AU2004203045B2

AU2004203045B2 - Gaming machine with multi special symbol game

Info

Publication number: AU2004203045B2
Application number: AU2004203045A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Natalie Bryant
Original assignee: Aristocrat Technologies Australia Pty Ltd
Current assignee: Aristocrat Technologies Australia Pty Ltd
Priority date: 2000-08-22
Filing date: 2004-07-06
Publication date: 2006-04-27
Anticipated expiration: 2021-08-10
Also published as: AU775869B2; AU2004203045A1; AU5797301A

Description

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 ARISTOCRAT TECHNOLOGIES AUSTRALIA PTY

LTD

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION DIVISIONAL PATENT Invention Title: Gaming machine with multi special symbol game The following statement is a full description of this invention including the best method of performing it known to us:- 004981785 N 2 Gaming machine with multi special symbol game Field of the Invention _This invention relates to a gaming machine. More particularly, the invention relates to a gaming machine and to an improvement to a game played on such a gaming machine.

0 Background to the Invention 0Players who regularly play gaming machines quickly tire of particular games and therefore it is necessary for manufacturers of these machines to develop innovative game features which add interest to the games. In so doing, it is hoped to keep players o amused and therefore willing to continue playing the games as well as to attract new players.

Also, with the growth that has occurred in the gaming machine market, there is intense competition between manufacturers to supply various existing and new venues.

When selecting a supplier of gaming machines, the operator of a venue will often pay close attention to the popularity of various games with their patrons. Therefore, gaming machine manufacturers are keen to devise games and/or game features which are popular with the players as a mechanism for improving sales, retaining customers and attracting new customers.

Reference to any background art in the specification is not, and should not be taken as, an acknowledgement or suggestion that this background art forms part of the common general knowledge in Australia or any other jurisdiction or that this prior art could reasonably be expected to be ascertained, understood and regarded as relevant by a person skilled in the art.

004981785 IN 2a

O

NSummary of the Invention According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a gaming machine having a display means and a game control means arranged to control images displayed on the display means, the game control means being arranged to play a 5 game in which at least one random event is caused to be displayed on the display means and, if a predefined winning event occurs, the machine awards a prize, wherein: N the display means displays a plurality of spinning reels, each reel carrying a Oplurality of symbols and at least one of the reels carrying more than one N occurrence of a special symbol, the special symbols on the at least one reel 0 being arranged on the reel so that more than one occurrence of the special symbol is able to be displayed simultaneously when the reel is in a rest condition; and the gaming machine is adapted to award prizes for a series of predefined paying combinations of symbols appearing on the display in the rest condition, at least one of those predefined paying combinations being one which includes a plurality of special symbols, all the displayed special symbols contributing to a single paying combination of the special symbols, irrespective of whether the at least one reel displays more than one special symbol.

The at least one predefined paying combination may include more special symbols able to be displayed than there are reels constituting the spinning reel game.

The display means may be a video display unit and the display of the reels is constituted by a video simulation of a spinning reels.

It will be appreciated that to achieve a winning combination, a predetermined number of symbols must be displayed. Normally, at least three symbols constitute a winning combination. Hence, the at least one predefined winning combination may be more than two occurrences of the special symbol. Each of the reels may have more than one occurrence of the special symbol. Preferably, each reel may have at least two special symbols. The special symbols may be positioned on each reel such that up to three special symbols are able to be displayed together at any one time. Hence, for a 004981785 IN 2b

O

N five reel video simulation, a maximum of fifteen special symbols may be able to be displayed at once to constitute a fifteen of a kind winning combination.

The at least one predefined paying combination may include more special symbols are to be displayed than there are reels constituting the spinning reel game.

0 5 The display means may by a video display unit and the display of the reels is constituted by a video stimulation of spinning reels.

0 It will be appreciated that, to achieve a winning combination, a predetermined number of symbols must be displayed. Normally, at least three symbols constitute a winning combination. Hence, the minimum number of the special symbols which must 0 be displayed to constitute a winning combination may be three special symbols.

The set of symbols on each of the reels may have more than one occurrence of the special symbol. Preferably, the set of symbols of each reel may have at least two special symbols. The special symbols may be positioned on each reel such that up to three special symbols are able to be displayed together at any one time. Hence, for a five reel video stimulation, a maximum of fifteen special symbols may be able to be displayed at once to constitute a fifteen of a kind winning combination.

According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a gaming machine having a display and a game controller arranged to control images displayed on the display, the images including a plurality of symbols arranged in a plurality of columns, the symbols being randomly selected such that it is possible for the random selection to include more than one occurrence of a special symbol being displayed in a single column, the game controller being arranged to play a game in which, when a symbol combination including more than one occurrence of the special symbol is displayed, the machine awards a prize for that symbol combination, irrespective of 004981785 3 whether the more than one occurrence of the special symbol is displayed in a single column.

Brief Description of the Drawings The invention is now described by way of example with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings in which: Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a gaming machine, in accordance with the invention; Figure 2 shows a block diagram of a control circuit of the gaming machine; Figure 3 shows a table of reel strips for a game to be played on the gaming 0 machine of Figure 1; Figure 4 shows a first example of a screen display the game; and Figure 5 shows a second example of a screen display of the game.

Detailed Description of the Drawings In Figure 1, reference numeral 10 generally designates a gaming machine, including a game, in accordance with the invention. The machine 10 includes a console 12 having a video display unit 14 on which a game 16 is played, in use. The game 16 is a spinning reel game which simulates the rotation of a number of spinning reels 18.

A midtrim 20 of the machine 10 houses a bank 22 of buttons for enabling a player to play the game 16. The midtrim 20 also houses a credit input mechanism 24 including a coin input chute 24.1 and a bill collector 24.2.

The machine 10 includes a top box 26 on which artwork 28 is carried. The artwork 28 includes paytables, details of bonus awards, etc.

A coin tray 30 is mounted beneath the console 12 for cash payouts from the machine Referring now to Figure 2 of the drawings, a control means or control circuit is illustrated. A program which implements the game and user interface is run on a processor 42 of the control circuit 40. The processor 42 forms part of a controller 44 which drives the screen of the video display unit 14 and which receives input signals from sensors 46. The sensors 46 include sensors associated with the bank 22 of buttons and touch sensors associated with the screen 16. The controller 44 also receives input pulses from the mechanism 24 indicating that a player has provided sufficient credit to commence playing. The mechanism 24 may, instead of the coin input chute 24.1 or the bill collector 24.2, or in addition thereto, be a credit card reader (not shown) or any other type of validation device.

Finally, the controller 44 drives a payout mechanism 48 which, for example, may be a coin hopper for feeding coins to the coin tray 30 to make a pay out to a player when the player wishes to redeem his or her credit.

As indicated above, the game 16 is a spinning reel game which simulates the rotation of a number of spinning reels 18. The controller 44 contains, in a memory (not shown), data relating to reel strips. Each position on the reel strip maps to a corresponding position on the reel 18 to be displayed. The controller 44 selects random locations of the reel strips which map to the positions at which the reels 18 will stop.

As illustrated in Figure 3 of the drawings, each reel strip 50 contains two special symbols, such as scatter symbols, 52 thereon. The scatter symbols 52 are either arranged adjacent each other on the reel strips 50 or, as shown in respect of reel strips one and three, the scatter symbols are separated from each other by, at most, one other symbol which may be a standard symbol or another, different special symbol.

m:\speci\1 10000\118-119\119194div.doc Consequently, it is possible for both scatter symbols 52 on each reel 18 to be visible simultaneously in a screen display 54 (Figure 4) if the relevant reel 18 stops in the appropriate position.

Insofar as conventional, standard symbols of a set of symbols of the reels 18 are concerned, normally a minimum number of symbols, preferably three, is required in order for a winning combination to result. The symbols must appear in a predetermined order on an active payline of the game. For example, most gaming machines pay for left-to-right winning combinations appearing on any active payline.

However, with scatter symbols, the appearance of a predetermined number of the scatter symbols, anywhere on the screen 16, results in a winning combination. In other words, scatter symbols need not appear on active paylines to be eligible to contribute to a winning combination.

The set of symbols associated with reels of spinning reel type games normally each only have a single scatter symbol or the symbols are laid out on reel strips of the reels so that it is not possible to get more than one scatter symbol displayed in respect of that reel at the same time. Also, for cases where it may be possible to get more than one scatter symbol displayed on the same reel at any one time, each of the symbols on the same reel is regarded separately when determining winning combinations. For example, two scatter symbols on the same reel will not constitute two scatters towards a single winning combination but rather two separate occurrences that may each contribute to separately paying winning combinations in respect of the scatter symbols.

Hence, the maximum number of scatter symbols that can make up a single paying scatter combination will be equal to the number of reels of the spinning reel game.

The reel strips 50 are set up in such a way so as to allow for two or more scatter symbols to be displayed simultaneously on the screen 16 in respect of each reel 18.

When this occurs, each scatter symbol contributes to a single paying winning combination of scatter symbols.

In respect of the reel strips 50 illustrated in Figure 3 of the drawings it will, accordingly, be possible to obtain a winning combination of ten scatter symbols. It will, however, also be appreciated that it is feasible, in respect of a five reel game with a window of three symbols displayed per reel, to have up to fifteen of a kind winning combinations.

In the example of the game shown in Figure 4 of the drawings, it is assumed that the reels 18 stop at positions 5, 4, 16, 9 and 5 of the reel strips 50 to generate the screen display shown in Figure 4 of the drawings. This embodiment will pay a prize for five scatter symbols.

m:\speci\l 10000\118-119\119194div.doc 004981785 IND 6 SAssuming that the reels 18 stop at positions 5, 10, 6, 10, 6 of the reel strips as shown in Figure 5, the maximum scatter prize of ten of a kind scatter symbols will be awarded.

Hence it is an advantage of the invention that a game is provided which can pay 5 a prize for more special symbols, such as, for example, scatter symbols, than there are O reels displayed on the display.

It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that numerous variations and/or O modifications may be made to the invention as shown in the specific embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as broadly described. The D present embodiments are, therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive.

In this specification the term "comprises" (or its grammatical variants) as used as equivalent to the term "includes" and should not be taken as excluding the presence of other elements or features.

Claims

2. The gaming machine of claim 1 in which there are more special symbols able to be displayed than there are reels constituting the spinning reel game.
3. The gaming machine of claim 1 or claim 2 in which the display means is a video display unit and the display of the reels constituted by a video simulation of spinning reels.
4. The gaming machine of any one preceding claims in which the set of symbols on each of the reels has more than one occurrence of the special symbol. The gaming machine of claim 4 in which the set of symbols of each reels has at least two special symbols. 004981785v21.doc 8
6. The gaming machine of claim 4 or claim 5 in which the special symbols are positioned on each reel such that up to three special symbols are able to be displayed together at any one time.
7. A gaming machine having a display and a game controller arranged to control images displayed on the display, the game controller being arranged to play a game in which at least one random event is caused to be display on the display and, if a predefined winning event occurs, the machine awards a prize, wherein the display displays a plurality of columns of symbols, the symbols, being selected from a predetermined set of symbols, and, in respect of at least certain symbols of the set, it being possible to obtain a winning combination made up of a greater number of the certain symbols than there are columns displayed on the display.
8. A gaming machine as claimed in claim 1 and substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.