AU2003203966A1 - Gaming machine - Google Patents

Description

-1-

AUSTRALIA

PATENTS ACT 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT

ORIGINAL

Name of Applicant/s: Ainsworth Game Technology Limited Actual Inventor/s: Jason Meyer Address for Service: Baldwin Shelston Waters MARGARET STREET SYDNEY NSW 2000 CCN: 3710000352 Invention Title: GAMING MACHINE Details of Associated Provisional Application No. PS2129 dated 03 May 2002 The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me/us:- File: 34879AUP01 IP Australia Documents received on: 0 S 3 0 APR 2003 Batch No: 500151991_1.DOC/5844 -2- FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to gaming machines. The invention has been developed primarily for computerised gaming machines such as stand-alone "poker machines" or Internet facilitated gaming. In light of the prevalence of these forms of gaming, the invention will be described herein with reference to these applications.

However, skilled workers in this field will appreciate that the invention is not limited to these specific forms of gaming, and may be suitable for other applications.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Any discussion of the prior art throughout the specification should in no way be considered as an admission that such prior art is widely known or forms part of common general knowledge in the field.

Gaming machines have long been known and are now one of the most common forms of gambling. Usually, gaming machines will simulate a well-known game of chance. One of the oldest and best known forms of gaming machine is the rotating reeltype "poker machine". Poker machines use a series of three, four or five reels, each reel having symbols on its peripheral edge. The reels are rotated upon placing a bet and then stopped to produce an array of randomly arranged symbols. Winnings are paid if the random arrangement of symbols matches one of the predetermined winning combinations.

Gaming machines can "pay winnings" in a variety of ways. These include dispensing money, or dispensing tokens that can be redeemed for money. With the advent of computerised machines (and more recently, simulations of computerised machines accessible via the Internet), winnings are paid by simply adding credits to a credit meter that can be used for placing future bets or redeemed for money. In light of their widespread use, the invention will be described in the context of this type of winnings payment mechanism. However, those skilled in the art will readily understand that the term encompasses other payment mechanisms.

Computerised gaming machines use a video screen display to simulate the physically rotating reels. Typically, the display screen presents an array of symbols in five columns and three rows equating to the symbols that would normally be seen on the five physically rotating reels of an old style mechanical machine. Upon placing a bet, the five columns of symbols move down the screen in order to simulate a set of spinning reels.

Computerised gaming machines have allowed players to simultaneously bet on the combination of symbols appearing in many different parts of the array. These parts of the array are often referred to as "paylines" consisting of lines of adjacent symbols extending through the array. The symbols may be laterally adjacent each other or diagonally adjacent each other. They usually extend along each row of the array as well as various angled lines through the array. This provides a more interesting and exciting game than the old style mechanical machines which traditionally only offered a single payline through the middle row.

Multiple paylines are now common to most spinning reel type gaming machines and in an effort to maintain the player's interest, game designers have developed machines that provide subsidiary games known as "features". The feature may be initiated in response to a predetermined trigger such as a particular outcome in the base or primary game. The feature may be an award of credits, another type of game or some variation to the base game which is beneficial to the player. Some common features are doubling or tripling the normal winnings paid for a certain number of reel spins, allowing the player to hold one or more of the reels while the others spin (which allows the player to retain high value symbols such as wildcards in the array), double-ups or triple-ups which allow the player to double or triple any winnings from the previous spin in a simple game of chance such as a simulated coin toss.

While features add variety and excitement to the gaming experience, seasoned players can tend to lose interest in a particular machine over time. After playing a machine for an extended period, the gaming experience becomes generally static as the number of winning outcomes in the base game occurs at a frequency determined by the game designer, as does the occurrence of any features. The player becomes familiar with all aspects of the base game and feature, and may stop playing the machine in favour of machines offering fresh features.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to overcome or ameliorate at least one of the disadvantages of the prior art, or to provide a useful alternative.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a gaming machine adapted to: display a base game, the base game being a game of chance with random outcomes including predetermined winning outcomes; accept a bet and pay winnings on the occurrence of a winning outcome; wherein, the machine displays a feature in response to a predetermined trigger event, the feature having at least two stages, each stage involving a random event having outcomes including successful outcomes, that award a prize, and unsuccessful outcomes, that terminate the feature.

Using the present invention, the game designer can give the player an escalating sense of anticipation and excitement during the feature. By dividing the feature into several stages and making each stage conditional on successful completion of the previous stage, progressing through the entire feature can be relatively rare and highly rewarding. As the player will not experience the final stages of the feature very often, it takes much longer to become familiar or bored with these aspects of the game.

Preferably, the prize for each of the stage is more desirable than the prize for the previous stage. The stages essentially become linked sub-features and by making the prize associated with each subsequent sub-feature more desirable to the player, the escalating sense of reward is accentuated. The player's natural tendency is to view the feature as having a hierarchy of levels with the final stage being the highest or most desirable.

In a further preferred form, the prize associated with each stage is a different type of existing or known feature. Instead of simply making it more desirable by offering a greater magnitude of the benefit provided by the previous prize, giving each stage a different type of prize will provide a more varied gaming experience. This, in turn, broadens the appeal of the machine.

Preferably, the feature has a predetermined maximum number of stages. However, in some forms, the number of stages within the feature is not limited and the feature continues to operate until an unsuccessful outcome occurs.

Preferably, the probability of a successful outcome decreases with each subsequent stage. Conveniently, the random event for the first stage may be spinning one reel which has only two possible outcomes, the successful outcome and the unsuccessful outcome. In this embodiment, the random event for the second stage involves spinning two reels, each of which have only two possible outcomes, wherein a successful outcome of the random event is achieving a predetermined outcome on both of the reels.

Similarly, the random event for the third stage may be spinning three reels, each of which have two possible outcomes, wherein a successful outcome of the random event is a predetermined outcome on all of the reels.

In another form, the random event for each stage involves adding randomly generated numbers appearing on a simulated spinning reel whereby if the sum of the randomly generated numbers exceeds a threshold, the outcome is successful and the prize associated with that stage is awarded. Preferably, the sum of the randomly generated numbers appearing in the simulated reel is related in some way to the prize associated with the successful outcome of that stage.

Typically, the base game has an array of symbols randomly selected from a set of symbols and paying winnings for any winning combinations on paylines carrying a bet, wherein the array is a simulated set of reels that spin in order to randomly select the symbols and the trigger is a predetermined combination of symbols. If this is the case, the prize for any of the stages may include a predetermined number of free operations of the base game, the ability to hold one or more of the reels from spinning during the operation of the base game, or simply a randomly determined number of credits.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Preferred embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Fig. 1 shows the display of a gaming machine according to the present invention operating in the base game mode; -6- Fig. 2 shows the game associated with the first stage of the feature; Fig. 3 shows the prize for a successful outcome in the stage 1 game; Fig. 4 shows the game associated with stage 2 of the feature; Fig. 5 shows the prize for a successful outcome in the stage 2 game; and Fig. 6 shows the game associated with stage 3 of the feature.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring to Fig. 1, the video screen of the gaming machine displays an array of symbols 40 arranged in five column and three rows. The columns are presented as simulated reels 41, 42, 43, 44 and 45, which spin to randomly arrange the symbols within the array 40. Paylines 1-1 to 7-7 extend through the array 40 to indicate which combinations of the symbols are available for carrying a bet.

The winning combinations and their respective prizes are tabulated on the "paytable" 50 as it is known. The paytable 50 also includes information regarding the feature 51, a wildcard 52, the credit meter 53, the current bet per payline 54, a messages area 55 and a win meter 56 showing the number of credits won (if any) from the previous spin of the reels.

As is typical in the industry, the gaming machine has a name 60 and portrays a particular theme or motif through the artwork on its facia and the operation of the game itself.

As shown on the paytable 50, the appearance of three or more of the challenge symbols 20 throughout the array 40 will trigger the feature. Once triggered, the screen displays the stage 1 game shown in Fig. 2. Instead of the paytable, the screen presents information 80 regarding the operation of the stage 1 game. In the present example, the game is simply spinning a single reel 81 which has only two symbols. One of the symbols is the challenge winner symbol 82 which indicates a winning outcome. The second symbol is a large (not shown) to indicate a losing outcome.

Having achieved a successful outcome in the stage 1 game, the screen then shows the associated prize awarded to the player. As shown in Fig. 3, the display presents information 90 regarding the prize which would usually be in the form of a well-known feature. In the present example, the feature prize is commonly referred to as "spin and match" whereby a set of reels 92, each with only two possible outcomes, spin to determine whether the player is awarded the corresponding prizes 93. In the example shown, the player wins the credits for prizes 1, 3, 4 and 5. The total credits won are displayed on the win meter 56.

After the prize for stage 1 has been awarded, the stage 2 game is displayed as shown in Fig. 4. As with the previous stage, information 100 regarding the game is shown for the player's benefit. In this case, the stage 2 game involves two reels 81 and 83, each of which have two possible outcomes. If the winning symbol 82 appears on both reels, the player is awarded the stage 2 prize feature. However, if the symbol appears on either or both of the reels, the feature terminates.

The stage 2 prize is shown in Fig. 5. The prize is a feature often referred to as a "scatter bonus play". It uses nine mini-reels, each of which with two possible outcomes.

The number of winning symbols 111 that appear on the reels 110 determines the credits awarded as per the prize table 112. In the example shown, five of the nine reels 110 show the win symbol 111 which corresponds to 450 credits. These credits are added to the credits won from the stage 1 prize feature and the accumulated total is shown on the win meter 56.

With the completion of stage 2, the stage 3 game initiates. As shown in Fig. 6, this game requires the winning symbol 82 to appear on all three reels 81, 83 and 84 before awarding the prize feature. As the probability of a successful outcome in the stage 3 game is half that of the stage 2 game, the game designer can afford to make the stage 3 prize feature roughly twice as desirable or lucrative for the player.

With an unsuccessful outcome in the stage 1, 2 or 3 game, the machine terminates the feature and returns to the base game mode operation shown in Fig. 1. The machine also terminates the feature if the player successfully completes every stage of the feature (if the game has a predetermined number of stages within each feature).

In another embodiment, the game event for each stage of the feature may involve spinning one or more bonus reels having numbers on their respective peripheral edges.

-8- The randomly selected numbers shown at the end of each spin are added together, and if the sum is equal to or greater than a preselected threshold, the outcome is successful.

Conversely, if the sum fails to reach the threshold then the outcome is unsuccessful.

This embodiment allows the game designer to link the sum of the randomly selected numbers to the prize for that stage of the feature. By making the prize dependent on the sum of the numbers shown on the feature reels adds an additional dimension to the gaming experience.

Using a feature that has several distinct levels, and prizes that are increasingly desirable with each subsequent level, the player experiences an escalating sense of excitement and anticipation as they progress through the feature. To help reinforce the successful or unsuccessful outcomes from the feature reels, there may be audio and video outputs associated with the different successes and failures that can occur during the feature.

The present invention has been described herein by way of example only. It will be appreciated that ordinary workers in this field will readily recognise many variations and modifications that do not depart from the spirit and scope of the broad inventive concept.

Claims (14)

1. A gaming machine adapted to: display a base game, the base game being a game of chance with random outcomes including predetermined winning outcomes; accept a bet and pay winnings on the occurrence of a winning outcome; wherein, the machine displays a feature in response to a predetermined trigger event, the feature having at least two stages, each stage involving a random event having outcomes including successful outcomes, that award a prize, and unsuccessful outcomes, that terminate the feature.

2. A gaming machine according to claim 1 wherein the prize for each of the stage is more desirable than the prize for the previous stage.

3. A gaming machine according to claim 2 wherein the prize associated with each stage is a different type of existing or known feature.

4. A gaming machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein the feature has a predetermined maximum number of stages.

A gaming machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein the number of stages within the feature is not limited and the feature continues to operate until an unsuccessful outcome occurs.

6. A gaming machine according to any one of claims 1 to 5 wherein the probability of a successful outcome decreases with each subsequent stage.

7. A gaming machine according to any one of claims 1 to 6 wherein the random event for the first stage is a spinning reel which has only two possible outcomes, the successful outcome and the unsuccessful outcome.

8. A gaming machine according to claim 7 wherein the random event for the second stage involves spinning two reels, each of which have only two possible outcomes, wherein a successful outcome of the random event is achieving a predetermined outcome on both of the reels.

9. A gaming machine according to claim 8 wherein the feature has a third stage and the random event for the third stage is three spinning reels, each of which have two possible outcomes, wherein a successful outcome of the random event is a predetermined outcome on all of the reels.

10. A gaming machine according to any one of claims 1 to 6 wherein the random event for each stage involves adding randomly generated numbers appearing on a simulated spinning reel whereby if the sum of the randomly generated numbers exceeds a threshold, the outcome is successful and the prize associated with that stage is awarded.

11. A gaming machine according to claim 10 wherein the sum of the randomly generated numbers appearing in the simulated reel is related in some way to the prize associated with the successful outcome of that stage.

12. A gaming machine according to any one of claims 1 to 11 wherein the base game has an array of symbols randomly selected from a set of symbols and paying winnings for any winning combinations on paylines carrying a bet, wherein the array is a simulated set of reels that spin in order to randomly select the symbols and the trigger is a predetermined combination of symbols

13. A gaming machine according to any one of claims 1 to 12 wherein the prize for any of the stages includes a predetermined number of free operations of the base game, the ability to hold one or more of the reels from spinning during the operation of the base game, or simply a randomly determined number of credits.

14. A gaming machine substantially as herein described with reference to any one of the embodiments of the invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings and/or examples. DATED this 30th day of April, 2003 BALDWIN SHELSTON WATERS Attorneys for: AINSWORTH GAME TECHNOLOGY LIMITED