AU616632B3 - Modification for gaming machine - Google Patents

Description

AUSTRALIA

PATENTS ACT 1990

NOTICE OF ENTITLEMENT

I, Anthony Ross Glen Stollery of 150 Lake Crescent, Hamilton, New Zealand

on behalf of the applicant in respect of Application No. 74241/91, state the following:-

1. The person nominated for the grant of the patent has, for the 000000 0 following reasons, gained entitlement from the actual inventor, 000 ANTHONY ROSS GLEN STOLLERY! 0

0.00 If a patent were granted to the actual inventor in respect of the invention the nominated person would be entitled to have the patent assigned to it. 00

2. The person nominated for tne grant of the patent is the applicant of the basic application listed on the application form.

aa 3. The basic application listed on the application form is the application first made in a Convention country in respect of the invention.

(Signature) (Date)

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File: 15988 ~J:1

ii:ji i ii i-ii" i" s SHELSTON WATERS i: I1 CLARENCE STREET, SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA a ii

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(12) PATENT ABRIDGMENT (11) Document No. AU-B-74241/91 (19) AUSTRALIAN PATENT OFFICE (10) Acceptance No. 616632 (Australian Petty Patent) (54) Title MODIFICATION FOR GAMING MACHINE International Patent Classification() 5 (51) G07F017/34 (21) Application No. :74241/91 (22) Application Date 09.04.91 Priority Data (31) Number (32) Date (33) Country 13.02.91 NZ NEW ZEALAND (43) Publication Date 31.10.91 Publication Date of Granted Application 31.10.91 (71) Applicant(s) FORTUNE MACHINE CORPORATION LIMITED (72) Inventor(s) ANTHONY ROSS GLEN STOLLERY (74) Attorney or Agent SHELSTON WATERS, 55 Clarence Street, SYDNEY NSW 2000 (56) Prior Art Documents AU 62268/69 445982 53.8 AU 65009/74 485445 53.8 (57) Claim

1. A gaming machine comprising five or more reels

including permanent means to block out reel symbols o j each reel within the view of the operator of the gning machine, the arrangement of the blocking means being such

that at least three symbols on one of said reels are

visible to the operator and a lesser number of reel

symbols on the other reels are visible to the operator,

wherein the winning line combinations for the gaming

machine are based only on thr visible symbols.

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COMMIVONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA PATENTS ACT 1952

0 I PETTY PATENT !PECIFICATION FOR THE INVENTION ENTITLED:-

"MODIFICATION FOR GAMING MACHINE"

The following statement is a full description of this invention,

including the best method of performing it known to us:-

This invention relates to a modification for gaming machines. It

Throughout this specification, reference will be made to the use of the present invention with gaming machines. Gaming machines is a term intended to cover all machines upon which a combination of reel symbols displayed on the machine can determine whether the operator of the machine has won or lost. What is won or lost is usually money, but this is not necessarily so.

Although gaming machines come in a variety of configurations, the most common gaming machine comprises five reels of which three vertical symbols on each reel are displayed and visible through a transparent glass window as

*ou 10 three lines of five symbols. In some gaming machines the reels are 0. o mechanical disc drums that rotate around a horizontal axis. In other gaming

machines, the reels are electronically produced. That is, the 'reels' are images

0000 which are displayed on a gaming machine in accordance with a computer i,

program. The most common of this type of gaming machine is referred to as a

video gaming machine.

Typically, there are upto five possible winning combinations availa!ie on a five ooo

S- reel, gaming machine. For a winning combination five reel symbols are

normally but not always required. The typical winning combinations are the

same five reel symbols in any of the three horizontal rows as well as the same

20 five reel symbols which follow a V-shape on the machine. The V-shape

combination is difficult to describe and can be best represented by a coordinate i system whereby the reels are numbered 1 to 5 and the lines A, B and C.

Therefore the uppermost left reel symbol has the coordinate and the I

lowest right hand reel symbol has tfla coordinate Two V-shaped winning

combinations are possible and these are given by the coordinates

and respectively. i

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Although the above system works well, there are some drawbacks with the operator's perception of the odds of winning on such machines. For instance, the requirement to get five reel symbols in a row appears difficult to achieve, although most gaming machines in New Zealand have a pay out of over 78%.

Another drawback is that there is no ready incentive for an operator to play to win all five combinations at once as typically tne amount of money the operator puts in the machine is directly proportional to the numbor of winning line combinations selected. As the gambling industry is based on turnover, any means by which an operator cdn be o 0encouraged to stake upto more lines and on each play is desirable.

A further drawback is that the present display of SOo.o combinations can be visually confusing to the operator.

It is an object of the present invention to address the 0O:00 above drawbacks or at least provide the public with a

o~ o useful choice.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention °..:will become apparent from the following description which 'o o: is given by way of example.

Accordingly, there is provided a gaming machine comprising five or more reels including permanent means to block out reel symbols on each reel within the view of the operator of the gaming machine, the arrangement of the blocking means being such that at least three symbols on one of said reels are visible to the operator and a lesser number of reel symbols on the other reels are visible to the operator, wherein the winning line combinations for the gaming machine are based only on the visible symbols.

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By selectively blocking out some of the reel symbols on the reels, winning combinations may be formed with less than five reel symbols the same in a particular line. For instance, a screen could be used on a standard five reel gaming machine to block out two reel symbols on each line. Therefore, only three reel symbols per line will be shown. Instead of having five reel symbols required for a winning line combination, the operation of the machine can be such that only three reel symbols in a line are required. This can increase the operator's perception of the odds of gaining a winning combination.

Thi.s also enables a greater number of winning combinations to be obtained. For instance, the blocking oout of certain reel symbols can be such that seven 015 winning combinations can be scored. For instance there may be three horizontal lines, three diagonal lines and a vertical line on which three reel symbols of the same can be a winning combination. Thus, instead of the usual five winning line combinations available on conventional 0:0. 20 gaming machines, an extra two winning line combinations is possible.7

The extra two winning line combinations can be a 0 0 considerable marketing advantage and can theoretically be given away 'free' if the operator elects to pay sufficient money to stake up for a five line combinations. The odds perceived by the operator will be greater as a result of the extra two potential winning line combinations and also the requirement to only get three reel symbols in a row instead of the normal fiveI reel symbols in a row with traditional gaming machines. Any improvement that favourable changes an operator's perception of the odds is an advantage to the gaming industry.

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I A further advantage of' the present invention is that a visually crisp display is

obandand it is relatively easy for an operator to perceive if he/she has won.

The reel symbols can be blocked out by a number of ways. On existing machines, a thin shield may be used which has apertures therein allowing only certain reel symbols on the existing machine to be seen. The screen may be made of any suitable material, perhaps plastics film.

A screen may be used within the gamning machine itself and be placed directly over the reels of the gaming machine. Thifs screen may be made of a variety of

soooOmaterials, perhaps plastic or perspex. It may be attached to the gaming

J 0 0 a 0 machine by a number of means, perhaps clipped or screwed in. With having a screen internal to the machine, there are no parallax problems which one 0 600 a would normally encounter if a screen had been placed on the outside of the

0 90.0 gaming machine or at a significant distance from the reels. Furthermore, it has been found th~at having an internal screen provides a crisp look to the whole display. 0

For new gaming machine,- whether mechanically or video operated, a screen separate from the viewing ports may not be used. Instead, the viewing ports 0.00

0000 themselves may be strategically placed in accordance with the present invention so only certain reel symbols can be seen. 0-1)

The internal programming operation of modified machines and new machines

in accordance with the present invention will be tailored to pay out on the new winning line combinations.

Aspects )f the present invention will -now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying figures in which:j

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Figure 1: illustrates the layout of a typical five reel gaming machine, and

Figure 2: illustrates one embodiment of the present invention and the possible winning line combinations that can be obtained, and

Figure 3: illustrates one possible means by which the means of attaching a screen in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

With respect to Figure 1, there is illustrated a display such as that generated by i 0:

0000 a typical gaming machine. There are five reels, 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 respectively and 00oo 0 three lines, A, B and C of reel symbols shown on the machine. In this typical

o gaming machine, the five possible winning line combinations are shown by the ,D 0 dotted lines on the display. o o 0 009 Figure 2 illustrates a screen which can be used to modify existing gaming machines so that total of seven winning line combinations can be displayed at once. The five reels and the three lines of reel symbols are the same as shown o 0

o3 015 in Figure 1. 090 0 9

Each line A, B and C has two of the reel symbols blocked out. The particular S" pattern by which the reel symbols in this embodiment have been blocked out enables seven winning combinations to be scored as shown by the dotted lines a on the screen. The seven winning combinations comprise of three horizontal lines of three, three diagonal lines of three and one vertical line of three. i:- Other screens and masks are envisaged and Figure 2 is only illustrated as one 1 L- possible mask which may be used.

It should be appreciated that reel 3 is unusual in that it can have on it a block of :IS symbols clustered together vertically in blocks of three to enable a winning fi :iI-I combination to be achieved as a vertical line.

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It should be appreciated that the screen or mask need not be a physical item but

can occur as a result of the electronics that runs a video gaming machine or

can be an opaque coating on a gaming machine.

Figure 3 illustrates one possible means by which the screen can be attached to

a gaming machine. The screen 10 is comprised of a curved viewing portion 11

and support portions 12. The viewing portions 11 have a similar curvature to

the reels 13 over which the screen 10 is placed. The gaming machine has a

sheet of transparent glass 14 which is held by a metal rail 15. Attached to the

support portions 12 and screen 10, are attachment means 16 which are bent to 10 abut with the metal rail 15. Screws through the attachment means 16 into the

oo o metal rail 15 hold the screen 10 into place over the reels 13. o 0

o Aspects of the present invention have been described by way of example only

and it should be appreciated that modifications and additions may be made

thereto without departing from the scope of the appended claim.

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Claims (1)

THE CLAIMS DEFINING THE INVENTION ARE AS FOLLOWS:-

1. A gaming machine comprising five or more reels

including permanent means to block out reel symbols on

each reel within the view of the operator of the gaming machine, the arrangement of the blocking means being such

that at least three symbols on one of said reels are visible to the operator and a lesser number of reel

symbols on the other reels are visible to the operator,

wherein the winning line combinations for the gaming machine are based only on the visible symbols.

a DATED this 21st day of August, 1991 FORTUNE MACHINE CORPORATION LIMITED Attorney: LEON K. ALLEN

o 0:00Fellow Institute of Patent Attorneys of Australia

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