U.S. patent application number 10/123268 was filed with the patent office on 2003-10-16 for gaming technique incorporating a plurality of wheels.
Invention is credited to Dunaevsky, Vladimir.
Application Number | 20030195034 10/123268 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 22407665 |
Filed Date | 2003-10-16 |
United States Patent
Application |
20030195034 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Dunaevsky, Vladimir |
October 16, 2003 |
Gaming technique incorporating a plurality of wheels
Abstract
Various embodiments of games having payout wheels are described
herein. In one embodiment, in a main or primary game, a plurality
of reels displays a combination of symbols. A second game forming
part of the gaming system consists of a plurality of wheels that
are initiated upon the display of a predetermined combination of
symbols on the reels in the primary game. At least one outcome of a
first wheel indicates that the payout will be decided by an
additional wheel, having higher payouts than the first wheel. The
invention may be implemented using video techniques or
electromechanical techniques.
Inventors: |
Dunaevsky, Vladimir;
(Toronto, CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
PATENT LAW GROUP LLP
2635 NORTH FIRST STREET
SUITE 223
SAN JOSE
CA
95134
US
|
Family ID: |
22407665 |
Appl. No.: |
10/123268 |
Filed: |
April 15, 2002 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
463/20 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G07F 17/34 20130101;
G07F 17/32 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
463/20 |
International
Class: |
A63F 009/24 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A gaming method comprising: displaying results of a primary
game, first ones of said results representing an award to a player,
second ones of said results representing an opportunity to play a
secondary game, said secondary game comprising at least a first
display of a first selector of first indicia and an additional
display of at least one additional selector of additional indicia;
if said results of said primary game comprise said second ones of
said results, displaying activation of said first selector of first
indicia, some of said first indicia representing award amounts and
at least one of said first indicia representing that said at least
one additional selector of additional indicia is to select an award
to a player, said additional indicia representing, on average,
awards higher than awards represented by said first indicia; if
said at least one of said first indicia is selected, displaying
selecting said additional indicia by said at least one additional
selector; and displaying an award to a player represented by
selection of said first indicia or said additional indicia.
2. The gaming method of claim 1 wherein said first selector
comprises a first wheel, and said at least one additional selector
comprises a second wheel.
3. The gaming method of claim 1 wherein said first selector and
said at least one additional selector comprise rings.
4. The gaming method of claim 3 wherein said rings are
rectangles.
5. The gaming method of claim 1 wherein said first selector and
said at least one additional selector are adjacent one another.
6. The method of claim 1 wherein said first selector and said at
least one additional selector are displayed on a video screen.
7. The method of claim 1 wherein said first selector and said at
least one additional selector are mechanical wheels.
8. The method of claim 1 wherein said at least one additional
selector comprises at least a second selector of second indicia and
a third selector of third indicia, said third indicia representing
awards, on average, higher than awards represented by said second
indicia, at least one of said second indicia representing that said
third selector is to select an award to a player, said method
further comprising: displaying said second selector and said third
selector.
9. The method of claim 8 wherein at least one of said third indicia
represents a jackpot award.
10. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one of said additional
indicia represents a jackpot award.
11. The method of claim 1 wherein said first selector and said at
least one additional selector comprise concentric wheels.
12. The method of claim 11 wherein said first selector and said at
least one additional selector are displayed on a video screen.
13. A tangible medium containing a gaming software program for
carrying out the following method: displaying results of a primary
game, first ones of said results representing an award to a player,
second ones of said results representing an opportunity to play a
secondary game, said secondary game comprising at least a first
display of a first selector of first indicia and an additional
display of at least one additional selector of additional indicia;
if said results of said primary game comprise said second ones of
said results, displaying activation of said first selector of first
indicia, some of said first indicia representing award amounts and
at least one of said first indicia representing that said at least
one additional selector of additional indicia is to select an award
to a player, said additional indicia representing, on average,
awards higher than awards represented by said first indicia; if
said at least one of said first indicia is selected, displaying
selecting said additional indicia by said at least one additional
selector; and displaying an award to a player represented by
selection of said first indicia or said additional indicia.
14. The medium of claim 13 wherein said first selector comprises a
first wheel, and said at least one additional selector comprises a
second wheel.
15. The medium of claim 13 wherein said first selector and said at
least one additional selector comprise rings.
16. The medium of claim 15 wherein said rings are rectangles.
17. The medium of claim 13 wherein said first selector and said at
least one additional selector are adjacent one another.
18. The medium of claim 13 wherein said first selector and said at
least one additional selector are displayed on a video screen.
19. The medium of claim 13 wherein said first selector and said at
least one additional selector are mechanical wheels.
20. The medium of claim 13 wherein said at least one additional
selector comprises at least a second selector of second indicia and
a third selector of third indicia, said third indicia representing
awards, on average, higher than awards represented by said second
indicia, at least one of said second indicia representing that said
third selector is to select an award to a player, said method
further comprising: displaying said second selector and said third
selector.
21. The medium of claim 20 wherein at least one of said third
indicia represents a jackpot award.
22. The medium of claim 13 wherein at least one of said additional
indicia represent a jackpot award.
23. The medium of claim 13 wherein said first selector and said at
least one additional selector comprise concentric wheels.
24. The medium of claim 23 wherein said first selector and said at
least one additional selector are displayed on a video screen.
25. A data transmission transmitting a gaming software program for
carrying out the following method: displaying results of a primary
game, first ones of said results representing an award to a player,
second ones of said results representing an opportunity to play a
secondary game, said secondary game comprising at least a first
display of a first selector of first indicia and an additional
display of at least one additional selector of additional indicia;
if said results of said primary game comprise said second ones of
said results, displaying activation of said first selector of first
indicia, some of said first indicia representing award amounts and
at least one of said first indicia representing that said at least
one additional selector of additional indicia is to select an award
to a player, said additional indicia representing, on average,
awards higher than awards represented by said first indicia; if
said at least one of said first indicia is selected, displaying
selecting said additional indicia by said at least one additional
selector; and displaying an award to a player represented by
selection of said first indicia or said additional indicia.
26. A gaming device comprising: at least one processor for
controlling a display device to display results of a primary game,
first ones of said results representing an award to a player,
second ones of said results representing an opportunity to play a
secondary game, said secondary game comprising at least a first
display of a first selector of first indicia and an additional
display of at least one additional selector of additional indicia;
if said results of said primary game comprise said second ones of
said results, said at least one processor controlling said display
device to display activation of said first selector of first
indicia, some of said first indicia representing award amounts and
at least one of said first indicia representing that said at least
one additional selector of additional indicia is to select an award
to a player, said additional indicia representing, on average,
awards higher than awards represented by said first indicia; if
said at least one of said first indicia is selected, said at least
one processor controlling said display device to display selecting
said additional indicia by said at least one additional selector;
and said at least one processor controlling said display device to
display an award to a player represented by selection of said first
indicia or said additional indicia.
27. The device of claim 26 wherein said first selector comprises a
first wheel, and said at least one additional selector comprises a
second wheel.
28. The device of claim 26 wherein said first selector and said at
least one additional selector comprise rings.
29. The device of claim 28 wherein said rings are rectangles.
30. The device of claim 26 wherein said first selector and said at
least one additional selector are adjacent one another.
31. The device of claim 26 wherein said first selector and said at
least one additional selector are displayed on a video screen.
32. The device of claim 26 wherein said first selector and said at
least one additional selector are mechanical wheels.
33. The device of claim 26 wherein said at least one additional
selector comprises at least a second selector of second indicia and
a third selector of third indicia, said third indicia representing
awards, on average, higher than awards represented by said second
indicia, at least one of said second indicia representing that said
third selector is to select an award to a player.
34. The device of claim 33 wherein at least one of said third
indicia represents a jackpot award.
35. The device of claim 26 wherein at least one of said additional
indicia represents a jackpot award.
36. The device of claim 26 wherein said first selector and said at
least one additional selector comprise concentric wheels.
37. The device of claim 36 wherein said first selector and said at
least one additional selector are displayed on a video screen.
38. The device of claim 26 further comprising said display device.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] This invention relates to gaming techniques and, in
particular, to a technique for paying awards to a player.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] A very popular slot machine is called the "Wheel of
Fortune".TM.. The Wheel of Fortune has three rotating reels for
displaying symbols in a main game and, upon the reels displaying a
certain combination of symbols, a large wheel spins. The large
wheel has printed on it various payout awards, and the wheel
randomly stops at a certain position to award the player the payout
for that wheel position.
[0003] The Wheel of Fortune slot machine appeals to players due to
the added excitement of a spinning wheel. What is desirable is a
gaming technique that adds further excitement to increase player
appeal.
SUMMARY
[0004] Various embodiments of games having payout wheels are
described herein. In one embodiment, in a main or primary game, a
plurality of reels displays combinations of symbols that signify
instant awards, no awards, or the activation of a secondary game.
The secondary game, forming part of the gaming system, consists of
a plurality of wheels that provide special awards upon the display
of a predetermined combination of symbols on the reels in the
primary game.
[0005] In one embodiment, the plurality of wheels consists of a
first wheel having relatively low payout awards associated with
each position on the first wheel. The first wheel is spun and
stopped to identify an award. At least one of the positions
identifies that the award is to come from a second wheel, which has
higher payout awards associated with each position on the second
wheel. The second wheel is then spun and stopped to identify an
award. There may also be a third wheel having award amounts higher
than those on the second wheel, where the third wheel is activated
upon a certain position on the second wheel being selected.
[0006] In one embodiment, the third wheel has a position which,
when randomly selected, awards a player a jackpot value.
[0007] The awards provided by the wheels may be in addition to any
award provided by the primary game that initiated the secondary
game.
[0008] In one embodiment, only one wheel is spun at a time. In one
embodiment, the wheels are concentric. Any number of wheels may be
used.
[0009] The primary game may be any type of game, including those
games displaying cards. The invention may be implemented as a video
game, or use motor driven reels and wheels, or use a combination of
motor driven reels or wheels and a video display of reels or
wheels.
[0010] The invention is applicable to any type of gaming system,
such as an on-line system using the Internet, a stand-alone gaming
machine, or linked gaming machines.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a video gaming machine which
may incorporate software to carry out the present invention.
[0012] FIG. 2 illustrates basic hardware components in a
conventional video gaming machine, where the program stored in the
program memory carries out the particular game.
[0013] FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating the steps for carrying
out one embodiment of the present invention.
[0014] FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate sample displays on a CRT screen or
other type of screen for an on-line gaming system, or a stand-alone
gaming machine, or a linked gaming machine.
[0015] FIG. 6 illustrates an electromechanical reel and wheel
assembly that can be used instead of, or in combination with, a
gaming system using a video screen.
[0016] FIG. 7 illustrates a paytable.
[0017] FIGS. 8, 9, and 10 illustrate other displays of the bonus
selectors.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0018] Elements in the various figures identified with the same
numerals may be identical and will not be redundantly
described.
[0019] Although the present invention may be carried out on any
type of computer platform, such as a stand-alone gaming machine,
linked-gaming machines, or an on-line gaming system, where a user
may interact with a remote server on a conventional personal
computer to play the game described herein, the game will be
described with respect to a stand-alone gaming machine.
[0020] FIG. 1 illustrates a video type gaming machine 10 having a
video screen 12, a coin input 14, and control inputs 16, such as
buttons. Instead of buttons, a keyboard or touch screen may be
used. For on-line gaming system, the display device would be a
conventional monitor connected to the user's home computer.
[0021] FIG. 2 illustrates the hardware functional blocks in a
conventional gaming machine. A program memory 18 contains computer
instructions for allowing a processor 22 to carry out the various
steps of the game. The hardware of FIG. 2 may be conventional and
need not be described in detail. Processor 22 may be any type of
microprocessor or any other device used to carry out a routine. A
conventional gaming machine may be programmed to carry out the
inventive game by changing the program in the machine's memory. For
an on-line gaming system, the program may simply be downloaded into
the user's home computer.
[0022] A typical stand-alone gaming machine also has a money
detector 24, control inputs 16, an award table memory 26, an award
mechanism 28 such as a coin hopper or means to provide a code on
tickets or a magnetic card, a display controller 30, and a display
screen 12. The award table memory 26 associates the final positions
on the reels and wheels in the machine with a monetary amount to be
paid to the player. In an on-line system, the various control and
memory functions would be carried out using shared resources in one
or more computers. The display controller 30 receives relatively
simply commands from processor 22 and converts the commands into
complex pixel displays on screen 12.
[0023] Operation of one embodiment of the present invention will be
described with respect to the flowchart of FIG. 3 and the sample
displays of FIGS. 4 and 5.
[0024] In step 1 of FIG. 3, the game is initiated by any known
technique such as by pressing a button, touching a display screen,
pulling a handle, depositing money, depositing coded instruments,
clicking a mouse, or by any other means. The initiation of the game
causes the three reels 40 in FIG. 4 to spin (either physically or
on a video screen) and randomly stop on three positions across a
payline (step 2). There may be multiple paylines. The three symbols
may constitute losing symbols or winning symbols, where the winning
symbols provide an instant award. The three symbols may also be a
combination of certain special symbols, such as shown in FIG. 4 by
the "Triple Deal".TM. symbols being displayed, in which case the
bonus wheels 44 are activated as part of a secondary game. Step 3
illustrates the decision of whether the symbol combination on the
reels 40 spin the bonus wheels 44. If the symbol combination does
not spin bonus wheels 44, the process goes to step 4, where an
award, if any, is paid to the player, and the game is ended (step
5).
[0025] If the special symbol combination appears across the payline
(as shown in FIG. 4) to activate the bonus wheels 44, the game
proceeds to step 6, where the first wheel 46 is spun. In the
embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the first wheel 46 has relatively low
payouts a identified around its periphery. In one embodiment, the
numbers around the wheel identify a multiplication of the total bet
for that game. For example, if three coins are bet, and the first
wheel 46 identifies that the award is "4," the bonus payout will be
twelve coins.
[0026] After the first wheel 46 has been spun and stopped, if the
indicator 48 does not indicate an award value but indicates a
down-arrow 49 pointing toward the second wheel 50 (step 7), as
shown in FIG. 4, the second wheel spins and randomly stops (step
8). The second wheel 50 has higher payout indicators on its
periphery and, in one embodiment, these payout indicators are a
multiple of ten times the payout indicators on the first wheel 46.
An award to the player identified by the second wheel 50 is then
paid out unless a down-arrow position on the second wheel 50 is
selected (step 9), as shown in FIG. 5. In such a case, the third
wheel 52 is spun and randomly stopped (step 10). The third wheel
52, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, has award values that are a
hundred times as great as the award values on the first wheel 46.
If the stop position of the third wheel 52 is also a down-arrow
(step 11), shown in FIG. 5, then a jackpot is awarded to the player
(step 12).
[0027] There may be any number of down-arrows 49 on the wheels, and
the award amounts may be any amount. Typically, the award amounts
will be progressively higher with each successive wheel.
[0028] In addition to the bonus wheel amounts, the special symbol
combination on the reels 40 that gives rise to the activation of
the bonus wheels 44 may also pay instant award.
[0029] The process of FIG. 3 is carried out by the instructions in
program memory 18 (RAM or ROM) in combination with processor
22.
[0030] As would be conventional, the various control inputs shown
in FIG. 4, such as Bet One, Spin Reels, Bet Max, Cash Out, and
Payout Table (which displays the payout table on the video screen),
may be activated by using either a mouse, a touch screen, or
physical buttons. FIG. 4 also shows a bill insert slot 56 that may
be either virtual or actual.
[0031] By adjusting the award amounts and the number of down-arrows
49 on the bonus wheels 44, the probabilities of obtaining the
various awards are easily adjustable.
[0032] Any number of bonus wheels 44 may be used, such as two,
three, four, or more, and any configuration of the wheels may be
used. For example, the wheels may be separate instead of
concentric. Further, the wheels 44 may be in other forms, such as
numeric displays on reels.
[0033] FIG. 6 illustrates an electromechanical version of the game
where, instead of the game being completely carried out in software
and displayed on a video screen, electric motors, such as stepper
motors 62 and 63 (among others not illustrated), rotate the reels
and bonus wheels 68. The operation of the machine is otherwise
identical to that described with respect to FIGS. 3-5. The position
of the reels 66 and wheels 68 may be predetermined by the program
software, and the reels and wheels may be spun so as to achieve the
predetermined outcome. Since the angular positions of stepper
motors are easily determined by the number of pulses provided to
the stepper motors, the positions of the reels 66 and wheels 68 are
easily determined using conventional techniques.
[0034] FIG. 7 is an example of a payout table that may be displayed
on the display glass of a gaming machine and stored in the paytable
ROM. The symbol combinations are shown in the left column, and the
payouts per coin bet are in the remaining columns. Note that the
spinning of the bonus wheels, using the paytable of FIG. 7, is only
activated upon the outcome of the AAA (e.g., Triple-Deal.TM.)
symbol combination with the maximum 3-coin wager to encourage a
maximum bet. Of course, the activation of the bonus wheels may be
set for any game outcome.
[0035] FIGS. 8-10 are examples of other displays that embody the
concept of the present invention. In FIG. 8, the complete bonus
wheels are visible, with the jackpot symbolized in the center.
[0036] FIG. 9 illustrates the various bonus levels in non-circular
areas. The bonus values are shown in spaces representing honeycomb
cells, and a bee randomly lands on a space in the appropriate
level. If the bee lands on a bonus value, that bonus is received.
If the bee lands on an arrow, the next level is activated.
[0037] FIG. 10 illustrates the bonus levels as rectangular rings,
where a space in an appropriate level is randomly highlighted. If a
bonus value space is highlighted, that bonus is received. If an
arrow is highlighted, the next level is activated. The jackpot
amount is displayed in the middle of the rings. Many other types of
displays are suitable.
[0038] If the gaming concepts described herein are implemented in
an on-line gaming system, the various positions of the reels and
the wheels will be typically determined by a remote server, and the
award will be paid to, for example, a player's account. The jackpot
may be fixed or progressive. The game software may reside on any
tangible medium, such as a CD ROM or a diskette, or may be
transmitted over the Internet or via radio waves.
[0039] Additionally, the game may be carried out by a series of
linked gaming machines, where the jackpot is progressive and common
to all the gaming machines that are linked to the system.
[0040] While particular embodiments have been shown and described,
it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that changes and
modifications may be made without departing from this invention in
its broader aspects and, therefore, the appended claims are to
encompass within their scope all such changes and modifications as
fall within the true spirit and scope of this invention.
* * * * *