Gaming machine, gaming system, and gaming method

• US 9,466,177 B2
• Filed: 05/13/2013
• Issued: 10/11/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Empire Technological Group Limited, Universal Entertainment Corporation
• Original Assignee: Aruze Gaming America Incorporated (Aruze Gaming America, Inc. /Okada/), Universal Entertainment Corporation
• Inventors: Fujisawa, Masumi, Munakata, Hiroki, Enokido, Kenji, Itagaki, Takehisa, Honda, Masaya, Okamoto, Daisyun
• Primary Examiner(s): Skaarup, Jason
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hsu, Ryan
• Application Number:
  US13/892,388
• Publication Number:
  US 20140335928A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,247 Days
• Field of Search: 463/16, 463/42
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3248 involving non-monetary media of fixed value, e.g. casino chips of fixed value
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/34 depending on the stopping of moving members in a mechanical slot machine, e.g. "fruit" machines

Abstract

In a gaming machine, a display displays images of a free game. The controller executes a game, provides a plurality of free games when a result of the game satisfies a predetermined condition, determines at least one free game to a special mode from among the plurality of free game, and determine remaining free games to a base mode, rearranges a plurality of symbols to always appear at least one special symbol on the display in the free game of the special mode, rearranges the plurality of symbols to randomly determine whether to appear the special symbol on the display in the free game of the base mode, and provides a payout determined by a winning combination of symbols appeared on the display in each free game.

Claims

1. A slot machine, comprising:

a display configured to display images of a free game;

a second display;

a value-addition mechanism configured to receive a physical item associated with a monetary value by which a player is able to add to the slot machine gaming media to be bet;

an award payout mechanism by which gaming media can be paid out to the player or credited to current credits of the player as an outcome of a game; and

a controller configured, as a result of the player having bet gaming media,

to execute each round of the game and determine an event to be performed by a character of the slot machine in a path in each round,

to provide a plurality of free games when a result of the game satisfies a predetermined condition, the predetermined condition being satisfied when the determined event belongs to a predetermined event,

to randomly determine at least one free game to a special mode from among the plurality of free games, and determine remaining free games to a base mode,

to rearrange a plurality of symbols to always appear at least one predetermined symbol on the display in the free game of the special mode,

to rearrange the plurality of symbols to randomly determine whether to appear the predetermined symbol on the display in the free game of the base mode, and

to provide a payout by the award payout mechanism when the controller determines a winning combination of symbols appeared on the display in each free game,

wherein the controller is further configured

to display a wheel including a plurality of digits in the display when each round of the game is executed,

to determine any one digit from among the plurality of digits when the wheel is slid by the player on the display,

to stop the wheel in the second display to indicate the determined digit,

and

to move the character of the slot machine to a destination cell of the path by the determined digit and determine the event of the destination cell.

2. The slot machine of claim 1, wherein the predetermined symbol is a symbol that is substituted to a certain symbol to combine with the certain symbol appeared on the display and establishes the winning combination.

3. The slot machine of claim 1, wherein the display includes a plurality of symbol blocks in columns and rows, and

the predetermined symbols are appeared on all symbol blocks of at least one column in the free game of the special mode.

4. The slot machine of claim 3, wherein the controller is further configured to randomly determine a positions of the at least one column.

5. The slot machine of claim 3, wherein the controller is further configured

to appear the predetermined symbols on all symbol blocks of two columns in the free game of the special mode, and

to appear the predetermined symbols on all symbol blocks of only one columns in the free game of the base mode when it is determined that the predetermined symbol is appeared on the display in the free game of the base mode.

6. The slot machine of claim 1, wherein the display includes a plurality of symbol blocks in columns and rows, and

the at least one predetermined symbol is scattered on the symbol blocks in the free game of the special mode.

7. The slot machine of claim 6, wherein the controller is further configured

to scatter the predetermined symbols of a predetermined number on the symbol blocks in the free game of the special mode, and

to randomly determine a number of predetermined symbols to be scattered on the symbol blocks in the free game of the base mode when it is determined that the predetermined symbol is appeared on the display in the free game of the base mode.

8. The slot machine of claim 1, wherein the second display is shared by a neighbor slot machine of the slot machine.

9. A slot machine system, comprising:

a plurality of main displays for a plurality of players, each main display configured to display images of a game for a corresponding player;

a common display provided for the main displays;

a value-addition mechanism by which the corresponding player is able to add to the slot machine system gaming media to be bet;

an award payout mechanism configured to receive a physical item associated with a monetary value by which gaming media can be paid out to the corresponding player or credited to current credits of the corresponding player as an outcome of the game; and

a controller configured, as a result of each player having bet gaming media,

to execute each round of the game for each player and determine an event to be performed by a character of the slot machine in a path in each round,

to perform for the corresponding player an event determined in each round,

to provide a plurality of free games to a player of the performed event when a performed event belongs to a predetermined event,

to randomly determine at least one free game to a special mode from among the plurality of free games, and determine remaining free games to a base mode,

to rearrange the plurality of symbols to always appear at least one predetermined symbol on the main display in the free game of the base mode, and

to rearrange the plurality of symbols to randomly determine whether to appear the predetermined symbol on the main display in the free game of the base mode, and

to provide a payout by the award payout mechanism when the controller determines a winning combination of symbols appeared on the display to the player of the performed event in each free game,

wherein the controller is further configured

to display a wheel including a plurality of digits in the display when each round of the game for each player is executed,

to determine any one digit from among the plurality of digits when the wheel is slid by the player on a corresponding main display,

to stop the wheel in the common display to indicate the determined digit, and

to move the character of the slot machine to a destination cell of the path by the determined digit and determine the event of the destination cell.

10. The slot machine system of claim 9, wherein the predetermined symbol is a symbol that is substituted to a certain symbol to combine with the certain symbol appeared on the main display and establishes the winning combination.

11. The slot machine system of claim 9, wherein the main display includes a plurality of symbol blocks in columns and rows, and

the predetermined symbols are appeared on all symbol blocks of at least one column in the free game of the special mode.

12. The slot machine system of claim 9, wherein the main display includes a plurality of symbol blocks in columns and rows, and

the at least one predetermined symbol is scattered on the symbol blocks in the free game of the special mode.

13. A gaming method by a controller of a slot machine, the slot machine including a value-addition mechanism configured to receive a physical item associated with a monetary value by which a player is able to add to the slot machine gaming media to be bet and an award payout mechanism by which gaming media can be paid out to the player or credited to current credits of the player as an outcome of a game, the method comprising, as a result of the player having bet gaming media:

executing each round of the game and determining an event to be performed by a character of the slot machine in a path in each round;

providing a plurality of free games when a result of the game satisfies a predetermined condition, the predetermined condition being satisfied when the determined event belongs to a predetermined event;

randomly determining at least one free game to a special mode from among the plurality of free games, and determining remaining free games to a base mode;

rearranging a plurality of symbols to always appear at least one predetermined symbol on a display in the free game of the special mode;

rearranging the plurality of symbols to randomly determine whether to appear the predetermined symbol on the display in the free game of the base mode; and

providing a payout by the award payout mechanism when determining a winning combination of symbols appeared on the display in each free game,

wherein executing each round of the game comprises;

displaying a wheel including a plurality of digits in the display when each round of the game is executed;

determining any one digit from among the plurality of digits when the wheel is slid by the player on the display;

stopping the wheel in a second display to indicate the determined digit; and

moving the character of the slot machine to a destination cell of the path by the determined digit and determining the event of the destination cell.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the predetermined symbol is a symbol that is substituted to a certain symbol to combine with the certain symbol appeared on the display and establishes the winning combination.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the display includes a plurality of symbol blocks in columns and rows, and

the predetermined symbols are appeared on all symbol blocks of at least one column in the free game of the special mode.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the display includes a plurality of symbol blocks in columns and rows, and

the at least one predetermined symbol is scattered on the symbol blocks in the free game of the special mode.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein executing the game includes executing each round of a game and performing an event determined in each round of the game, and

wherein the predetermined condition is satisfied when the determined event belongs to a predetermined event.