AU2002300617B2 - Method And Apparatus For Providing A Gaming Feature - Google Patents

Description

P/00/011 28/5/91 Regulation 3.2(2)

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT Application Number: Lodged: Invention Title: METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PROVIDING A GAMING FEATURE The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to:- us METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PROVIDING A GAMING FEATURE Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for providing a gaming feature on reel type gaming machines.

Background Art Slot and poker gaming machines are widely known in the art and many variations in both their appearance and types of games playable on the machines have been developed.

Such gaming machines generally include a plurality of reels disposed parallel to each other, each reel having a plurality of faces on which symbols are disposed. In more recent times, the gaming machines employ electronically simulated reels which simulate reel rotation upon actuation of a gaming cycle, the reels being rotated a predetermined number of times wherein one or more symbols are exposed.

Referring to Figure 1, there is illustrated the display of a conventional electronic gaming machine. The gaming machine includes five reels denoted to 14 respectively, wherein upon actuation of a gaming cycle the reels are rotated either a predetermined or random number of times and are stopped in a position corresponding to the rotation of the reels. Once stopped, each reel displays three faces 15, 16, 17 on the display of the machine wherein the faces of the reels in the stopped position correspond to display five vertical lines and three horizontal lines of faces for each gaming cycle.

As also illustrated, lines conventionally are drawn from the left to right reels to provide a plurality of individual game configurations or paylines, the example illustrated having 8 such configurations denoted 1 to 8 respectively. Other payline configurations include right to left, anys and adjacent with each combination being line dependent. Such individual game configurations or paylines will be hereinafter referred to as paylines and it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that practically any number of paylines can be included and in some cases, payline configurations may include other patterns of symbols for example the appearance of a predetermined combination of symbols on faces to 17 of reel 10 and the corresponding faces on reels 11 to 14 which do not form a continuous line from one face on reel 10 to another face on reel 14. In many conventional gaming machines, a user may select to play any one or more paylines during a gaming cycle.

At the conclusion of a gaming cycle, when a predetermined number of symbols appear sequentially or in total in any one or more of those paylines, a payout is provided to the user for each configuration.

That is, at the end of the gaming cycle, predetermined prizes are awarded to a user when the symbols displayed across each played payline conform to a predetermined criteria. For example, a predetermined criteria may include the appearance of between one and five of a given symbol, or, alternatively, a combination of one or more given symbols on any one of pay configuration lines 1 to 8.

It is known in the art to provide some symbols on the faces of the reels which may substitute for any one or more other symbols. For example, where a gaming machine provides a payout for five same symbols appearing on any payline, the substitute may be disposed as the third symbol in the line which in effect is counted as the symbols either side in the payline so as to provide a payout for five symbols.

Furthermore, in cases where at the conclusion of a gaming cycle a combination of symbols is displayed on two or more paylines each of which correspond to a configuration in which a predetermined prize is awarded to the user, the prize for each payline is added and awarded to the user. In general however, only the highest payout corresponding to any singular winning payline is awarded when multiple winning paylines are displayed at the conclusion of a gaming cycle.

A payout provided for a predetermined winning configurations will be multiplied depending on the number of minimum units, or credit multiplier, that a player bets per gaming cycle. That is, a user may select the number of paylines to be played during a gaming cycle wherein at least one credit is required to be wagered against each selected payline. The value of credit multiplier, normally an integer between 1 and 100, is then selected by the user so that each payline wager selected is multiplied by the credit multiplier.

For the example illustrated in Fig. 1, if a user selects all 8 paylines then a total of at least 8 credits will need to be wagered, one against each payline. The value of the credit multiplier is then selected by the user such that the wager one each payline is multiplied by that amount, for example times two. In the event that one or more selected paylines provides a prize payout at the end of a gaming cycle, those one or more payouts are added and multiplied by the credit multiplier.

It is an object of the invention to provide a new gaming feature within known games to provide gaming machine users with more variety and also to attract new players.

Summary of the Invention According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a gaming machine, including a visual display for displaying a plurality of rotatable parallel reels, each reel having a plurality of symbols displayed thereon, the reels being rotatable such that prize payouts are awarded for the appearance of a predetermined number of symbols in one or more payline configurations; characterized in that, prior to rotating the reels, one or more payline configurations are available to be selected by a user to provide a multiplier such that, if a selected payline configuration results in a prize payout at a conclusion of a gaming cycle, the payout for the selected payline configuration is multiplied by a predetermined amount.

Preferably, the predetermined amount is randomly selected by the gaming machine before the conclusion of the gaming cycle.

According to another aspect of the invention there is provided a method of operating a gaming machine which displays a plurality of rotatable reels, each reel having a plurality of symbols displayed on a plurality of faces, the method including the steps of: providing a plurality of different payline configurations across said reels; receiving a user selection of one or more payline configurations to which a multiplier is to be applied; actuating the gaming cycle so as to rotate the reels; stopping the reels to display resultant symbol combinations appearing on said plurality of payline configurations; and wherein, if the resultant symbol combination appearing on a selected payline configuration provides a prize payout, said payout is multiplied by a predetermined amount.

Preferably, the method further includes the step of randomly selecting said predetermined amount.

Description of the Figures A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a schematic illustration of a prior art gaming machine; and Figure 2 schematically illustrates the display of a gaming machine according to the invention.

Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiment Referring to Figure 2, there is schematically illustrated a display output of a gaming machine in the form of an electronic simulated poker machine. The machine includes five simulated independent and rotatable reels 21, 22, 23, 24 and 25 which are disposed parallel to each other.

Each rotatable reel includes 30 displayable faces of which three are displayable at any one time. These displayable faces 26, 27 and 28 are illustrated in respect of reel 21 but applicable to reels 22, 23, 24 and 25. In other embodiments of the invention, greater or fewer faces of each reel are displayable.

Each face includes one symbol selected from a predetermined set of symbols. For example, the set of symbols may correspond to those provided in a deck of playing cards, namely symbols 2 through 10, jack, queen, king, ace, joker and an A-symbol.

A gaming cycle is actuated by a user by means of a button (not illustrated) such that the reels are rotated either a predetermined or random number of times so that they come to rest and display three faces from each of the five reels, for example 26, 27 and 28, which are disposed vertically with respect to each other.

When considering reels 21 to 25, the resulting display displays fifteen symbols in a three by five array.

As with the prior art example illustrated in Fig. 1, display 20 further provides an indication of the amount of the total betting credits 30 available to a user, the total amount of credits to be bet per cycle of the gaming machine 31 and a win meter 32 indicative of win payouts to the user in a previous gaming cycle.

Bet indicator 31 may be predetermined by a user such that the bet amount is multiplied by a credit multiplier, in the present example one unit.

In the embodiment illustrated, blank faces, for example at face 27, indicate the presence of any symbol other than the symbol, for example illustrated on face 26.

Display 20 also illustrates possible payline configurations, in the present example eight combinations are provided and denoted 1 to 8 wherein such a combination follows a line from the left reel to the right, for example, such that if a predetermined number of symbols appear either consecutively or in total along such a payline, a prize payout is awarded to a player at the conclusion of a gaming cycle.

Of the eight possible payline configurations illustrated in Fig. 2, one such configuration is selectable by the user such that should a predetermined number of symbols in that configuration be displayed the prize payout corresponding to that configuration will be multiplied by some special factor, for example, ten times, to provide the user with an additional means of increasing any winnings. That is, any one of payline configurations 1 to 8 are selectable before the actuation of a gaming cycle such that if one of those configurations includes a predetermined number of symbols corresponding to a prize payout, a win amount 32 provided to the user is multiplied by the special factor, ten in the present case, in addition to the prize payout provided by the winning payline configuration payout multiplied by the value of the credit multiplier. The payout for one winning payline will be the predetermined prize multiplied by the predetermined credit multiplier and further multiplied by the special factor.

The special factor multiplier is selected by means of touch screen buttons 33 to 40, however, in other embodiments physical buttons (not illustrated) are employed. In the illustrated embodiment, payline 1 is selected as applicable to the special factor multiplier such that if payline 1 is to provide a prize for displaying a predetermined number of symbols, the prize is multiplied by the special factor. However, no other winning payline configurations will be multiplied.

In alternative embodiments of the invention, the special factor multiplier corresponding to a predetermined payline configuration is selected randomly by the gaming machine. Also included in alternative embodiments of the invention, the symbol may be substitutable by another predetermined symbol (not illustrated).

In the event that the reels stop and display symbols such that two or more prize payouts are to be provided to the user at the conclusion of a gaming cycle, the sum of those prize payouts are paid to the user. However, if one of those prize payouts corresponds to the payline configuration to which special factor multiplier 33 is selected, then the total prize payout for the multiplied payline configuration is added to the prize payout for the unmultiplied payline configuration.

The game played by the user during each gaming cycle therefore includes an additional feature, special factor multiplier 33, to provide an additional prize to the user in the event that a given winning payline configuration corresponds to the payline configuration to which the multiplier selected.

In embodiments of the invention not illustrated, a user may select to play gaming cycles which only employ payline configurations 1 to 4 and not paylines to 8. In these cases, special factor multiplier 33 is only applicable to paylines 1 to 4. In embodiments where special factor multiplier 33 is randomly applied to a payline configuration, paylines 5 to 8 are not selectable. However, in alternative embodiments, special factor multiplier 33 may be randomly applied to any payline, whether played by a user or not, so that multiplier 33 may be selected to correspond to a payline not in use during a particular gaming cycle.

Although the invention has been described with reference to a specific example, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the invention may be embodied in many other forms.

Claims (6)

1. A gaming machine, including a visual display for displaying a plurality of rotatable parallel reels, each reel having a plurality of symbols displayed thereon, the reels being rotatable such that prize payouts are awarded for the appearance of a predetermined number of symbols in one or more payline configurations; Ocharacterized in that, prior to rotating the reels, one or more payline 2 configurations are available to be selected by a user to provide a multiplier such Sthat, if a selected payline configuration results in a prize payout at a conclusion of N a gaming cycle, the payout for the selected payline configuration is multiplied by a predetermined amount.

2. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein the predetermined amount is randomly selected by the gaming machine before the conclusion of the gaming cycle.

3. A method of operating a gaming machine which displays a plurality of rotatable reels, each reel having a plurality of symbols displayed on a plurality of faces, the method including the steps of: providing a plurality of different payline configurations across said reels; receiving a user selection of one or more payline configurations to which a multiplier is to be applied; actuating the gaming cycle so as to rotate the reels; stopping the reels to display resultant symbol combinations appearing on said plurality of payline configurations; and wherein, if the resultant symbol combination appearing on a selected payline configuration provides a prize payout, said payout is multiplied by a predetermined amount. INO

4. The method of claim 3, further including the step of randomly selecting said predetermined amount.

A gaming machine substantially as herein described with reference to accompanying Figure 2.

6. A method of operating a gaming machine substantially as herein described with reference to accompanying Figure 2. STARGAMES CORPORATION PTY LIMITED WATERMARK PATENT TRADEMARK ATTORNEYS P19924AU00