US20070287523A1 - Slot Machine Game With Additional Features - Google Patents
Slot Machine Game With Additional Features Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20070287523A1 US20070287523A1 US11/678,050 US67805007A US2007287523A1 US 20070287523 A1 US20070287523 A1 US 20070287523A1 US 67805007 A US67805007 A US 67805007A US 2007287523 A1 US2007287523 A1 US 2007287523A1
- Authority
- US
- United States
- Prior art keywords
- player
- symbol
- recited
- wager
- reels
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Abandoned
Links
Images
Classifications
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
- G07F—COIN-FREED OR LIKE APPARATUS
- G07F17/00—Coin-freed apparatus for hiring articles; Coin-freed facilities or services
- G07F17/32—Coin-freed apparatus for hiring articles; Coin-freed facilities or services for games, toys, sports, or amusements
- G07F17/34—Coin-freed apparatus for hiring articles; Coin-freed facilities or services for games, toys, sports, or amusements depending on the stopping of moving members in a mechanical slot machine, e.g. "fruit" machines
Definitions
- the present inventive concept relates to a system, method, and computer readable storage, for providing additional features to slot machine games.
- the above aspects can also be obtained by a method that includes (a) positioning a symbol in a position on a slot grid; (b) placing a wager and spinning reels on the slot machine after the positioning; and paying an award to the player based on the wager and a final combination of the reels, wherein the symbol remains positioned in the position during the spinning.
- the above aspects can also be obtained by a method that includes (a) placing a wager; (b) spinning reels on a slot machine to form a result on a slot grid on the slot machine; (c) positioning a symbol in a position on the slot grid, after the spinning; and (d) paying an award to the player based on the wager and the result modified by the symbol being in the position.
- a method to play a slot machine comprising: (b) receiving a first wager; (c) allowing a player to position a first indicator and a second indicator on an output device; (c) spinning reels on the slot machine to a resulting reel combination and awarding a first payout based on the first wager and the resulting reel combination; (d) determining if a first symbol behind the first indicator and a second symbol behind the second indicator form a predetermined winning combination, and if so, then awarding a second payout based on the predetermined winning combination.
- the above aspects can also be obtained by a method that includes (a) selecting a first preferred payline out of at least two paylines; (b) receiving a wager; (c) spinning reels on the slot game to a resulting combination and awarding a payout based on the wager on the resulting combination for all of the at least two paylines; and (d) multiplying any award on the first preferred payline by a first multiplier.
- the above aspects can also be obtained by a method that includes (a) receiving a first wager; (b) selecting a first set of two or more horizontally adjacent symbol positions, a number of the horizontally adjacent symbol positions in the first set being less than a number of reels on the slot game; (c) spinning reels on the slot game to a final reel combination; (d) awarding a first payout based on the final reel combination; and (e) awarding a second payout based on a horizontal combination of symbols inside the first set of two or more horizontally adjacent symbol positions.
- the above aspects can also be obtained by a method that includes (a) allowing a player to select a custom symbol image to be displayed which represents a particular symbol; (b) spinning reels on the slot game to a final reel combination; and (c) displaying the custom symbol image on the reels whenever the custom symbol image appears.
- FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an output of a slot machine game, according to an embodiment
- FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method of awarding additional payouts, according to an embodiment
- FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method to select multiplied paylines, according to an embodiment
- FIG. 4 is a drawing illustrating nine different possible 3 symbol windows, according to an embodiment
- FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method of awarding additional window payouts, according to an embodiment
- FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary game result with an active window
- FIG. 7 illustrates an exemplary game output with a wild symbol for purchase with an associated price
- FIG. 8 shows an exemplary game output of slot reels after the wild symbol has been positioned but before the reels are spun with the wild symbol in position
- FIG. 9 shows a sample game result after the wild symbol has been positioned and the reels then spun
- FIG. 10 illustrates an exemplary flowchart of a method allowing a player to purchase symbols, according to an embodiment
- FIG. 11A is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method of implementing custom symbols, according to an embodiment
- FIG. 11B shows a sample game result using a custom symbol, according to an embodiment
- FIG. 12 is a block diagram illustrating hardware that can be used to implement an electronic gaming machine, according to an embodiment.
- Embodiments of the invention relate to slot machine games, where typically a player places a wager, presses a button to spin the reels, the reels each stop at a random position, payouts are determined by comparing all paylines played to a predetermined set of winning combinations, and then the determined payouts, if any, are awarded to the player based on the wager. Additional features can augment the excitement of a player and may also result in increased action for the casino.
- a player can move around two separate selectors which can cover any possible position on reels of a slot game.
- a 5 ⁇ 3 slot game has 15 possible positions for symbols to be located after the reels stop spinning. The player can move and place each selector on any two out of these 15 possible positions on the slot game output. After the slot game is played, if two predetermined symbols are “under” the selectors (selected), then the player can win an additional award.
- FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an output of a slot machine game, according to an embodiment.
- a player can move around a first selector 100 (or selector A) and a second selector 102 (or selector B).
- the selectors are movable and can appear in any shape (triangle, circle ⁇ as illustrated ⁇ , star, etc.)
- the player can move around the selectors by dragging each one to a desired location using a touch screen or other input device (e.g., mouse, buttons, etc.)
- the player can move the selectors around to whichever position he or she wishes, although the symbols displayed on the slot output while the selectors are being positioned typically do not have any significance.
- selector A 100 is placed over a “8 ball” symbol
- selector B 102 is placed over a “bell” symbol.
- each selector When the slot reels are spun, the selectors stay in their same position, and when the reels come to a stop, each selector will have a reel symbol behind (or “under”) it. In essence, the player is selecting two random positions on the slot grid which he or she thinks will result in two predetermined symbols which can generate an additional award.
- the player For example, if there is a male symbol and a female symbol available on the slot game, and the player moves the selectors to two respective locations, spins the reels, and the male symbol is behind one selector and the female symbol is behind the second selector, then the player wins an additional award.
- the player need not continue to position the selectors after each spin, as the selectors can remain in their last position unless the player decides to move them.
- FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method of awarding additional payouts, according to an embodiment.
- the method can start with operation 200 , wherein a player positions selector A and selector B. This can be done as described herein, for example, using a touch screen to move the selectors to the positions desired by the player. Typically, the player will not know where to place them and the player will just rely on his or her “hunches.”
- the method can proceed to operation 202 , wherein the player plays the slot game.
- the machine can accept a wager, allow the player to press a button and spin the reels, display a result of the reel spin, and award the player any respective award(s) based on a result of the spinning, comparing the symbols falling in active paytables to a paytable to determine award(s).
- the method can proceed to operation 204 , which determines which symbol is behind (or associated with) selector A and which symbol is behind (or associated with) selector B. This can be done by, when the player has positioned the selectors, a number can then be associated with each selector corresponding to which reel position (out of 15 in this example) each selector is associated with. When the reels stop spinning, the symbols in each of these positions can then be identified. Typically, the player will not be allowed to position both selectors on the same position (e.g., the two selectors much cover different symbol positions). Symbol A can be considered the symbol behind selector A, and symbol B can be considered to be the symbol behind selector B.
- the method can proceed to operation 206 , which determines whether symbol A and symbol B form a predetermined winning combination.
- a paytable of symbols can be used to make this determination. For example, Table I illustrates one exemplary paytable of symbol pairs and their respective awards.
- selector A or B
- selector A or B
- the result should be the same if a male symbol appears behind selector A and a female symbol appears behind selector B, as opposed to a male symbol appearing behind selector B and a female symbol appearing behind selector A.
- the selectors cover an “8 ball” symbol and a “bell” symbol. If table I were to be used, (assuming the selectors were placed and then this result was generated) this would not be a winning combination. But if the selector covered a “7” symbol instead of the “8 ball” symbol, then the player would have won an additional $5.
- the game may prevent the player from placing both selectors in a same vertical column. This is because due to the way the symbols on a reel are mapped, some symbols may never (or always) appear in the same column as other symbols. If the slot game uses independently spinning symbols (each of the 15 appearing symbols spins on its own reel), then this restriction may not be necessary since there is no correlation between vertical symbols.
- the player may be required to pay extra (e.g., an additional coin or coins) for the ability to position the selectors and win additional awards. This can be paid during operation 202 , when the wager is collected, or at another time.
- the ability to position the selectors and win additional awards can be provided to the players for free (of course the overall payout of the main game may have to be reduced in order to pay for the free additional awards).
- the player spins the reels and receives a special combination, this may trigger a bonus which then allows the player to position the selectors and win additional awards.
- the bonus may last for a fixed amount of spins (e.g., 1 to 10 or more).
- a player can select one or more lines (or paylines) as “preferred” lines, which can offer the player a special incentive or bonus.
- a payline is a group of symbols (typically one for each reel on a machine) that is used to form a respective combination, and if the respective combination forms a winning payout then an award is earned.
- Machines have anywhere from 1 to 60 paylines or more.
- a player can pick a particular line which will result in an increased award. For example, if the player plays 15 lines, the player can select a particular line out of the 15 that the player thinks will have the biggest payout. The selected line can then pay double whatever payout that line would have earned. This can be considered the “golden payline.”
- the player can select the “golden payline” in any manner, such as touching a button on the slot machine, or pressing a virtual button on a touchscreen output device, etc.
- the player can either pay extra for the privilege to select the golden payline, or the player can select the golden payline for free (the additional award for the golden payline can be factored into the game itself), or the player can earn the ability to select the golden payline for a limited number of spins (e.g., 3 plays of the game, each play either a free bonus for the player or paid for by the player) by hitting a predetermined combination on the slot machine.
- the player plays $1 each payline or $9 total.
- the player can select one payline out of the nine which will pay double (or any multiple) for free.
- the player can select one payline out of the nine which will pay double (or any multiple) upon paying a fee.
- the player can pay an additional $1 in order for the selected payline to pay double, although in essence this is just allowing the player to bet separate amounts on each payline.
- the player can pay an extra $0.50 and have a particular payline pay double as an incentive.
- the player can select additional paylines which can also have their respective awards multiplied at different amounts. For example, a player can be offered an opportunity to select: a golden payline (which will multiply any respective award 5 times) a silver payline (which will multiply any respective award 3 times), and a bronze payline (which will multiply any respective award 2 times).
- the player can either pay extra for the privilege to select these three paylines, or the player can select these three paylines for free, or the player can earn the ability to select these three paylines for a limited number of spins by hitting a predetermined combination on the slot machine.
- a player plays a slot machine with 9 lines ($1 each line), and selects the 5 ⁇ line (“the golden line”) to be line 1, the 3 ⁇ line (“the silver line”) to be line 4, and the 2 ⁇ line (the “bronze line”) to line 9.
- the player then places the wager and achieves the results illustrated in Table II.
- the first column is the line (or payline) number and the second column is the award amount.
- paylines all have equal expected values and thus the player would just play his or her “hunches” to pick which paylines they think will have the greatest award.
- FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method to select multiplied paylines, according to an embodiment.
- the method can start with operation 300 , wherein the player selects a preferred line (or lines). This can be done by the player touching an indicator on an output device representing a line, or pressing buttons on the slot machine, or any other method.
- the method can proceed to operation 302 , which receives a wager from the player.
- the player can pay extra in order to be allowed to receive the multiplied paylines (as selected in operation 300 ), or the multiplied paylines can be offered to the player as a free incentive.
- the multiplied paylines may only be offered to the player when the player has earned them (e.g., by hitting a predetermined combination on the slot machine which triggers the multiplied paylines as a bonus).
- the reels are spun randomly and stop in a random position.
- the method can proceed to operation 304 , which pays the appropriate payout to the player which includes any extra amount due to multiplied awards on paylines selected in operation 300 .
- a player can wager more on certain paylines which will in turn result in an increased award. For example, payouts on particular lines are multiplied by the amount bet on each line, but no line receives a higher multiplier than another line (in contrast to the prior embodiment where one line may get a multiplier or a higher multiplier than other lines).
- a player can bet two coins an all lines (e.g., 9 lines), and select a golden line in order to bet four coins. Now, any payout on the golden line will pay double what the other lines pay. In other words, the golden line pays 4 ⁇ the standard payout for one coin, and the other lines pay 2 ⁇ . The player can indicate other paylines as well to increase his or her bet on.
- windows can be activated.
- a window is a group of adjacent symbols (2 or more) in either a horizontal or possibly a vertical (if the symbols on the game spin on their own reel) line.
- a special paytable can be used for the symbols in the window.
- the window can be offered to the player for free, or the player can earn the ability to activate one or more windows for a limited number of plays (e.g., 3 plays (spins), either awarded for free to the player as a bonus or the player pays for each play) by hitting a predetermined combination on the slot machine.
- a limited number of plays e.g., 3 plays (spins), either awarded for free to the player as a bonus or the player pays for each play
- FIG. 4 is a drawing illustrating nine different possible 3 symbol windows, according to an embodiment.
- a first window configuration 401 , a second window configuration 402 , a third window configuration 403 , a fourth window configuration 404 , a fifth window configuration 405 , a sixth window configuration 406 , a seventh window configuration 407 , an eighth window configuration 408 , and a ninth window configuration 409 are all shown.
- a current window configuration which will be applied to a next spin of the slot reels can be selected by the player or chosen at random.
- only one window can be active during a spin.
- more than one window can be active.
- a player may be required to pay extra for each active window the player wishes to employ.
- FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method of awarding additional window payouts, according to an embodiment.
- the method can start with operation 500 , which determines window location.
- the player can indicate where he or she wishes the window to be located, for example by touching a desired location on the reels itself, or by entering a number (or pressing a button) corresponding to the desired window.
- the window location can be chosen at random.
- operation 502 receives a wager and spins the reels.
- the active window(s) can be highlighted on the reels so that the player can see where the active window(s) are.
- the method proceeds to operation 504 , which pays an appropriate payout for the wager according to a final result of the reels using the game's standard paylines.
- the symbols inside any active window(s) are also identified and any winning combinations are also paid to the player according to a paytable.
- three like symbols can pay an award, and/or a paytable can be used.
- Table III illustrates one exemplary window paytable (e.g., for each $1 bet on the window). Thus, for example, if the player bets $2 on a window, and the horizontally adjacent symbols that fall inside the set of horizontally adjacent symbol positions (a window) is 7-7-7, then the player would win $200 for the window.
- FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary game result with an active window.
- the active window 600 is shown as a negative image.
- the Player has bet $3 ($1 per line, playing 3 horizontal lines), and the result is that the player wins nothing on the main game (although of course if the player got a winning combination on the main game the player would be paid according to the main game's paytable).
- the main game's paytable reflects five symbols in a line (e.g., five “present symbols” win $1000, etc.) while the window paytable reflects three symbols (or however many symbols there are in the window).
- the active window 600 contains the symbols: wild/bell/7, which according to the paytable in Table III pays 10 (the wild substitutes for any symbol such as the bell in this case).
- the player has bet $3 and won $10 (for a net profit of $7).
- the active window 600 was provided free of charge to the player, although in another embodiment the player can be required to pay extra (e.g., $1) to activate a window (and can optionally be charged an additional $1 for each additional window the player wishes to activate).
- a number of horizontal positions in the window should be less than the number of reels of the game. For example, if a game is a five-reeled slot game, the window size should then be from two to four. Although, in an alternate embodiment, the window size can still be five.
- Vertical windows can be used as well as horizontal windows, but in order to use a vertical window, typically each symbol in a column should spin independently on its own reel.
- a slot machine can allow a player to purchase symbols, such as a wild.
- symbols such as a wild.
- the player can purchase a wild symbol (for a displayed amount), and then the wild symbol can appear on a random reel stop on the displayed reels or it can be positioned by the user before (or after) the reels are spun.
- the player can indicate he wishes to bet $1 on all lines (in this example let's say there are 3 lines).
- the player can then spin the machine as normal (e.g., by pressing a spin button (not pictured) and receive a payout based on the resultant combination or alternatively the player may wish to purchase a wild symbol before spinning the reels.
- the player can do this by touching a displayed wild symbol (which should also typically display the price).
- FIG. 7 illustrates an exemplary game output with a wild symbol for purchase with an associated price.
- a wild symbol 700 can be purchased for a displayed priced (e.g., $10) by the player. If the player does not wish to purchase the wild symbol, then the player can continue to play the slot game normally.
- the player can now touch the wild symbol and is then charged the price of $10.
- the player can now position this wild symbol anywhere he wishes to place it on the grid positions (there are 15 of them here).
- the player in this example decides to put the wild symbol on the center reel (e.g., by touching the center reel). See the below figure. Now the player is guaranteed to get a wild symbol in the position that the player has put the symbol in, as the wild symbol remains stationary (locked) into place while the reels will spin (when the player spins the reels).
- the player can place the wild symbol after the reels have already been spun (as opposed to placing it before the reels have been spun).
- the wild symbol can appear on a random position on the grid (as opposed to allowing the player to position it), and this can apply to the embodiment where the wild is positioned before the spinning of the reels or after.
- the purchased wild symbol can appear on a random position and then the reels are spun, or the reels can be spun first and then the purchased wild symbol can then appear on a random position. If the displayed symbols already show other wild symbols, this is permitted as the purchased wild is just an additional wild symbol which will allow the player greater excitement.
- FIG. 8 shows an exemplary game output of slot reels after the wild symbol has been positioned but before the reels are spun with the wild symbol in position.
- FIG. 9 shows a sample game result after the wild symbol has been positioned and the reels then spun. Now the game is over, any awards based on the outcome of the game are paid (from an initial wager, such as the initial wager placed in operation 1000 ), and the player can try again.
- an initial wager such as the initial wager placed in operation 1000
- the player can buy other symbols as well, such as scatter symbols (these symbols are known in the art and pay if a predetermined number of these symbols appear regardless of paylines), and any other symbol available on any of the reels.
- scatter symbols these symbols are known in the art and pay if a predetermined number of these symbols appear regardless of paylines
- the player may be able to choose from a plurality of symbols to purchase and their respective prices. For example, the player could be presented with a menu, such as illustrated below in Table IV.
- the player Before the prices are displayed, the player may have to commit to betting max bet or may be required to indicate which paylines he wishes to play and how much he wishes to bet, so that the proper cost for each symbol can be displayed.
- a plurality of tables can be stored in a ROM on the slot machine (or downloaded) which designate the symbol prices for each situation (paylines played, amount bet, etc.)
- the cost of a wild symbol may be twice what the cost would be if the player was betting $1 on all lines.
- the player may be required to place his wager first (and also indicating the paylines), then press a button, and then the player can decide whether to buy a symbol (and the appropriate prices will be displayed), and then the reels can be spun by the player.
- a player can continuously buy and place symbols on the grid before spinning (or buy them and place them after spinning or buy them and allow the slot machine to place them randomly (either before spinning or after spinning)).
- the price for each symbol can change to reflect the changed circumstances. For example, if the player purchases a wild for $10, the cost for buying a second wild may have gone up to $100. If the player is allowed to position the wild symbols himself, then the cost for a wild may typically be higher than if the player is not allowed to position the wild symbols himself but the position is chosen at random. This is because if the player can position the wild himself, the player will of course try to align the wild symbols to win the jackpot (5 wilds). The player may be given a limit of a number of symbols he can select and buy before he must spin the reels (e.g., 10).
- the player can purchase symbols but place them after the reels have already spun, this can involve skill as the player should position the symbol(s) in order to maximize the player's award. For example, if the player purchases a wild symbol, then spins the reels, and then is allowed to place the wild symbol over another symbol after the reels have stopped spinning, the player should employ skill in order to put the wild symbol in the position that will maximize the player's award.
- FIG. 10 illustrates an exemplary flowchart of a method allowing a player to purchase symbols, according to an embodiment.
- the method can start with operation 1000 , which receives an initial wager by a player. This can be done as known in the art.
- “receiving an initial wager” also includes the player indicating his or her intent to place a wager (e.g., indicate that the player wants to bet three coins, however the wager may not be considered technically placed until the reels actually spin).
- the player can also indicate which lines the player wishes to bet on.
- the initial wager can be considered to incorporate all of the bets on all of the lines.
- the method can proceed to operation 1002 , which offers symbols for purchase at respective prices.
- Either one type of symbol e.g., a wild
- multiple types of symbols e.g., wild, seven, etc.
- prices e.g., wild—$100, seven—$20, etc.
- the greater value to the player of the symbol the higher the price would be.
- the method can proceed to operation 1004 , wherein the player decides whether he or she wishes to purchase a symbol or not. If the player does not wish to purchase a symbol, the player can, for example, just hit a ‘spin’ button, which proceeds to operation 1010 , which spins the reels for the initial wager placed and awards any awards for reel combinations after the reels have stopped spinning.
- the method can proceed to operation 1006 , wherein the player picks a symbol he or she wishes to purchase (if there are more than one symbol type available), and pays the purchase price. It is noted that the price might not technically be “paid” until the reels are spun, thus a player may be allowed to experiment with purchasing symbols without being required to pay for them until the reels are actually spun (although in another embodiment, the player would be charged immediately before the reels are spun).
- the purchased symbol can be positioned by the player on one of the positions on the grid (e.g., FIG. 7 shows 15 possible positions for the purchased symbol in a 5 ⁇ 3 reel slot game).
- the purchased reel can be positioned on the grid randomly. The positioning (either of the prior two embodiments in this paragraph) can be done before the reels are spun, or after the spinning.
- the player may be allowed to only purchase one symbol.
- the method then can proceed to operation 1010 , which spins the reels and awards any award(s) based on the first wager.
- the player may be allowed to purchase more than one symbol. If so, then prices of additional symbols may change (or they may not). If they prices do not change, then the method can return to operation 1004 , wherein the player can decide whether to purchase another symbol or not.
- the method can proceed to operation 1008 , which updates a price for symbol(s) available for purchase. For example, a first wild symbol may cost $10, while a second wild symbol may cost $40, and a third wild symbol may cost $100.
- a first wild symbol may cost $10
- a second wild symbol may cost $40
- a third wild symbol may cost $100.
- the game awards the player a jackpot for achieving five wilds, then the cost for the five wilds would have to at least be equal (or preferably greater) than the amount of the jackpot award.
- the method can return to operation 1004 , wherein the player can view the updated price list for symbol(s) and decide whether to purchase another or spin the reels.
- a symbol or symbol combination can exist that awards the player a free wild on the next spin. For example, if a “free wild on next spin” symbol appears when the player spins the reels (or a predetermined combination appears on an active payline) the player wins a free wild symbol for the next spin. This can be used as described in any of the embodiments herein.
- the free wild symbol can appear on a random position or the player can be allowed to position it, and the symbol serves as a wild symbol.
- a promotion can also be offered to a player wherein the player receives a voucher in the mail (or other delivery method) which allows the player a free wild (or other symbol).
- the player can insert the voucher into a ticket receiving apparatus associated with the machine in order to redeem the free wild symbol (which then invokes special software to accommodate the free wild), or the player may be presented with the free wild symbol automatically upon insertion of the player's comp card into a machine.
- a player can choose a customized symbol (such as a wild or any other symbol).
- the player can, for example, choose his lucky numbers or name and input this into the slot machine, upon which the numbers or name will appear on a particular type of symbol. For example, a player can enter his name (“Joe”) upon which all wild symbols (or any other symbol) will have “Joe” on it.
- the slot machine may automatically retrieve a player's first name from the comp card he is using, and this name can automatically appear on a symbol. This can be done by generating a customized bitmap image of the symbol with the user's name added onto it, and this bitmap image can then be pointed to in the slot machine software as a replacement bitmap for the original symbol.
- the player can select a lucky charm that would appear in the symbol. For example, the player can select a rabbits foot, four leaf clover, etc., (the player can select this by pressing icons with these lucky charms), upon which a particular symbol (e.g., the “7”) symbol will now have this lucky charm on it.
- a lucky charm that would appear in the symbol. For example, the player can select a rabbits foot, four leaf clover, etc., (the player can select this by pressing icons with these lucky charms), upon which a particular symbol (e.g., the “7”) symbol will now have this lucky charm on it.
- the player can design their own symbol. For example, they can be presented with a “paint” type program on the slot machine upon which the player can draw their own symbol. This symbol can be stored in the player's slot club account so if the player plays at a later time his custom symbol can still be used.
- the player can create a symbol at home and email it (a jpg image or other format) to a special email account (for example 12345@abccasinoslotclub.com), wherein 12345 is the player's player account number. Upon receiving this email, the system can then use this image file to replace a particular symbol.
- FIG. 11A is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method of implementing custom symbols, according to an embodiment.
- the method can start with operation 1100 , which determines a custom symbol image. This can be done using any of the methods described herein.
- the custom symbol can be assigned a symbol number.
- the method can proceed to operation 1102 , which initiates a spin of the reels on the slot machine. This can be done as known in the art, such as receiving a wager, receiving a button press by the player, etc.
- the method can proceed to operation 1104 , which uses the custom symbol image on the reels.
- the reel map can comprise a list of symbol numbers, each symbol number representing a particular symbol which is then displayed.
- the reel can be initially mapped with a symbol number for a custom symbol.
- a standard reel mapping can be used with a particular symbol number displaying the custom symbol instead of whatever other symbol the particular symbol number would display.
- the custom bitmap (or other way that the image is stored) can be retrieved and displayed.
- FIG. 11B shows a sample game result using a custom symbol, according to an embodiment.
- any of the features described herein can be offered to the player in exchange for an additional (or increased) wager by the player.
- any of the features described herein can be offered to the player as a bonus (with no additional money paid by the player) as a result of a slot machine resulting in a predetermined combination which can trigger the feature. For example, if the player receives five (or any number) of blank (or any other) symbols, the player can then be allowed on the next spin (or next 5 spins, etc.) to receive any of the features herein, such as being allowed to position the two indicators as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 .
- all of the features described herein can also always be offered to the player as part of the game itself with no additional coinage or trigger needed.
- FIG. 12 is a block diagram illustrating hardware that can be used to implement an electronic gaming machine, according to an embodiment.
- a processing unit 1200 is used to perform the methods herein using digital computer technology well known in the art.
- the processing unit 1200 can be connected to an output 1202 unit, which displays the outputs described herein and can be an LCD, touch screen display, CRT, etc.
- the processing unit 1220 can also be connected to an input unit 1204 , which can include buttons, a touch screen used to receive player selections, etc.
- the processing unit 1200 can also be connected to a network unit 1206 , which can connect the electronic gaming machine (or slot machine) to a network host by a casino the slot machine is located in, which can be used to transmit player data, authenticate payouts, etc.
- the processing unit 1200 can also be connected to a ROM 1208 which can also be a CD-ROM, DVD, EPROM, or any type of storage which can be used to store data and assets needed by the processing unit to perform the methods described herein.
- the processing unit 1200 can also be connected to a RAM 1210 which is used to implement a computer program used to drive the electronic gaming machine to perform the methods described herein.
- the processing unit 1212 can be connected to other unit 1212 , which can be any further component(s) known in the art which can be used with the electronic gaming device.
- the other unit 1212 can be a payment unit, which can accept payment from the player (e.g., via cash), and can pay the player (e.g., via coins) when the player wins an award. Coins can be paid directly to the player or a number of coins in an award can be added to the player's current credit meter for later cashout.
- any of the operations described herein can be performed in any order and wagers can be placed/resolved in any order. Any operation described herein can also be optional. Any embodiments herein can also be played in electronic form and programs and/or data for such can be stored on any type of computer readable storage medium (e.g. CD-ROM, DVD, disk, etc.)
Abstract
Description
- This Application claims benefit of provisional application 60/865,185, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. This application also claims benefit of application 60/804,152, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
- This Application is also related to the following applications identified by their application Ser. No.: 11/035,691 (“Slot Machine Game that Allows Player to Purchase Reel Respins”); Ser. No. 11/326,125 (“Slot Machine Bonus Game); Ser. No. 11/337,960 (“Slot Machine with Skill Aspect”); Ser. No. 11/558,405 (“System and Method for Allowing Piggyback Wagering”); Ser. No. 11/609,315 (“System and Method for Allowing Piggyback Wagering”); Ser. No. 11/459,253 (“Slot Machine Bonus Game”); Ser. No. 11/558,564 (“System and Method for Administering a Progressive Jackpot Limited to a Bonus Round”). All seven of these applications are incorporated by reference herein in their entireties for all purposes. Any and all features of any of these applications can be combined with each other and with any feature(s) described herein.
- 1. Field of the Invention
- The present inventive concept relates to a system, method, and computer readable storage, for providing additional features to slot machine games.
- 2. Description of the Related Art
- Slot machine games are a billion dollar industry. The current three or five reel machines have been around for a long time and some players may find current game play monotonous.
- What is needed are additional slot machine features which will generate more excitement for players and/or more revenue as well.
- It is an aspect of the present general inventive concept to provide additional features to slot machine games.
- The above aspects can also be obtained by a method that includes (a) positioning a symbol in a position on a slot grid; (b) placing a wager and spinning reels on the slot machine after the positioning; and paying an award to the player based on the wager and a final combination of the reels, wherein the symbol remains positioned in the position during the spinning.
- The above aspects can also be obtained by a method that includes (a) placing a wager; (b) spinning reels on a slot machine to form a result on a slot grid on the slot machine; (c) positioning a symbol in a position on the slot grid, after the spinning; and (d) paying an award to the player based on the wager and the result modified by the symbol being in the position.
- The above aspects can also be obtained by a method that includes (a) A method to play a slot machine, the method comprising: (b) receiving a first wager; (c) allowing a player to position a first indicator and a second indicator on an output device; (c) spinning reels on the slot machine to a resulting reel combination and awarding a first payout based on the first wager and the resulting reel combination; (d) determining if a first symbol behind the first indicator and a second symbol behind the second indicator form a predetermined winning combination, and if so, then awarding a second payout based on the predetermined winning combination.
- The above aspects can also be obtained by a method that includes (a) selecting a first preferred payline out of at least two paylines; (b) receiving a wager; (c) spinning reels on the slot game to a resulting combination and awarding a payout based on the wager on the resulting combination for all of the at least two paylines; and (d) multiplying any award on the first preferred payline by a first multiplier.
- The above aspects can also be obtained by a method that includes (a) receiving a first wager; (b) selecting a first set of two or more horizontally adjacent symbol positions, a number of the horizontally adjacent symbol positions in the first set being less than a number of reels on the slot game; (c) spinning reels on the slot game to a final reel combination; (d) awarding a first payout based on the final reel combination; and (e) awarding a second payout based on a horizontal combination of symbols inside the first set of two or more horizontally adjacent symbol positions.
- The above aspects can also be obtained by a method that includes (a) allowing a player to select a custom symbol image to be displayed which represents a particular symbol; (b) spinning reels on the slot game to a final reel combination; and (c) displaying the custom symbol image on the reels whenever the custom symbol image appears.
- These together with other aspects and advantages which will be subsequently apparent, reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout.
- Further features and advantages of the present invention, as well as the structure and operation of various embodiments of the present invention, will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of the preferred embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which:
-
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an output of a slot machine game, according to an embodiment; -
FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method of awarding additional payouts, according to an embodiment; -
FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method to select multiplied paylines, according to an embodiment; -
FIG. 4 is a drawing illustrating nine different possible 3 symbol windows, according to an embodiment; -
FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method of awarding additional window payouts, according to an embodiment; -
FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary game result with an active window; -
FIG. 7 illustrates an exemplary game output with a wild symbol for purchase with an associated price; -
FIG. 8 shows an exemplary game output of slot reels after the wild symbol has been positioned but before the reels are spun with the wild symbol in position; -
FIG. 9 shows a sample game result after the wild symbol has been positioned and the reels then spun; -
FIG. 10 illustrates an exemplary flowchart of a method allowing a player to purchase symbols, according to an embodiment; -
FIG. 11A is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method of implementing custom symbols, according to an embodiment; -
FIG. 11B shows a sample game result using a custom symbol, according to an embodiment; and -
FIG. 12 is a block diagram illustrating hardware that can be used to implement an electronic gaming machine, according to an embodiment. - Reference will now be made in detail to the presently preferred embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout.
- Embodiments of the invention relate to slot machine games, where typically a player places a wager, presses a button to spin the reels, the reels each stop at a random position, payouts are determined by comparing all paylines played to a predetermined set of winning combinations, and then the determined payouts, if any, are awarded to the player based on the wager. Additional features can augment the excitement of a player and may also result in increased action for the casino.
- In a first embodiment, a player can move around two separate selectors which can cover any possible position on reels of a slot game. For example a 5×3 slot game has 15 possible positions for symbols to be located after the reels stop spinning. The player can move and place each selector on any two out of these 15 possible positions on the slot game output. After the slot game is played, if two predetermined symbols are “under” the selectors (selected), then the player can win an additional award.
-
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an output of a slot machine game, according to an embodiment. - A player can move around a first selector 100 (or selector A) and a second selector 102 (or selector B). The selectors are movable and can appear in any shape (triangle, circle {as illustrated}, star, etc.) The player can move around the selectors by dragging each one to a desired location using a touch screen or other input device (e.g., mouse, buttons, etc.) The player can move the selectors around to whichever position he or she wishes, although the symbols displayed on the slot output while the selectors are being positioned typically do not have any significance. In
FIG. 1 ,selector A 100 is placed over a “8 ball” symbol, whileselector B 102 is placed over a “bell” symbol. When the slot reels are spun, the selectors stay in their same position, and when the reels come to a stop, each selector will have a reel symbol behind (or “under”) it. In essence, the player is selecting two random positions on the slot grid which he or she thinks will result in two predetermined symbols which can generate an additional award. - For example, if there is a male symbol and a female symbol available on the slot game, and the player moves the selectors to two respective locations, spins the reels, and the male symbol is behind one selector and the female symbol is behind the second selector, then the player wins an additional award. The player need not continue to position the selectors after each spin, as the selectors can remain in their last position unless the player decides to move them.
-
FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method of awarding additional payouts, according to an embodiment. - The method can start with
operation 200, wherein a player positions selector A and selector B. This can be done as described herein, for example, using a touch screen to move the selectors to the positions desired by the player. Typically, the player will not know where to place them and the player will just rely on his or her “hunches.” - From
operation 200, the method can proceed tooperation 202, wherein the player plays the slot game. This can be done as known in the art. For example, the machine can accept a wager, allow the player to press a button and spin the reels, display a result of the reel spin, and award the player any respective award(s) based on a result of the spinning, comparing the symbols falling in active paytables to a paytable to determine award(s). - From
operation 202, the method can proceed tooperation 204, which determines which symbol is behind (or associated with) selector A and which symbol is behind (or associated with) selector B. This can be done by, when the player has positioned the selectors, a number can then be associated with each selector corresponding to which reel position (out of 15 in this example) each selector is associated with. When the reels stop spinning, the symbols in each of these positions can then be identified. Typically, the player will not be allowed to position both selectors on the same position (e.g., the two selectors much cover different symbol positions). Symbol A can be considered the symbol behind selector A, and symbol B can be considered to be the symbol behind selector B. - From
operation 204, the method can proceed tooperation 206, which determines whether symbol A and symbol B form a predetermined winning combination. A paytable of symbols can be used to make this determination. For example, Table I illustrates one exemplary paytable of symbol pairs and their respective awards. -
TABLE I symbol A symbol B award bell seven $5 seven bell $5 male female $100 female male $100 - Typically, it should not matter which selector (A or B) appears over which symbol. In other words, the result should be the same if a male symbol appears behind selector A and a female symbol appears behind selector B, as opposed to a male symbol appearing behind selector B and a female symbol appearing behind selector A.
- In
FIG. 2 , the selectors cover an “8 ball” symbol and a “bell” symbol. If table I were to be used, (assuming the selectors were placed and then this result was generated) this would not be a winning combination. But if the selector covered a “7” symbol instead of the “8 ball” symbol, then the player would have won an additional $5. - If the slot game uses vertical reels, then the game may prevent the player from placing both selectors in a same vertical column. This is because due to the way the symbols on a reel are mapped, some symbols may never (or always) appear in the same column as other symbols. If the slot game uses independently spinning symbols (each of the 15 appearing symbols spins on its own reel), then this restriction may not be necessary since there is no correlation between vertical symbols.
- The player may be required to pay extra (e.g., an additional coin or coins) for the ability to position the selectors and win additional awards. This can be paid during
operation 202, when the wager is collected, or at another time. Alternatively, the ability to position the selectors and win additional awards can be provided to the players for free (of course the overall payout of the main game may have to be reduced in order to pay for the free additional awards). Alternatively, if the player spins the reels and receives a special combination, this may trigger a bonus which then allows the player to position the selectors and win additional awards. The bonus may last for a fixed amount of spins (e.g., 1 to 10 or more). - In a further embodiment of the inventive concept, a player can select one or more lines (or paylines) as “preferred” lines, which can offer the player a special incentive or bonus. A payline is a group of symbols (typically one for each reel on a machine) that is used to form a respective combination, and if the respective combination forms a winning payout then an award is earned. Machines have anywhere from 1 to 60 paylines or more.
- A player can pick a particular line which will result in an increased award. For example, if the player plays 15 lines, the player can select a particular line out of the 15 that the player thinks will have the biggest payout. The selected line can then pay double whatever payout that line would have earned. This can be considered the “golden payline.”
- The player can select the “golden payline” in any manner, such as touching a button on the slot machine, or pressing a virtual button on a touchscreen output device, etc. The player can either pay extra for the privilege to select the golden payline, or the player can select the golden payline for free (the additional award for the golden payline can be factored into the game itself), or the player can earn the ability to select the golden payline for a limited number of spins (e.g., 3 plays of the game, each play either a free bonus for the player or paid for by the player) by hitting a predetermined combination on the slot machine.
- For example, consider a game with a total of 9 possible paylines. The player plays $1 each payline or $9 total. In an embodiment, the player can select one payline out of the nine which will pay double (or any multiple) for free. In another embodiment, the player can select one payline out of the nine which will pay double (or any multiple) upon paying a fee. The player can pay an additional $1 in order for the selected payline to pay double, although in essence this is just allowing the player to bet separate amounts on each payline. In an embodiment, the player can pay an extra $0.50 and have a particular payline pay double as an incentive.
- In a further embodiment, the player can select additional paylines which can also have their respective awards multiplied at different amounts. For example, a player can be offered an opportunity to select: a golden payline (which will multiply any respective award 5 times) a silver payline (which will multiply any respective award 3 times), and a bronze payline (which will multiply any respective award 2 times). The player can either pay extra for the privilege to select these three paylines, or the player can select these three paylines for free, or the player can earn the ability to select these three paylines for a limited number of spins by hitting a predetermined combination on the slot machine.
- An example will now be presented. A player plays a slot machine with 9 lines ($1 each line), and selects the 5× line (“the golden line”) to be line 1, the 3× line (“the silver line”) to be line 4, and the 2× line (the “bronze line”) to line 9. The player then places the wager and achieves the results illustrated in Table II. The first column is the line (or payline) number and the second column is the award amount.
-
TABLE II Line# award 1 0 2 0 3 $2 4 $5 5 0 6 0 7 $10 8 0 9 $1 - If there was no option to select paylines which can multiply their respective award, then the player would win a total of $18. Since the player selected line 1 to be multiplied 5×, this results in a $0 gain. The player selected line 4 to be multiplied 3×, which is $15 or an additional $10 from the original $18. The player selected line 9 to be multiplied 2×, which is $2 or an additional $1 from the original $18. Thus, with the additional gains from the multiplied selected lines, the player is paid a total of $29 on this spin (this does not consider how much the player bet initially).
- Typically, paylines all have equal expected values and thus the player would just play his or her “hunches” to pick which paylines they think will have the greatest award.
-
FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method to select multiplied paylines, according to an embodiment. - The method can start with
operation 300, wherein the player selects a preferred line (or lines). This can be done by the player touching an indicator on an output device representing a line, or pressing buttons on the slot machine, or any other method. - From
operation 300, the method can proceed tooperation 302, which receives a wager from the player. In an embodiment, the player can pay extra in order to be allowed to receive the multiplied paylines (as selected in operation 300), or the multiplied paylines can be offered to the player as a free incentive. Alternatively, the multiplied paylines may only be offered to the player when the player has earned them (e.g., by hitting a predetermined combination on the slot machine which triggers the multiplied paylines as a bonus). The reels are spun randomly and stop in a random position. - From
operation 302, the method can proceed tooperation 304, which pays the appropriate payout to the player which includes any extra amount due to multiplied awards on paylines selected inoperation 300. - When a player has selected the multiplied paylines (in operation 302), they can remain the same for each new spin on the slot machine until the player decides to change them.
- In a further embodiment regarding preferred paylines, a player can wager more on certain paylines which will in turn result in an increased award. For example, payouts on particular lines are multiplied by the amount bet on each line, but no line receives a higher multiplier than another line (in contrast to the prior embodiment where one line may get a multiplier or a higher multiplier than other lines).
- For example, a player can bet two coins an all lines (e.g., 9 lines), and select a golden line in order to bet four coins. Now, any payout on the golden line will pay double what the other lines pay. In other words, the golden line pays 4× the standard payout for one coin, and the other lines pay 2×. The player can indicate other paylines as well to increase his or her bet on.
- In a further embodiment, in addition to the standard paylines on a machine, “windows” can be activated. A window is a group of adjacent symbols (2 or more) in either a horizontal or possibly a vertical (if the symbols on the game spin on their own reel) line. A special paytable can be used for the symbols in the window. Thus, in addition to earning the standard payouts during normal play of a slot game, a player can also earn an additional bonus amount by getting predetermined combinations in the window(s). In one embodiment, the player must pay extra in order to be allowed to earn awards in a window. In another embodiment, the window can be offered to the player for free, or the player can earn the ability to activate one or more windows for a limited number of plays (e.g., 3 plays (spins), either awarded for free to the player as a bonus or the player pays for each play) by hitting a predetermined combination on the slot machine.
-
FIG. 4 is a drawing illustrating nine different possible 3 symbol windows, according to an embodiment. - A
first window configuration 401, a second window configuration 402, athird window configuration 403, afourth window configuration 404, afifth window configuration 405, a sixth window configuration 406, aseventh window configuration 407, aneighth window configuration 408, and aninth window configuration 409 are all shown. A current window configuration which will be applied to a next spin of the slot reels can be selected by the player or chosen at random. - If three predetermined symbols fall inside an active window, then the player wins a payout based on the predetermined symbols using a paytable. In one embodiment, only one window can be active during a spin. In another embodiment, more than one window can be active. In the latter embodiment, a player may be required to pay extra for each active window the player wishes to employ.
-
FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method of awarding additional window payouts, according to an embodiment. - The method can start with
operation 500, which determines window location. The player can indicate where he or she wishes the window to be located, for example by touching a desired location on the reels itself, or by entering a number (or pressing a button) corresponding to the desired window. Alternatively, the window location can be chosen at random. - From
operation 500, the method proceeds tooperation 502, which receives a wager and spins the reels. The active window(s) can be highlighted on the reels so that the player can see where the active window(s) are. - From
operation 502, the method proceeds tooperation 504, which pays an appropriate payout for the wager according to a final result of the reels using the game's standard paylines. The symbols inside any active window(s) are also identified and any winning combinations are also paid to the player according to a paytable. For example, three like symbols can pay an award, and/or a paytable can be used. For example, Table III below illustrates one exemplary window paytable (e.g., for each $1 bet on the window). Thus, for example, if the player bets $2 on a window, and the horizontally adjacent symbols that fall inside the set of horizontally adjacent symbol positions (a window) is 7-7-7, then the player would win $200 for the window. -
TABLE III Combination payout 7—7—7 $100 cherry—cherry-7 $50 bell—bell-7 $10 all others $0 -
FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary game result with an active window. The active window 600 is shown as a negative image. The Player has bet $3 ($1 per line, playing 3 horizontal lines), and the result is that the player wins nothing on the main game (although of course if the player got a winning combination on the main game the player would be paid according to the main game's paytable). The main game's paytable reflects five symbols in a line (e.g., five “present symbols” win $1000, etc.) while the window paytable reflects three symbols (or however many symbols there are in the window). The active window 600 contains the symbols: wild/bell/7, which according to the paytable in Table III pays 10 (the wild substitutes for any symbol such as the bell in this case). Thus, in this example, the player has bet $3 and won $10 (for a net profit of $7). In this case the active window 600 was provided free of charge to the player, although in another embodiment the player can be required to pay extra (e.g., $1) to activate a window (and can optionally be charged an additional $1 for each additional window the player wishes to activate). - Typically, a number of horizontal positions in the window should be less than the number of reels of the game. For example, if a game is a five-reeled slot game, the window size should then be from two to four. Although, in an alternate embodiment, the window size can still be five. Vertical windows can be used as well as horizontal windows, but in order to use a vertical window, typically each symbol in a column should spin independently on its own reel.
- In a further embodiment, a slot machine can allow a player to purchase symbols, such as a wild. For example, the player can purchase a wild symbol (for a displayed amount), and then the wild symbol can appear on a random reel stop on the displayed reels or it can be positioned by the user before (or after) the reels are spun.
- For example, the player can indicate he wishes to bet $1 on all lines (in this example let's say there are 3 lines). The player can then spin the machine as normal (e.g., by pressing a spin button (not pictured) and receive a payout based on the resultant combination or alternatively the player may wish to purchase a wild symbol before spinning the reels. The player can do this by touching a displayed wild symbol (which should also typically display the price).
-
FIG. 7 illustrates an exemplary game output with a wild symbol for purchase with an associated price. - A wild symbol 700 can be purchased for a displayed priced (e.g., $10) by the player. If the player does not wish to purchase the wild symbol, then the player can continue to play the slot game normally.
- The player can now touch the wild symbol and is then charged the price of $10. The player can now position this wild symbol anywhere he wishes to place it on the grid positions (there are 15 of them here). In this example, there are three lines (1,2,3) a top horizontal, a middle horizontal, and a bottom horizontal, although of course any number of lines and/or reels can be used. The player in this example decides to put the wild symbol on the center reel (e.g., by touching the center reel). See the below figure. Now the player is guaranteed to get a wild symbol in the position that the player has put the symbol in, as the wild symbol remains stationary (locked) into place while the reels will spin (when the player spins the reels). This can be accomplished, for example, by spinning the reels as normally but the purchased wild symbol will effectively cover whatever symbol would be “under” the wild symbol had this wild symbol not been purchased. In an alternate embodiment, the player can place the wild symbol after the reels have already been spun (as opposed to placing it before the reels have been spun). In an alternative embodiment, the wild symbol can appear on a random position on the grid (as opposed to allowing the player to position it), and this can apply to the embodiment where the wild is positioned before the spinning of the reels or after. In other words, the purchased wild symbol can appear on a random position and then the reels are spun, or the reels can be spun first and then the purchased wild symbol can then appear on a random position. If the displayed symbols already show other wild symbols, this is permitted as the purchased wild is just an additional wild symbol which will allow the player greater excitement.
-
FIG. 8 shows an exemplary game output of slot reels after the wild symbol has been positioned but before the reels are spun with the wild symbol in position. - After the wild symbol has been positioned, the reels can now be spun and a $3 bet placed ($1 for each of three lines, the player now has a $987 balance). See the below figure. The player has not achieved a winning combination on any of the three lines even with the wild symbol (assume 5 identical symbols are needed to win a payout).
-
FIG. 9 shows a sample game result after the wild symbol has been positioned and the reels then spun. Now the game is over, any awards based on the outcome of the game are paid (from an initial wager, such as the initial wager placed in operation 1000), and the player can try again. - In addition to buying wild symbols, the player can buy other symbols as well, such as scatter symbols (these symbols are known in the art and pay if a predetermined number of these symbols appear regardless of paylines), and any other symbol available on any of the reels.
- Further, instead of being limited to just buying a single type of symbol (e.g., the wild symbol), in a further embodiment the player may be able to choose from a plurality of symbols to purchase and their respective prices. For example, the player could be presented with a menu, such as illustrated below in Table IV.
-
TABLE IV Wild symbol $25 Scatter symbol $50 Bell $10 8 $5 7 $2 - Before the prices are displayed, the player may have to commit to betting max bet or may be required to indicate which paylines he wishes to play and how much he wishes to bet, so that the proper cost for each symbol can be displayed. A plurality of tables can be stored in a ROM on the slot machine (or downloaded) which designate the symbol prices for each situation (paylines played, amount bet, etc.) Thus, for example, if a player is betting $2 on all lines, the cost of a wild symbol may be twice what the cost would be if the player was betting $1 on all lines. The player may be required to place his wager first (and also indicating the paylines), then press a button, and then the player can decide whether to buy a symbol (and the appropriate prices will be displayed), and then the reels can be spun by the player.
- In addition to buying just one symbol, a player can continuously buy and place symbols on the grid before spinning (or buy them and place them after spinning or buy them and allow the slot machine to place them randomly (either before spinning or after spinning)). After each symbol is purchased, the price for each symbol can change to reflect the changed circumstances. For example, if the player purchases a wild for $10, the cost for buying a second wild may have gone up to $100. If the player is allowed to position the wild symbols himself, then the cost for a wild may typically be higher than if the player is not allowed to position the wild symbols himself but the position is chosen at random. This is because if the player can position the wild himself, the player will of course try to align the wild symbols to win the jackpot (5 wilds). The player may be given a limit of a number of symbols he can select and buy before he must spin the reels (e.g., 10).
- In the embodiment wherein the player can purchase symbols but place them after the reels have already spun, this can involve skill as the player should position the symbol(s) in order to maximize the player's award. For example, if the player purchases a wild symbol, then spins the reels, and then is allowed to place the wild symbol over another symbol after the reels have stopped spinning, the player should employ skill in order to put the wild symbol in the position that will maximize the player's award.
-
FIG. 10 illustrates an exemplary flowchart of a method allowing a player to purchase symbols, according to an embodiment. - The method can start with
operation 1000, which receives an initial wager by a player. This can be done as known in the art. In addition, “receiving an initial wager” also includes the player indicating his or her intent to place a wager (e.g., indicate that the player wants to bet three coins, however the wager may not be considered technically placed until the reels actually spin). As known in the art, the player can also indicate which lines the player wishes to bet on. The initial wager can be considered to incorporate all of the bets on all of the lines. - From
operation 1000, the method can proceed tooperation 1002, which offers symbols for purchase at respective prices. Either one type of symbol (e.g., a wild) can be offered, or multiple types of symbols (e.g., wild, seven, etc.) can be offered at same or different prices (e.g., wild—$100, seven—$20, etc.) Typically, the greater value to the player of the symbol, the higher the price would be. - From
operation 1002, the method can proceed tooperation 1004, wherein the player decides whether he or she wishes to purchase a symbol or not. If the player does not wish to purchase a symbol, the player can, for example, just hit a ‘spin’ button, which proceeds tooperation 1010, which spins the reels for the initial wager placed and awards any awards for reel combinations after the reels have stopped spinning. - If in
operation 1004 the player does wish to purchase a symbol, then the method can proceed to operation 1006, wherein the player picks a symbol he or she wishes to purchase (if there are more than one symbol type available), and pays the purchase price. It is noted that the price might not technically be “paid” until the reels are spun, thus a player may be allowed to experiment with purchasing symbols without being required to pay for them until the reels are actually spun (although in another embodiment, the player would be charged immediately before the reels are spun). - After the symbol is purchased, in an embodiment, the purchased symbol can be positioned by the player on one of the positions on the grid (e.g.,
FIG. 7 shows 15 possible positions for the purchased symbol in a 5×3 reel slot game). In another embodiment, the purchased reel can be positioned on the grid randomly. The positioning (either of the prior two embodiments in this paragraph) can be done before the reels are spun, or after the spinning. - In an embodiment, the player may be allowed to only purchase one symbol. In this embodiment, the method then can proceed to
operation 1010, which spins the reels and awards any award(s) based on the first wager. - In another embodiment, the player may be allowed to purchase more than one symbol. If so, then prices of additional symbols may change (or they may not). If they prices do not change, then the method can return to
operation 1004, wherein the player can decide whether to purchase another symbol or not. - If prices of symbols change after the previous symbol was purchased, then the method can proceed to
operation 1008, which updates a price for symbol(s) available for purchase. For example, a first wild symbol may cost $10, while a second wild symbol may cost $40, and a third wild symbol may cost $100. Of course, if the game awards the player a jackpot for achieving five wilds, then the cost for the five wilds would have to at least be equal (or preferably greater) than the amount of the jackpot award. - The method can return to
operation 1004, wherein the player can view the updated price list for symbol(s) and decide whether to purchase another or spin the reels. - In a further embodiment, a symbol or symbol combination can exist that awards the player a free wild on the next spin. For example, if a “free wild on next spin” symbol appears when the player spins the reels (or a predetermined combination appears on an active payline) the player wins a free wild symbol for the next spin. This can be used as described in any of the embodiments herein. For example, the free wild symbol can appear on a random position or the player can be allowed to position it, and the symbol serves as a wild symbol.
- A promotion can also be offered to a player wherein the player receives a voucher in the mail (or other delivery method) which allows the player a free wild (or other symbol). The player can insert the voucher into a ticket receiving apparatus associated with the machine in order to redeem the free wild symbol (which then invokes special software to accommodate the free wild), or the player may be presented with the free wild symbol automatically upon insertion of the player's comp card into a machine.
- In a further embodiment, a player can choose a customized symbol (such as a wild or any other symbol). The player can, for example, choose his lucky numbers or name and input this into the slot machine, upon which the numbers or name will appear on a particular type of symbol. For example, a player can enter his name (“Joe”) upon which all wild symbols (or any other symbol) will have “Joe” on it. Alternatively, the slot machine may automatically retrieve a player's first name from the comp card he is using, and this name can automatically appear on a symbol. This can be done by generating a customized bitmap image of the symbol with the user's name added onto it, and this bitmap image can then be pointed to in the slot machine software as a replacement bitmap for the original symbol. Alternatively, instead of allowing the player to select his lucky numbers or name, the player can select a lucky charm that would appear in the symbol. For example, the player can select a rabbits foot, four leaf clover, etc., (the player can select this by pressing icons with these lucky charms), upon which a particular symbol (e.g., the “7”) symbol will now have this lucky charm on it.
- In a further embodiment, the player can design their own symbol. For example, they can be presented with a “paint” type program on the slot machine upon which the player can draw their own symbol. This symbol can be stored in the player's slot club account so if the player plays at a later time his custom symbol can still be used. The player can create a symbol at home and email it (a jpg image or other format) to a special email account (for example 12345@abccasinoslotclub.com), wherein 12345 is the player's player account number. Upon receiving this email, the system can then use this image file to replace a particular symbol.
-
FIG. 11A is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method of implementing custom symbols, according to an embodiment. - The method can start with operation 1100, which determines a custom symbol image. This can be done using any of the methods described herein. The custom symbol can be assigned a symbol number.
- From operation 1100, the method can proceed to
operation 1102, which initiates a spin of the reels on the slot machine. This can be done as known in the art, such as receiving a wager, receiving a button press by the player, etc. - From
operation 1102, the method can proceed to operation 1104, which uses the custom symbol image on the reels. The reel map can comprise a list of symbol numbers, each symbol number representing a particular symbol which is then displayed. The reel can be initially mapped with a symbol number for a custom symbol. Alternatively, a standard reel mapping can be used with a particular symbol number displaying the custom symbol instead of whatever other symbol the particular symbol number would display. In any case, when the custom symbol is to be displayed, the custom bitmap (or other way that the image is stored) can be retrieved and displayed. -
FIG. 11B shows a sample game result using a custom symbol, according to an embodiment. - This shows the same result as illustrated in
FIG. 9 , but the “present” symbol has been replaced with a custom symbol “Bill” (which can be the player's name). Aside from the custom symbol appearance, the slot game plays the same as described herein and known in the art. - It is noted that any of the features described herein can be offered to the player in exchange for an additional (or increased) wager by the player. Alternatively, any of the features described herein can be offered to the player as a bonus (with no additional money paid by the player) as a result of a slot machine resulting in a predetermined combination which can trigger the feature. For example, if the player receives five (or any number) of blank (or any other) symbols, the player can then be allowed on the next spin (or next 5 spins, etc.) to receive any of the features herein, such as being allowed to position the two indicators as illustrated in
FIGS. 1 and 2 . Alternatively, all of the features described herein can also always be offered to the player as part of the game itself with no additional coinage or trigger needed. -
FIG. 12 is a block diagram illustrating hardware that can be used to implement an electronic gaming machine, according to an embodiment. - A processing unit 1200 is used to perform the methods herein using digital computer technology well known in the art. The processing unit 1200 can be connected to an output 1202 unit, which displays the outputs described herein and can be an LCD, touch screen display, CRT, etc. The processing unit 1220 can also be connected to an
input unit 1204, which can include buttons, a touch screen used to receive player selections, etc. The processing unit 1200 can also be connected to anetwork unit 1206, which can connect the electronic gaming machine (or slot machine) to a network host by a casino the slot machine is located in, which can be used to transmit player data, authenticate payouts, etc. The processing unit 1200 can also be connected to aROM 1208 which can also be a CD-ROM, DVD, EPROM, or any type of storage which can be used to store data and assets needed by the processing unit to perform the methods described herein. The processing unit 1200 can also be connected to aRAM 1210 which is used to implement a computer program used to drive the electronic gaming machine to perform the methods described herein. Theprocessing unit 1212 can be connected toother unit 1212, which can be any further component(s) known in the art which can be used with the electronic gaming device. For example, theother unit 1212 can be a payment unit, which can accept payment from the player (e.g., via cash), and can pay the player (e.g., via coins) when the player wins an award. Coins can be paid directly to the player or a number of coins in an award can be added to the player's current credit meter for later cashout. - Further, the order of any of the operations described herein can be performed in any order and wagers can be placed/resolved in any order. Any operation described herein can also be optional. Any embodiments herein can also be played in electronic form and programs and/or data for such can be stored on any type of computer readable storage medium (e.g. CD-ROM, DVD, disk, etc.)
- The descriptions provided herein also include any hardware and/or software known in the art and needed to implement the operations described herein. All components illustrated herein may also optionally communicate with any other illustrated or described component.
- The many features and advantages of the invention are apparent from the detailed specification and, thus, it is intended by the appended claims to cover all such features and advantages of the invention that fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation illustrated and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.
Claims (41)
Priority Applications (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US11/678,050 US20070287523A1 (en) | 2006-06-07 | 2007-02-22 | Slot Machine Game With Additional Features |
PCT/US2007/070550 WO2007143704A2 (en) | 2006-06-07 | 2007-06-06 | Slot machine game with additional features |
Applications Claiming Priority (3)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US80415206P | 2006-06-07 | 2006-06-07 | |
US86518506P | 2006-11-10 | 2006-11-10 | |
US11/678,050 US20070287523A1 (en) | 2006-06-07 | 2007-02-22 | Slot Machine Game With Additional Features |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
US20070287523A1 true US20070287523A1 (en) | 2007-12-13 |
Family
ID=38802328
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US11/678,050 Abandoned US20070287523A1 (en) | 2006-06-07 | 2007-02-22 | Slot Machine Game With Additional Features |
Country Status (2)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (1) | US20070287523A1 (en) |
WO (1) | WO2007143704A2 (en) |
Cited By (68)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US20080188285A1 (en) * | 2007-02-01 | 2008-08-07 | Video Gaming Technologies, Inc. | Gaming Machine And Method |
US20090098930A1 (en) * | 2007-10-16 | 2009-04-16 | Aruze Corp. | Gaming Machine |
US20090197667A1 (en) * | 2007-11-23 | 2009-08-06 | Aristocrat Technologies Australia Pty Limited | Gaming system and a method of gaming |
US20090227341A1 (en) * | 2008-01-29 | 2009-09-10 | Aristocrat Technologies Australia Pty Limited | Gaming system and method of gaming |
US20090247262A1 (en) * | 2008-03-25 | 2009-10-01 | Aruze Corp. | Slot machine and control method thereof |
US20100029360A1 (en) * | 2008-01-29 | 2010-02-04 | Aristocrat Technologies Australia Pty Limited | Gaming system and a method of gaming |
US20100069138A1 (en) * | 2008-09-15 | 2010-03-18 | Acres-Fiore, Inc. | Player selected identities and lucky symbols |
US20100222127A1 (en) * | 2009-02-24 | 2010-09-02 | Patrick Finch | Gaming system and a method of gaming |
US20100292003A1 (en) * | 2009-05-18 | 2010-11-18 | Bluehole Studio, Inc. | Method, maker, server, system and recording medium for sharing and making game image |
US20110218030A1 (en) * | 2010-03-02 | 2011-09-08 | Acres John F | System for trade-in bonus |
US8043155B2 (en) * | 2004-10-18 | 2011-10-25 | Igt | Gaming device having a plurality of wildcard symbol patterns |
US20110312402A1 (en) * | 2007-07-10 | 2011-12-22 | Universal Entertainment Corporation | Gaming Machine |
US8105151B2 (en) | 2008-07-02 | 2012-01-31 | Igt | Gaming system, gaming device and method for providing cascading symbols with wild features |
US20120122546A1 (en) * | 2010-11-12 | 2012-05-17 | Keith Lange | Gaming, System, Method and Device Including a Symbol Changing or Augmenting Feature |
US8323091B2 (en) | 2010-08-09 | 2012-12-04 | Igt | Gaming system, gaming device, and method for providing a cascading symbol game including shifting different determined symbols |
US8337292B2 (en) | 2006-11-10 | 2012-12-25 | Etasse Limited | Slot machine game with side wager on reel order |
US8357041B1 (en) | 2011-07-21 | 2013-01-22 | Igt | Gaming system and method for providing a multi-dimensional cascading symbols game with player selection of symbols |
US8366538B1 (en) | 2011-07-21 | 2013-02-05 | Igt | Gaming system, gaming device and method for providing a multiple dimension cascading symbols game |
US8371930B1 (en) | 2011-07-21 | 2013-02-12 | Igt | Gaming system, gaming device and method for providing a multiple dimension cascading symbols game with a time element |
US8376829B2 (en) | 2005-01-14 | 2013-02-19 | Etasse Limited | Slot machine game with respin feature which identifies potential wins |
US8414380B2 (en) | 2011-07-21 | 2013-04-09 | Igt | Gaming system, gaming device and method for providing a multiple dimension cascading symbols game with three dimensional symbols |
US8430737B2 (en) | 2011-07-21 | 2013-04-30 | Igt | Gaming system and method providing multi-dimensional symbol wagering game |
US8444473B2 (en) | 2007-11-09 | 2013-05-21 | Igt | Gaming system, gaming device, and gaming method for shifting symbols from a staging area to a symbol matrix |
US8485901B2 (en) | 2011-07-21 | 2013-07-16 | Igt | Gaming system and method for providing a multi-dimensional symbol wagering game with rotating symbols |
US8512138B2 (en) | 2012-01-19 | 2013-08-20 | Igt | Gaming system, gaming device, and method for providing a cascading symbols game which reuses discarded symbols |
US8540565B2 (en) * | 2012-01-23 | 2013-09-24 | Novomatic Ag | Gaming machine including moving wild symbols |
WO2013149282A1 (en) * | 2012-04-05 | 2013-10-10 | Nextgen Gaming Pty Ltd | A gaming system and method of gaming |
US8574059B2 (en) | 2008-11-14 | 2013-11-05 | Igt | Gaming system and method for providing a cascading symbol game including a plurality of independent reels which provide a stacked symbol functionality |
US8608545B2 (en) | 2011-12-06 | 2013-12-17 | Igt | Gaming system, gaming device, and method providing a game including a cascading symbols feature causing one or more repositioned symbols to be wild symbols |
US20140018149A1 (en) * | 2012-04-27 | 2014-01-16 | Electronic Arts Inc. | Integrated card and slot machine mechanic |
US20140031101A1 (en) * | 2012-07-26 | 2014-01-30 | Wms Gaming Inc. | Wagering game with dynamic bonus triggers |
US8662986B2 (en) | 2008-11-13 | 2014-03-04 | Igt | Gaming system, gaming device, and method for providing a cascading symbols game having magnetic symbols and target symbols |
US8690664B2 (en) | 2006-09-25 | 2014-04-08 | Etasse Limited | Slot machine game with additional award indicator |
US8702493B2 (en) | 2007-11-09 | 2014-04-22 | Etasse Limited | Slot machine game with award based on another machine |
US8747199B1 (en) * | 2010-03-09 | 2014-06-10 | Humana Inc. | System and method of measuring physical activity to progress in game |
US8790169B2 (en) | 2008-07-23 | 2014-07-29 | Igt | Gaming system, gaming device, and method for providing a cascading symbols game with wild symbols usable for a designated quantity of symbol generations |
GB2511335A (en) * | 2013-02-28 | 2014-09-03 | Weike S Pte Ltd | A Gaming Machine and A Method of Generating A Focus Area |
US8870642B2 (en) | 2013-03-14 | 2014-10-28 | Igt | Gaming system and method providing a multiplay slot game including a cascading symbols feature in which symbols are removed from corresponding symbol display areas of different sets of symbol display areas |
US8882578B2 (en) | 2012-01-19 | 2014-11-11 | Igt | Gaming system, gaming device, and method for providing a cascading symbols game which reuses discarded symbols |
US9005022B2 (en) | 2012-01-19 | 2015-04-14 | Igt | Gaming system, gaming device, and method for providing a cascading symbols game which builds layers of multiple dimension symbols |
US20150161850A1 (en) * | 2011-12-04 | 2015-06-11 | Epic Tech, Llc | Gaming system and method |
US9165433B2 (en) | 2009-11-10 | 2015-10-20 | Igt | Gaming system, gaming device, and method for providing a cascading symbol game including shifting symbols according to directional indicators |
US9165419B2 (en) | 2006-10-23 | 2015-10-20 | Etasse Limited | Slot machine bonus game providing awards for manual dexterity |
US20160314644A1 (en) * | 2015-04-22 | 2016-10-27 | Ainsworth Game Technology Limited | Electronic Gaming Machine and Gaming Method |
US9520031B2 (en) | 2008-07-07 | 2016-12-13 | Etasse Limited | Slot machine game with symbol lock-in |
US9542798B2 (en) | 2010-02-25 | 2017-01-10 | Patent Investment & Licensing Company | Personal electronic device for gaming and bonus system |
US9589423B2 (en) | 2012-06-12 | 2017-03-07 | Epic Tech, Llc | Method and system for pre-revealed electronic sweepstakes |
US9919222B1 (en) | 2013-04-11 | 2018-03-20 | Kabam, Inc. | Providing leaderboard based upon in-game events |
US9928688B1 (en) | 2013-09-16 | 2018-03-27 | Aftershock Services, Inc. | System and method for providing a currency multiplier item in an online game with a value based on a user's assets |
US9931570B1 (en) | 2014-06-30 | 2018-04-03 | Aftershock Services, Inc. | Double or nothing virtual containers |
US9968855B1 (en) | 2014-06-30 | 2018-05-15 | Kabam, Inc. | System and method for providing virtual items to users of a virtual space |
US9975050B1 (en) | 2014-05-15 | 2018-05-22 | Kabam, Inc. | System and method for providing awards to players of a game |
US9978221B2 (en) | 2013-03-22 | 2018-05-22 | Igt | Gaming system and method for providing a multiple dimension symbol game with expanding wild symbols |
US10080972B1 (en) | 2014-05-20 | 2018-09-25 | Kabam, Inc. | Mystery boxes that adjust due to past spending behavior |
US10115267B1 (en) | 2014-06-30 | 2018-10-30 | Electronics Arts Inc. | Method and system for facilitating chance-based payment for items in a game |
JP2018175855A (en) * | 2017-04-04 | 2018-11-15 | コナミゲーミング インコーポレーテッド | Gaming machine, control method for machine, and program for gaming machine |
US20180330575A1 (en) * | 2013-06-25 | 2018-11-15 | Epic Tech, Llc | Replacement symbol skill-based redemption game |
US10188951B2 (en) | 2014-06-19 | 2019-01-29 | Kabam, Inc. | System and method for providing a quest from a probability item bundle in an online game |
US10201758B2 (en) | 2014-01-24 | 2019-02-12 | Electronic Arts Inc. | Customized change-based items |
US10226707B1 (en) | 2014-04-29 | 2019-03-12 | Electronic Arts Inc. | System and method for granting in-game bonuses to a user |
US10252168B1 (en) | 2012-11-06 | 2019-04-09 | Electronic Arts Inc. | System and method for granting in-game bonuses to a user |
US10307666B2 (en) | 2014-06-05 | 2019-06-04 | Kabam, Inc. | System and method for rotating drop rates in a mystery box |
US10384134B1 (en) | 2012-12-04 | 2019-08-20 | Kabam, Inc. | Incentivized task completion using chance-based awards |
US10482713B1 (en) * | 2013-12-31 | 2019-11-19 | Kabam, Inc. | System and method for facilitating a secondary game |
US10607448B2 (en) | 2012-09-27 | 2020-03-31 | Igt | Gaming system and method for providing a cascading multiple sided symbol game |
US11058954B1 (en) | 2013-10-01 | 2021-07-13 | Electronic Arts Inc. | System and method for implementing a secondary game within an online game |
US11205317B2 (en) | 2017-04-04 | 2021-12-21 | Konami Gaming, Inc. | Gaming machine, control method for machine, and program for gaming machine |
US20220309871A1 (en) * | 2021-03-24 | 2022-09-29 | Aristocrat Technologies, Inc. | Gaming device witih mobile win selector |
Families Citing this family (1)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
AU2007237307A1 (en) | 2007-01-09 | 2008-07-24 | Aristocrat Technologies Australia Pty Limited | A gaming system and a method of gaming |
Citations (5)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US5833537A (en) * | 1996-09-30 | 1998-11-10 | Forever Endeavor Software, Inc. | Gaming apparatus and method with persistence effect |
US20040092300A1 (en) * | 2002-11-08 | 2004-05-13 | Michael Gauselmann | Gaming machine displaying special games with accumulated special symbols |
US6855054B2 (en) * | 2001-11-09 | 2005-02-15 | Igt | Gaming methods and apparatus using interchangeable symbols |
US20050266916A1 (en) * | 2004-04-08 | 2005-12-01 | Kazunobu Sato | Gaming machine |
US7371173B2 (en) * | 2006-01-11 | 2008-05-13 | Cyberview Technology, Inc. | Multi-line video slot chip-based gaming |
-
2007
- 2007-02-22 US US11/678,050 patent/US20070287523A1/en not_active Abandoned
- 2007-06-06 WO PCT/US2007/070550 patent/WO2007143704A2/en active Application Filing
Patent Citations (5)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US5833537A (en) * | 1996-09-30 | 1998-11-10 | Forever Endeavor Software, Inc. | Gaming apparatus and method with persistence effect |
US6855054B2 (en) * | 2001-11-09 | 2005-02-15 | Igt | Gaming methods and apparatus using interchangeable symbols |
US20040092300A1 (en) * | 2002-11-08 | 2004-05-13 | Michael Gauselmann | Gaming machine displaying special games with accumulated special symbols |
US20050266916A1 (en) * | 2004-04-08 | 2005-12-01 | Kazunobu Sato | Gaming machine |
US7371173B2 (en) * | 2006-01-11 | 2008-05-13 | Cyberview Technology, Inc. | Multi-line video slot chip-based gaming |
Cited By (136)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US8043155B2 (en) * | 2004-10-18 | 2011-10-25 | Igt | Gaming device having a plurality of wildcard symbol patterns |
US8419524B2 (en) | 2004-10-18 | 2013-04-16 | Igt | Gaming device having a plurality of wildcard symbol patterns |
US8727866B2 (en) | 2004-10-18 | 2014-05-20 | Igt | Gaming device having a plurality of wildcard symbol patterns |
US8376829B2 (en) | 2005-01-14 | 2013-02-19 | Etasse Limited | Slot machine game with respin feature which identifies potential wins |
US8690664B2 (en) | 2006-09-25 | 2014-04-08 | Etasse Limited | Slot machine game with additional award indicator |
US9165419B2 (en) | 2006-10-23 | 2015-10-20 | Etasse Limited | Slot machine bonus game providing awards for manual dexterity |
US8337292B2 (en) | 2006-11-10 | 2012-12-25 | Etasse Limited | Slot machine game with side wager on reel order |
US20080188285A1 (en) * | 2007-02-01 | 2008-08-07 | Video Gaming Technologies, Inc. | Gaming Machine And Method |
US8096871B2 (en) | 2007-02-01 | 2012-01-17 | Video Gaming Technologies, Inc. | Gaming machine and method |
US8342952B2 (en) * | 2007-07-10 | 2013-01-01 | Universal Entertainment Corporation | Gaming machine |
US20110312402A1 (en) * | 2007-07-10 | 2011-12-22 | Universal Entertainment Corporation | Gaming Machine |
US8777721B2 (en) * | 2007-10-16 | 2014-07-15 | Universal Entertainment Corporation | Slot machine using marker that adds bonus trigger functionality to reel symbols |
US20090098930A1 (en) * | 2007-10-16 | 2009-04-16 | Aruze Corp. | Gaming Machine |
US8702493B2 (en) | 2007-11-09 | 2014-04-22 | Etasse Limited | Slot machine game with award based on another machine |
US9747744B2 (en) | 2007-11-09 | 2017-08-29 | Igt | Gaming system, gaming device, and gaming method for shifting symbols from a staging area to a symbol matrix |
US8444473B2 (en) | 2007-11-09 | 2013-05-21 | Igt | Gaming system, gaming device, and gaming method for shifting symbols from a staging area to a symbol matrix |
US9202339B2 (en) | 2007-11-09 | 2015-12-01 | Igt | Gaming system, gaming device, and gaming method for shifting symbols from a staging area to a symbol matrix |
US9342961B2 (en) * | 2007-11-23 | 2016-05-17 | Aristocrat Technologies Australia Pty Limited | Gaming system and a method of gaming |
US9633515B2 (en) * | 2007-11-23 | 2017-04-25 | Aristocrat Technologies Australia Pty Limited | Gaming system and a method of gaming |
US20090197667A1 (en) * | 2007-11-23 | 2009-08-06 | Aristocrat Technologies Australia Pty Limited | Gaming system and a method of gaming |
US20100029360A1 (en) * | 2008-01-29 | 2010-02-04 | Aristocrat Technologies Australia Pty Limited | Gaming system and a method of gaming |
US20090227341A1 (en) * | 2008-01-29 | 2009-09-10 | Aristocrat Technologies Australia Pty Limited | Gaming system and method of gaming |
US20090247262A1 (en) * | 2008-03-25 | 2009-10-01 | Aruze Corp. | Slot machine and control method thereof |
US8851974B2 (en) | 2008-07-02 | 2014-10-07 | Igt | Gaming system, gaming device and method for providing cascading symbols with wild features |
US8496522B2 (en) | 2008-07-02 | 2013-07-30 | Igt | Gaming system, gaming device and method for providing cascading symbols with wild features |
US8105151B2 (en) | 2008-07-02 | 2012-01-31 | Igt | Gaming system, gaming device and method for providing cascading symbols with wild features |
US9520031B2 (en) | 2008-07-07 | 2016-12-13 | Etasse Limited | Slot machine game with symbol lock-in |
US8790169B2 (en) | 2008-07-23 | 2014-07-29 | Igt | Gaming system, gaming device, and method for providing a cascading symbols game with wild symbols usable for a designated quantity of symbol generations |
USD961616S1 (en) | 2008-07-23 | 2022-08-23 | Igt | Display screen with animated user interface |
US20100069138A1 (en) * | 2008-09-15 | 2010-03-18 | Acres-Fiore, Inc. | Player selected identities and lucky symbols |
US8662986B2 (en) | 2008-11-13 | 2014-03-04 | Igt | Gaming system, gaming device, and method for providing a cascading symbols game having magnetic symbols and target symbols |
US9262895B2 (en) | 2008-11-13 | 2016-02-16 | Igt | Gaming system, gaming device, and method for providing a cascading symbols game having magnetic symbols and target symbols |
US9805542B2 (en) | 2008-11-13 | 2017-10-31 | Igt | Gaming system, gaming device, and method for providing a cascading symbols game having magnetic symbols and target symbols |
US10217315B2 (en) | 2008-11-13 | 2019-02-26 | Igt | Gaming system, gaming device, and method for providing a cascading symbols game having magnetic symbols and target symbols |
US8574059B2 (en) | 2008-11-14 | 2013-11-05 | Igt | Gaming system and method for providing a cascading symbol game including a plurality of independent reels which provide a stacked symbol functionality |
US9437084B2 (en) | 2008-11-14 | 2016-09-06 | Igt | Gaming system and method for providing a cascading symbol game including a plurality of independent reels which provide a stacked symbol functionality |
US20100222127A1 (en) * | 2009-02-24 | 2010-09-02 | Patrick Finch | Gaming system and a method of gaming |
AU2012244343B2 (en) * | 2009-02-24 | 2015-03-12 | Aristocrat Technologies Australia Pty Limited | A gaming system and a method of gaming |
AU2010200688B2 (en) * | 2009-02-24 | 2012-08-09 | Aristocrat Technologies Australia Pty Limited | A gaming system and a method of gaming |
US20100292003A1 (en) * | 2009-05-18 | 2010-11-18 | Bluehole Studio, Inc. | Method, maker, server, system and recording medium for sharing and making game image |
US9165433B2 (en) | 2009-11-10 | 2015-10-20 | Igt | Gaming system, gaming device, and method for providing a cascading symbol game including shifting symbols according to directional indicators |
US10102709B2 (en) | 2009-11-10 | 2018-10-16 | Igt | Gaming system, gaming device, and method for providing a cascading symbol game including shifting symbols according to directional indicators |
US11069180B2 (en) | 2010-02-25 | 2021-07-20 | Acres Technology | Personal electronic device for gaming and bonus system |
US9542798B2 (en) | 2010-02-25 | 2017-01-10 | Patent Investment & Licensing Company | Personal electronic device for gaming and bonus system |
US11704963B2 (en) | 2010-02-25 | 2023-07-18 | Acres Technology | Personal electronic device for gaming and bonus system |
US10529171B2 (en) | 2010-02-25 | 2020-01-07 | Patent Investment & Licensing Company | Personal electronic device for gaming and bonus system |
US20110218030A1 (en) * | 2010-03-02 | 2011-09-08 | Acres John F | System for trade-in bonus |
US9286761B2 (en) | 2010-03-02 | 2016-03-15 | Patent Investment & Licensing Company | System for trade-in bonus |
US10388114B2 (en) | 2010-03-02 | 2019-08-20 | Patent Investment & Licensing Company | System for trade-in bonus |
US10650640B2 (en) | 2010-03-02 | 2020-05-12 | Acres Technology | System for trade-in bonus |
US9922499B2 (en) | 2010-03-02 | 2018-03-20 | Patent Investment & Licensing Company | System for trade-in bonus |
US9524612B2 (en) | 2010-03-02 | 2016-12-20 | Patent Investment & Licensing Company | System for trade-in bonus |
US9767653B2 (en) | 2010-03-02 | 2017-09-19 | Patent Investment & Licensing Company | System for trade-in bonus |
US10937276B2 (en) | 2010-03-02 | 2021-03-02 | Acres Technology | System for trade-in bonus |
US11645891B2 (en) | 2010-03-02 | 2023-05-09 | Acres Technology | System for trade-in bonus |
US8747199B1 (en) * | 2010-03-09 | 2014-06-10 | Humana Inc. | System and method of measuring physical activity to progress in game |
US8998702B2 (en) | 2010-08-09 | 2015-04-07 | Igt | Gaming system, gaming device, and method for providing a game with additional win opportunities |
US8323091B2 (en) | 2010-08-09 | 2012-12-04 | Igt | Gaming system, gaming device, and method for providing a cascading symbol game including shifting different determined symbols |
US20140194184A1 (en) * | 2010-11-12 | 2014-07-10 | Bally Gaming, Inc. | Gaming, System, Method and Device Including a Symbol Changing or Augmenting Feature |
US9240104B2 (en) * | 2010-11-12 | 2016-01-19 | Bally Gaming, Inc. | Gaming, system, method and device including a symbol changing or augmenting feature |
US9600958B2 (en) | 2010-11-12 | 2017-03-21 | Bally Gaming, Inc. | Gaming, system, method and device including a symbol changing or augmenting feature |
US9892594B2 (en) | 2010-11-12 | 2018-02-13 | Bally Gaming, Inc. | Gaming, system, method and device including a symbol changing or augmenting feature |
US20120122546A1 (en) * | 2010-11-12 | 2012-05-17 | Keith Lange | Gaming, System, Method and Device Including a Symbol Changing or Augmenting Feature |
US8366538B1 (en) | 2011-07-21 | 2013-02-05 | Igt | Gaming system, gaming device and method for providing a multiple dimension cascading symbols game |
US8485901B2 (en) | 2011-07-21 | 2013-07-16 | Igt | Gaming system and method for providing a multi-dimensional symbol wagering game with rotating symbols |
US9245421B2 (en) | 2011-07-21 | 2016-01-26 | Igt | Gaming system and method for providing a multiple dimension cascading symbols game |
US9230410B2 (en) | 2011-07-21 | 2016-01-05 | Igt | Gaming system and method for providing a multiple dimension cascading symbols game |
US8357041B1 (en) | 2011-07-21 | 2013-01-22 | Igt | Gaming system and method for providing a multi-dimensional cascading symbols game with player selection of symbols |
US8371930B1 (en) | 2011-07-21 | 2013-02-12 | Igt | Gaming system, gaming device and method for providing a multiple dimension cascading symbols game with a time element |
US9552688B2 (en) | 2011-07-21 | 2017-01-24 | Igt | Gaming system and method for providing a multiple dimension cascading symbols game |
US8690660B2 (en) | 2011-07-21 | 2014-04-08 | Igt | Gaming system and method for providing a multiple dimension cascading symbols game |
US9257017B2 (en) | 2011-07-21 | 2016-02-09 | Igt | Gaming system and method for providing a multiple dimension cascading symbols game |
US8414380B2 (en) | 2011-07-21 | 2013-04-09 | Igt | Gaming system, gaming device and method for providing a multiple dimension cascading symbols game with three dimensional symbols |
US8430737B2 (en) | 2011-07-21 | 2013-04-30 | Igt | Gaming system and method providing multi-dimensional symbol wagering game |
US20150161850A1 (en) * | 2011-12-04 | 2015-06-11 | Epic Tech, Llc | Gaming system and method |
US8608545B2 (en) | 2011-12-06 | 2013-12-17 | Igt | Gaming system, gaming device, and method providing a game including a cascading symbols feature causing one or more repositioned symbols to be wild symbols |
US8512138B2 (en) | 2012-01-19 | 2013-08-20 | Igt | Gaming system, gaming device, and method for providing a cascading symbols game which reuses discarded symbols |
US9786116B2 (en) | 2012-01-19 | 2017-10-10 | Igt | Gaming system and method for providing a symbol game |
US8882578B2 (en) | 2012-01-19 | 2014-11-11 | Igt | Gaming system, gaming device, and method for providing a cascading symbols game which reuses discarded symbols |
US9005022B2 (en) | 2012-01-19 | 2015-04-14 | Igt | Gaming system, gaming device, and method for providing a cascading symbols game which builds layers of multiple dimension symbols |
US8540565B2 (en) * | 2012-01-23 | 2013-09-24 | Novomatic Ag | Gaming machine including moving wild symbols |
WO2013149282A1 (en) * | 2012-04-05 | 2013-10-10 | Nextgen Gaming Pty Ltd | A gaming system and method of gaming |
US20140018149A1 (en) * | 2012-04-27 | 2014-01-16 | Electronic Arts Inc. | Integrated card and slot machine mechanic |
US9011234B2 (en) * | 2012-04-27 | 2015-04-21 | Electronic Arts Inc. | Integrated card and slot machine mechanic |
US9589423B2 (en) | 2012-06-12 | 2017-03-07 | Epic Tech, Llc | Method and system for pre-revealed electronic sweepstakes |
US20140031101A1 (en) * | 2012-07-26 | 2014-01-30 | Wms Gaming Inc. | Wagering game with dynamic bonus triggers |
US9767650B2 (en) | 2012-07-26 | 2017-09-19 | Bally Gaming, Inc. | Wagering game with dynamic bonus triggers |
US9183704B2 (en) * | 2012-07-26 | 2015-11-10 | Bally Gaming, Inc. | Wagering game with dynamic bonus triggers |
US10607448B2 (en) | 2012-09-27 | 2020-03-31 | Igt | Gaming system and method for providing a cascading multiple sided symbol game |
US10252168B1 (en) | 2012-11-06 | 2019-04-09 | Electronic Arts Inc. | System and method for granting in-game bonuses to a user |
US11594102B2 (en) | 2012-12-04 | 2023-02-28 | Kabam, Inc. | Incentivized task completion using chance-based awards |
US10384134B1 (en) | 2012-12-04 | 2019-08-20 | Kabam, Inc. | Incentivized task completion using chance-based awards |
US10937273B2 (en) | 2012-12-04 | 2021-03-02 | Kabam, Inc. | Incentivized task completion using chance-based awards |
US11948431B2 (en) | 2012-12-04 | 2024-04-02 | Kabam, Inc. | Incentivized task completion using chance-based awards |
GB2511335A (en) * | 2013-02-28 | 2014-09-03 | Weike S Pte Ltd | A Gaming Machine and A Method of Generating A Focus Area |
US8870642B2 (en) | 2013-03-14 | 2014-10-28 | Igt | Gaming system and method providing a multiplay slot game including a cascading symbols feature in which symbols are removed from corresponding symbol display areas of different sets of symbol display areas |
US9978221B2 (en) | 2013-03-22 | 2018-05-22 | Igt | Gaming system and method for providing a multiple dimension symbol game with expanding wild symbols |
US9919222B1 (en) | 2013-04-11 | 2018-03-20 | Kabam, Inc. | Providing leaderboard based upon in-game events |
US10252169B2 (en) | 2013-04-11 | 2019-04-09 | Kabam, Inc. | Providing leaderboard based upon in-game events |
US20180330575A1 (en) * | 2013-06-25 | 2018-11-15 | Epic Tech, Llc | Replacement symbol skill-based redemption game |
US20190333342A1 (en) * | 2013-06-25 | 2019-10-31 | Epic Tech, Llc | Replacement Symbol Skill-Based Redemption Game |
US9928688B1 (en) | 2013-09-16 | 2018-03-27 | Aftershock Services, Inc. | System and method for providing a currency multiplier item in an online game with a value based on a user's assets |
US11058954B1 (en) | 2013-10-01 | 2021-07-13 | Electronic Arts Inc. | System and method for implementing a secondary game within an online game |
US10878663B2 (en) | 2013-12-31 | 2020-12-29 | Kabam, Inc. | System and method for facilitating a secondary game |
US10482713B1 (en) * | 2013-12-31 | 2019-11-19 | Kabam, Inc. | System and method for facilitating a secondary game |
US11657679B2 (en) | 2013-12-31 | 2023-05-23 | Kabam, Inc. | System and method for facilitating a secondary game |
US11270555B2 (en) | 2013-12-31 | 2022-03-08 | Kabam, Inc. | System and method for facilitating a secondary game |
US10201758B2 (en) | 2014-01-24 | 2019-02-12 | Electronic Arts Inc. | Customized change-based items |
US10226707B1 (en) | 2014-04-29 | 2019-03-12 | Electronic Arts Inc. | System and method for granting in-game bonuses to a user |
US10456689B2 (en) | 2014-05-15 | 2019-10-29 | Kabam, Inc. | System and method for providing awards to players of a game |
US9975050B1 (en) | 2014-05-15 | 2018-05-22 | Kabam, Inc. | System and method for providing awards to players of a game |
US10080972B1 (en) | 2014-05-20 | 2018-09-25 | Kabam, Inc. | Mystery boxes that adjust due to past spending behavior |
US11596862B2 (en) | 2014-06-05 | 2023-03-07 | Kabam, Inc. | System and method for rotating drop rates in a mystery box |
US11794103B2 (en) | 2014-06-05 | 2023-10-24 | Kabam, Inc. | System and method for rotating drop rates in a mystery box |
US10307666B2 (en) | 2014-06-05 | 2019-06-04 | Kabam, Inc. | System and method for rotating drop rates in a mystery box |
US10987581B2 (en) | 2014-06-05 | 2021-04-27 | Kabam, Inc. | System and method for rotating drop rates in a mystery box |
US11484799B2 (en) | 2014-06-19 | 2022-11-01 | Kabam, Inc. | System and method for providing a quest from a probability item bundle in an online game |
US10799799B2 (en) | 2014-06-19 | 2020-10-13 | Kabam, Inc. | System and method for providing a quest from a probability item bundle in an online game |
US10188951B2 (en) | 2014-06-19 | 2019-01-29 | Kabam, Inc. | System and method for providing a quest from a probability item bundle in an online game |
US10279271B2 (en) | 2014-06-30 | 2019-05-07 | Kabam, Inc. | System and method for providing virtual items to users of a virtual space |
US10828574B2 (en) | 2014-06-30 | 2020-11-10 | Kabam, Inc. | System and method for providing virtual items to users of a virtual space |
US11241629B2 (en) | 2014-06-30 | 2022-02-08 | Kabam, Inc. | System and method for providing virtual items to users of a virtual space |
US9968855B1 (en) | 2014-06-30 | 2018-05-15 | Kabam, Inc. | System and method for providing virtual items to users of a virtual space |
US9931570B1 (en) | 2014-06-30 | 2018-04-03 | Aftershock Services, Inc. | Double or nothing virtual containers |
US11944910B2 (en) | 2014-06-30 | 2024-04-02 | Kabam, Inc. | System and method for providing virtual items to users of a virtual space |
US10115267B1 (en) | 2014-06-30 | 2018-10-30 | Electronics Arts Inc. | Method and system for facilitating chance-based payment for items in a game |
US11697070B2 (en) | 2014-06-30 | 2023-07-11 | Kabam, Inc. | System and method for providing virtual items to users of a virtual space |
US20160314644A1 (en) * | 2015-04-22 | 2016-10-27 | Ainsworth Game Technology Limited | Electronic Gaming Machine and Gaming Method |
US11688230B2 (en) | 2017-04-04 | 2023-06-27 | Konami Gaming, Inc. | Gaming machine, control method for machine, and program for gaming machine |
JP2019010499A (en) * | 2017-04-04 | 2019-01-24 | コナミゲーミング インコーポレーテッド | Gaming machine, control method for machine, and program for gaming machine |
JP2018175855A (en) * | 2017-04-04 | 2018-11-15 | コナミゲーミング インコーポレーテッド | Gaming machine, control method for machine, and program for gaming machine |
US11205317B2 (en) | 2017-04-04 | 2021-12-21 | Konami Gaming, Inc. | Gaming machine, control method for machine, and program for gaming machine |
US11900757B2 (en) | 2017-04-04 | 2024-02-13 | Konami Gaming, Inc. | Gaming machine, control method for machine, and program for gaming machine |
US11043064B2 (en) | 2017-04-04 | 2021-06-22 | Konami Gaming, Inc. | Gaming machine, control method for machine, and program for gaming machine |
US11922768B2 (en) * | 2021-03-24 | 2024-03-05 | Aristocrat Technologies, Inc. | Gaming device with mobile win selector |
US20220309871A1 (en) * | 2021-03-24 | 2022-09-29 | Aristocrat Technologies, Inc. | Gaming device witih mobile win selector |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
WO2007143704A3 (en) | 2009-05-28 |
WO2007143704A2 (en) | 2007-12-13 |
Similar Documents
Publication | Publication Date | Title |
---|---|---|
US20070287523A1 (en) | Slot Machine Game With Additional Features | |
US9697689B2 (en) | Gaming machine | |
US6648758B2 (en) | Gaming machine with player choice bonus games | |
US8025564B2 (en) | Dual-usage bonus point method for gaming machines | |
US8690664B2 (en) | Slot machine game with additional award indicator | |
US7794320B2 (en) | Gaming device having a plurality of symbol generators and accumulation game with multiple independent terminating conditions | |
US8376829B2 (en) | Slot machine game with respin feature which identifies potential wins | |
US7731582B2 (en) | Gaming device having an offer and acceptance game with multiple offers | |
US7740245B2 (en) | Method of presenting and playing game where winning hand triggers enhanced award opportunity in subsequent game | |
US9159198B2 (en) | Method and system for providing electronic multiplayer tournaments with real-money prizes during tournament play | |
US6997806B2 (en) | System and method for playing a multiple-row matching game with a bonus feature | |
US9536380B2 (en) | System and method for facilitating trades for bonus activity in gaming systems | |
US20080102921A1 (en) | Wagering game with a guaranteed win feature | |
US20020155873A1 (en) | System and method for executing trades for bonus activity in gaming systems | |
US20110151957A1 (en) | Gaming machine and game having symbol collection and win-improving purchase features | |
US20050288093A1 (en) | Gaming machine having a selection feature to yield a randomly-applied multiplier | |
US20120238343A1 (en) | Electronic Roulette Game with Multiple Wheels | |
US20140045587A1 (en) | Wagering games, systems, and methods with limited play high frequency outcome associated jackpots | |
US8758112B2 (en) | Gaming system and a method of gaming | |
AU2007234608A1 (en) | Refund Game | |
AU771798B2 (en) | Gaming machine with player choice bonus games | |
US20070287522A1 (en) | Gaming Machine | |
US20200111315A1 (en) | Slot machine system with banking feature | |
US20150235509A1 (en) | Slot Game with Credit Redistribution | |
WO2016099837A1 (en) | Slot game with credit redistribution |
Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
AS | Assignment |
Owner name: ID INTERACTIVE LLC, FLORIDA Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:ESSES, BARBARA;HEYMANN, JORGE;GOLDSTEIN, JON;REEL/FRAME:019410/0762;SIGNING DATES FROM 20070524 TO 20070604 |
|
AS | Assignment |
Owner name: AFFORDABLE LEASING, LLC, FLORIDA Free format text: SECURITY AGREEMENT;ASSIGNOR:ID INTERACTIVE, LLC;REEL/FRAME:022354/0011 Effective date: 20090102 Owner name: AFFORDABLE LEASING, LLC,FLORIDA Free format text: SECURITY AGREEMENT;ASSIGNOR:ID INTERACTIVE, LLC;REEL/FRAME:022354/0011 Effective date: 20090102 |
|
STCB | Information on status: application discontinuation |
Free format text: ABANDONED -- FAILURE TO RESPOND TO AN OFFICE ACTION |