GAMING MACHINE

• US 20150206380A1
• Filed: 12/11/2014
• Published: 07/23/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/2014
• 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: ITAGAKI, Takehisa, MIYAGAWA, Yuji, YOSHIDA, Masahiro, TERADA, Naoki
• Granted Patent: US 9,710,999 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/34 depending on the stopping of moving members in a mechanical slot machine, e.g. "fruit" machines

Abstract

Provided is a gaming machine that is able to offer a variety of gaming patterns with avoidance of monotony during a free game that is a game played in a bonus game. A gaming machine, when a free game trigger is established, performs a control of shifting a game from a base game to a free game. In the free game, symbols are displayed in rotation and stopped in a symbol display region 4 in accordance with a result of a symbol lottery. When picture symbols are consecutively arranged on one reel, display regions where the consecutive symbols are arranged are coupled into a coupled display region, and a corresponding picture is displayed in the coupled display region.

Claims

1. A gaming machine that determines a payout based on symbols rearranged, the gaming machine comprising:

a plurality of reels each having a plurality of symbols provided on an outer surface thereof; and

a controller that controls a game in which the plurality of reels are rotated and stopped to rearrange the plurality of symbols in a display region of a first display, the controller programmed to execute the processing of;

(1-1) when, as a result of the rearrangement of the plurality of symbols, a plurality of identical picture symbols are consecutively arranged on one reel, coupling display regions of the first display where the consecutive picture symbols are arranged into a single coupled display region; and

(1-2) performing a control of causing a picture corresponding to the consecutive picture symbols to be displayed in the coupled display region.

2. The gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein

the processing of (1-2) includes the processing of

(1-2-1) selecting data used to display the picture in the coupled display region in accordance with the number of the consecutive picture symbols.

3. The gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein

the processing of (1-2) includes the processing of:

(1-2-2) generating a plurality of data domains based on which symbols to be displayed in the display region of the first display are managed, and performing such a control as to avoid the consecutive picture symbols being managed in different data domains; and

(1-2-3) when rotating the plurality of reels, coupling the plurality of data domains sequentially.

4. The gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein

the controller is programmed to further execute the processing of:

(1-3) in a first game, determining symbols to be rearranged, by a first lottery;

(1-4) when the rearranged symbols determined by the first lottery satisfy a first condition, performing a control of starting a second game; and

(1-5) in the second game, determining symbols to be rearranged, by a second lottery,

the processing of (1-1) and the processing of (1-2) are executed when rearranging symbols by the second lottery.

5. The gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein

the processing of (1-1) includes the processing of

(1-1-1) when, as a result of the rearrangement of the plurality of symbols, a plurality of identical picture symbols are consecutively arranged on one reel and each of the consecutive picture symbols is positioned on a winning line that provides a line payout, coupling display regions of the first display where the consecutive picture symbols are arranged into a single coupled display region.

6. The gaming machine according to claim 5, wherein

the processing of (1-2) includes the processing of

(1-2-4) performing a control of causing an animation of a picture corresponding to the consecutive picture symbols to be displayed in the coupled display region.

7. The gaming machine according to claim 5, wherein

the processing of (1-1) includes the processing of

(1-1-1) when the consecutive picture symbols are particular picture symbols, coupling display regions of the first display where the consecutive picture symbols are arranged into a single coupled display region.

8. The gaming machine according to claim 5, wherein

the processing of (1-2) includes the processing of

(1-2-5) when the coupled display region is formed and a single picture symbol identical to the picture symbols corresponding to the coupled display region is arranged in a region other than the coupled display region and positioned on a winning line that provides a line payout, causing an animation of a picture corresponding to the consecutive picture symbols to be displayed in the coupled display region and causing the picture symbol arranged in the region other than the coupled display region to be displayed in association with the display of the animation.

9. The gaming machine according to claim 5, wherein

the processing of (1-2) includes the processing of

(1-2-6) when a plurality of the coupled display regions are formed, performing a control of displaying an animation of a picture corresponding to the consecutive picture symbols in each of the coupled display regions, and performing a control of displaying the animations in the coupled display regions in coordination with each other.