Amusement devices: games – Including means for processing electronic data – Perceptible output or display
Reexamination Certificate
2002-05-02
2004-11-16
Harrison, Jessica (Department: 3714)
Amusement devices: games
Including means for processing electronic data
Perceptible output or display
C463S020000, C463S034000, C273S138100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06817946
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a display control device which displays virtual images which are shown with mechanical reels reflected on a half mirror and an image which is output from an image display device placed in a position to directly face the player in a superimposed state via the half mirror, a display control method, and a display control program.
2. Description of the Related Art
As a game machine using an image display device employing a virtual image, there is disclosed an amusement machine in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-104311.
A variable display device is comprised of spinning drums which have special designs formed on their peripheries, drum lamps which can irradiate light to the special designs of the spinning drums, a half mirror which allows visible permeation of the special designs by lighting from the drum lamps, and a projection display mechanism which can project a projection image to show it on the half mirror. The projection display mechanism projects character designs to show them as projection images on the half mirror.
By configuring as described above, a mechanical variable display device which can display the character designs in addition to the display of the special designs is provided, and ornamental visual effects are obtained.
As described above, according to the amusement machine disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-104311, the player visually recognizes the special designs of the spinning drums through the half mirror, and the projection image is projected onto the half mirror to superimpose on the special designs of the spinning drums. But, the amusement machine becomes bulky and has a large depth because the spinning drums are located to directly face the player.
The above projection image is just a character design on a previously provided film and low in flexibility and lacks in adaptability though it is a motion picture.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the circumstances described above, it is an object of the invention to provide an image display control device, which has mechanical reels disposed in a position to intersect a line between the player and an image display section to reduce a depth size and to enable expressions such as a change in peripheral designs, a change in shape, blazing up, luminescence and others which cannot be expressed by the mechanical reels alone, enables both a slot game having realism and a colorful and rich display, and enables to make a superimposed display of virtual images rich in entertainment and real images, an image display control method, and an image display control program.
The virtual image and real image superimposed display device according to claim
1
of the present invention is a virtual and real image superimposed display device, which is a display device for a game machine, having an image display section which is connected to a display control section and disposed in a position to face a player side, mechanical reels disposed on a second virtual line which intersects a first virtual line connecting the image display section and the player side, and a lighting section disposed in the vicinity of the mechanical reels for illuminating the mechanical reels; and a half mirror which is disposed in a plane in front of the image display section and including a region where the first and second virtual lines intersect to incline toward the image display section or the player side, thereby showing images, which are displayed by the image display section and permeated through the half mirror, and virtual images of designs drawn on peripheries of the mechanical reels and reflected by the half mirror to a player in the same plane, wherein: the display control section is configured to make appropriate image display control of still pictures or motion pictures to be superimposed in an entire region or a part of the region of the designs which are visually recognized at least on the half mirror.
By configuring as described above, it is possible to reduce a depth of the image display device.
It is also possible to realize both a game having realism and a colorful and rich display which are considered difficult to realize by the structure of mechanical reels only.
The image display control method according to claim
2
of the present invention is an image display control method for a game machine which comprises: an image display section which is connected to a display control section and positioned to face a player side; mechanical reels which are disposed on a second virtual line which intersects a first virtual line connecting the image display section and the player side; a lighting section which is disposed in the vicinity of the mechanical reels to illuminate the mechanical reels; and a half mirror which is disposed in a plane in front of the image display section and including a region where the first and second virtual lines intersect to incline toward the image display section or the player side, wherein: it is controlled by a computer to show still pictures or motion pictures on the image display section by superimposing on an entire region or a part of the region of virtual images of the designs drawn on the peripheries of the mechanical reels, which are reflected by the half mirror and visually recognized.
By configuring as described above, the details of the still pictures or the motion pictures to be superimposed can be expressed as the game having realism and the colorful and rich images, which are hardly realized by the representation by means of the mechanical reels only, by flexibly controlling a change in peripheral designs, a change in shape, blazing up, luminescence and other images on the peripheries of the mechanical reels.
The image display control program according to claim
3
of the present invention is an image display control program for a game machine which comprises: an image display section which is connected to a display control section and positioned to face a player side; mechanical reels which are disposed on a second virtual line which intersects a first virtual line connecting the image display section and the player side; a lighting section which is disposed in the vicinity of the mechanical reels to illuminate the mechanical reels; and a half mirror which is disposed in a plane in front of the image display section and including a region where the first and second virtual lines intersect to incline toward the image display section or the player side, wherein: the program is executed by a computer so that still pictures or motion pictures are shown on the image display section by superimposing on an entire region or a part of the region of virtual images of designs drawn on peripheries of the mechanical reels, which are reflected by the half mirror and visually recognized.
By configuring as described above, the details of the still pictures or motion pictures to be superimposed can achieve a game display rich in entertainment by realizing both a slot game having realism and a colorful and rich display, which are considered difficult to realize by the representation by means of the mechanical reels only, by using a change in peripheral designs, a change in shape, blazing up, luminescence and other images on the peripheries of the mechanical reels.
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patent:
Mizue Hayato
Motegi Satoshi
Noda Kosaku
Satoh Masatoshi
Suganuma Masanori
Harrison Jessica
Konami Corporation
Rada, II Alex P. R. P.
Welsh & Katz Ltd.
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