GB2389948A

GB2389948A - Entertainment machine video display

Info

Publication number: GB2389948A
Application number: GB0213576A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Paul Daniel Smith
Original assignee: Red Gaming Ltd
Current assignee: Red Gaming Ltd
Priority date: 2002-06-13
Filing date: 2002-06-13
Publication date: 2003-12-24
Anticipated expiration: 2022-06-13
Also published as: GB2389948B; GB0213576D0

Abstract

A player-operable coin-operated entertainment machine has a video display (2) which provides a representation (10) of a housed entertainment machine of the kind having a main display device, such as rotatable reels (14a) which display a selected combination of symbols at a win zone (14). The player can operate a touch screen control (9) to adjust the view of the video-represented machine (10). The represented machine (10) can be moved up and down and side to side, rotated and zoomed in and out.

Description

' - 1 r ENTERTAINMENT MACHINES This invention relates to player-operable

entertainment machines, particularly coin-operated amusement with prizes (AWP) machines, such as "fruit" or "poker" machines of the kind having a main display device 5 for displaying a selected combination of symbols at a win zone. As used herein the term coin is intended also to cover tokens, charge or credit l cards or any other means of supplying credit or monetary value.

The main display device of a fruit machine may comprise multiple side-byside reels which are rotatable about a common horizontal axis 10 within a housing behind a window at the win zone. Each reel has symbols at equally spaced positions around its periphery and the reels can be brought to rest with one symbol on each reel displayed through the window on a win line.

If the displayed combination of symbols constitutes a 15 predetermined winning combination an award may be made available to the player.

It is known to provide features, such as 'nudge' or 'hold' features whereby the player seeks to influence selection of the displayed combination of symbols.

20 It is also well known to provide a supplementary feature display which can be used, often with a supplementary reel, to play a feature game which can provide additional or alternative opportunities for winning.

À ' ' 1

- 2 ( Further, it is known to provide other features, such as a gamble feature, whereby the player can seek to enhance an attained award e.g. using a gamble 'ladder'.

Conventionally, the reels may be actual mechanical reels, and! 5 feature games and other supplementary displays and features may utiiise backilluminated printed glass panels, It is however also known to use video simulations for some or all of these. Also, whilst press buttons are commonly used as player controls, it 10 is known to use video touch screens.

Whilst video components can provide effective displays and controls, they can be less acceptable to players. Players often prefer the look and feel' of physical structures and mechanical components.

An object of the present invention is to provide an entertainment 15 machine using video components which is adapted to provide an enhanced playing experience more closely simulating that of a machine using mechanical components and physical structures.

According to the invention therefore there is provided a player operable entertainment machine of the kind with which a game can be 20 played involving display of a selected combination of symbols at a win zone, wherein the machine has a video display operable to provide a i playerviewable visual representation of a game structure incorporating said win zone, and a player operable adjustment control with which the

l l ( l - 3 ( representation can be changed to adjust the player-view of such game structure. With this arrangement, the player can change his view of the game structure, in simulation of real-life change of view of, or focus on, an 5 actual physical structure, whereby the playing experience, notwithstanding the use of video components can be enhanced, and in particular, may simulate more closely the playing of an entertainment machine using mechanical components and physical structures rather than video components.

10 In this way, players can experience benefits of video play in the context of a machine which approaches more closely the look and feel of a non-video machine, or at least players can derive enhanced entertainment from operation of the adjustment control which seeks to achieve this closer simulation.

15 With regard to the represented game structure, this preferably is of the form of an entertainment machine, that is, a housing, particularly a floor-standing housing, having a main display device which displays the selected combination of symbols at the win zone in a window in a front panel of the housing.

20 The main display device preferably comprises side-by-side reels rotatable, e.g. about a common horizontal axis, behind the window.

The represented game structure may incorporate other aspects such as player controls, which may be press-buttons, feature displays

l - 4 ( such as a feature game which may have a-supplementary selector reel or reels, a gamble display, and the like, and also information displays such as a win table, and devices such as a coin slot, a credit meter, and the like.

With regard to the format of the representation, this may be of any 5 suitable nature. Preferably the format is three-dimensional and may be isometric or a true perspective. Other solid formats which may be of a distorted or otherwise modified nature e.g. for special effect may also be used. The change of view may involve manipulation of the representation, 10 or of a point or line of vision or centre of focus, in any suitable manner.

Thus, the change of view may be of the nature of a 'pan' change which involves movement of the representation to bring into view one or more parts of the game structure not previously visible, and/or such as to change the point or line of vision or centre of focus so that the field of

15 vision is centred on a different part of the game structure, and/or so that the game structure is seen from a different angle.

Alternatively or additionally, the change in view may be of the nature of a 'zoom' change which involves change in magnification of the representation. 20 By way of example, there may be the possibility of moving the representation linearly along one or more of x, y, z axes; rotating or tilting the representation; expanding or contracting the angle or field of view;

reducing or enlarging the representation.

l l l l l ( Other changes and special effects are also possible including, for example, changing perspective, etc. With regard to the player operable adjustment control utilised for changing the view this may take any suitable form. Preferably however 5 the control comprises a touch screen control. Most preferably the control is a touch and drag control whereby the representation moves or otherwise changes in correspondence with finger movement. This correspondence may relate to a mode or modes of movement whereby for example movement in one direction (e.g. up) or in one sense (e.g. inclined 10 or circular), gives rise to the same kind of movement of the representation. Additionally or alternatively the correspondence may relate to magnitude whereby a magnitude of finger movement gives rise to movement of the representation through a distance or angle, or change in another parameter, by an amount which is equal to or a function of the 15 magnitude of finger movement.

Whilst the use of a touch screen control is preferred, alternative or additionally the adjustment control may comprise a different kind of control such as a press button, roller ball, joystick or the like.

The adjustment control may be operable to change the view at any 20 suitable stage. Thus, it may be operable at any time, or only when the machine is activated for playing a game, or only at a defined stage within a game as determined on a predetermined or random or pseudo random basis which may be dependent on, or independent of the course or

l - 6 outcome of the game. At the end of the game or at some other stage the representation may revert to a predetermined start condition, or it may retain a previously adjusted condition until changed again by a player.

The machine is preferably a housed stand-alone video 5 entertainment machine of the coin-operated amusement with prizes kind, particularly a simulated fruit or poker machine. In this case, all or substantially all play features may be provided on the representation including some or all player controls. Thus, the machine may be activated, e.g. by insertion of credit via a coin slot, and the game may 10 then be played using simulated controls on the representation, and any award obtained may be delivered to the player through an outlet of the machine. Alternatively or additionally, some or all of such player controls may be on the machine separate from the representation and may comprise press-buttons or the like.

15 The invention will now be described further by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of one form of machine according to the invention; Figures 2 & 3 are diagrammatic representations of screen displays of 20 the machine of Figure 1; and Figure 4 is a block circuit diagram of the machine.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 shows an entertainment machine comprising a floor-standing box-shaped housing 1 containing a

r l À 1 l - 7 ( VDU 2 which is visible though a panel 3 at the front of the housing.

The housing has a coin slot 4 and a payout opening 5. i The housing 1 also contains a microprocessor-based control unit 6 which is connected to the VDU 2, a coin mechanism 7, a payout mechanism 8, and to a touch screen control 9 applied to the face of the VDU 2.

The unit 6 controls operation of the VDU 2 so that this displays a threedimensionsl representation 10 of a conventional fruit machine. The representation 10 comprises a box-shaped housing with a front wall 10 which includes upper and lower glass panels 1 1, 12, a number of I operating buttons 13, a main window 14 in the lower panel 12 showing the peripheries of three side-by-side axially aligned reels 14a marked with symbols, a feature game 15 on the upper panel 11 with a small window 16 revealing the periphery of a supplementary reel 17, and various 15 supplementary game and information displays, such as a win ladder 18, game title 19, win table 20 and the like.

The fruit machine 10 is shown complete on the VDU 2 in three dimensional representation. In a start condition this may be at an angle, as shown in Figure2, so that the front of the machine is at an angle and 20 one side wall of the housing can be seen.

This start condition may be generated when the machine is not in play, or when the machine is activated for the playing of a game by insertion of adequate credit via the coin slot 4.

l - 8 ( The player now has the option of Changing the view of the fruit machine by operating the touch screen control 9. That is the player can i press his finger onto the screen 2 at any position on the representation 10 and he can then drag his finger, in contact with the screen.

5 Movement of the player's finger linearly along vertical or horizontal lines causes the representation to move up and down or from side to side by a distance equal to the distance of movement of the player's finger.

That is, the player's finger movements are resolved into x and y coordinates which are used by the control unit to move the 10 representation. I The representation 10 can also be moved by rotation about a vertical axis, and/or through any other axis or angle, so that, for example, the front of the representation can be moved from a perspective view from one side as shown in Figure 2 to a face-on view, or to a perspective 15 view from another side and angle, as shown in Figure 3. This can be achieved by the player moving his finger through an inclined path 21 from a point 22 of first contact, as shown in Figure 2, or by any other suitable mode of movement e.g. by movement through a clockwise or anti-clockwise path on the VDU screen.

20 The angle and distance of movement of the player's finger are computed and utilised to generate appropriate movement of the representation 10.

The representation can be magnified or reduced by the player

l - 9 - ( touching a position on the representation on the screen and then holding his finger on that position whereupon the image enlarges and then contracts at a predetermined rate until the player's finger is removed.

Alternatively or additionally to the use of a touch and drag, or 5 touch and hold control function as mentioned above, there may be designated touch control positions or the like. Thus, for example, there may be touch positions at the side of the VDU screen designated 'enlarge' or 'reduce' or zoom+, zoom- or the like which operate to change the view whilst touched.

10 With this arrangement, the player can pan and zoom, i.e. change the position of focus and the size of the image as desired. Thus, whilst playing a game using the main display device i.e. the reels 15 the player can enlarge and move to centre screen this part of the representation.

When playing other features, such as the feature game 15, or the gamble 15 ladder 18, these can be enlarged and moved into prominence.

Play of a game can be initiated and controlled by using the touch screen controls 9 to operate the simulated control buttons 13 by finger contact with the appropriate portions of the screen 2. The game may proceed in like manner to a conventional fruit machine.

20 Thus, entertainment can be derived from the control of pan and zoom features, and the game play experience can more closely simulate that of a non-video machine having mechanical controls and physical structures on which the player focuses attention. Control of pan and

l - 10 zoom features may be available at any time during play of a game or alternatively at only certain stages in the course of the game.

It is of course to be understood that the invention is not intended to be restricted to the details of the above embodiment which are described 5 by way of example only.

Claims

- 11 CLAIMS

1. A player-operable entertainment machine of the kind with which a game can be played involving display of a selected combination of symbols at a win zone, wherein the machine has a video display 5 operable to provide a player-viewable visual representation of a game structure incorporating said win zone, and a player operable adjustment control with which the representation can be changed to adjust the player-view of such game structure.

2. A machine according to claim 1 wherein the represented game 10 structure comprises a housing having a main display device which displays the selected combination of symbols at the win zone in a window in a front panel of the housing.

3. A machine according to claim 2 wherein the main display device comprises side by side reels rotatable about a common horizontal 15 axis behind the window.

4. A machine according to claim 2 or 3 wherein the represented game structure also incorporates press buttons.

5. A machine according to any one of claims 2 to 4 wherein the represented game structure also incorporates a feature game.

20

6. A machine according to any one of claims 1 to 5 wherein the representation is three-dimensional.

7. A machine according to any one of claims 1 to 6 wherein the change of view involves movement of the representation to bring into view

( - 1 2 one or more parts of the game structure not previously visible.

8. A machine according to any one of claims l to 7 wherein the change of view is such as to change the point or line of vision or centre of focus so that the field of vision is centred on a different part of the

5 game structure.

9. A machine according to any one of claims 1 to 8 wherein the change of view is such that the game structure is seen from a different angle.

10. A machine according to any one of claims 1 to 9 wherein the change 10 in view involves a change in magnification of the representation.

11. A machine according to any one of claims 1 to 1 0 wherein the playeroperable adjustment control comprises a touch screen.

12. A machine according to claim 1 1 wherein the control is a touch and drag control whereby the representation changes in correspondence 1 5 with f i ng or movement.

13. A machine according to claim 10 wherein the correspondence relates to mode or modes of movement.

14. A machine according to claim 10 or 11 wherein the correspondence relates to magnitude of movement.

20

15. A machine according to any one of claims 1 to 12 which is a housed stand-along video entertainment machine of the coin-operated amusement with prizes kind.

16. A player-operable entertainment machine substantially as

( - 13 hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.