Gaming device using an interactive wheel feature

• US 8,834,259 B2
• Filed: 08/23/2013
• Issued: 09/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LNW Gaming Incorporated (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Bally Gaming Incorporated (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Inventors: Rommerdahl, William, Schutt, Michael J., Kowalski, James P. S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Shah, Milap
• Application Number:
  US13/975,117
• Publication Number:
  US 20140018142A1
• Time in Patent Office: 389 Days
• Field of Search: 463 16- 20, 463/25, 463 29- 31, 273/138.1, 273/139
• US Class Current: 463/20
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3209 Input means, e.g. buttons, touch screen
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3211 Display means
• 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

Disclosed is a gaming device including an interactive animated representation of a wheel image or partial wheel image. A player of the device can start the wheel image spinning by touching and dragging their finger on the surface of the wheel image in order to move and spin the wheel image at a variety of speeds and directions.

Claims

1. A gaming system for playing a base game and a feature game that includes an interactive animated representation of one or more portions of a wheel image, the system comprising:

a first display screen of a first gaming machine of a plurality of gaming machines configured to display the base game and a first portion of the wheel image in a feature game, the first portion amounting to at least part of a first wheel face portion rotating on an axis perpendicular to the first display screen;

a second display screen of a second gaming machine of the plurality of gaming machines configured to display a second portion of the wheel image in the feature game, the second portion amounting to at least part of a second wheel face portion rotating on an axis perpendicular to the second display screen;

a plurality of animated or physical reels, wherein the reels are spun during the play of the base game;

one or more player-activated buttons for receiving input from a player; and

a processor configured to execute game software and process the input from the player-activated buttons;

wherein activation of the base game includes rotating the animated or physical reels;

wherein display of a particular symbol on one or more of the reels after the rotation has stopped triggers the feature game played with the portion of the wheel image;

wherein, by touching and dragging a finger of the player on the surface of the first portion of the wheel image displayed on the first display screen or on the surface of the second portion of the wheel image displayed on the second display screen, the first portion of the wheel image on the first display screen and the second portion of the wheel image on the second display screen synchronously move or spin at a variety of speeds and in either direction of rotation; and

wherein the player moving his finger tangentially to the axis of the wheel image produces a greater rotational wheel speed, the closer his finger is to a center of the wheel image, due to creation of a higher rotational velocity than if the player had moved his finger at a same speed farther away from the center of the wheel image.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the player is enabled to cock the wheel image by spinning the first portion of wheel image on first display screen or the second portion of the wheel image on the second display screen slightly in one direction before synchronously starting the wheel image in motion in an opposite direction on the first and second display screens.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein a wheel spin speed is based on the distance from where the player initially touches the wheel image to where the player removes his finger, when the player is attempting to move the wheel image in a direction.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the player-activated buttons are touch screen virtual buttons.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the player-activated buttons are physical buttons.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the animated representation of the one or more portions of the wheel image comprises a full wheel image.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the feature game that includes the animated representation of a wheel image is associated with one or more progressive prizes.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the feature game is associated with one or more non-progressive prizes.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of reels are placed behind transparent LCD windows.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the reels are hidden by the appearance of masked prizes on the LCD windows in front of the plurality of reels when a feature game is triggered.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein, upon touching one of the masked prizes on the LCD windows, the prize value is revealed and awarded to the player.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the base game includes awarding the feature game when certain symbols appear on a pay line, when certain symbols are scattered, or when no symbols of a certain type appear, regardless of visible symbols.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the availability of the feature game is restricted based on a size of a wager, or a placement of the wager.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein a percentage of a wager is used to fund the feature game.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein a probability of winning the feature game is dependent on a size of a wager.

16. A gaming system for playing a base game and a feature game that includes an interactive animated representation of one or more portions of a wheel image, the system comprising:

a first display screen of a first gaming machine of a plurality of gaming machines configured to display the base game and a first portion of the wheel image in a feature game, the first portion amounting to at least part of a first wheel face portion rotating on an axis perpendicular to the first display screen;

a second display screen of a second gaming machine of the plurality of gaming machines configured to display a second portion of the wheel image in the feature game, the second portion amounting to at least part of a second wheel face portion rotating on an axis perpendicular to the second display screen;

a plurality of animated or physical reels, wherein the reels are spun during the play of the base game;

one or more player-activated buttons for receiving input from a player; and

a processor configured to execute game software and process the input from the player-activated buttons;

wherein activation of the base game includes rotating the animated or physical reels;

wherein display of a particular symbol on one or more of the reels after the rotation has stopped triggers the feature game played with the portion of the wheel image;

wherein, by touching and dragging a finger of the player on the surface of the first portion of the wheel image displayed on the first display screen or on the surface of the second portion of the wheel image displayed on the second display screen, the first portion of the wheel image on the first display screen and the second portion of the wheel image on the second display screen synchronously move or spin at a variety of speeds and in either direction of rotation; and

wherein at least the first gaming machine enables the player to cock the wheel image by spinning the first portion of the wheel image slightly in one direction before said synchronous moving or spinning of the first and second portions of the wheel image in a motion in an opposite direction of said cocking.

17. A gaming system for playing a base game and a feature game that includes an interactive animated representation of one or more portions of a wheel image, the system comprising:

a gaming server;

a gaming network connected to the gaming server;

two or more gaming devices connected to the gaming server via the gaming network, wherein the connected gaming devices are enabled for partner, group, or tournament game play, a first gaming device of the two or more gaming devices comprising a first display screen configured to display the base game and a first portion of the wheel image, the first portion amounting to at least part of a first wheel face portion rotating on an axis perpendicular to the first display screen, a second gaming device of the two or more gaming devices comprising a second display screen configured to display the base game and a second portion of the wheel image, the second portion amounting to at least part of a second wheel face portion rotating on an axis perpendicular to the second display screen, and each of the two or more gaming devices further comprising;

a plurality of physical reels or animated reels, wherein the reels are spun during the play of the base game;

one or more player-activated buttons for receiving input from a player; and

a processor configured to execute game software and process input from the player-activated buttons;

wherein activation of the base game includes rotation of the reels;

wherein display of a particular symbol on one or more of the reels after the rotation of the reels has stopped triggers the feature game played with the interactive animated representation of the one or more portions of the wheel image;

wherein, by touching and dragging a finger of the player on the surface of the first portion of the wheel image displayed on a first display screen or on the surface of the second portion of the wheel image displayed on the second screen, the first portion of the wheel image on the first display screen and the second portion of the wheel image on the second display screen synchronously move or spin at a variety of speeds and in either direction of rotation; and

wherein a wheel speed of said synchronous moving or spinning of the wheel image is based on the distance from where the player initially touches the wheel image to where the player removes his finger, when the player is attempting to move the wheel image in a direction.