Amusement devices: games – Including means for processing electronic data – Credit/debit monitoring or manipulation
Reexamination Certificate
1998-05-26
2001-05-01
Martin-Wallace, Valencia (Department: 3713)
Amusement devices: games
Including means for processing electronic data
Credit/debit monitoring or manipulation
C463S017000, C463S020000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06224484
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a progressive gaming system capable of giving a prize, such as pay-out of coins, tokens and the like, for a winning combination formed in a main game played in each of gaming machines associated with each other, and capable of giving a bonus prize, value of which can be progressively increased.
2. Description of the Related Art
A progressive gaming system is known as a system in which a certain rate of medals, coins or tokens, bet in a plurality of gaming machines are collectively accumulated as a progressive bonus, and when a specific combination is formed in any gaming machine, the progressive bonus is paid out to a player of that gaming machine to thereby give the feeling of a so-called jackpot to the player (for example, refer to U.S. Pat. No. 4,837,728).
In this type of the gaming system, the condition for getting the progressive bonus is tended to strictly set in consideration of the character of the progressive bonus. As an example in a poker game machine, only a combination having an extremely low probability such as a so-called royal straight flush is set as a combination for which the progressive bonus is paid out.
However, the setting of the above mentioned strict condition reduces a frequency at which the progressive bonus is paid out, so that the interest of the player is lost. In particular, an interval between each of the pay-out of the progressive bonuses is extremely long in a small system in which only several gaming machines are connected to a single progressive unit, and the value of the progressive bonus accumulated between the intervals is not largely increased. Therefore, the player tends to play the game without substantially giving attention to the existence of the progressive unit.
A system described below is proposed in Japanese Patent Application Laying Open (KOKAI) No.7-148307 which is equivalent to U.S. Pat. No. 5,645,486. That is, if a predetermined combination associated with a bonus chance is formed in the main game played in the gaming machine, the progressive unit performs a lottery as to whether or not the progressive bonus should be paid out in accordance with a probability adjusted in consideration of the amount of the bets by the player at that time. Then, the progressive bonus is paid out in a case of the win in the lottery. According to this system, a chance of getting the progressive bonus is increased to thereby enable the player to be conscious of the existence of the progressive bonus. However, in the above mentioned system, only whether or not the progressive bonus should be paid out is determined by the lottery, and only the result of the lottery is displayed to the player. Thus, this system is not sufficient to impress the existence of the progressive unit on the player. Moreover, there may be a case that even if the progressive bonus is paid out, the player can not understand the reason of the pay-out. For this reason, this system is not sufficient to make the interest of the player to the gaming system with the progressive unit stronger than the interest to the gaming machine without the progressive unit.
In the progressive gaming system, it can be possible that a plurality types of the main games are selectively performed in each of the gaming machines liked to the common progressive unit. However, in this case, the probabilities at which the winning combinations are formed are changed on the basis of the game types. Therefore, it is difficult to uniformly generate the chances of getting the progressive bonuses. Unless the progressive bonuses are appropriately distributed by considering that point, the interest of the player to the progressive gaming system is reduced on the contrary.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a progressive gaming system improved which is more attractive to a player stronger.
In order to attain the above object, a progressive gaming system of the present invention comprises a plurality of gaming machines, each of which is constructed to perform a predetermined main game in response to an operation of a player and gives a prize to the player when a winning combination is formed in the main game; and a progressive unit for counting an amount of a progressive bonus based on an amount of a bet in the main game played in each of the gaming machines and controlling a payment of the progressive bonus in association with a result of the main game; wherein each of the gaming machines or the progressive unit is provided with a judging device for judging whether or not the result of the main game played in each of the gaming machines meets a predetermined bonus chance condition for proceeding to a lottery game; and wherein the progressive unit comprises a controller for performing the lottery game in response to a judgment that the result of the main game meets the bonus chance condition, instructing one of the gaming machines, in which the result of the main game meets the bonus chance condition, to pay the progressive bonus corresponding to a result of the lottery game, and displaying information regarding to a process of the lottery game.
According to the above progressive gaming system, if the result of the main game met the bonus chance condition, the lottery game is performed on the side of the progressive unit, and the process thereof is displayed to the player as well as the result thereof. Therefore, the existence of the progressive unit can be strongly emphasized to the player during the lottery game, as compared with the conventional system. This causes the interest of the player to the gaming system with the progressive unit to be much stronger than the interest to the gaming machine without the progressive unit, and further makes the worth of the progressive gaming system extremely higher.
The controller may perform a game as the lottery game for forming at least one bonus winning combination, and may display a process as to whether or not the at least one bonus winning combination is formed. In this case, the player can understand that the lottery game different from the main game performed on the main gaming machine is progressing on the progressive unit, and therefore the existence of the progressive unit is strongly impressed on the player.
The progressive unit may comprise a display device extending on the plurality of the gaming machines, and the information regarding to the process of the lottery game may be displayed through the display device. In this case, since the process of the lottery game different from the main game is displayed above the player's head by the display device, it is possible to impress the player with the progressive unit as the unit different from each gaming machine.
The progressive unit may comprise a display device equipped with at least one video monitor for displaying the information regarding to the process of the lottery game. In this case, it is possible to display various information to the player through the video monitor.
The controller may perform a game as the lottery game in which characters are randomly combined, and may control the display device in such a manner that images representing a process of combining the characters are displayed on the at least one video monitor. In this case, the player has expectations by watching the process of combining, so that the existence of the progressive unit is further impressed on the player.
The controller may determine a combination of characters provided on a plurality of reels in the lottery game, and may control the display device in such a manner that images representing a process that each of the reels starts rotating and stops at a position corresponding to the determined combination of the characters are displayed on the at least one video monitor. In this case, the player has expectations through watching the process of the motion of the reels.
In the above progressive gaming system, the controller may perform a judgment as to whether or not the determined combination of
Okuda Yoichi
Ozaki Koichi
Sasa Junichi
Yamaguchi Takashi
Yoshida Keiichi
Jordan and Hamburg LLP
Konami Co. Ltd.
Martin-Wallace Valencia
Paradiso John
LandOfFree
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