Gaming machine and gaming method

• US 9,600,955 B2
• Filed: 09/21/2012
• Issued: 03/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Interblock DOO
• Original Assignee: Aruze Gaming America Incorporated (Aruze Gaming America, Inc. /Okada/), Universal Entertainment Corporation
• Inventors: Kitamura, Kenta, Fujisawa, Masumi, Teranishi, Tatsuya, Kada, Takeshi, Okada, Kazuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Lewis, David L
• Assistant Examiner(s): MOSSER, ROBERT E
• Application Number:
  US13/624,261
• Publication Number:
  US 20140087816A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,642 Days
• Field of Search: 463/16, 463/22, 463/25
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3213 Details of moving display elements, e.g. spinning reels, tumbling members
• 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

A controller of a gaming machine executes a normal round of a game to spin reels of a first display, and triggers a chance round of the game when a result of the normal round satisfies a predetermined condition. The controller displays a wheel and a plurality of touch areas on a second display, and the wheel includes a plurality of areas, each of the plurality of areas corresponding to a number of free rounds. When any one of the touch areas is touched and slid by a player, the controller spinning the wheel in a direction corresponding to the slid touch area, and randomly determines a number of free rounds. The controller stops the wheel at a position of an area that corresponds to the determined number of free rounds among the plurality of areas, and provides free rounds having the determined number.

Claims

1. A slot machine, comprising:

a first display including a plurality of reels, each of the plurality of reels including a plurality of symbols;

a second display including a touch screen panel;

at least one entry configured to receive a first physical item associated with a monetary value for providing credits to be bet by a player;

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

a memory configured to store a plurality of spin table; and

a controller configured to, as a result of the player having bet credits,

execute a normal round of the game to spin the reels,

trigger a chance round of the game when a result of the normal round satisfies a predetermined condition,

display a wheel and a plurality of touch areas on the second display, the wheel including a plurality of areas and each of the plurality of areas corresponding to a predetermined number of free rounds,

when any one of the touch areas is touched and slid by a player, spin the wheel in a direction corresponding to the slid touch area,

randomly determine a number of free rounds,

stop the wheel at a position of an area that corresponds to the determined number of free rounds among the plurality of areas,

provide free rounds having the determined number,

add credits corresponding to results of the free rounds to the current credits of the player by the award payout mechanism, and

pay out the credits of the current credits as the second physical item by the award payout mechanism,

wherein the controller is further configured to spin the wheel at a spinning speed that corresponds to a speed that is slid by the player among a plurality of spinning speeds,

wherein each of the plurality of spin table corresponds to any one of the plurality of spinning speeds and includes a plurality of numbers for the free rounds, and

wherein the controller is further configured to select a spin table that corresponds to the spinning speed of the wheel among the plurality of spinning speeds, and to randomly determine any one number from among the plurality of numbers included in the selected spin table.

2. The slot machine of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of areas includes a plurality of positions,

wherein the controller is further configured to randomly determine any one position from among the plurality of positions included in the area that corresponds to the determined number of free rounds, and to stop the wheel for an indicator to indicate the determined position.

3. The slot machine of claim 2, wherein two adjacent areas among the plurality of areas have different numbers for free rounds, and

wherein the controller is further configured to determine a position that is nearest to a boundary of the two adjacent areas with a highest probability.

4. The slot machine of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to automatically spin the wheel when a spin button is pressed by the player or an input of the player is not input.

5. The slot machine of claim 4, wherein the controller is further configured to randomly determine a direction in which the wheel spins and a spinning speed of the wheel when automatically spinning the wheel.

6. The slot machine of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to start to spin the wheel when the touch of the player is taken off from the second display.

7. The slot machine of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to

execute each free round of the game, and

end the chance round and return to the normal round when a result of the free round includes a combination of specific symbols whose number being greater than or equal to a predetermined number or a number of executed free rounds is the determined number.

8. A slot machine, comprising:

a first display including a plurality of reels, each of the plurality of reels including a plurality of symbols;

a second display including a touch screen panel;

at least one entry configured to receive a first physical item associated with a monetary value for providing credits to be bet by a player;

an award payout mechanism by which a second physical item with a monetary value 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 to, as a result of the player having bet credits,

execute a normal round of the game to spin the reels,

trigger a chance round of the game when a result of the normal round satisfies a predetermined condition,

display a wheel and a plurality of touch areas on the second display, the wheel including a plurality of areas and each of the plurality of areas corresponding to a predetermined number of free rounds,

when any one of the touch areas is touched and slid by a player, spin the wheel in a direction corresponding to the slid touch area,

randomly determine a number of free rounds,

stop the wheel at a position of an area that corresponds to the determined number of free rounds among the plurality of areas,

provide free rounds having the determined number,

add credits corresponding to results of the free rounds to the current credits of the player by the award payout mechanism, and

pay out the credits of the current credits as the second physical item by the award payout mechanism,

wherein the controller is further configured to start to spin the wheel when a period during which the wheel is touched and slid by the player exceeds a predetermined time.

9. A gaming method by a controller of a slot machine including a first display including a plurality of reels, a second display including a touch screen panel, at least one entry configured to receive a first physical item associated with a monetary value for providing credits to be bet by a player, and an award payout mechanism by which a second physical item with a monetary value can be paid out to the player or credited to current credits of the player as an outcome of a game, each of the plurality of reels including a plurality of symbols, the method comprising, as a result of the player having bet credits:

executing a normal round of the game to spin the reels;

triggering a chance round of the game when a result of the normal round satisfies a predetermined condition;

displaying a wheel and a plurality of touch areas on the second display, the wheel including a plurality of areas and each of the plurality of areas corresponding to a predetermined number of free rounds;

when any one of the touch areas is touched and slid by a player, spinning the wheel in a direction corresponding to the slid touch area;

randomly determining a number of free rounds;

stopping the wheel at a position of an area that corresponds to the determined number of free rounds among the plurality of areas;

providing free rounds having the determined number;

adding credits corresponding to results of the free rounds to the current credits of the player by the award payout mechanism; and

paying out the credits of the current credits as the second physical item by the award payout mechanism,

wherein spinning the wheel includes spinning the wheel at a spinning speed that corresponds to a speed that is slid by the player among a plurality of spinning speeds,

wherein the slot machine further includes a memory configured to store a plurality of spin table,

wherein each of the plurality of spin table corresponds to any one of the plurality of spinning speeds and includes a plurality of numbers for the free rounds, and

wherein determining the number of free rounds includes selecting a spin table that corresponds to the spinning speed of the wheel among the plurality of spinning speeds, and randomly determining any one number from among the plurality of numbers included in the selected spin table.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein each of the plurality of areas includes a plurality of positions,

wherein stopping the wheel includes randomly determining any one position from among the plurality of positions included in the area that corresponds to the determined number of free rounds, and stopping the wheel for an indicator to indicate the determined position.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein two adjacent areas among the plurality of areas have different numbers for free rounds, and

wherein determining the any one position includes determining a position that is nearest to a boundary of the two adjacent areas with a highest probability.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising automatically spinning the wheel when a spin button is pressed by the player or an input of the player is not input.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising randomly determining a direction in which the wheel spins and a spinning speed of the wheel when automatically spinning the wheel.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein spinning the wheel includes starting to spin the wheel when the touch of the player is taken off from the second display.

15. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

executing each free round of the game; and

ending the chance round and returning to the normal round when a result of the free round includes a combination of specific symbols whose number being greater than or equal to a predetermined number or a number of executed free rounds is the determined number.

16. A gaming method by a controller of a slot machine including a first display including a plurality of reels, a second display including a touch screen panel, at least one entry configured to receive a first physical item associated with a monetary value for providing credits to be bet by a player, and an award payout mechanism by which the first physical item with a monetary value can be paid out to the player or credited to current credits of the player as an outcome of a game, each of the plurality of reels including a plurality of symbols, the method comprising, as a result of the player having bet credits:

executing a normal round of the game to spin the reels;

triggering a chance round of the game when a result of the normal round satisfies a predetermined condition;

displaying a wheel and a plurality of touch areas on the second display, the wheel including a plurality of areas and each of the plurality of areas corresponding to a predetermined number of free rounds;

when any one of the touch areas is touched and slid by a player, spinning the wheel in a direction corresponding to the slid touch area;

randomly determining a number of free rounds;

stopping the wheel at a position of an area that corresponds to the determined number of free rounds among the plurality of areas;

providing free rounds having the determined number;

adding credits corresponding to results of the free rounds to the current credits of the player by the award payout mechanism; and

paying out the credits of the current credits as the second physical item by the award payout mechanism by the award payout mechanism,

wherein spinning the wheel includes starting to spin the wheel when a period during which the wheel is touched and slid by the player exceeds a predetermined time.