Game machine.

The present invention relates to gaming devices and, more particularly, to gaming devices that visualize a multiple sequence of symbols.

Gaming machines are commonly known as slot machines, and players can play a game by inserting coins or tokens (hereinafter referred to as coins) before the game is triggered. For example, a slot machine is provided with three drums, each of which has a plurality of symbols arranged on its outer circumference in a predetermined sequence. Whether and what kind of profit is to be granted is determined depending on a combination of symbols which are displayed within the respective viewing window when the drums stop after their rotation. If the resulting symbol combination matches one of a plurality of predetermined winning symbol combinations, the game is considered a competition and a predetermined number of coins determined by the winning rank are issued.

Among these slot machines, there are also slot machines in which the player can spin the drum again after all the drums have stopped, for example if any drum represents a special symbol at the end of the first drum spin. This gives the slot machines another function to allow for an additional game and should help to extend the range of interest.

However, since the player in the additional game described above is only allowed to spin some of the same drums as in the first or regular game, the variety of symbol combinations obtained in the additional games is exactly the same as in the regular games. Therefore, the conventional additional game function is insufficient to increase the pleasure and does not remarkably improve the monotony of the slot machines.

GB-A-2165074 discloses a slot machine which contains three coaxially arranged drums and in which parts of two of the drums extend into the third drum and can be viewed through the third drum. These inner parts carry symbols, and a profit is awarded if the symbols on the inner parts match the symbol in the third drum under which they are located. The inner parts can be driven independently.

An object of the present invention is to provide a slot machine which can add variety to the symbols or reproduce the symbols in a special way to offer the player a new pleasure.

According to this invention there is provided a game device comprising:

a first and a second sequence of symbols, each sequence containing a plurality of symbols;

a first display control device for stationary displaying the first sequence of symbols in motion for a period of time and then at least one symbol of the first sequence; marked by

a second display control device to display the second sequence of symbols in motion instead of a symbol of the first symbol sequence and then to reproduce a symbol of the second sequence stationary to replace that symbol of the first sequence.

The present invention can be applied to a game machine comprising:

an inner rotary drum having a first plurality of symbols arranged circumferentially around its circumference;

an outer drum rotatable around said inner drum and having a second plurality of symbols and at least one transparent part arranged circumferentially around its outer periphery, said transparent part being at least as large as a symbol ;

Drum control means for independently controlling the starting and stopping of the rotation of said first and second drums and for controlling the outer drum for stopping with its transparent part over a symbol on the inner drum.

The invention can be applied to a game apparatus in which at least one drum having symbols on its outer circumference is used and the drum is designed as a double drum comprising an inner and an outer drum, the outer drum having a transparent part which is about the size of a symbol or larger, and at least one of the symbols on the inner drum can be viewed through the transparent part.

The present invention is applicable to a video type game machine wherein symbols are displayed on a screen of a CRT of a graphic display device.

In the game machine according to this invention, it is possible to play an additional game when the special symbol is displayed in the viewing window when the movement of the first sequence of symbols stops, and in the additional game the moving symbols of the second sequence are made visible and then stopped one of the symbols of the second sequence in the position in which the special symbol is shown. Since during the additional game the first sequence of symbols is stationary and both symbols adjacent to the special symbol remain unchanged, such a symbol display is not only visually new, but also makes it possible to display two sequences of symbols in one column, so that the number of schemes of symbol combinations is easily enlarged and the enjoyment of the game is increased without enlarging the space for display.

The invention is further described by way of non-limiting example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of an outer appearance of a gaming machine embodying the present invention;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of a two drum unit according to an embodiment of the invention;

Figure 3 is a sectional view of the two-drum unit of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a block diagram showing an example of a control circuit for the game machine;

Figures 5 and 6 show a flow chart explaining an operation of the gaming machine;

Figure 7 shows another embodiment of the present invention; and

Figure 8 shows another embodiment of this invention.

Reference is made to FIG. 1, which shows an external appearance of a slot machine embodying the present invention, the slot machine 1 being provided on its front panel 2 with three viewing windows 3 to 5, within which the first, second and third drums 6 to 8 are arranged. Each drum has a series of symbols arranged on its outer circumference at regular intervals and is rotatable in order to make moving symbols visible within the associated viewing window 3, 4 or 5. When the drums 3 to 5 stop, three symbols can be immediately viewed through each window.

There are five paylines across windows 3 through 5, namely three horizontal lines and two diagonal lines. Which of the paylines are valid depends on the number of coins inserted before a game was triggered. For example, if a single coin is inserted, only the middle horizontal line becomes valid, and if two coins are inserted, the three horizontal lines become valid when judging a win. If three coins are inserted, all five lines including the two diagonal lines are valid. However, for the sake of simplicity, the following description is given in the case where the middle horizontal line is valid alone.

When a start lever 12 is actuated after a coin has been inserted through a coin slot 10, the first to third drums 6 to 8 simultaneously start rotating. The rotation of each drum is stopped depending on the depression of a stop button 13, 14 or 15 provided for each drum. Whether a game in a sweepstake, ie resulting in winning or a losing game is determined depending on a combination of symbols that are standing on the payline. If the combination of symbols on the payline corresponds to one of predetermined winning combinations, a predetermined number of coins are paid out in accordance with the rank of the winning combination obtained. 16 is an auxiliary game start button that can only be pressed to trigger an additional game if the result of the first game, ie a regular game, allows the player to play such an additional game. As for the additional game, it will be described later in detail.

2 and 3, which show the first drum 6 in detail. The first drum 6 is an outer drum of a two-drum unit 20, an inner drum 17 being arranged coaxially on the inside of the outer drum 6. The drum 6 is directly connected to a drive shaft 18a of a stepper motor 18, while the inner drum 17 is connected directly to a drive shaft 19a of a stepper motor 19. The drums are driven to rotate independently of each other by the respective stepper motors 18 and 19. Each of the drums 6 and 17 has a light shielding lug 21 and 22 configured at its one edge, which is detected by a light interrupter 23, 24 arranged in connection with each of the drums 6 and 17. The light interrupter 23, 24 emits a pulse every time the light shielding lug 21, 22 passes through it, ie every single revolution of the assigned drum.

On the outer periphery of the first drum 6 there are many kinds of symbols such as "plum", "orange" and the like, as well as a special symbol which is designed as a square opening 25, the size of which is substantially equal to that of the other symbols. Also, the inner drum 17 has many kinds of symbols such as "7", "plum", "BAR" and the like, which are arranged at regular intervals on the outer periphery of the drum 17. The symbols on the inner drum 17 can of course differ in order and meaning from the symbols on the first drum, and the inner drum has no opening like the square opening 25. Clearly, the opening 25 can have a different shape or a transparent one Material must be covered.

As can be seen from FIG. 1, one of the symbols on the inner drum 17 can be viewed through the opening 25 of the first drum 6 when the opening 25 stops within the viewing window 3. More than one opening 25 may be provided, or an opening may extend over two or more symbols on the inner drum 17. If the first drum is made of a transparent plastic material, the peripheral surface of which is covered with a light-tight tape which has symbols printed thereon, it is possible to form a transparent surface in the tape in order to replace the opening 25 with it.

FIG. 4 shows an example of a control circuit for the game machine described above, in which motor driver circuits 30 and 31 regulate the starting and stopping of the rotation of the stepping motors 18 and 19 around the first drum 6 and the inner drum 17, respectively, in a suitable manner drive. Rotation of stepper motors 32 and 33 is controlled by motor driver circuits 34 and 35 to drive second and third drums 7 and 8, respectively. The second and third drums 7 and 8 are also equipped with light shielding tabs 36 and 37, which are respectively detected by light interrupters 38 and 39 in the same way as with light interrupters 23 and 24.

The motor driver circuits 30, 31, 34 and 35 are actuated upon receipt of a pulse signal which is generated by a clock pulse generator 40 and is divided by a frequency divider 41. The pulse signal is supplied to the motor driver circuits 30, 34 and 35 when a changeover switch 42 is in a first switching position, as indicated by a solid line in FIG. 4 is shown while the pulse signal is being supplied to the motor driver circuit 31 when the changeover switch 42 is in a second position shown by a broken line. The motor driver circuits 30, 31, 34 and 35 regulate the starting and stopping of the associated stepper motors 18, 19, 32 and 33 in accordance with commands from a control unit 45, ie the motor driver circuits 30, 31, 34 and 35 carry an individual number of driver pulses to the stepper motors 18, 19, 32 and 33 in a period of time since the pulse signal is passed through the changeover switch 42, the number of driver pulses supplied depending on the control command, and the stepper motors 18, 19, 32 and 33 are operated to rotate to an extent corresponding to the number of drive pulses supplied.

The driver pulses supplied to the stepper motors 18, 19, 32 and 33 are counted simultaneously by counters 46, 47, 48 and 49. Each of these counters 46 to 49 is reset to its initial value each time the associated light interrupter 23, 24, 38 or 39 detects the associated light shielding nose 21, 22, 36 or 37. The count values ​​of the counters 46 to 49 are fed back to the control device 45. As described above, since the count values ​​of the counters 46, 47, 48, 49 correspond to the number of driving pulses supplied to the stepping motors 18, 19, 32, 33, it is possible to change the rotating position of the stepping motor, that is, the rotating position of each drum 6 , 7, 8, 17 on the basis of the count value of the assigned counter 46, 48, 49, 47. Accordingly, controller 45 can control each motor driver circuit 30, 31, 34, 35 so that each drum is stopped at a desired position based on the controlled count of the associated counter.

A random number generator 50 outputs a random number within a predetermined range, for example a range from "0" to "9999", and supplies this to a scanning circuit 51. The scanning circuit 51 scans the random number upon receipt of a scanning command from the control unit 45. The same random number cannot be sampled again until all other random numbers have been sampled once.

A ranking decision circuit 52 decides, with reference to a probability table 53, which winning rank the scanned random number corresponds to. For example, the probability table 53 is constructed as a memory table in which all the random numbers "0" to "9999" to be generated by the random number generator 50 are classified into four ranks, with the rank from "0" to "199" a big win , the rank of "200" to "799" is a medium win, the rank of "800" to "1999" is a small win and the rank of "2000" to "9999" is a losing game. Depending on the area to which the sampled random number belongs, the rank decision circuit 52 outputs an evaluation signal representative of one of these winning ranks, ie a big win signal, a middle win signal, a small win signal or a loss game signal.

In response to the evaluation signal from the rank decision circuit 52, a symbol stop determination circuit 54 selects a combination of symbols corresponding to the winning rank indicated by the evaluation signal with reference to a symbol ROM 55 and outputs a series of symbol codes, each code being input symbol to be displayed on each drum. The symbol ROM 55 stores data relating to symbol code combinations which represent possible symbol combinations for each winning rank, so that the kind of a symbol to be stopped on the winning line in each drum is appropriately in accordance with the evaluation signal from the rank decision circuit 52 is determined. Note that because the slot machine of this invention actually has four drums including the inner drum 17, the symbol stop determination circuit 54 outputs four kinds of symbol codes, as will be described later in detail. If there are several types of symbol combinations for the same winning rank, one of these combinations is chosen arbitrarily. If the evaluation signal identifies a losing game, the symbol stop determination circuit 54 randomly selects one of the symbol combinations associated with the losing game.

If the drums 6 to 8 stop, a decision is made as to which symbols are positioned on the win line 9 in the respective drums 6 to 8. Since the number of drive pulses per rotation of each drum and the number and sequence of symbols arranged on each drum are constant, it is possible to identify the symbols positioned on the win line by the count values ​​of the counters 46 to 49. For this purpose, a first, second and third symbol board 58 to 60 and an inner drum symbol board 61 are provided. These symbol boards 58 to 61 store symbol codes for the individual symbols of the drums 6 to 8 and 17 together with data relating to the position of each symbol as a rotational position of the stepping motor 18, 19, 32 or 33, respectively. Therefore, based on the count of each counter, ie the number of drive pulses supplied to each stepper motor, with reference to each of these symbol boards 58 to 61, determine which symbol is positioned on the win line 9 for each drum. The symbol recognition circuit 56 then refers to a coin number output panel 57 to provide the controller 45 with data indicative of the number of coins to be paid for the rank of the symbol combination shown on the payline.

Individual control signals from the start lever 12, the stop buttons 13 to 15 and the auxiliary game start button 16 are introduced through an I / O channel 62. A coin sensor 63 outputs a signal to the controller through the I / O channel 62 upon detection of each coin insert and the number of coins inserted. An output funnel 65 is activated by the control device 45 in order to pay out a corresponding number of coins if a game results in a win. A program ROM 66 stores a program to execute a sequence of game play that includes the above operation in a predetermined sequence. A RAM 67 is used to temporarily write or read data necessary for the execution of the game processing.

The operation of the above embodiment will now be described with reference to the flow chart shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. After inserting a single coin, for example, a regular game is triggered by actuating the start lever 12. The scanning circuit 51 then samples a random number from the random number generator 50, and the ranking decision circuit 52 makes a comparison with reference to the probability table 53 to determine the winning rank to be determined depending on the particular rank on the table to which the random number belongs. For example, if the sampled random number is "150", the rank decision circuit 52 outputs a big win signal to the symbol stop determination circuit 54, which then uses the symbol ROM 55 to select one of the predetermined symbol combinations representing the big win. It is assumed that the selected symbol combination of "opening", "7", "7" and "7" for the first to third and the inner drum 6, 7, 8 and 17 leads to the symbol stop determination circuit 54 the corresponding symbol codes to the control unit 45.

Meanwhile, upon receiving a start signal from the start lever 12, the controller 45 switches the changeover switch 42 to the first position shown by a solid line, so that the pulses from the clock pulse generator 40 are supplied to the motor driver circuits 30, 34 and 35 after being divided by the frequency divider 41. When the symbol stop determination circuit 54 is on the effective payline, ie the middle horizontal line in this case has determined symbols to be stopped, the control unit 45 emits an actuation signal to the motor driver circuits 30, 34 and 35.

Upon receipt of the actuation signal, each motor driver circuit 30, 34 and 35 begins a number of driver pulses to the stepper motors 18, 32 and 33 in accordance with the symbol code supplied by the controller 45 as they are fed with the divided pulse signal from the frequency divider. Thus, the first to third drums 6 to 8 start to rotate immediately while the inner drum 17 is not rotating because the stepping motor 19 is not supplied with the drive pulses at this time. The current position of the inner drum 17 is registered in the counter 47 as the number of drive pulses counted during the previous rotation of the inner drum.

After a certain period of time from the start of rotation, when the first to third drums 6 to 8 start rotating at a constant speed, it becomes possible to operate the stop buttons 13 to 15. When the stop buttons 13 to 15 are depressed, the controller 45 begins to control the motor driver circuits 30, 34 and 35 to stop the stepper motors 18, 32 and 33, and thus the first to third drums 6 to 8, in positions such that those on the effective one Symbol line brought to a standstill corresponds to the symbol combination selected by symbol stop determination circle 54, while the count values ​​of the counters 46 to 48 are checked with the data stored in the first to third symbol tables 58 to 60. It should be noted that this stop control is automatically triggered if the player does not operate the stop buttons 13 to 15 within a predetermined period from the moment all the drums 6 to 8 start rotating at the constant speed.

As a result of the stop control described above, the stepping motor 18, 32 and 33 stops to stop each of the first to third drums 6 to 8 without a noticeable delay from the time of pressing each stop button 13 to 15. If the control has been carried out in a correct manner, the symbol combination determined by the symbol stop determination circuit 54, ie in this case "opening" - "7" - "7", is displayed on the pay line. When the first to third drums 6 to 8 are completely stopped, the counts of the counters 46, 48 and 49 are respectively compared with the data in the first to third symbol boards 58 to 61 to confirm whether the predetermined symbol combination is displayed. In addition, because the symbol of the first drum 6 stopping on the payline is "opening", the current count of the counter 47 is compared with the data in the inner drum symbol board 61 to find the symbol of the inner drum 17 represented by the "Opening" 25 can be viewed through to identify. For example, if within the opening 25, as shown in Fig. 1 "orange" is shown, the symbol combination is identified as "orange" - "7" - "7", and in this way the regular game is judged to be a losing game and no win is granted.

The reason why the controller 45 identifies the symbol combination shown when the first to third drums 6 to 8 are at a standstill is that a symbol combination on the payline will rarely deviate from the specific combination if any stop buttons 13 to 15 are actuated at a specific time should.

If the "opening" 25 is shown in the first drum 6 on the effective payline at the end of the regular game described above, the player can play an additional game.

If the player decides to play the additional game, he should press the additional game start button 16 and insert a coin through the coin slot 10. If the feature game start button is not pressed, inserting a coin is considered to start the next regular game.

When the additional game start button 16 is depressed, an additional game mode signal is fed from the I / O channel 62 to the control unit 45, which then switches the changeover switch to the second position, so that the pulses from the frequency divider 41 are supplied to the motor driver circuit 31 alone. Then, when the coin sensor 63 detects the insertion of a coin, the controller 45 outputs an operation signal to the motor driver circuit 31, whereby the stepping motor 19 is operated to rotate the inner drum 17. The other drums 6 to 8 are in the last stop positions during the additional game.

Simultaneously with the operation of the stepper motor 19, the counter 47 counts the number of drive pulses supplied to the stepper motor 19 for each individual rotation thereof. After a certain period of time from the start of rotation, the controller 45 triggers the stop control of the inner drum 17. However, it can of course be possible to provide a corresponding stop button and to trigger the stop control of the inner drum 17 when it is actuated.

The stop control of the inner drum 17 is performed with reference to the inner drum symbol board 61 and comparing the count value of the counter 47 with it in the same manner as in the above-described stop control of the first to third drums 6 to 8, to thereby represent the symbol to be displayed, for example "7" to represent within the opening 25. As a result, the symbol combination "7" - "7" - "7" is displayed on the win line 9 in the viewing windows 3 to 5.

At the end of the additional game, the symbol recognition circuit 56 also identifies the symbols shown on the payline and refers to the number of coins dispensing table 57 to determine the number of coins to be paid out for the symbol combination. If the symbol combination is identified as "7" - "7" - "7", the control device 45 is permitted to output a coin output signal to the dispensing funnel 65, whereupon the funnel then ejects the corresponding number of coins.

If more than one payline is valid and opening 25 stops on one of those paylines and if at the same time a winning or winning combination of symbols is made visible on another valid payline at the end of a regular game, the player can play an additional game after the Prize is awarded for the success achieved in the regular game. Of course, the player cannot play an additional game if the opening 25 stops within the viewing window 3, but not on a valid payline or lines.

The slot machine according to the above embodiment, which is obviously a kind of a three-drum type slot machine, works as a four-drum type slot machine and therefore can reproduce a larger variety of symbol combinations than a conventional three-drum type slot machine. In addition to the second drum unit 20, which comprises the first drum 6 with the single opening 25 and the inner drum 17, it is possible to form at least one opening and to provide a corresponding inner drum for each of the first to third drums. Further, there is the possibility of causing the inner drum 17 to rotate at the same time as the other drums 6 to 8 start rotating, to display moving symbols of the inner drum 17 in the opening 25 when the opening stops within the viewing window 3, and then stop one of these symbols in the opening 25 after a suitable time delay from stopping the first drum 6. It is also possible to rotate the first drum 6 as well as the inner drum 17 in additional play, so that not only the symbols visible through the opening 25 on the inner drum 17, but also the symbols on the first drum 6 as such the payline for the additional game symbol can be considered.

To apply the present invention to a video type gaming machine, all that is needed is data to represent such a particular symbol for the same function as opening 25, for example a space, within graphical data stored in a ROM in accordance with the presentation order of graphic symbols are stored, and if the "space" persists on any of the valid paylines, a sequence of moving symbols in the blank can be displayed in accordance with other graphical data stored in another ROM so that one of these symbols stops in the blank position at the end of the additional game.

FIG. 7 shows a drum 71 according to a further embodiment of the present invention, which can take the place of the two-drum unit 20, which is shown in FIG. 1. The drum 71, which is driven by a stepping motor 70, has a sequence of symbols arranged at regular intervals on the outer circumference of the drum 71. Under these symbols there is an opening 72 which is approximately as large as the other symbols. The drum 71 is formed in one piece with a light shielding lug 71a, which is detected by a light interrupter 73 as it passes through. A liquid crystal display panel 75 is mounted on the inner surface of the drum 71, the display surface of which is visible through the opening 72. Furthermore, on the inner surface of the drum 71, a driver unit 76 with a battery and a memory which stores display image data, and an optical signal receiver 77 are provided.

A display data transmitter 78 intermittently energizes one or both of LEDs 79a and 79b to emit light so that an optical signal is generated which is determined by the number and cycle of flickering (on-off) of the LEDs. The optical signal is transmitted through optical fibers 80a, 80b and 80c with the exits of the optical fibers 80a, 80b and 80c positioned so that one of the three exits faces the optical signal receiver 77 when the aperture 72 stops at any of the three win lines as shown in FIG. When the middle horizontal win line is valid alone and when the opening 72 of the drum 71 stops on the middle line, only the LED 79a is energized to go on and off. When the optical signal is received from the LED 79a, the optical signal receiver 77 drives the liquid crystal display panel 75 in order to display a symbol corresponding to the optical signal by means of the driver unit 76. If more than one payline is valid, LED 79b is also energized so that liquid crystal display panel 75 displays a corresponding symbol when stopped on any of the valid lines.

In the same way as in the first embodiment, the player can decide to play an additional game if the opening 72 stops on any of the effective lines at the end of a regular game. If the player starts playing the additional game, the display data transmitter 78 is operated for a predetermined period of time to send an optical signal to the optical signal receiver 77 which is different from the optical signal which is transmitted in the regular game. As a result, a variety of symbols are displayed in succession on the liquid crystal display panel 75 as if the symbols were moving behind the opening 72. By controlling the display data transmitter 78 in accordance with the decision of the symbol stop determination circuit 54, the same stop control as in the first embodiment can be performed. It may be possible to use a stationary liquid crystal display panel that has a display segment for each payline in conjunction with a drum that has at least one transparent part.

Fig. 8 shows a three-drum unit in accordance with the third embodiment of this invention, the three-drum unit being mounted alone in a game machine. The first to third drums 81 to 83 of the three-drum unit are rotatably held on a common shaft 84 and are each driven by stepper motors 88 to 90 via toothed belts 85 to 87. The first drum 81 is provided with eight openings 81a, the second drum 82 has four openings 82a and the third drum 83 has no opening, but a plurality of symbols on its outer circumference. The first and second drums 81 and 82 have no symbol in the area between the openings. In this embodiment, a front plate 91 is equipped with a viewing window 92.

The first to third drums 81 to 83 are driven to rotate by stepper motors 88 to 90, respectively. Thereafter, if all of the drums stop when any symbol on the third drum 83 can be seen through the viewing window 92 and the openings 81a and 82a, a prize will be awarded for the prize corresponding to the symbol's winning rank.

It is of course possible to provide three pay lines in this embodiment. It is also possible to provide a plurality of symbols between the openings 81a and 82a of the first and second drums 81 and 82, so that the symbols on the first to third drums are taken into account for the decision to win. It is possible to arrange a number of such three-drum units next to one another.

Although the above description relates essentially to the embodiments shown in the drawings, the present invention is not intended to be limited to these embodiments. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims, the invention can be practiced or implemented in another way.

For example, the drums of a multiple drum assembly do not always need to be rotated in a coaxial relationship. The drive control of the stepping motors for rotating and stopping the drums is not necessarily carried out by the circuit shown in Fig. 4, but other various circuits can be used for this purpose. Furthermore, the present invention can be applied to such a game machine in which each rotating drum is mechanically stopped by a locking hook. To drive the drums of a multiple drum assembly, it is possible to use a single motor with a clutch mechanism and to selectively drive the required drum or drums through the clutch mechanism. It may also be possible to combine the multiple drum assembly of the invention with a pinball machine. The feature game start button can be omitted so that the inner drum is automatically rotated when the opening on the payline stops.