AU2002300370B2

AU2002300370B2 - Indicia System

Info

Publication number: AU2002300370B2
Application number: AU2002300370A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Jason Lim
Original assignee: Konami Australia Pty Ltd
Current assignee: Konami Australia Pty Ltd
Priority date: 2001-08-01
Filing date: 2002-08-01
Publication date: 2008-01-31
Anticipated expiration: 2022-08-01

Description

ENT BY: WALLINGTON-DUMMER; 6129638473; 1-AUG-02 17:04; PAGE 3 P 00/001i Regulation 3.2

AUSTRALIA

Parer= Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT

ORIGINAL

Name of Applicant: Actual Inventor: Address for service Konami Australia Pty Ltd Jason LIM in Australia; WALLINGTON-DUMMER PO Box 297, Rydnlmere NSW 7101 (12 Clarke Street, Rydalmere NSW 2116) Invention Title: Indicia System *Details of Associated Provisional Application: Australian Povisional Application No. PR6745 filed I August 2001 I The tollowine sinaormnt is a fulldcscrrionnof his invention includine the best rmshod of npernnink known to us nwfoEowin2si-,itorii6,ntisafuLldescfjotiort ws inwatiom including the best nwhod olzm2farminvit knuwn lu us ENT BY: WALLINGTON-DUMMER; 61296384793; 1-AUG-02 17:04; PAGE 4 2 INDICIA SYSTEM The present invention relates to an indicia system and, more particularly, to such a system applicable to gaming machines and, even more particularly, to yaming machines of the variety known as "poker machines".

BACKGROUND

With reference to Fig. 1 a prior art gaming machine arrangement is illustrated comprising poker machine which can be thought of as comprising three separate display portions. The three display portions comprise a base display portion 11, sometimes termed a "belly panel" in the art, and above which is located a centre display portion 12. Typically the centre display portion 12 includes a primary game display 13 which displays primary game outcomes and further includes a keypad 14 or equivalent input device which allows a player (not shown) to input data into the machine 10 including, for example, selection of the game to be played or the number of credits to be bet.

Disposed substantially vertically above the centre display portion 12 is an upper display portion 15. As in this instance the upper display portion 15 includes indicia which provide game instructions and rules :for the game whose outcome is displayed on primary game display 13.

21. Jan. 2008 16:21 WALLINGTON-DUMMER No. 3091 P. 4 00 3 0 0 C' The base display portion 11 may incorporate indicia ¢c indicating the name of the game whose outcome is displayed on primary game display 13.

A problem with this prior art arrangement is that, particularly to the novice player, the visual impact can be Squite bewildering and confusing. This is particularly the case rr n because, at a distance, the upper portions of the machine Stend to be more readily visible than the lower portions. The ci upper portions in this instance contain quite detailed and nonvisually distinctive information in the form of indicia comprised of a plurality of relatively small characters.

It is an object of at least preferred embodiments of the present invention to address or ameliorate one or more of the abovementioned disadvantages or to at least provide a useful choice.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION Accordingly, in a first broad form of the invention, there is provide, a gaming machine having a base display portion above which is vertically disposed a centre display portion above which is vertically disposed an upper display portion; said gaming machine incorporating a game controller adapted to operate said gaming machine in a predetermined manner at least COMS ID No: ARCS-176080 Received by IP Australia: Time 16:25 Date 2008-01-21 21. Jan. 2008 16:21 WALLINGON-DUMMER ,No. 3091 P. 00 4 0 0 (c in part in accordance with replaceable program means; said c upper display portion incorporating game appellation indicia which identifies a game playable on said gaming machine; said base display portion incorporating game-associated indicia; 0 5 characterized by program data contained in said replaceable Sprogram means and wherein said base display portion and said r n upper display portion comprise replaceable panels; said gaming Smachine being reconfigurable by exchange of said replaceable ci program means and said replaceable panels.

Preferably, said base display portion is adapted to display game-associated indicia associated with the game characterized by the program contained in said replaceable program means.

Preferably, said game-related indicia includes indicia defining game rules and/or game payouts.

Preferably, said centre display portion includes a primary game display adapted to display to a player the progress and results of said game characterized by said replaceable program means.

In a further broad form of the invention, there is provided a method of operation of a gaming machine, said gaming machine having a base display portion above which is vertically disposed a centre display portion above which is vertically disposed an upper display portion; said gaming machine incorporating a game controller adapted to operate said gaming machine in a predetermined manner at least in part in COMS ID No: ARCS-176080 Received by IP Australia: Time 16:25 Date 2008-01-21 21. Jan. 2008 16:21 WALLINGTON-DUMMER No. 3091 P. 6 o0 4A 0 Ci accordance with replaceable program means; said upper display ¢c portion incorporating game appellation indicia which identifies a game playable on said gaming machine; said base display portion incorporating game-associated indicia, characterized by o 5 program data contained in said replaceable program means; said Smethod comprising installing into said machine together: en a) replaceable program means defining the rules of a game to Sbe played on said machine, ci b) replaceable upper display game appellation indicia identifying said game, c) replaceable base display game-associated indicia, and wherein said base display and said upper display are replaceable panels.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS One embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein: Fig. 1 illustrates a prior art gaming machine display arrangement; Fig. 2 illustrates a gaming machine incorporating displays in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 3 illustrates the display features of the gaming machine of Fig. 2 in diagrammatic form.

COMS ID No: ARCS-176080 Received by IP Australia: Time 16:25 Date 2008-01-21 ENT BY: WALLINGTON-DUMMER; 61298384793; 1-AUG-02 17:05; PAGE 7 a) Replaceable program means defining the rules of a game to be played on said machine, b) Game appellation indicia identifying said game.

Preferably said base display portion is adapted to display game-associated indicia associated with the game characterized by the program contained in said replaceable program means.

Preferably said game-related indicia includes indicia efining game rules and/or game payouts.

Preferably said centre display portion includes a primary game display adapted to display to a player the progress and results of said game characterized by said replaceable program means.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS One embodiment of the present described with reference to the invention will now be accompanying drawings wherein: Fig. 1 illustrates a prior art gaming machine display arrangement; Fig. 2 illustrates a gaming machine incorporating displays in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 3 illustrates the display features of the gaming machine of Fig. 2 in diagrammatic form.

ENT BY: WALLINGTON-DUMMER; 61296384793; 1-AUG-02 17:05; PAGE 8 6 DETAILD DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS With reference to Figs. 2 and 3 there is illustrated a gaming machine in the form of a poker machine 20 in 3 accordance with a first preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Poker machine 20 is an upright machine comprising a base display portion 21 vertically above which is disposed a centre display portion 22 above which, again, is further vertically disposed an upper display portion 23.

The base display portion 21 is sometimes referred to as the "belly panel" portion of the machine and typically houses electronic control equipment including game controller 24 and the coin and cash receiving components of bill acceptor In this instance the centre display portion 22 includes a primary game display 26 which displays the progress of a primary game and the outcome of a primary game. In this instance the display 26 is in the form of a VDU or CRT with its display being controlled by game controller 24 in response to inputs made via keypad 27.

In this instance the game controller 24 utilises a microprocessor 28 which is utilized to execute instructions characteristic of the particular game whose outcome is displayed on primary game display 26 in accordance with a ENT BY: WALLINGTON-DUMMER; 61296384793; 1-AUG-02 17:05; PAGE 9 7 program contained in a replaceable program means in this instance in the form of ROM 29.

Associated with the particular game characterized by the program contained in ROM 29 is a set of game rules comprising game-associated indicia 30 displayed by base display portion 21.

Upper display portion 23 includes game appellation indicia 31, in this instance illustrating the name "tribal treasure", which appellation characterizes broadly the game whose progress and outcome are displayed on primary game display 26 and which operates generally in accordance with the game rules outlined in the game associated indicia and as ultimately controlled by game controller 24 in accordance with the program specific to that game contained in ROM 29.

In this embodiment both game associated indicia 30 and game appellation indicia 31 are located on respective indicia panels 32, 33, both of which are replaceable without conducting an entire refit of the machine The end result of this arrangement is that the poker machine 20 can have the game which is to be played on it changed with relative ease simply by removing indicia panels 32, 33 and ROM 29 and replacing them with a new set of ROM 29 and indicia panels 32, 33 characteristic of a different game whose outcome will continue to be controlled by controller 24 and displayed on primary game display 26.

ENT BY: WALLINGTON-DUMMER; 61296384793; 1-AUG-02 17:05; PAGE 8 The above describes only some embodiments of the present invention and modifications, obvious to those skilled in the art, can be made thereto without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention.

Claims

2. The gaming machine of Claim 1 wherein said base display portion is adapted to display game-associated indicia associated with the game characterized by the program contained in said replaceable program means.
3. The gaming machine of Claim 2 wherein said game-related indicia includes indicia defining game rules and/or game payouts. COMS ID No: ARCS-176080 Received by IP Australia: Time 16:25 Date 2008-01-21 21, Jan. 2008 16:22 WALLINGTON-DUMMER No. 3091 P. 8 o0 0 (C 4. The gaming machine of any previous claim wherein said ¢c centre display portion includes a primary game display adapted to display to a player the progress and results of said game characterized by said replaceable program S 5 means. A method of operation of a gaming machine, said gaming e c n machine having a base display portion above which is C< Svertically disposed a centre display portion above which is vertically disposed an upper display portion; said gaming machine incorporating a game controller adapted to operate said gaming machine in a predetermined manner at least in part in accordance with replaceable program means; said upper display portion incorporating game appellation indicia which identifies a game playable on said gaming machine; said base display portion incorporating game-associated indicia, characterized by program data contained in said replaceable program means; said method comprising installing into said machine together: a) replaceable program means defining the rules of a game to be played on said machine, b) replaceable upper display game appellation indicia identifying said game, COMS ID No: ARCS-176080 Received by IP Australia: Time 16:25 Date 2008-01-21
21. Jan. 2008 16:22 WALLINGTON-DUMMER ,No. 300,1 P. 9 c) replaceable base display game-associated indicia, and wherein said base display and said upper display are replaceable panels. COMS ID No: ARCS-176080 Received by IP Australia: Time 16:25 Date 2008-01-21