Amusement devices: games – Including means for processing electronic data – In a game requiring an element of a participants physical...
Reexamination Certificate
1999-01-19
2001-07-03
Layno, Benjamin H. (Department: 3711)
Amusement devices: games
Including means for processing electronic data
In a game requiring an element of a participants physical...
C463S016000, C273S138200, C273S440000, C273S454000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06254479
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a game machine in which a movement of an indicating mark is stopped by an operation of a game player and a lottery result is determined on the basis of a position in which the indicating mark is stopped.
2. Description of the Related Art
Traditionally, in a field of a so-called arcade game machine which is set in an arcade environment or the like, there is such a machine which gives a game player chances for a predetermined number of times of lotteries when the player throws medals. In the respective chances of the lotteries, an indicating mark for lotteries is moved along a predetermined route. And with an operation of the player for stopping the mark, the mark is stopped on the position according to the timing of the operation. And if the indicating mark is stopped in a predetermined prize area, the machine pays a reward such as medals, a gift or the like.
The above game machine has an advantage that the rule of the game is simple, so the game is easy to be familiar to the majority of players. On the other hand, the player is apt to lose his interest in the game because of a simplicity of the game and it is difficult to attract the player for a long time.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
One of the object of the prevent invention is to provide a game machine which is able to attract a player for a long time by extinguishing monotony of the game without an extreme complexity thereof.
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a game machine which comprises: a lottery practicing device for carrying out a process of a lottery in which an indicating mark being moved along a predetermined route is stopped in accordance with a direction of a player; a prize area arranging device for arranging a prize area along the route, a size of the prize area being changed in accordance with value which is bet by the player per one chance of the lottery; and a lottery result deciding device for issuing a lottery result when the indicating mark is stopped in the prize area, the lottery result being changed in accordance with a position in which the mark is stopped.
In the above game machine, a game is simple in which a player only directs a stopping of an indicating mark, but the prize area is expanded or reduced according to a value which is bet for one chance of a lottery and a probability of a prize is changed on the basis of a size of the prize area. And even if the indicating mark can be stopped in the prize area, a result of the lottery is not uniform and the result is differ according to a position at which the indicating mark is stopped. So, it is possible to attract the player for a long time by extinguishing a monotony of the game as compared with an usual game machine in which a prize area is fixed and the probability of the prize is uniform.
The prize area arranging device may expand the prize area with increasing the bet value.
In this case, as the bet value per a lottery is higher, a probability of the prize is higher and a loss on the basis of a failure is larger. On the other hand, as a bet value is lower, the probability of the prize is lower and the loss for the failure is smaller. A balance of the profit and the loss is put into player's hands, so the player can enjoy the game.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a game machine which comprises: a first lottery practicing device for carrying out a first lottery process in which an indicating mark being moved along a predetermined route is stopped in accordance with a direction of a player; a first payment controlling device for allowing a payment of a reward to the player when the indicating mark is stopped in a first prize area set in a part of the route; a second lottery practicing device for carrying out a second lottery process when the indicating mark is stopped in a second prize area in the route by the first lottery process; and a second payment controlling device for giving an additional chance for the payment of the reward when a predetermined result is obtained by the second lottery process.
In this case, the payment of the reward is allowed if the indicating mark can be stopped in the first prize area. And the second lottery process is carried out if the indicating mark is stopped in the second prize area. Then the additional chance of the reward is given if the predetermined result is gotten by the second lottery process. By the additional chance, for instance, the reward may be paid unconditionally, or the reward may be paid when a combination of results of previous or future lotteries and the result of the second lottery process. Since the additional chance is prepared, a monotony is banished from the game as compared with the usual game machine in which a judgement whether a reward is paid or not is performed only on the basis of the fact that the indicating mark is stopped in a predetermined area or out of the area, and specially, a hope of the player for a payment of the reward can be raised. The first prize area and the second prize area may coincide or the first prize area and the second prize areas may have a overlapping area.
The second payment controlling device may allow the payment of the reward to the player when a result of the second lottery process satisfies a predetermined payment condition. In this case, there is some possibility that the player gets the reward even if the reward is paid or not paid by the first lottery process, so a hope of the player can be raised.
When a result of the second lottery process satisfies a predetermined entitling condition, the second payment controlling device may entitle a privilege by which the player can get the reward with a combination of the result of the present second lottery process and a future result of the first or the second lottery process. In this case, when the privilege of getting the reward is given, a possibility of paying the reward by future lottery process is higher. As a result, a hope of the player can be continuously raised through more than one chances of lotteries.
The first payment controlling device may allow the payment of the reward based on the privilege in addition to the payment of the reward corresponding to the first lottery process, if the privilege of getting the reward based on a previous second lottery process remains when the indicating mark is stopped in the first prize area positioned in the part of the route. In this case, when the privilege to get the reward is given by the second lottery process, there is some possibility that a larger reward is paid by the future first lottery process. As a result, a hope of the player is continuously raised through more than one chances of lotteries.
When the privilege of getting the reward is entitled by the second lottery process, the second payment controlling device may allow the payment of the reward if a combination of the privilege and a privilege of getting the reward corresponding to a previous second lottery process satisfies a predetermined payment condition. In this case, when the privilege to get the reward is given by the second lottery process, there is some possibility that a larger reward is paid by the future second lottery process. As a result, a hope of the player is continuously raised through more than one chances of lotteries.
The machine may further comprise a privilege extinguishing device for extinguishing the privilege of getting the reward which is given by a previous second lottery process if the result of the second lottery process satisfies a predetermined extinguishing condition. In this case, even if the second lottery process is carried out, there is possibility that the privilege already given is extinguished in accordance with the result of the second lottery process, so the game comes to be more thrilling.
The second prize area may include an area part outside of the first prize area. In this case, even if the indicating mark is not stopped in the first prize area and the payment of the reward is not all
Ishii Takaaki
Okitani Genichiro
Ozaki Yukio
Shibata Yukari
Toriyama Ryosuke
Jordan and Hamburg LLP
Konami Co. Ltd.
Layno Benjamin H.
LandOfFree
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