GB2086631A - Coin operated gaming or amusement machines - Google Patents

Abstract

A fruit machine provides a random feature additional to the usual reel spin. This feature offers the choice of holding, indexing and spinning the reels, in any order, with the reel movement being in either direction. The holding and indexing can also be randomly available as two separate features, but a single control button (7, 8, 9) for each reel is operable to index or hold according to the feature available. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Improvements relating to coin operated gaming or amusement machines This invention relates to coin-operated or coinfreed gaming machines or amusement-withprizes machines of the kind in which a series of symbols are displayed to view in a line.

When the machine is operated the display changes and then stops, and if the resultant line of symbols shows a winning combination a pay-out mechanism is rendered operable or a prize is awarded and indicated.

The invention will be described as applied to a machine of this kind (generally known as fruit machines) in which the symbols are displayed on rotary drums, reels or discs, but it will be understood that it can also be applied to machines of this kind in which symbols are displayed on a display device on which individual symbols can be illuminated or otherwise distinguished to constitute the equivalent of the combination line.

It has already been proposed that, to add interest to such a machine, it should incorporate a randomly available feature whereby the drums can be indexed round step by step from the positions in which they stop after the normal spin. Generally, each drum can be individually indexed up to so many symbol positions, and by this means a different, possibly winning combination line can be achieved. It is the aim of this invention to provide a somewhat different and more interesting approach to this drum adjustment feature.

According to the present invention there is provided a gaming or amusement-with-prizes machine of the kind described, having a randomly available feature which may be available initially or after a normal reel spin, and which comprises means for holding individual reels, means for indexing all non-held reels selectively in one or other direction, and means for collectively spinning any reels that are not held, these three means being operable in any order.

The indexing may be collective, with all reels moving together in the same direction, Alternatively, each reel may be individually indexed, with the direction being chosen by the player.

When indexing ocurs first and fails to bring a reward, then selected reels can be held and the remainder spun. When indexing occurs without result after holding, the player may be allowed a further hold and a spin of the remaining reels to improve his chances of a win.

Although indexing may be permitted for more than one symbol position, it will be preferred that just the single movement will be available. If there is further indexing movement allowed, then it will be consistently in one direction for all the reels if they move collectively and for each reel if they move individually.

The means for collectively spinning the reels will conveniently be the normal start button by which ordinary games are initiated, and although its operation as part of the feature will generally be for generating a reel spin as the final stage of the feature, the player is not committed to hold or index if the feature is available. He can simply spin the reels, over-riding the unused hold or index facility.

There will preferably be a single hold and index button associated with each drum, with these features being available independently on a random basis. Thus if indexing alone is available, pressing one of these buttons will index its drum in a direction ordained by a separate selector. If holding alone is available and one of these buttons is pressed, the associated reel will be held. If the joint feature of indexing and holding is available, they will operate as hold buttons and the index direction selector, when operated, will move all the non-held reels in the chosen direction. If the reels index individually, the selector may operate sequentially on the reels, so that its first operation will only affect the first reel, its second operation the second reel and so on.

This selector may be two buttons, one for forward and the other for reverse, or a rocker switch with a central neutral position.

It will be usual to impose a time limit for the selection and operation of the indexing means.

For a better understanding of the invention some embodiments will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which: Figure 1 shows the display and operating buttons of a fruit machine with one selection of symbols and Figures 2 to 4 show displays with other selections of symbols.

The display has three windows 1, 2, 3 in which show rim portions of reels 4, 5, 6 bearing fruit and other symbols. A win is determined by the combination of symbols showing centrally in the windows on line W, but above and below them further symbols are clearly visible to the player. Each reel/window has an associated button 7, 8, 9 which has two functions as will be described.

A single start button 10, two index direction buttons 11, 12, and a cancel button 1 3 are also provided.

For a normal game, the start button is pressed, the reels spin and stop and a win is determined by the combination on line W.

A hold feature alone may become available, being randomly selected and indicated elsewhere on the display panel, and also perhaps by illumination of the buttons 7, 8, 9. The player can then hold whichever reels he chooses by pressing a selection of the buttons 7, 8, 9, assuming all are enabled to hold.

Just one or two might be enabled. The nonheld drums are then spun by pressing button 1 0. An indexing feature alone may become available, again being randomly selected and indicated elsewhere on the display panel and perhaps by illumination of all or some of the buttons 7, 8, 9, and of one or both of the buttons 11, 1 2. The player can then choose a direction (if given a choice) by pressing one of the buttons 11, 1 2 and by pressing selected buttons 7, 8, 9 he can move the drums round one symbol space at a time for a limited number of steps.

These three forms of play are generally known. However, in the present machine holding and indexing can be combined in a third feature which is made randomly available. The controls described above serve for this feature and the machine does not require a plethora of buttons.

When this third feature is available, the player has a choice of indexing or holding first, or even ignoring those options and spinning the reels. If he holds on some, he can spin rather than index the rest. The choice is wide and some examples will now be described with the aid of the drawings. The reels may have already spun as in a normal game or the feature may have become playable immediately on insertion of a coin.

In Fig. 1, the player would hold the plum in window 2 by pressing button 8, press button 1 2 to generate "downward" movement of the reels 4 and 6 and thus bring three plums onto line W. This would give a prize.

In Fig. 2, the player would hold the melon in window 3 by pressing button 9, press button 11 to generate "upward" movement of the reels 4 and 5 and bring another melon into line W, in window 1, press button 7 to hold that melon, and finally press the start button to spin the middle reel 5 in the hope of achieving a third melon.

In Fig. 3, the player would first press button 1 2 to index reels 4 and 5 down and bring two bells onto line W, then press buttons 7 and 8 to hold them there, and finally press the button 10 to spin the third reel 6 in the hope of a line of bells.

In Fig. 4 there is a melon above the line W in window 1 and one below in window 3. If the feature became available the player would not know which of reels 4 and 6 to index, and whichever one was chosen he would feel resentment as the other moved its melon further away from the win line. To make it possible to achieve a win from this situation, the following system may be made available, enabling different reels to be indexed in opposite directions.

On occurrence of the feature, only the first reel 4 can respond to the buttons 11 and 12, and this may be indicated by the button 7 flashing. In Fig. 4, the player would press button 12. He might be allowed only a limited time to do this before the second reel became the sole activable one; or once the button 11 has been pressed and the first reel has moved the action could be moved immediately to the second reel, with button 8 flashing to signify this. With a melon already on the line W in window 2, the player would press cancel button 1 3 or, in another mode of operation, press button 8 which would act as a hold button, and the melon would remain. Then, immediately or after a time lapse, the third reel could be indexed and the player would press button 11 and achieve his win. To clinch this it may be necessary to press all the hold buttons 7, 8 and 9.

Thus by sequential enablement of the reels the direction of indexing can be selected individually for-each reel. This can also apply to the feature game where only indexing is allowed, in which case the buttons 7, 8 and 9 would not be used for indexing at all and would be solely hold buttons.

Claims (11)

1. A gaming or amusement-with-prizes machine of the kind described, having a randomly available feature which may be available initially or after a normal reel spin, and which comprises means for holding individual reels, means for indexing all non-held reels selectively in one or other direction, and means for collectively spinning any reels that are not held, these three means being operable in any order.

2. A machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the indexing is collective, with all the reels that are not held moving together in the same selected direction.

3. A machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein each reel can be individually indexed, with the direction being selected by the player.

4. A machine as claimed in claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein when holding is available as a first stage, indexing as a second stage and spinning as a third stage of the feature, further holding is available before the spinning.

5. A machine as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein when the indexing of a reel through more than one symbol position is available, that reel moves consistently in one direction.

6. A machine as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the spinning of the reels for an ordinary non-feature game is initiated by a single control, which also serves for energis- ing the spinning means of all the non-held reels in a feature game.

7. A machine as claimed in claim 6, wherein each reel has a control to energise the indexing means, but a separate selector is provided for the direction of indexing.

8. A machine as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein holding and indexing are also randomly available as separate features, there being a single control associated with each reel operative to energise the holding or indexing means of that reel in dependence on the separate feature determined by the machine.

9. A machine as claimed in claims 7 and 8, wherein for the triple feature said single controls operate in the hold mode, and the index direction selector, when operated, will index the non-held reels in the chosen direction.

10. A machine as claimed in claim 9 as appendant to claim 3, wherein the selector operates sequentially on the reels so that its first operation indexes a first reel, its second operation a second reel and so on.

11. A machine as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein a time limit is imposed for the operation of the indexing means.

1 2. A gaming or amusement-with-prizes machine substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawing.