Slot machine having two distinct sets of reels

• US 5,722,891 A
• Filed: 03/07/1995
• Issued: 03/03/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: Eagle (EPI Group LLC)
• Inventors: Inoue, Haruo
• Primary Examiner(s): Harrison, Jessica
• Assistant Examiner(s): ONEILL, MICHAEL W
• Application Number:
  US08/399,922
• Time in Patent Office: 1,092 Days
• Field of Search: 463/20, 463/21, 463/25, 273/143 R, 273/138 A, 364/412, 364/410
• US Class Current: 463/20
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/34 depending on the stopping of moving members in a mechanical slot machine, e.g. "fruit" machines

Abstract

A slot machine for playing games has a set of three normal reels, with symbols arranged on their peripheries. The normal reels are rotated in a normal game, and are stopped to determine a win, in accordance with a combination of symbols of the normal reels along a predetermined first winning line. A win is selected from a normal win and a specific win. A bonus game is triggered when the specific win is provided. There is at least one specific reel having symbols which are arranged on its periphery. The specific reel is rotated in the bonus game, and is stopped to determine the win, in accordance with a symbol on the specific reel at a predetermined winning position.

Claims

1. A slot machine in which a game is played to provide a win or a loss, said win being one of plural kinds including a normal win, a specific win, and a bonus win, said game being one of plural kinds including a normal game and a bonus game, said bonus game being allowed when said specific win is provided upon playing of a said normal game, said slot machine comprising:

a first reel set, including P normal reels having symbols arranged on their peripheries, P being at least two, said normal reels rotating during a said normal game, said normal win or a said specific win, in accordance with the combination of symbols on said normal reels stopping along a predetermined first winning line displayed in a first window; and

at least one specific reel having symbols arranged on its periphery, said specific reel rotating during a said bonus game, said specific reel stopping to display a said bonus win in a second window spaced from said first window, in accordance with the presence of at least one symbol on said specific reel in a predetermined winning position.

2. A slot machine as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

a controller for selecting one of said normal game and said bonus game;

a first driver section, connected to said controller, for driving said normal reels respectively to rotate together when said normal game is selected through said controller; and

a second driver section, connected to said controller, for driving said at least one specific reel to rotate when said bonus game is selected through said controller.

3. A slot machine as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

a first position detector device, associated with said normal reels, for detecting respective stopped positions of said normal reels, an address constituted by a combination of said stop positions of said normal reels; and

a win table memory for storing data on said win at said address, said controller accessing said win table memory at said address, to determine the occurrence of a said win and said kind of said win.

4. A slot machine as defined in claim 1, wherein said game is played by betting a coin, coins are paid out when said win occurs, and said specific win pays out a greater number of coins than said normal win.

5. A slot machine as defined in claim 1, wherein said symbols arranged around said specific reels are different from said symbols arranged around said at least one normal reel.

6. A slot machine as defined in claim 3, wherein said at least one specific reel comprises Q specific reels, Q being at least two, said specific reels include a first specific reel and Q-1 second specific reels, and together constitute a second reel set, and are rotated together to play said bonus game.

7. A slot machine as defined in claim 6, wherein a controller starts said Q specific reels rotating for said bonus game, stops said first specific reel, and subsequently stops said second specific reels, and said controller re-triggers said normal game after playing of at least one said bonus game;

further comprising a second position detector device associated with said Q specific reels, for detecting respective stopped positions of said specific reels;

wherein said win table memory further stores data of said bonus win and data of a combined bonus win, an address of said bonus win data being a stopped position of said first specific reel, an address of said combined bonus win data being a combination of said stopped positions of said Q specific reels, and said controller determines said bonus win and said combined bonus win, in accordance with said detected stopped positions of said Q specific reels.

8. A slot machine as defined in claim 7, wherein a said bonus game is played by betting a single coin, and said controller re-triggers said normal game after playing of N bonus games, wherein N is a predetermined number of at least one.

9. A slot machine as defined in claim 1, wherein said normal reels and said at least one specific reel are rotated respectively about horizontally oriented axes.

10. A slot machine as defined in claim 1, wherein said normal reels are rotated about a horizontally oriented axis, and said at least one specific reel is rotated about a vertically oriented axis.

11. A slot machine as defined in claim 1, wherein said at least one specific reel has a diameter substantially equal to a diameter of said normal reels, and has as many different symbols as said symbols on said normal reels.

12. A slot machine as defined in claim 6, wherein P=Q, and said normal reels and said specific reels are arranged in a 2×

P matrix.

13. A slot machine as defined in claim 1, wherein said at least one specific reel has a diameter smaller than a diameter of said normal reels, and has fewer different said symbols than said normal reels.

14. A slot machine as defined in claim 6, wherein said first winning line comprises plural lines, and said winning position is a single line.

15. A slot machine as defined in claim 1, further comprising

a bonus game indicator, disposed closely to said second window, and driven during a said bonus game, for indicating execution of said bonus game.

16. A slot machine as defined in claim 15, wherein said bonus game indicator includes at least one light-emitting diode.

17. A slot machine as defined in claim 1, wherein said specific win is associated with at least one of a symbol combination comprising P symbols of a said common kind and a symbol combination containing at least one symbol of a said specific kind, said common kind and said specific kind being included in said symbols on said normal reels.

18. A method of controlling a slot machine, said slot machine including P+Q reels having symbols arranged on their peripheries, P being at least two and Q being at least one, said reels being rotated to play a game, said reels being stopped to display a win, in accordance with the combination of symbols on said reels stopping along a predetermined winning line, said win comprising a normal win or a specific win, said game comprising a normal win or a specific win, said game comprising a normal game and a bonus game, said bonus game being allowed when said specific win is displayed, said slot machine control method comprising the steps of:

rotating first the Pth ones of said reels together, to play said normal game;

rotating (P+1)th to (P+Q)th ones of said reels together, to play said bonus game; and

displaying the symbols on the winning line of the (P+1)th to (P+Q)th ones of said reels in a display spaced from the first Pth ones of said reels.

19. A slot machine control method as defined in claim 18, further comprising the steps of:

storing data of a said win, an address of said win data being a combination of stopped positions of said first to Pth reels, said win being one of a normal win and a specific win;

detecting respective said stopped positions of said first to Pth reels; and

determining said normal win or said specific win, in accordance with said detected stopped positions of said first to Pth reels.

20. A slot machine control method as defined in claim 18, wherein said first to Pth reels are rotated about a common horizontal axis, and said (P+1)th to (P+Q)th reels are rotated about a common vertical axis.

21. A slot machine control method as defined in claim 18, wherein said Q is an integer of at least 2.

22. A slot machine control method as defined in claim 18, further comprising the step of stopping said (P+1)th reel while said (P+1)th to (P+Q)th reels rotate together.

23. A slot machine control method as defined in claim 18, further comprising the steps of:

detecting a stopped position of said (P+1)th reel; and

determining a bonus win, in accordance with said detected stopped position of said (P+1)th reel.

24. A slot machine control method as defined in claim 18, further comprising steps of:

stopping said (P+2)th to (P+Q)th reels after stopping of said (P+1)th reel;

detecting respective stopped positions of said (P+2)th to (P+Q) th reels; and

determining a combined bonus win, in accordance with said detected stopped positions of said (P+1)th to (P+Q)th reels.

25. A slot machine including P+Q reels having symbols arranged on their peripheries, P being at least two and Q being at least one, said reels being rotated to play a game, said reels being stopped to display a win, in accordance with a combination of symbols of said reel stopping along a predetermined winning line, said win comprising a normal win or a specific win, said game comprising a normal game and a bonus game, said bonus game being allowed when said specific win is displayed, said slot machine further comprising:

means for rotating first to Pth ones of said reels together, to play said normal game;

means for rotating (P+1)th to (P+Q)th ones of said reels together, to play said bonus game; and

a window for displaying the symbols on the winning line of said (P+1)th to (P+Q)th ones of said reels, said window being spaced from the first to Pth ones of said reels.

26. The slot machine of claim 25 further comprising a periphery for said window which is adapted to be illuminated when said bonus game is to be played.