Amusement devices: games – Including means for processing electronic data – In a chance application
Reexamination Certificate
1999-03-01
2001-07-17
Cheng, Joe H. (Department: 3713)
Amusement devices: games
Including means for processing electronic data
In a chance application
C463S020000, C273S138200
Reexamination Certificate
active
06261177
ABSTRACT:
INTRODUCTION
The present invention relates to gaming machines of the type generally referred to as slot machines, fruit machines or poker machines, and in particular the invention provides a new game played on such a machine.
Players who regularly play gaming machines quickly tire of particular games and therefore it is necessary for manufacturers of these machines to come up with innovative games or game features that add interest to the games provided on such machines in order to keep the players amused and therefore willing to continue playing the game.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
Gaming or poker machines have been well known in the state of New South Wales for many years and have more recently gained considerable popularity throughout Australia, with quite substantial amounts of money wagered on these machines. There is a growing tendency for State governments to legalise the use of gaming machines by licensing operators, with resulting revenue gains through licence fees and taxation of monies invested. The licensed operation of gaming machines is the subject of State legislation and regulation. This regulation almost always dictates a minimum percentage payout for a gaming machine. For example, a minimum of 8
5
% of monies invested must be returned as winnings, and manufacturers of gaming machines therefore must design their machines around these regulatory controls.
With the growth that has occurred in the gaming machine market there is intense competition between manufacturers to supply the various existing and new venues. When selecting a supplier of gaming machines, the operator of a venue will often pay close attention to the popularity of various games with their patrons.
Therefore, gaming machine manufacturers are keen to devise games which are popular with players, as a mechanism for improving sales.
In particular, manufacturers regularly devise new games which have not previously been seen on slot machines in order to stimulate renewal of player interest.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A slot machine including display means arranged to display a game being played on the machine, game initiating means to initiate a game on the machine and game control means responsive to the initiating means to control the playing of the game, characterised in that the display means is arranged to display:
a game image having a plurality of player selectable zones, the control means including player zone selection means, a prize being associated with at least one of the zones, and at least one of the zones being randomly selected by the control means to be a winning zone, selection of which by the player causes a related prize to be awarded to the player.
The game image may either be a static image or a dynamic (ie video) image, depending upon the particular embodiment of the invention.
In one embodiment, clues are provided to assist the player in determining the probability of a particular zone being the winning zone.
Some embodiments of the invention will include some zones which have a zero prize value such that if randomly selected by the controller and selected by the player, no prize is awarded to the player.
Preferably, the zone selection means includes touch sensors associated with the display means such that touching the display means within the area of one of the player selectable zones causes the respective zone to be selected. Preferably, the display means is a video screen or LCD panel and touch sensors are touch switches associated with zones of the display.
In preferred embodiments, the game image may display a sportsman playing his sport or a scene covering a hidden target. Examples include a golfer teeing off, a soccer player kicking a ball, a rugby player passing a ball, an angler casting his fly or a battleship dropping a depth charge or firing missiles. The player wins the game by selecting a zone in the display in which the sportsman's ball or fly lands, or the location of a hidden submarine hit by the ship's depth charge or missiles.
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Aristocrat Technologies Australia Pty Ltd.
Cheng Joe H.
Christman Kathleen M.
Rosenman & Colin LLP
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