Abstract:
A gaming machine has a display and a game controller arranged to control images of symbols displayed on the display. The game controller is arranged to play a game wherein at least one random event is caused to be displayed on the display. If a predefined winning event occurs, the machine awards a prize. The game includes a bonus feature which, when triggered, results in the display of a plurality of devices, each of which animates to reveal a number, a prize awarded being a product of the numbers displayed by the devices.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims priority to, and is a continuation of, U.S. application Ser. No. 11/831,568 having a filing date of Jul. 31, 2007, which claims priority to, and is a continuation of, abandoned U.S. application Ser. No. 10/640,344 having a filing date of Aug. 12, 2003, which is incorporated herein by reference, and which claims priority to Australian Patent Application No. 2002950716, having a filing date of Aug. 12, 2002, which is also incorporated herein by reference] in its entirety. 
    
    
     FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
     [Not Applicable] 
     MICROFICHE/COPYRIGHT REFERENCE 
     [Not Applicable] 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to a gaming machine. More particularly, the invention relates to a gaming machine and to an improvement to a game played on such a gaming machine. 
     Players who regularly play gaming machines quickly tire of particular games and therefore it is necessary for manufacturers of these machines to develop innovative game features which add interest to the games. In so doing, it is hoped to keep players amused and therefore willing to continue playing the game as well as to attract new players. 
     Also, with the growth that has occurred in the gaming machine market, there is intense competition between manufacturers to supply various existing and new venues. 
     When selecting a supplier of gaming machines, the operator of a venue will often pay close attention to the popularity of various games with their patrons. Therefore, gaming machine manufacturers are keen to devise games and/or game features which are popular with the players as a mechanism for improving sales, retaining customers and attracting new customers. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a gaming machine having a display means and a game control means arranged to control images of symbols displayed on the display means, the game control means being arranged to play a game wherein at least one random event is caused to be displayed on the display means and, if a predefined winning event occurs, the machine awards a prize, wherein the game includes a bonus feature which, when triggered, results in the display of a plurality of devices, each of which animates to reveal a number, a prize awarded being a product of the numbers displayed by the devices. 
     Preferably, the gaming machine includes a composite, bonusing feature. The composite, bonusing feature comprises a plurality of bonus features. The bonus features are independent of each other and of the base game. The bonus feature of the present invention may form part of the composite, bonusing feature but it is to be understood that the bonus feature of the present invention need not necessarily be used exclusively as a part of a composite, bonusing feature. For ease of reference the composite, bonusing feature will be referred to as a “composite feature”. 
     The composite feature and, hence, the opportunity to participate in the bonus feature of the present invention, may be automatically triggered. Instead, a player may have to wager an additional amount, over and above a standard game wager, to be eligible for the composite feature and, as a result, the bonus feature of the present invention. 
     The composite feature may be triggered independently of the base game. If the composite feature applies, the control means may make a random determination as to whether or not the composite feature is to be triggered. 
     Should the composite feature be triggered, the control means may make a further random determination as to which bonus feature of the composite feature is to be played. 
     In the case of the bonus feature of the present invention, if this bonus feature is triggered by the control means then, when the bonus feature is triggered, the base game may be replaced by a second screen display. 
     When the bonus feature is triggered, a character, called “Lucky Devil” (Lucky Devil is a trade mark of the Applicant), which may be common to all of the bonus features of the composite feature, may appear in the second screen display. 
     The devices of the bonus feature may be dice and the character may animate to perform a routine simulating the shaking of a plurality of dice, for example, three dice, in the character&#39;s hand followed by a simulation of throwing of the dice. 
     Preferably, to create a heightened sense of anticipation, the dice are thrown one after the other. Each die may, in the second screen display, animate to roll across a scene of the display to come to rest at a front of the scene with one face of the die visible. 
     The prize awarded may be the product of the numbers on the visible faces of the dice. In the case where the feature comprises three dice, if the numbers on the visible faces of at least two of the dice are the same, the prize awarded may be multiplied by a predetermined first multiple, for example, a multiple of five. If the numbers on the visible faces of all three of the dice are the same, the prize awarded may be multiplied by a second multiple greater than the first multiple, for example, a multiple of ten. In addition, the prize awarded may be multiplied by a number of lines bet and a bet per line. 
     According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a game to be played on a game playing apparatus, the game playing apparatus having a display means and a game control means arranged to control images displayed on the display means, the game including a bonus feature which, when triggered, results in the display of a plurality of devices, each of which animates to reveal a number, a prize awarded being a product of the numbers displayed by the devices. 
     A game playing apparatus includes one which does not require the wagering of a stake in order to play the game and further includes apparatus which is connectable to a network. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The invention is now described by way of example with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings in which: 
         FIG. 1  shows a perspective view of a gaming machine, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 2  shows a block diagram of a control circuit of the gaining machine; 
         FIG. 3  shows a screen display of a base game forming part of a game played  20  on the gaming machine of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  shows a screen display when a composite feature is triggered on the gaming machine of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIGS. 5   a  to  5   c  show a sequence of screen displays of a bonus feature which is one of the features of the composite feature; and 
         FIG. 6  shows a flow chart of the game played on the gaming machine when, firstly, the composite feature has been triggered and, secondly, the bonus feature of  FIGS. 5   a  to  5   c  has been selected. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     In  FIG. 1  of the drawings, reference numeral  10  generally designates a gaming machine, including a game, in accordance with the invention. The machine  10  includes a console  12  having a video display unit  14  on which a game  16  is played, in use. The game  16  is, preferably but not necessarily exclusively, a spinning reel game which simulates the rotation of a number of spinning reels  18 . A midtrim  20  of the machine  10  houses a keypad  22  of buttons for enabling a player to play the game  16 . The midtrim  20  also houses a credit input mechanism  24  including a coin input chute  24 . 1  and a bill collector  24 . 2 . 
     The machine  10  includes a top box  26  on which artwork  28  is carried. The artwork  28  includes paytables, details of bonus awards, etc. 
     A coin tray  30  is mounted beneath the console  12  for cash payouts from the machine  10 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 2  of the drawings, a control means or control circuit  32  is illustrated. A program which implements the game and user interface is run on a processor  34  of the control circuit  32 . The processor  34  forms part of a controller  36  that drives the screen of the video display unit  14  and that receives input signals from sensors  38 . The sensors  38  include sensors associated with the keypad  22  and touch sensors mounted in the screen of the video display unit  14 . The controller  36  also receives input pulses from the mechanism  24  to determine whether or not a player has provided sufficient credit to commence playing. The mechanism  24  may, instead of the coin input chute  24 . 1  or the bill collector  24 . 2 , or in addition thereto, be a credit card reader (not shown) or any other type of validation device. 
     Finally, the controller  36  drives a payout mechanism  40  which, for example, may be a coin hopper for feeding coins to the coin tray  30  to make a pay out to a player when the player wishes to redeem his or her credit. 
       FIG. 3  of the drawings shows a screen display  50  of a base game  52  forming part of the game  16  played on the gaming machine  10 . The base game  52  is a spinning reel game comprising a plurality of spinning reels  18 . The example shown is the Applicant&#39;s base game called “Golden Canaries™”. However, any other base game  52  could be used in the game  16 . The base game  52 , in fact, need not be a spinning reel game and could, for example, be a card game, a ball-type game, such as Bingo, Keno, or the like. 
     The game  16  includes a composite feature called “Lucky Devil”. The composite feature comprises a plurality of unrelated bonus features which are independent of and unrelated to the base game  52 . The composite feature, for example, comprises five different bonus features. One of these bonus features is the subject of the present invention and is described in greater detail below with reference to  FIGS. 5   a - 5   c  of the drawings. 
     To be eligible for the composite feature, the player must wager an additional bet. The base game  52  has 20 paylines and, assuming the player wagers one bet per line, a total of twenty credits would be required to play all 20 lines of the base game  52 . However, an additional wager of five credits is wagered by the player as indicated at  54  on a bet meter on the screen display  50 . The wagering of the additional bet merely gives the player eligibility to participate in the composite feature. It does not guarantee that the composite feature will occur during the playing of the base game  52 . 
     A decision as to whether or not the composite feature is triggered is made by the controller  36  randomly. 
     The determination as to whether or not the composite feature is to be triggered is entirely independent of the base game  52  and also of the result of that base game. In other words, no win need appear in the base game  52  nor need any special symbols occur in the base game  52  for the composite feature to be triggered. The chances of triggering the composite feature are preferably the same regardless of which base game  52  is being played. 
     Should a determination be made by the controller  36  that the composite feature is to be triggered, a special banner  56  ( FIG. 4 ) is displayed over the base game  52  after completion of the current base game  52  in order to alert the player that one of the bonus features constituting the composite feature is about to occur. 
     Once again, the controller  36  makes a random determination as to which bonus feature of the composite feature is to occur. 
     Should it be determined that the bonus feature to occur is a “dice feature”, the screen display  50  is replaced by a second screen display  60  as shown in  FIGS. 5   a  to  5   c  of the drawings. A message (not shown) on the screen of the video display unit  14  instructs a player to press the START FEATURE button of the keypad  22  to commence the feature. 
     A character  62  of a devil animates on the screen  60  to shake a plurality of dice  64 , preferably three such dice  64 , while waiting for the player to press the START FEATURE button. When the START FEATURE button is pressed, three outcomes, one for each die  64 , are randomly selected being numbers in the range from 1 to 6. Instead, each random selection may be made just prior to the animation for that die  64 . 
     The character  62  animates to throw a first of the dice  64  which lands with the first randomly selected number on a visible face  66  of the first die  64 . This animation is repeated with the remaining dice, one after the other, until the three outcomes are shown on the screen as shown in  FIG. 5   c  of the drawings. The prize awarded to the player is the product of the numbers appearing on the visible faces  66  of the dice  64 . Accordingly, in the illustrated example, the basic prize is a prize of sixteen credits. 
     However, if the numbers on two of the faces  66  of the dice  64  are the same then the prize is multiplied by a predetermined multiplier, in this case the multiple being five. If the numbers on the visible faces  66  of all three dice  64  are the same, then the prize awarded is multiplied by a higher multiplier, for example, a multiplier of ten. 
     In addition, the prize awarded is multiplied by the bet made by the player. In this case, the player has bet one credit per line on 20 lines plus the additional five credits to obtain eligibility to the composite feature. Therefore, the win for the outcome illustrated in  FIG. 5   c  of the drawings is:
 
4×4 ×l× 5×20=1600
 
     which is credited to a win meter  68  displayed on the screen display  60 . A message  70  is also displayed on the screen display  60  to show that a double has been “thrown”. Naturally, should a “triple” be “thrown”, the appropriate message  70  would, instead, be displayed on the screen  60 . 
     It is to be noted that the dice  64  are thrown one after the other so that the outcomes appear serially to heighten the sense of anticipation for the player. 
     In the playing of the game  16  on the gaming machine  10 , a random weighted decision is made by the controller  36  as to whether or not the composite feature is to occur and, if so, which bonus feature is to be awarded. These determinations are made by the controller  36  such that the overall return to player of the gaming machine  10  is substantially unchanged in comparison with a gaming machine  10  without the composite feature. 
     It is an advantage of the invention that a bonus feature is provided which forms part of a composite feature. The composite feature, in turn, enhances a base game which underlies the composite feature. As a result, the player&#39;s enjoyment of the game is enhanced. 
     It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that numerous variations and/or modifications may be made to the invention as shown in the specific embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as broadly described. The present embodiments are, therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive.