Method for the determination of stop positions of rotating reel bodies of a game display device of a gambling machine

• US 5,785,595 A
• Filed: 09/21/1995
• Issued: 07/28/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: GTECH Germany GmbH
• Original Assignee: Atronic Casino Technology Distribution GmbH
• Inventors: Gauselmann, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): LAYNO, BENJAMIN
• Application Number:
  US08/531,497
• Time in Patent Office: 1,041 Days
• Field of Search: 273/143 R, 273/138.2, 463/20, 463/22
• US Class Current: 463/20
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3244 Payment aspects of a gaming system, e.g. payment schemes, setting payout ratio, bonus or consolation prizes

Abstract

A random number generator determines the stop positions of display means of entertainment machines and of gambling machines. The random number generator is a component of the control unit which assumes the sequential play control. A uniform stopping of the rotating reel body is made possible and the stop positions cannot be reconstructed and predicted. In order to stop the rotating reel body in a non-reconstructable but uniform way in specific symbol-combination-displaying rest positions, a disjoint subset of the set of numbers accessible by the pseudo-random number generator is coordinated to each win class. Subsequently, a pseudo-random number is generated by the pseudo-random number generator and a win class is associated to this pseudo-random number. The symbol combination of the thus determined win class to be displayed is subsequently displayed with the rotating reel bodies stopped in position displaying symbols associated with the win class.

Claims

1. A method for determining stop positions of displayed rotating reels comprising the steps

initiating a game;

determining a pseudo-random number with a pseudo-random number generating means;

comparing the pseudo-random number with numbers in subsets of a set of numbers generatable by the pseudo-random number generating means;

determining the subset associated with the pseudo-random number and a win class associated with the subset;

determining a symbol combination associated with the win class;

determining in the control unit if the symbol combination is displayable based on conditions imposed relating to a starting position of the displayed rotating reels and relating to the time period of rotation permissible for the displayed rotating reels;

rejecting a symbol combination which is not displayable, and repeating the above steps by and upon determining a next following pseudo-random number with the pseudo-random number generating means.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the displayed rotating reels are provided by rotating reel bodies forming part of a gambling machine, further comprising

controlling the game process of the gambling machine with a control unit including a microcomputer;

putting the rotating reel bodies to a stop at predetermined positions with the control unit;

observing the positions of the rotating reel bodies with position-recognizing sensors connected to the control unit;

delivering position signals from the position-recognizing sensors to the control unit;

classifying win situations into win classes.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising

comparing the delivered position signals from the position-recognizing sensor to values of counted positions stored in a memory of the microcomputer;

observing a discrepancy between the value of the delivered position signal and of the value of the counted position;

correcting the following rotation of the rotating reel bodies based on any discrepancy.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising

starting from a precedingly displayed symbol combination for determining displayability of a symbol combination associated with a win class;

determining if the symbol combination is displayable based on the precedingly displayed symbol combination and a permissible range of total symbol steps for a respective displayed rotating reel.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising

performing a start-up procedure prior to an actual determination including the steps of

determining a pseudo-random number with a pseudo-random number generating means;

comparing the pseudo-random number with numbers in subsets of a set of numbers generatable by the pseudo-random number generating means;

determining the subset associated with the pseudo-random number and the win class associated with the subset;

determining a symbol combination associated with the win class;

determining if the symbol combination is displayable based on conditions imposed relating to a starting position of the displayed rotating reels and relating to the time period of rotation permissible for the rotating reels;

rejecting a symbol combination which is not displayable, and repeating the above steps by and upon determining a next following pseudo-random number with the pseudo-random number generating means;

entering the win class associated with the pseudo-random number to a top of a memory stack;

repeating the steps of determining a pseudo-random number and entering the win class a predetermined number of times.

6. The method according to claim 5, further comprising

entering the win class associated with the pseudo-random number determined to the top of the memory stack;

removing a win class from the bottom of the memory stack;

employing the win class removed from the bottom of the memory stack in determining a symbol combination associated with the win class.

7. The method according to claim 6, further comprising

writing the win class associated with a non-displayable symbol combination to the top of the memory stack;

reading and removing a next win class from the bottom of the stack after the writing of the win class associated with the non-displayable symbol combination;

employing the next win class removed from the bottom of the memory stack in determining a symbol combination associated with the win class.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising

performing at least a full rotation with each displayed rotating reel.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising

encountering a plurality of symbol combinations to be displayed associated with a win class;

determining for each one of the plurality of symbol combinations if this symbol combination is displayable;

determining if there is one or a plurality of displayable symbol combinations;

generating in case of a plurality of displayable symbol combinations a pseudo-random number for selecting which one of the displayable symbol combinations is to be displayed.

10. The method according to claim 1, further comprising

encountering a displayable symbol combination;

determining if there is a plurality of symbol combinations displayable;

displayable a pseudo-random number for selecting which one of the plurality of displayable symbol combinations is to be displayed.

11. The method according to claim 1, further comprising

determining the number of steps of the respective step motors for advancing a rotor of the respective step motor;

activating the step motors in accordance with the number of steps determined;

transferring the rotation of the rotor of the step motors to the respective displayed rotating reel.

12. A method for determining stop positions of displayed rotating reels of a game device or gambling machine comprising the steps of:

providing a gambling machine having a plurality of rotating reels, each reel having a plurality of symbols;

providing the gambling machine with a control unit with a microcomputer for controlling the game process;

determining positions of the rotating reels based on a pseudo-random control system;

initiating a rotation of the rotating reels;

observing the positions of the displayed rotating reels with position-recognizing sensors connected to the control unit and disposed on the side of the displayed rotating reel;

stopping the displayed rotating reels with the control unit in predetermined positions;

classifying obtainable winning situations into win classes;

coordinating a disjoint subset of a set of numbers to each win class;

determining a pseudo-random number within the set with a pseudo-random number generator, whereby the win class is determined based on the subset containing the pseudo-random number;

displaying a symbol combination associated with the win class on the displayed rotating reels;

providing the symbol combination to be displayed starting from a precedingly to be displayed symbol combination within a given total number of steps between two predetermined values representing a band width;

rejecting the symbol combination in case of non-displayability of the symbol combination between the two predetermined values representing a band width of the total step numbers; and

determining a new win class based on a different pseudo-random number.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein, upon startup procedure of the gambling machine, win classes are determined with pseudo-random numbers generated by the pseudo-random number generator and the win classes are registered in a memory storage of the control unit, and wherein the symbol combination or symbol combinations, coordinated to the win classes, are displayed sequentially, and wherein the win class, after the display of the symbol combination, coordinated to this win class, is erased from the memory storage, and wherein after the completed display of a symbol combination coordinated to a win class, a new win class is determined by a pseudo-random number generated with the pseudo-random number generator and is entered in the memory storage.

14. The method according to claim 12, wherein, starting from the symbol combination shown in the stop position of the rotating reel bodies, the subsequently to be displayed symbol combinations are displayable at least after one full rotation of the displayed rotating reel and then subsequently within a predetermined number of successive symbol positions.

15. The method according to claim 12, wherein the pseudo-random number generator determines, in case of a win class which is associated with a plurality of symbol combinations, which one of the displayable symbol combinations of the respective win class is to be displayed.

16. A method for determining the stop positions of displayed rotating reel bodies, comprising the steps

initiating a game;

determining a pseudo-random number with a pseudo-random number generating means;

comparing the pseudo-random number with numbers in subsets of a set of numbers generatable by the pseudo-random number generating means in a comparison means;

determining the subset associated with the pseudo-random number and a win class associated with the subset;

determining a plurality of symbol combinations associated with the win class in a control unit;

determining a second pseudo-random number with the pseudo-random number generating means;

associating the pseudo-random number with one of the plurality of symbol combinations;

displaying the symbol combination associated with the pseudo-random number.