Gaming device and method providing slot game having virtual map driven reel stop position determinations

• US 8,911,288 B2
• Filed: 03/16/2009
• Issued: 12/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Saffari, Ali Mohamad, Baerlocher, Anthony J., Gail, Theodore M., Powell, Tracy Lee, Wolf, Bryan D.
• Primary Examiner(s): GARNER, WERNER G
• Application Number:
  US12/404,810
• Publication Number:
  US 20100234089A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,101 Days
• Field of Search: 463/20
• US Class Current: 463/20
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3213 Details of moving display elements, e.g. spinning reels, tumbling members
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3265 Influencing the position of stopped moving members to achieve a winning arrangement, e.g. nudging, shuffling, holding
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/34 depending on the stopping of moving members in a mechanical slot machine, e.g. "fruit" machines

Abstract

Various embodiments of the disclosed gaming device include a housing which supports a plurality of mechanical reels and a plurality of stop input devices which are configured to provide a Pachisuro-style slot game. Each of the plurality of reels is associated with a different one of the plurality of stop input devices. Each stop input device enables a player to stop the respective reel when the reel is spinning by activating the stop input device. Each reel includes a plurality of stop positions and each stop position includes a symbol. The gaming device also includes a processor and a memory device. For each reel, the processor randomly determines the stop position at which the reel ultimately stops based on a virtual map stored in the memory device for an initiating stop position of that reel which is selected by the player'"'"'s activation of the stop input device for that reel.

Claims

1. A gaming system including:

at least one display device including a plurality of mechanical reels, each of the plurality of mechanical reels including a plurality of stop positions and each of the plurality of stop positions including one of a plurality of different symbols;

at least one input device including, for each of the plurality of mechanical reels, a separate stop input device;

at least one processor; and

at least one memory device storing;

(i) for each of the plurality of mechanical reels, for each of the plurality of stop positions of said mechanical reel, a predetermined virtual map for said stop position, said predetermined virtual map including a plurality of potential final stop positions of said mechanical reel,

(ii) for each of the plurality of mechanical reels, for each of the plurality of stop positions of said mechanical reel, for each potential final stop position of the plurality of potential final stop positions of the predetermined virtual map associated with said stop position of said mechanical reel, a weight associated with said potential final stop position,

(iii) a paytable including a plurality of predetermined winning symbol combinations, and for each predetermined winning symbol combination, an award associated with said predetermined winning symbol combination, and

(iv) a plurality of instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to operate with the at least one input device and the at least one display device, for a play of a game, to;

(a) spin each of the plurality of mechanical reels;

(b) for each of the plurality of mechanical reels, when said mechanical reel is spinning;

(i) receive, from a player, an activation of the stop input device associated with said mechanical reel and select one of the plurality of stop positions of said mechanical reel as an initiating stop position for said mechanical reel based on a position of the mechanical reel upon receiving said activation of said stop input device;

(ii) based on the weights associated with the plurality of potential final stop positions of the predetermined virtual map for the initiating stop position and a random number, designate one of the plurality of potential final stop positions as a final stop position; and

(iii) cause the mechanical reel to stop at the designated final stop position;

(c) after each of the plurality of mechanical reels stops spinning, determine if at least one of the plurality of predetermined winning symbol combinations of the paytable is displayed;

(d) determine any awards associated with any displayed predetermined winning symbol combinations of the paytable; and

(e) display and provide any determined awards to the player.

2. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the stop input devices are separate electromechanical input devices.

3. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of symbols is a blank symbol.

4. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein for each of a plurality of the predetermined virtual maps, each potential final stop position of said predetermined virtual map is associated with a different weight.

5. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein for at least one of the predetermined virtual maps, a plurality of the plurality of potential final stop positions of said at least one of the predetermined virtual maps are associated with a same weight.

6. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to, for at least one of the plurality of mechanical reels, randomly determine the random number before receiving the activation of the stop input device for that at least one of the plurality of mechanical reels.

7. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to, for at least one of the plurality of mechanical reels, randomly determine the random number after receiving the activation of the stop input device for that at least one of the plurality of mechanical reels.

8. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the at least one memory device stores a component paytable for each combination of stop positions of the plurality of mechanical reels, each component paytable having an average expected payback percentage within a designated range of average expected payback percentages.

9. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to determine a multiplier to apply to any determined award using a multiplier table associated with the combination of predetermined virtual maps and an additional randomly determined number for the multiplier table, the multiplier table including a plurality of multipliers and a weight associated with each respective multiplier.

10. The gaming system of claim 9, wherein the plurality of instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to randomly determine the additional randomly determined number used to determine the multiplier before receiving the activation of the stop input device for that mechanical reel.

11. The gaming system of claim 9, wherein the plurality of instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to randomly determine the additional randomly determined number used to determine the multiplier after receiving the activation of the stop input device for that mechanical reel.

12. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the game is a bonus game.

13. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the game includes a plurality of levels, wherein a first mechanical reel spin speed for at least one of the plurality of mechanical reels in a first one of the plurality of levels is different than a second mechanical reel spin speed for at least one of the plurality of mechanical reels in a second one of the plurality of levels.

14. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to enable the player to wager an amount in addition to a base wager to receive a free spin if a designated predetermined symbol combination is displayed when all of the mechanical reels stop spinning.

15. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to operate with the at least one input device and the at least one display device to enable the player to wager an amount in addition to a base wager to receive assistance from the gaming system for one or more plays of the game.

16. The gaming system of claim 15, wherein the assistance is selected from the group consisting of:

(a) an indication associated with one or more of the plurality of symbols, mechanical reels or stop input devices to inform the player to activate one or more of the stop input devices at an optimal point in time, and (b) a reel spin speed for at least one of the plurality of mechanical reels which is slower than the reel spin speed of the at least one of the plurality of mechanical reels during a non-assisted game play.

17. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the at least one memory device stores an additional predetermined virtual map for each entire mechanical reel.

18. The gaming system of claim 17, wherein the plurality of instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to, for each of at least one of the plurality of mechanical reels, if the activation of the stop input device associated with said mechanical reel has not been received after a predetermined amount of time, designated the final stop position of said mechanical reel using said additional predetermined virtual map for said mechanical reel.

19. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to, for each of at least one of the plurality of mechanical reels, if the activation of the stop input device associated with the mechanical reel has not been received after a predetermined amount of time, randomly determine the initiating stop position for the mechanical reel when the mechanical reel is spinning.