine groups and

wherein game machines in the first game machine group are different from game machines in the second game machine group.

7. The game machine according to claim 6, further including:

return means for executing said return based on a result of the lottery performed by said game server.

8. The game machine according to claim 7, further including:

second receiving means for receiving a notification signal sent from said game server.

9. The game machine according to claim 6, further including:

second receiving means for receiving a notification signal sent from said game server.

10. The game machine according to claim 6, wherein the return is executed to the game machine, which has been selected by the lottery in said game machine group, after confirming that the game machine is in play.

11. A method for collectively controlling a plurality of game machine groups installed in a game center, said plurality of game machine groups including a first game machine group and a second game machine group respectively including a plurality of game machines each of which is brought into a status enabling to start a game based on a thrown coin or a given credit number and is given a payout according to a result of said game, and said game center comprising a memory configured to individually store cumulative credit consumptions of each of said plurality of game machine groups, wherein said memory has a plurality of units for each of said game machine groups respectively storing a cumulative credit consumption of each of said game machine groups, said method including:

judging whether a cumulative credit consumption of a predetermined game machine group reaches a predetermined upper limit, based on information stored in said memory;

executing a return at a time point depending on a game condition of one game machine of said predetermined game machine group, after a completion of a lottery to select the one game machine where said return is to be executed and

sending, when a result of said judging is that said cumulative credit consumption of said predetermined game machine group reaches the predetermined upper limit, a return signal for executing said return based on a predetermined return rate, to the one game machine of said predetermined game machine group, said return being executed regardless of a game result,

wherein at least one of the predetermined upper limit and the predetermined return rate is individually set for each of said plurality of game machine groups and

wherein the game machines in the first game machine group are different from the game machines in the second game machine group.

12. The method according to claim 11, further including:

determining by the lottery the game machine to which said return is executed.

13. The method according to claim 12, further including:

sending a notification signal to notify the determined game machine of said predetermined game machine group that said return will be executed or that said return was executed.

14. The method according to claim 11, further including:

sending a notification signal to notify the determined game machine of said predetermined game machine group that said return will be executed or that said return was executed.

15. The method according to claim 11, wherein the return is executed to the one game machine, which has been selected by the lottery in said predetermined game machine group, after confirming that the one game machine is in play.

16. A game server for collectively controlling a plurality of game machine groups installed in a game center, said plurality of game machine groups including a first game machine group and a second game machine group respectively including a plurality of game machines, each of which is brought into a status enabling to start a game based on a thrown coin or a given credit number and is given a payout according to a result of said game, said game server including:

a memory configured to individually store cumulative credit consumptions of each of said plurality of game machine groups, wherein said memory has a plurality of units for each of said game machine groups respectively storing a cumulative credit consumption of each of said game machine groups;

a processing unit that judges whether a cumulative credit consumption of a predetermined game machine group reaches a predetermined upper limit, based on information stored in said memory, and that executes a return at a time point depending on a game condition of one game machine of said predetermined game machine group, after a completion of a lottery to select the one game machine where the return is to be executed; and

a communication interface that sends, when said processing unit judges that said cumulative credit consumption of said predetermined game machine group reaches the predetermined upper limit, a return signal for executing said return based on a predetermined return rate, to the one game machine of said predetermined game machine group, said return being executed regardless of a game result,

wherein at least one of the predetermined upper limit and the predetermined return rate is individually set for each of said plurality of game machine groups and

wherein the game machines in the first game machine group are different from the game machines in the second game machine group.