AU759712B2 - Credit value ascription in gaming machines - Google Patents

Description

S&FRef: 500940

AUSTRALIA

PATENTS ACT 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT

ORIGINAL

Name and Address of Applicant: Actual Inventor(s): Address for Service: Invention Title: I.G.T. (Australia) Pty. Limited 1 Rosebery Avenue Rosebery NSW 2018 Australia Terence Matthew O'Halloran Spruson Ferguson St Martins Tower 31 Market Street Sydney NSW 2000 Credit Value Ascription in Gaming Machines ASSOCIATED PROVISIONAL APPLICATION DETAILS [33] Country [31] Applic. No(s) AU PQ0403 [32] Application Date 17 May 1999 The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me/us:- 5815c CREDIT VALUE ASCRIPTION IN GAMING MACHINES Field of the Invention This invention relates to gaming machines, and particularly to the ascription of credit value used on a gaming machine.

Description of the Prior Art Video gaming machines also are commonly known as slot, poker or fruit machines, and provide a player with a game of chance. Money is inserted in a gaming 10o machine, or electronically transferred, to purchase "credits" on the machine. The credits are then used to wager against games played, and all winnings and losses occur in credit value.

loll Traditionally the credits on a machine have had a direct relationship with the monetary unit. That is the value of a credit has equalled the value of a coin or note/bill. The "credits" displayed to the player allow a player to keep track of moneys won because of direct correspondence therebetween.

oo° *The concept of "tokenisation" has occurred in recent times, which the coin denomination inserted in the machine buys some multiple number of credits. For example, a $1 coin can purchase ten credits. The value of the tokenisation is clearly displayed on the machine in terms such as buys 10 credits". Once again, the player can keep account of the current value of the money by looking at the "credit" amount displayed on the machine.

In more recent times tokenisation has extended to even greater multiples of the coin unit applicable to a machine. For example, $1 will buy 50 credits, that being 2C units: IIR:\LIBKI01 940a.doc:jls Summary of the Invention The present invention is based on the realisation that it is commercially useful to break the link between the money amount to be wagered and the unit credit value on a gaming machine.

Therefore, the present invention provides a method for operation of a gaming machine characterised by allocating a unit credit value that is a non-whole multiple, greater than one, of the base coin or money denomination.

The invention further discloses a gaming machine characterised in that the machine is operable such that a unit credit value used in play of the machine is a nonwhole multiple, greater than one, of the base coin or money denomination.

Therefore the invention provides a method for operation of a gaming machine having a base money denomination for play of a game of chance, the method comprising the steps of: allocating a unit credit value that is a non-whole multiple, greater than i*i one, of the base money denomination; receiving player input of a money amount; indicating to the player a credit value equivalent to the input money amount in accordance with said multiple; and enabling play of said game of chance when credit value is available.

~Therefore the invention provides a gaming machine apparatus for the play of a S. 25 game of chance having a base money denomination comprising: display upon which said game of chance is displayed; S• a processor having game control and being connected to said display; and input means, connected to said processor, including: money input means to receive player input money amounts, and [:\DayLib\LIBK]1 940a.doc:kxa -3- (ii) game control input means by which a player can choose a wagered amount of credit units; and wherein said processor performs a conversion between said base money denomination and said unit credit value, the conversion being such that the unit credit value is a non-whole multiple, greater than one, of the base money amount, and the processor causes display to the player of a credit value equivalent to the input money amount, and enables play of the game when credit value is available.

Advantageously, wagers for individual plays of the game can be indicated to the player as whole multiples of the unit credit value. The player can further have indicated to him the relationship between the base money denomination and the equivalent credit value.

Such a methodology and apparatus is commercially advantageous in that there will be increased interest by players of gaming machines promoting enjoyment for players, increased sales of machines by vendors and increased revenues for the operators :°,ooo of licensed premises, casinos) and taxing authorities such as governments. In many i* licensed premises in Australia and the United States it is almost always the case that there will be a number of gaming machines provided by different vendors, and it is a particular motivation of vendors for their gaming machines to be played over others'. This is relevant to both the income derived from the lease of the machines to the licensed premises and in seeking to ensure ongoing business with the licensed premises. It is thus a very real motivation for vendors to provide new and commercially useful game "functions to attract players to their particular machines within any given licensed premises.

oooo [I:\DayLib\LIBK]01 940a.doc:kxa Description of Preferred Embodiments and Best Mode Fig. 1 is a schematic block diagram showing the basic component parts of a known video gaming machine 30, in which the video display 20 is connected with a processor control unit 32 by a video interface link 34. The control unit 32 contains resident software that has control over all of the operations of the gaming machine including play of the game and simulation of the spinning reels 22-26 on the display The control unit 32 also is coupled with an input/output module 36 by an internal bus 38.

The input/output module 36, in turn, connects by the bus 38 to lamps and switches associated with the gaming machine, and to player pushbuttons or controls 42 by which a player can wager desired credit units, select the number of win lines per play of the game and activate play of the game. A known gaming machine upon which software embodying the invention can be run includes the IGT Game King TM type gaming machine. Software embodying the invention resides in the EPROM memory within the processor control unit 32 and is written in the or "assembler" programming :i 15 languages. Those skilled in the art would be able to implement an embodiment of the •o invention in software as a matter of routine.

Fig. 2 shows a representation of the screen display 40 of a video gaming machine and related game controls 41. Each of three simulated (video) reels 42-46 spin in play of the game with the resulting combinations of indicia occuring on any one of the (in this case) five 'win lines', determining the outcome of the game. As is well known, a player feeds a number of coins into the gaming machine to provide a credit value upon which to play the game. The player pushbuttons 41 for controlling game play include a lower row of win line selection buttons 48 and an upper row of bet buttons 50 by which a player can wager 1, 2, 3, 5 or 10 credits multiples of the unit credit value) per line per play. In the present embodiment, the base money denomination is chosen to be Plainly, other base money denominations could be chosen, and the invention also contemplates cashless-type gaming where a credit value is established in money terms by electronic transfer.

[R:\LIBK]01 940.doc:jls play include a lower row of win line selection buttons 48 and an upper row of bet buttons by which a player can wager 1, 2, 3, 5 or 10 credits multiples of the unit credit value) per line per play. In the present embodiment, the base money denomination is chosen to be Plainly, other base money denominations could be chosen, and the invention also contemplates cashless-type gaming where a credit value is established in money terms by electronic transfer.

The display 40 includes a sign that indicates to the player buys 535 credits".

That is, the relation between the base money denomination of'$1' and the unit credit value as such as not to be a whole multiple, greater than one, thereof. Assuming the player inserts 5 x $1 coins (or 20 x 25¢ coins for US purposes) into the machine 30, then the "Credits Available" meter 52 appearing on the display 40 shows the numerical value of "2675". The value 535 is not a whole multiple greater than 1 of the base money amount (ie. 1 or 100). The "Credits Bet" meter 54 indicates to the player his wagers per play of the game reckoned in the unit credit value, thereby retaining the break with the base money denomination.

oooo After the player plays the game for some time, the meter 52 may read 1729 credits (for example), meaning the player has credits worth a little over $3.20 remaining.

20 The player is unlikely and unmotivated to readily make a mental conversion to this dollar value.

The player can wager multiples of the credits available in the play of the game either as multiple credits per win line and/or multiple win lines (as is commonly known).

S 25 Considered this way too, the number of units wagered is not related to the base money denomination as any whole fraction thereof.

i o ~It is thought that the relationship between unit credit value and base S•denomination is such as to induce the player to think in 'credit' terms, rather than 'money' 3~o terms, and this is a significant difference to the manner in which conventional [I:\Daylib\LIBK]O1 940a.doc: kxa machines are operated which will result in increased enjoyment and player participation of gaming machines having this function.

Numerous alterations and modifications, as would be apparent to one skilled in the art, are to be considered as incorporated herein.

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Claims (9)

1. A method for operation of a gaming machine having a base money denominationfor play of a game of chance, the method comprising the steps of: allocating a unit credit value that is a non-whole multiple, greater than one, of the base money denomination; receiving player input of a money amount; indicating to the player a credit value equivalent to the input money amount in accordance with said multiple; and enabling play of said game of chance when credit value is available.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, comprising the further step of visually indicating available wagers on individual plays of said game of chance as whole multiples of said unit credit value.

3. A method as claimed in claim 2, comprising the further step of ooeo visually indicating the relationship between said base money denomination and the equivalent credit value.

4. Gaming machine apparatus for the play of a game of chance having a base money denominationcomprising: a display upon which said game of chance is displayed; a processor having game control and being connected to said display; and input means, connected to said processor, including: S 25 money input means to receive player input money amounts, and (ii) game control input means by which a player can choose a wagered amount of credit units; and Rwherein said processor performs a conversion between said base money R enomination and said unit credit value, the conversion being such that the unit credit [I:\DayLib\LIBK]1 940a.doc:kxa value is a non-whole multiple, greater than one, of the base money amount, and the processor causes display to the player of a credit value equivalent to the input money amount, and enables play of the game when credit value is available.

5. Gaming machine apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein said display further displays available wagers on individual plays as whole multiples of said unit credit value, under control of the processor.

6. Gaming machine apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein said display further displays the relationship between said base money denomination and the equivalent credit value.

7. Gaming apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein said game control input means are pushbuttons.

8. A method substantially as herein described with reference to the oooo accompanying drawings.

9. A gaming machine apparatus substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings. DATED this twelfth Day of February, 2003 IGT (Australia) Pty Ltd °Patent Attorneys for the Applicant SPRUSON FERGUSON [I:\Dayib\LIBK]1 940a.doc:kxa