Amusement devices: games – Including means for processing electronic data – In a chance application
Reexamination Certificate
1998-12-07
2001-10-23
Martin-Wallce, Valencia (Department: 3713)
Amusement devices: games
Including means for processing electronic data
In a chance application
C273S14300R
Reexamination Certificate
active
06306034
ABSTRACT:
This patent application claims priority based on the Japanese patent applications, H09-352171 filed on Dec. 5, 1997 and H10-243695 filed on Aug. 28, 1998 the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a game machine having a function to inform a player of a prize mode determined by a random number lottery.
2. Related Art
There has conventionally been, for example, a slot machine as a game machine of this kind. In a general slot machine, as shown in
FIG. 1A
, three reels
3
,
4
and
5
are installed in parallel on the rear side of a front panel
2
. Various patterns are illustrated on the outer circumferences of the individual reels
3
to
5
, and the patterns are illuminated by built-in light sources (back lights), not shown, installed at the individual reels and are observed via individual windows
6
,
7
and
8
formed at the front panel
2
. Five prize lines are described in the windows, and the slot machine game is carried out depending upon whether or not a combination of predetermined patterns is set on any of the prize lines.
The game is started when a player puts a coin into a slot and when the coin is put into the slot, as shown in
FIG. 1A
, all of the back lights are lighted. When a coin of the player has not been put thereinto by the player for a predetermined time period after finishing the game, or the like, all of the back lights are extinguished, as shown in FIG.
1
B. The individual reels
3
to
5
are rotated in response to the operation of a start lever by the player, and the individual windows
6
to
8
are displayed with the patterns which move to rotate in the directions of columns thereof. When the individual reels
3
to
5
reach a constant speed, the operation of the individual stop buttons installed in correspondence with the individual reels
3
to
5
becomes effective.
The player operates the individual stop buttons while observing the moving patterns and stops the rotation of the individual reels
3
to
5
thereby to stop and display desired patterns on any of the prize lines. The individual reels
3
to
5
stop rotating in response to the operational timings of the individual stop buttons. When a predetermined combination of patterns is displayed on any of the prize lines at the time of stopping them, a prize in response the combination of patterns is obtained.
There are a big hit prize, a medium hit prize, a small hit prize and so on in prize modes, and the big hit prize or the medium hit prize is caused when three of patterns “7” or patterns of a predetermined character are set on the prize line. A special game of big bonus game (BB game) in the case of the big hit prize or regular bonus game (RB game) in the case of the medium hit prize is carried out, and a large amount of coins can be acquired. Further, the small hit prize is caused when a predetermined number of patterns of “cherry” or “bell” are aligned on the prize line, and several coins can be acquired in the small hit prize.
FIG. 1C
shows a case in which patterns “bell” are aligned on a central prize line, and in this case, the back lights are flashed.
Such prize modes are determined by a lottery of random numbers which is carried out immediately after operating the start lever and has already been determined before the individual reels are operated to stop by the player. The lottery of random numbers is executed by prize mode determining means constituted inside of the game machine. When the big hit prize is determined by the lottery of random numbers, a display such as a notification lamp installed at the front panel of the machine is lighted, and the player is informed of the fact that the big hit prize is caused by the inner lottery of the machine. After this, the rotation of the individual reels is controlled to stop in response to the operation of stopping the buttons by the player, and the prize can be actually experienced by the player when a combination of patterns of the prize determined by the lottery of random numbers is stopped and displayed on the prize line.
In the aforementioned game machine of the prior art, however, the player is informed of the fact that the prize of the big hit is caused by the lottery inside of the machine, but this is informed by simply lighting the notification lamp which is devoid of interest in game.
According to the aforementioned conventional game machine, furthermore, the player is informed of the fact that a situation of causing a big hit prize is brought about by the inner lottery by displaying a predetermined combination of patterns which is referred to as “reach spot” (i.e., a hit anticipating state in Mahjong Game) in stopping to rotate the individual reels. However, only a skilled player accustomed to the game can read that the combination of patterns in stopping the reels constitutes the “reach spot” which is one of methods of informing establishment of the big hit, and a beginner of the game is different finds it difficult to read the “reach spot” from the output display of the reels.
According to the aforementioned conventional game machine, furthermore, when a big hit prize is caused by the inner lottery, as mentioned above, the notification lamp is immediately lighted, and the player is informed of a result of the inner lottery. According to the conventional game machine, therefore, the player is mechanically informed of the result of the inner lottery, as it is, for causing the big hit prize and cannot enjoy the pleasure of searching the result of the inner lottery as in, for example, searching for the “reach spot”.
Furthermore, what is informed is only the case in which the big hit prize is caused by the inner lottery, and the information to be conveyed to the player is limited. Therefore, the result of the inner lottery which has been determined by the lottery of random numbers inside of the machine is not known until the patterns are actually stopped and displayed at the individual windows with regard to the prize modes other than big hit prize. Accordingly, the player cannot previously grasp the result of the inner lottery, and therefore, what patterns are to be aligned on the prize line cannot be known to the player at all when the rotation of the reels is operated to stop initially.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the invention, as conceived to solve those problems, there is provided a game machine which comprises: prize mode determining means for determining a prize mode of a game by a random number lottery; a variable display device for display various patterns variably in a plurality of columns and for displaying a combination of the patterns stationarily in said individual columns in accordance with the prize mode which is determined by said prize mode determining means; variable display starting means for starting the variable display of said variable display device; and variable display stopping means for stopping said variable display for the individual columns. Further comprised is information means for informing a player, at a predetermined probability, of an information corresponding to the prize mode determined by said prize mode determining means, in a series of flow of the game from the start of said variable display by said variable display starting means to the end of one game stopped by stopping said variable display by said variable display stopping means.
According to this construction, the prize mode determined by the inner lottery is informed to the player by the information corresponding to the prize mode through a series of flow of the game. This allows the player to predict the prize mode with the information mode according to the progress of the game. Specifically, the player is gradually informed of what prize mode is determined, by the inner lottery as the operations progress, so that the player becomes more excited by the prize mode which becomes clearer and clearer as the operations advance the farther, unlike the mere information of the result of the inner lottery.
Furthermore,
Sakamoto Yoshikazu
Yoshida Hiroshi
Aruze Corporation
Kasick Julie
Martin-Wallce Valencia
Pillsbury & Winthrop LLP
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