Abstract:
Various embodiments of games having payout wheels are described herein. In one embodiment, in a main or primary game, a plurality of reels displays a combination of symbols. A second game forming part of the gaming system consists of a plurality of wheels that are initiated upon the display of a predetermined combination of symbols on the reels in the primary game. At least one outcome of a first wheel indicates that the payout will be decided by an additional wheel, having higher payouts than the first wheel. The invention may be implemented using video techniques or electromechanical techniques.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    This invention relates to gaming techniques and, in particular, to a technique for paying awards to a player.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    A very popular slot machine is called the “Wheel of Fortune”™. The Wheel of Fortune has three rotating reels for displaying symbols in a main game and, upon the reels displaying a certain combination of symbols, a large wheel spins. The large wheel has printed on it various payout awards, and the wheel randomly stops at a certain position to award the player the payout for that wheel position.  
           [0003]    The Wheel of Fortune slot machine appeals to players due to the added excitement of a spinning wheel. What is desirable is a gaming technique that adds further excitement to increase player appeal.  
         SUMMARY  
         [0004]    Various embodiments of games having payout wheels are described herein. In one embodiment, in a main or primary game, a plurality of reels displays combinations of symbols that signify instant awards, no awards, or the activation of a secondary game. The secondary game, forming part of the gaming system, consists of a plurality of wheels that provide special awards upon the display of a predetermined combination of symbols on the reels in the primary game.  
           [0005]    In one embodiment, the plurality of wheels consists of a first wheel having relatively low payout awards associated with each position on the first wheel. The first wheel is spun and stopped to identify an award. At least one of the positions identifies that the award is to come from a second wheel, which has higher payout awards associated with each position on the second wheel. The second wheel is then spun and stopped to identify an award. There may also be a third wheel having award amounts higher than those on the second wheel, where the third wheel is activated upon a certain position on the second wheel being selected.  
           [0006]    In one embodiment, the third wheel has a position which, when randomly selected, awards a player a jackpot value.  
           [0007]    The awards provided by the wheels may be in addition to any award provided by the primary game that initiated the secondary game.  
           [0008]    In one embodiment, only one wheel is spun at a time. In one embodiment, the wheels are concentric. Any number of wheels may be used.  
           [0009]    The primary game may be any type of game, including those games displaying cards. The invention may be implemented as a video game, or use motor driven reels and wheels, or use a combination of motor driven reels or wheels and a video display of reels or wheels.  
           [0010]    The invention is applicable to any type of gaming system, such as an on-line system using the Internet, a stand-alone gaming machine, or linked gaming machines. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0011]    [0011]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a video gaming machine which may incorporate software to carry out the present invention.  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 2 illustrates basic hardware components in a conventional video gaming machine, where the program stored in the program memory carries out the particular game.  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating the steps for carrying out one embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0014]    [0014]FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate sample displays on a CRT screen or other type of screen for an on-line gaming system, or a stand-alone gaming machine, or a linked gaming machine.  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 6 illustrates an electromechanical reel and wheel assembly that can be used instead of, or in combination with, a gaming system using a video screen.  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 7 illustrates a paytable.  
         [0017]    [0017]FIGS. 8, 9, and  10  illustrate other displays of the bonus selectors. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0018]    Elements in the various figures identified with the same numerals may be identical and will not be redundantly described.  
         [0019]    Although the present invention may be carried out on any type of computer platform, such as a stand-alone gaming machine, linked-gaming machines, or an on-line gaming system, where a user may interact with a remote server on a conventional personal computer to play the game described herein, the game will be described with respect to a stand-alone gaming machine.  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 1 illustrates a video type gaming machine  10  having a video screen  12 , a coin input  14 , and control inputs  16 , such as buttons. Instead of buttons, a keyboard or touch screen may be used. For on-line gaming system, the display device would be a conventional monitor connected to the user&#39;s home computer.  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 2 illustrates the hardware functional blocks in a conventional gaming machine. A program memory  18  contains computer instructions for allowing a processor  22  to carry out the various steps of the game. The hardware of FIG. 2 may be conventional and need not be described in detail. Processor  22  may be any type of microprocessor or any other device used to carry out a routine. A conventional gaming machine may be programmed to carry out the inventive game by changing the program in the machine&#39;s memory. For an on-line gaming system, the program may simply be downloaded into the user&#39;s home computer.  
         [0022]    A typical stand-alone gaming machine also has a money detector  24 , control inputs  16 , an award table memory  26 , an award mechanism  28  such as a coin hopper or means to provide a code on tickets or a magnetic card, a display controller  30 , and a display screen  12 . The award table memory  26  associates the final positions on the reels and wheels in the machine with a monetary amount to be paid to the player. In an on-line system, the various control and memory functions would be carried out using shared resources in one or more computers. The display controller  30  receives relatively simply commands from processor  22  and converts the commands into complex pixel displays on screen  12 .  
         [0023]    Operation of one embodiment of the present invention will be described with respect to the flowchart of FIG. 3 and the sample displays of FIGS. 4 and 5.  
         [0024]    In step  1  of FIG. 3, the game is initiated by any known technique such as by pressing a button, touching a display screen, pulling a handle, depositing money, depositing coded instruments, clicking a mouse, or by any other means. The initiation of the game causes the three reels  40  in FIG. 4 to spin (either physically or on a video screen) and randomly stop on three positions across a payline (step  2 ). There may be multiple paylines. The three symbols may constitute losing symbols or winning symbols, where the winning symbols provide an instant award. The three symbols may also be a combination of certain special symbols, such as shown in FIG. 4 by the “Triple Deal”™ symbols being displayed, in which case the bonus wheels  44  are activated as part of a secondary game. Step  3  illustrates the decision of whether the symbol combination on the reels  40  spin the bonus wheels  44 . If the symbol combination does not spin bonus wheels  44 , the process goes to step  4 , where an award, if any, is paid to the player, and the game is ended (step  5 ).  
         [0025]    If the special symbol combination appears across the payline (as shown in FIG. 4) to activate the bonus wheels  44 , the game proceeds to step  6 , where the first wheel  46  is spun. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the first wheel  46  has relatively low payouts a identified around its periphery. In one embodiment, the numbers around the wheel identify a multiplication of the total bet for that game. For example, if three coins are bet, and the first wheel  46  identifies that the award is “ 4 ,” the bonus payout will be twelve coins.  
         [0026]    After the first wheel  46  has been spun and stopped, if the indicator  48  does not indicate an award value but indicates a down-arrow  49  pointing toward the second wheel  50  (step  7 ), as shown in FIG. 4, the second wheel spins and randomly stops (step  8 ). The second wheel  50  has higher payout indicators on its periphery and, in one embodiment, these payout indicators are a multiple of ten times the payout indicators on the first wheel  46 . An award to the player identified by the second wheel  50  is then paid out unless a down-arrow position on the second wheel  50  is selected (step  9 ), as shown in FIG. 5. In such a case, the third wheel  52  is spun and randomly stopped (step  10 ). The third wheel  52 , in the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, has award values that are a hundred times as great as the award values on the first wheel  46 . If the stop position of the third wheel  52  is also a down-arrow (step  11 ), shown in FIG. 5, then a jackpot is awarded to the player (step  12 ).  
         [0027]    There may be any number of down-arrows  49  on the wheels, and the award amounts may be any amount. Typically, the award amounts will be progressively higher with each successive wheel.  
         [0028]    In addition to the bonus wheel amounts, the special symbol combination on the reels  40  that gives rise to the activation of the bonus wheels  44  may also pay instant award.  
         [0029]    The process of FIG. 3 is carried out by the instructions in program memory  18  (RAM or ROM) in combination with processor  22 .  
         [0030]    As would be conventional, the various control inputs shown in FIG. 4, such as Bet One, Spin Reels, Bet Max, Cash Out, and Payout Table (which displays the payout table on the video screen), may be activated by using either a mouse, a touch screen, or physical buttons. FIG. 4 also shows a bill insert slot  56  that may be either virtual or actual.  
         [0031]    By adjusting the award amounts and the number of down-arrows  49  on the bonus wheels  44 , the probabilities of obtaining the various awards are easily adjustable.  
         [0032]    Any number of bonus wheels  44  may be used, such as two, three, four, or more, and any configuration of the wheels may be used. For example, the wheels may be separate instead of concentric. Further, the wheels  44  may be in other forms, such as numeric displays on reels.  
         [0033]    [0033]FIG. 6 illustrates an electromechanical version of the game where, instead of the game being completely carried out in software and displayed on a video screen, electric motors, such as stepper motors  62  and  63  (among others not illustrated), rotate the reels and bonus wheels  68 . The operation of the machine is otherwise identical to that described with respect to FIGS.  3 - 5 . The position of the reels  66  and wheels  68  may be predetermined by the program software, and the reels and wheels may be spun so as to achieve the predetermined outcome. Since the angular positions of stepper motors are easily determined by the number of pulses provided to the stepper motors, the positions of the reels  66  and wheels  68  are easily determined using conventional techniques.  
         [0034]    [0034]FIG. 7 is an example of a payout table that may be displayed on the display glass of a gaming machine and stored in the paytable ROM. The symbol combinations are shown in the left column, and the payouts per coin bet are in the remaining columns. Note that the spinning of the bonus wheels, using the paytable of FIG. 7, is only activated upon the outcome of the AAA (e.g., Triple-Deal™) symbol combination with the maximum 3-coin wager to encourage a maximum bet. Of course, the activation of the bonus wheels may be set for any game outcome.  
         [0035]    FIGS.  8 - 10  are examples of other displays that embody the concept of the present invention. In FIG. 8, the complete bonus wheels are visible, with the jackpot symbolized in the center.  
         [0036]    [0036]FIG. 9 illustrates the various bonus levels in non-circular areas. The bonus values are shown in spaces representing honeycomb cells, and a bee randomly lands on a space in the appropriate level. If the bee lands on a bonus value, that bonus is received. If the bee lands on an arrow, the next level is activated.  
         [0037]    [0037]FIG. 10 illustrates the bonus levels as rectangular rings, where a space in an appropriate level is randomly highlighted. If a bonus value space is highlighted, that bonus is received. If an arrow is highlighted, the next level is activated. The jackpot amount is displayed in the middle of the rings. Many other types of displays are suitable.  
         [0038]    If the gaming concepts described herein are implemented in an on-line gaming system, the various positions of the reels and the wheels will be typically determined by a remote server, and the award will be paid to, for example, a player&#39;s account. The jackpot may be fixed or progressive. The game software may reside on any tangible medium, such as a CD ROM or a diskette, or may be transmitted over the Internet or via radio waves.  
         [0039]    Additionally, the game may be carried out by a series of linked gaming machines, where the jackpot is progressive and common to all the gaming machines that are linked to the system.  
         [0040]    While particular embodiments have been shown and described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made without departing from this invention in its broader aspects and, therefore, the appended claims are to encompass within their scope all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of this invention.