Patent Application
20080051174
The present invention relates generally to wagering games and gaming terminals, and more particularly to a two-stage wagering game and a terminal with a two-way a cascading symbol matching feature.
Traditional gaming terminals or slot machines have a plurality mechanical reels, which rotate and then stop to show symbols on one or more paylines drawn across the reels. Players wager coins or credits on one or more of these paylines and are paid for certain combinations of symbols randomly displayed on a payline for which a wager has been placed. Video slot machines typically show the same type of reel configuration but only on a video display. Some slot machines award “scatter” pays when a specific symbol(s) appears in any visible position (not necessarily on the payline) on certain reels. One concept that has been successfully employed to enhance the entertainment value of a game is that of a “secondary” or “bonus” game which may be played in conjunction with a “basic” game. The bonus game may comprise any type of game, either similar to or completely different from the basic game, and is activated on the occurrence of a selected event or outcome of the basic game. Such a bonus game produces a significantly higher level of player excitement than the basic game because it provides a greater expectation of winning than the basic game alone.
Another concept that has been employed in wagering games to add player excitement is a symbol shifting feature. For example, some slot machines use a “nudge” feature (e.g. “Double Diamond Deluxe” by IGT) after the results of the game are displayed. Such a feature allows certain symbols to rise to the payline when they appear below the payline, or other symbols will fall to the payline when they appear above the payline. Similarly, some games allow the player to “nudge” certain symbols after the result of the game is displayed in an to attempt to modify the original result and achieve a better result
Another wagering game using a symbol shifting feature is disclosed in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2004/0033829 entitled Symbol Matching Gaming Machine, which is commonly owned by the assignee of the present application. In one embodiment, a screen displays a matrix of randomly generated game symbols, which are from a predefined set of symbols. In order to receive credits, a winning combination of symbols must exist. Winning symbol combinations are created by interchanging the positions of symbols. When a winning combination of symbols is formed, the player is awarded credits, the winning combination symbols are removed, and all of the symbols above the removed symbols cascade down to fill in the empty spaces. The empty spaces created by the removal of symbols forming a winning combination are filled by adding additional randomly generated symbols.
Still yet another game utilizing a symbol shifting feature is described in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2004/0043809 entitled “Chain Reaction Game” and is commonly owned by the assignee of the present application. In one embodiment, a screen displays a matrix of randomly generated game symbols. Once displayed, the symbols are analyzed to determine if any winning combinations of symbols exist. If a winning combination(s) exists, the player is awarded the number of credits corresponding to the combination, and the winning combination of symbols is removed. Once the winning combination is removed, the symbols in the column above each symbol forming a part of the winning combination move down to fill in the empty spaces in the matrix. The symbols are again analyzed to determine if any winning combinations exist. In no winning combination exists, the game is over. If a winning combination exists, the game continues as previously discussed until no further winning combinations are created at which time the game is over.
Due to player appeal, gaming terminals having shifting symbol features are common. Accordingly, in the competitive gaming machine industry, there is a continuing need for gaming machine manufacturers to produce new types of games, or improvements to existing games using shifting symbol features, which will attract frequent play by enhancing the entertainment value and excitement associated with the game. Preferably, such new features will maintain, or even further enhance, the level of player excitement. The present invention is directed to satisfying these needs.
A first aspect of the present invention relates to a method of playing a wagering game on a gaming terminal, which has a first display location and a second display location. The second display location may include at least one symbol satisfying a predefined condition. Initially, a player places a wager and activates the gaming terminal. Once activated, a first game outcome comprising first game symbols randomly is generated and displayed at the first location. The first game symbols are analyzed to determine if any of the symbols satisfy the predefined condition. If none of the symbols satisfy the predefined condition the game is over. If one (or more) first game symbol satisfies the condition, the symbol(s) is then displayed in the second location. The first game symbols and the at least one other symbol satisfying the predefined condition displayed in the second location form the second game outcome. The second game outcome then is analyzed to determine if a winning combination exists. The game is over if no winning combination exists. Alternatively, if a winning combination exists in the second location, the player is awarded credits, and the second game outcome symbols forming the winning combination are removed from the second location. Any remaining second game outcome symbols are then moved to a new position in the second location. After the second game outcome symbols are moved to a new location, they again are analyzed to determine if a winning combination exists. If another winning combination of second game outcome symbols exists, the player is again awarded credits, and the game continues as discussed above until there are no more winning combinations of symbols in the second location.
A second aspect of this invention relates to a gaming terminal for playing the wagering game of the present invention. The gaming terminal comprises first and second displays and a processor having the capability of randomly selecting a plurality of symbols from a preselected symbol set. The gaming terminal further may comprise a memory including a preselected symbol set, at least one predefined condition, and a plurality of winning symbol combinations. The gaming terminal further has a first set of randomly selected symbols displayed on the first display and a second set of symbols displayed on said second display. The second set of symbols comprises any first set symbols satisfying the predefined combination. The processor analyzes whether any second set symbols in the second location form a winning combination, removes any second set symbols forming a winning combination, and moves any remaining second set symbols for a new position in said second location.
The above summary of the present invention is not intended to represent each embodiment, or every aspect, of the present invention. Additional features and benefits of the present invention are apparent from the detailed description, figures, and claims set forth below.
While the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments are shown by way of example in the drawings and are described in detail herein. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not intended to be limited to the particular forms disclosed. Rather, the invention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
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The gaming terminal 1 also may include a progressive game display (not shown) generally on a top portion of the terminal 1 for displaying the value of a progressive game. The gaming terminal 1 also may include a paytable (not shown) on the face the terminal 1 illustrating the different positive or winning combinations of symbols and the credits awarded when a winning combination is displayed. Alternatively, the paytable may be stored in the computer memory of the gaming terminal 1 and displayed by pushing a button 9 on the push-button panel 7 or touching a specified location on the touch screen 5. While these typical components found in the gaming terminal 1 are described below, it should be understood that numerous other elements may exist and may be used in any number of combinations to create various forms of a gaming terminal.
The wager acceptor 3 may be provided in many forms, individually or in combination. For example, the wager acceptor 3 may accept cash and may include a coin slot acceptor 19 and/or a note acceptor 21 to input value to the gaming terminal 1. In addition, the wager acceptor 3 may include a card-reading device 23 for reading a card that has a recorded monetary value with which it is associated. The card reading device 23 may also receive a card that authorizes access to a central account, which can transfer money to the gaming terminal 1.
The push button panel 7 is typically offered, in addition to the touch screen 5 which overlies the lower display 15 (or a portion thereof), to provide players with an option on how to make their game selections. Alternatively, the push button panel 7 provides inputs for one aspect of operating the game, while the touch screen 5 allows for inputs needed for another aspect of operating the game.
The first game outcome of the wagering game is displayed to the player on the lower display 15 in the form of symbols 14 centered about a payline 45. The lower display 15 may take the form of a cathode ray tube (CRT), a high resolution LCD, a plasma display, LED, or any other type of video display suitable for use in the gaming terminal 1. Alternatively, mechanical reels, well known in the art, may be used to show the first game outcome on the lower display 15.
The second game outcome is displayed to the player on the upper display 17 in the form of upper display symbols 16 centered about an upper payline 47. Similar to the main display, the secondary display may take the form of a cathode ray tube (CRT), a high resolution LCD, a plasma display, LED, or any other type of video display suitable for use in the gaming terminal 1. In one embodiment of the present invention, the lower display 15 is a mechanical reel display and the upper display 17 is video display. Alternatively, both the lower display 15 and the upper display 17 may be electronic displays such as video screens.
The player-identification card reader 11 allows for the identification of a player by reading a card with information indicating his or her true identity. Currently, the identification is used by casinos for rewarding certain players with complimentary services or special offers. For example, a player may be enrolled in a gaming establishment's players' club and may be awarded certain complimentary services as that player collects points in his or her player-tracking account. The player inserts his or her card into the player-identification card reader 11, which allows the casino's computers to register that player's wagering at the gaming terminal 1.
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Communications between the peripheral components of the gaming terminal 1 and the CPU 25 occur through input/output (I/O) circuits 33a-b. As such, the CPU 25 also controls and receives inputs from the peripheral components of the gaming terminal 1. Further, the CPU 25 communicates with external systems via the I/O circuits 33b Although the I/O circuits 33a-b may be shown as a single block, it should be appreciated that the I/O circuits 33a-b may include a number of different types of I/O circuits.
In some embodiments, the CPU 25 may not be inside the gaming terminal 1. Instead, the CPU 25 may be part of a game network 35 (
The game control network 35 also may include a network that controls the play of restricted-access progressive wagering games, as described in U.S. Patent Application No. 60/502,762, filed on Sep. 12, 2003, and entitled “Restricted Access Progressive Game For A Gaming Machine,” which is commonly owned and herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. The gaming terminal 1 often has multiple serial ports, each port dedicated to providing data to a specific host computer system that performs a specific function (e.g., accounting, player-tracking, or a progressive game control system, etc). To set up a typical serial communication hardware link to the host system, the typical RS-232 point-to-point communication protocol that is often present in the gaming terminal 1 is converted to an RS-485 (or RS-485-type) master-slave protocol so as to take advantage of some of the advantages of the RS-485 capability (e.g., multi-drop capability that allows many gaming terminals 1 to communicate with the game control network 35). To perform this function, a custom interface board may be used by the gaming terminal 1 for each communication port in the gaming terminal 1. It should be noted that the gaming terminal 1 can initially be designed to be configured for a typical RS-485 protocol, instead of the typical RS-232 protocol. Further, the gaming terminal 1 may simply be designed for an Ethernet connection.
The operation of one embodiment of the wagering game of the present invention now is discussed with respect to
For example in one embodiment, if the symbols 14 form a winning combination according to the paytable (not shown), the player is awarded the corresponding number of credits, and the game is over unless the player places another wager. If the symbols 14 shown on the lower display 15 do not form a winning combination, the CPU 25 then analyzes whether any of the symbols 14 satisfy a predetermined condition. If none of the symbols 14 satisfy the predetermined condition, the game is over unless the player places another wager. On the other hand, if one or more of the symbols 14 satisfy the predetermined condition, the symbol(s) 14 is added to the upper display 17.
In one embodiment, the predetermined condition is a symbol 14 centered on the payline 45 in the lower display 15. Alternatively, the predetermined condition may be a symbol 14 centered above or below the payline 45. In yet another embodiment, the predetermined condition may be that a symbol is selected from the first game outcome after a predetermined number of “spins” or plays on the gaming terminal 1. For example, if the first game outcome is displayed as symbols on three reels, a symbol from the left reel may be added to the upper display 17 after 3 plays; a symbol from the middle reel then may be added after an additional three plays; and a symbol from the right reel may be added three plays thereafter. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that any number of different predetermined conditions may be used in order to select which symbols 14 will be added to the upper display 17. Furthermore, in one embodiment, the symbol(s) 14 is added to the upper display 17 so that it is centered on the payline 47 and in an upper window 39 directly above a lower window 37 in the lower display 15 in which the symbol appeared. When the symbol(s) 14 is added to the upper display 17 in this manner, any displaced symbols 16 in that window are moved up one position. Alternatively, the symbol(s) 14 which satisfy the predetermined condition may be added at the top of or randomly placed at any position in the upper display 17.
Thereafter, the CPU 25 analyzes whether the symbols 16 centered on the payline 47 in the upper display 17 of one embodiment form a winning combination according to the same paytable (not shown) used to determine if the first game outcome forms a winning combination. Alternatively, a second paytable (not shown) may be used to determine if the symbols 16 in the upper display form a winning combination. If no winning combination is formed, the game is over unless the player places another wager. However, if a winning combination of symbols 16 is centered on the payline 47 of the upper display 17, the player is awarded the number of credits corresponding to that combination on the paytable (not shown). Once the player is awarded the credits, the symbols 16 forming the winning combination are removed from the upper display 17, and all remaining symbols 16 in the upper display above the winning symbols shift or cascade downward one position. After all of the symbols 16 in the upper display 17 have moved down one position, the CPU 25 analyzes whether a new winning combination has been formed on the payline 47 of the upper display 17. This sequence continues until there are no more winning combinations in the upper display 17. The game is then over unless the player places another wager.
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Subsequently, the CPU 25 again analyzes the new symbols centered on the payline 47 in the upper display 17 to determine if the combination is a winning combination. As shown in
As further shown in
In another embodiment of the wagering game of the present invention, a “demolition” symbol may be incorporated into the symbols that are used to play the game. The demolition symbol can be used to clear all or some of the symbols shown on the upper display. For example, if three seven demolition symbols randomly are generated by the CPU and appear centered on the payline in the lower display, all of the symbols in the upper display will disappear. Alternatively, if a single bar demolition symbol appears centered on the payline of the lower display, all of the single bar symbols in the upper display will be cleared, and any symbols above the cleared single bar symbols would shift or cascade down one or more positions in the upper display. In yet another embodiment, all symbols in the upper display are cleared when a demolition symbol appears in the lower display and is added to the upper display as a result of not forming part of a winning combination and being centered on the lower display payline. Those skilled in the art will recognize that any number of combinations of demolition symbols in the lower display may clear any number of combinations of symbols in the upper display. Furthermore, it may be desirable to remove all symbols from the upper display and the memory after a certain period of time has elapsed or an event has occurred. For example, if the gaming terminal has not been played for a period of time, the symbols in the upper display and memory may be cleared. Alternatively, the symbols in the upper display and memory may be cleared when the gaming terminal recognizes that a new player has begun using the terminal by reading a new player identification card or player wager card.
In still yet another embodiment of the wagering game of the present invention, a wild card symbol can be used to increase player excitement. For example, if a “wild” symbol appears centered on the payline in the lower display and is not part of a winning combination, then the “wild” symbol will be shifted up into the upper display. The “wild” symbol may be any symbol and can be used to create a winning combination when it is centered on the payline in the upper display.
While the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and herein described in detail. It should be understood, however, that it is not intended to limit the invention to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/US05/20759 | 6/13/2005 | WO | 10/1/2007 |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60581164 | Jun 2004 | US |
