Gaming device with interactive spin action visual effects
First Claim
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1. A video slot machine comprising:
- a user spin actuator configured for receiving user input;
a display including a representation of a two-dimensional matrix of symbol display cells, each one of said cells containing a displayed symbol that is selected from a predetermined sequence of symbols associated with a separate one of said virtual reels;
a pattern selector configured for determining a two-dimensional spatial pattern of at least one of speed, start timing and stop timing with respect to said cells according to said user input; and
a reel rotation controller configured to be responsive to said user input for independently rotating each one of said virtual reels for said cells, wherein said controller is configured to cause said display to present independent reel states in all of said cells with an animation of rotation, and to stop said rotation at a final outcome symbol for each of said cells, wherein said animation of rotation is controlled to follow said two-dimensional spatial pattern with respect to said cells.
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Abstract
The present invention relates to a reel-type slot machine having interactive spin action visual effects. The reel-type slot machine includes at least M reels, each reel having symbols associated with it; a video display for displaying a video image of a M N matrix of squares, each square associated with a symbol of a corresponding reel; and a spin actuator for initiating play and interactively producing spin action visual effects associated with the M×N matrix of squares by inputting a direction vector and speed, wherein the direction vector and speed respectively determine the direction and speed of the spin action visual effects. Preferably, the spin actuator is a trackball.
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Citations
25 Claims
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1. A video slot machine comprising:
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a user spin actuator configured for receiving user input; a display including a representation of a two-dimensional matrix of symbol display cells, each one of said cells containing a displayed symbol that is selected from a predetermined sequence of symbols associated with a separate one of said virtual reels; a pattern selector configured for determining a two-dimensional spatial pattern of at least one of speed, start timing and stop timing with respect to said cells according to said user input; and a reel rotation controller configured to be responsive to said user input for independently rotating each one of said virtual reels for said cells, wherein said controller is configured to cause said display to present independent reel states in all of said cells with an animation of rotation, and to stop said rotation at a final outcome symbol for each of said cells, wherein said animation of rotation is controlled to follow said two-dimensional spatial pattern with respect to said cells. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A reel type gaming device having interactive spin action visual effects, the reel-type gaming device including at least M reels, each reel having a number of symbols associated with it;
- a video display configured for displaying a video image of a M×
N matrix of squares, each square associated with a symbol of a corresponding reel; and
a spin actuator configured for interpreting user action to generate a variable direction vector as a function of said user action, the direction vector being fed to a device to initiate a reel spin cycle and interactively produce a variable 2D visual effect associated with each one of said squares of said M×
N matrix as a function of the direction vector. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
- a video display configured for displaying a video image of a M×
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21. An apparatus for controlling rotation of reels of a mechanical slot machine having mechanical reels carrying symbols, the apparatus comprising:
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a user spin actuator configured for receiving user input; a feature manager configured for selecting rotation features for each of said reels according to said user input, said features defining at least one of a rotation start, stop and speed; and a reel rotation controller configured to be responsive to said features and configured for controlling said rotation of all of said reels from a common said user input, wherein said feature manager comprises at least one of; an order selector configured for selecting one of a plurality of reel rotation orders according to said user input; and a position analyzer configured for calculating a positional value for each of said reels as a function of a position of said reel with respect to a position of a same reference point, and configured for selecting said rotation features for each one of said reels according to a corresponding one of said positional value, said user input defining said same reference point. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25)
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Specification