Amusement devices: games – Including means for processing electronic data – In a chance application
Reexamination Certificate
1998-11-05
2001-04-10
Martin-Wallace, Valencia (Department: 3713)
Amusement devices: games
Including means for processing electronic data
In a chance application
C463S016000, C273S14300R, C273S12100R
Reexamination Certificate
active
06213875
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to displays for games, and more particularly for a game used for a gaming machine such as a ball-shooting game machine (e.g. pachinko game machine), a slot machine or a TV game machine.
RELATED ART
In a pachinko game machine, for example, a mechanical display of the type that includes reels has hitherto been used as a display for a game that profits, or awards a player when a pattern that is indicated by the display is arranged to produce a predetermined combination of symbols. In recent years, however, an electrical display, such as liquid crystal display, has become popular due to the possibility of multiple demonstration effects. Further, a known slot machine or the like that does not employ a game ball does not use a mechanical display with rotating reels, but instead employs an electrical display formed of a crystal or a CRT.
Such electrical displays achieve game indications that cannot be realized by conventional mechanical displays. It therefore becomes possible to produce various indications or demonstrations that increase the interest of a player in the game being played. For example, a real-time indication of: the times during which a variable winning device is available to be converted into an open sate that is profitable for the player when the variable display is stopped in a specified combination of symbols (e.g. “big hit”); a real-time indication of number of game balls that entered in the variable winning device; an indication of a background in a different color from usual when the display indicates a specified pattern in order to demonstrate the big hit excitingly; an indication of the appearance of new characters other than the symbols (or special pattern) used for the game; an indication of a pattern with unusual motion when the game is in a state in which the big hit can be obtained if one or more special symbols will be arranged in the display (that is, a “reach” state), thereby enabling the player to recognize that a “big hit” will appear soon; as well as indications of other game conditions.
One particularly useful demonstration for raising the interest level of a player is a pattern change indication called a “reach action” in the “reach” state. When the reach action begins a player pays attention to the indication on the display with the expectation of an appearance of a “big hit” in the principal game. The reach action includes, for example, a change of speed of pattern variation (variable display) as compared with usual speed of pattern variation in the principal game, a change of time of pattern variation or the like, and sometimes, the “big hit” appears with certainty in response to a special reach action. Thus, a reach action is an indication that will make a player expect the appearance of a “big hit.”
The reach action on a display of a conventional gaming machine may convince the player of the impending appearance of the big hit by a relatively simple change of speed or the timing of a pattern variation. Since the big hit may not always appear, it may betray the player's expectation and reduce player's interest in the game. Further, as mentioned above, it is known that the reach action is carried out by indicating a symbol (or a character) other than the symbols used in the special pattern. The conventional reach action is only a simple symbol indication without any information concerning the possibility of the appearance of a big hit. In any case, a player easily tires of the conventional simple reach action, and thus the game may become monotonous.
With the foregoing in mind, it could be proposed that a pattern or symbol for the principal (special pattern) that is indicated by the display be utilized to execute the reach action using a combination of the special patterns or symbols. However, a special pattern or symbol would be regulated by the rules of the principal game. As a result, the number and kind of symbols or patterns cannot be increased to achieve a reach action independently of the indication used for the principal game. Even if the increase can be accomplished, it is necessary to prepare the combinations of symbols for the predictive display as additions to the combinations of symbols used for the principal game, thereby resulting in a problem in that the indication control of the special pattern becomes very complicated.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of this invention is to provide a display for a game, the display providing information relating to the probability of the appearance of a big hit to a player and information relating to the expectation that a profitable combination of predictive images and a reach action in the game, by varying the degree of expectation of a big hit in such a manner that a combination of the predictive images consisting of combined symbols with a plurality of reach actions corresponds to a special pattern (big hit), without increasing the kind or number of patterns or symbols used in the principal game and without making the display control unduly complicated.
Another object of this invention is to proved a gaming machine that utilizes the principle of the display for the game mentioned above.
In accordance with the invention, there is provided a display for a game having a judgment arrangement for determining whether a specified game state is to be obtained in response to a predetermined input signal; a special pattern determination arrangement for determining a special pattern that represents the specified game state; a demonstration determination arrangement for determining a demonstration by selecting from a plurality of demonstrations that indicate display modes different from usual stop motion of the special pattern; a predictive image determination arrangement for determining a predictive image by selecting from a plurality of predictive images representing different degrees of expectation of the appearance of the specified game state; a display for displaying the special pattern, the demonstration, and the predictive image determined by the special pattern determination, the demonstration determination arrangement and the predictive image determination arrangement respectively; and a display controller for controlling the display to indicate the predictive image determined by the predictive image determination arrangement, the demonstration determined by the demonstration determination arrangement, and the special pattern determined by the special pattern determination arrangement. In this display, each of the demonstrations represents a degree of expectation of the appearance of the specified game state, the degree of expectation being varied according to a combination of the demonstration and the predictive image.
The judgment arrangement determines whether or not a specified game state (for example, a big hit) is to appear in response to a predetermined input signal.
Based on the result of the determination by the judgment arrangement, the special pattern determination arrangement determines a special pattern to represent a the specified game state (a combination of the symbols of the big hit).
The demonstration determination arrangement determines a demonstration to be indicated, or displayed, by selecting from a plurality of demonstrations that indicated the display mode of the stop motion of the special pattern being made different from usual. This determination includes a determination not to display any demonstration.
The predictive image determination arrangement determines a predictive image that is to be indicated by selecting from a plurality of predictive images each having a corresponding degree of expectation of the appearance of the special pattern mentioned above.
The display controller controls the display so as to indicate first the predictive image determined by the predictive image determination arrangement, then the demonstration determined by demonstration determination arrangement, and finally the special pattern determined by the special pattern determination arrangement.
A player expects t
Aruze Corporation
Kasick Julie
Martin-Wallace Valencia
Rohm & Monsanto, PLC
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