Gaming system and a method of gaming

A gaming system is disclosed that comprises at least one mechanical reel, and a video display device disposed over the at least one mechanical reel. The video display device is controllable to display for each mechanical reel a virtual reel representative of the mechanical reel, and so as to be disposed in an operative first state wherein the at least one virtual reel is viewable on the video display device, or a substantially transparent second state. The gaming system also comprises a shutter device positioned between the video display device and the at least one mechanical reel and disposable in a first state wherein the at least one mechanical reel is revealed or a second state wherein the at least one mechanical reel is concealed. During use, either the mechanical reel(s) or the virtual reel(s) representative of the mechanical reel(s) are viewable by a player.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a gaming system and to a method of gaming.

It is known to provide a gaming system arranged to randomly display several symbols from a predetermined set of symbols and to determine a game outcome such as a game win based on the displayed symbols.

Such gaming systems may commonly be implemented as a stepper machine provided with reels with each reel carrying several symbols of the set, or a video machine wherein selected symbols are displayed on virtual reels on a graphical display device.

However, while such gaming systems provide users with enjoyment, a need exists for alternative gaming systems in order to maintain or increase player enjoyment.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a gaming system comprising:

at least one mechanical reel having an associated set of symbols and arranged to controllably display at least one symbol selected from the set of symbols;

a video display device disposed over the at least one mechanical reel, the video display device being controllable:to display for each mechanical reel a virtual reel and associated virtual symbols representative of the mechanical reel and associated symbols, andso as to be disposed in an operative first state wherein the at least one virtual reel is viewable on the video display device, or a substantially transparent second state wherein the at least one virtual reel is not viewable on the video display device; and

a shutter device positioned between the video display device and the at least one mechanical reel and disposable in a first state wherein the at least one mechanical reel is revealed or a second state wherein the at least one mechanical reel is concealed;

wherein the system is arranged to control the shutter device and the video display device such that either the at least one mechanical reel or the at least one virtual reel representative of the at least one mechanical reel is viewable by a player.

In one arrangement, a plurality of mechanical reels and associated representative virtual reels are provided.

In one embodiment, each mechanical reel is aligned with an associated virtual reel such that when a virtual reel is viewable instead of a mechanical reel, the virtual reel appears to be displayed in the same position as the mechanical reel.

In one embodiment, the shutter device is electronically actuable such that the shutter device is disposable in the first state wherein the shutter device is substantially transparent or the second state wherein the shutter device is substantially opaque in response to application of an electrical signal.

In one embodiment, the shutter device is movable between a first position wherein an opaque shutter is disposed between the at least one mechanical reel and the video display device, and a second position wherein the opaque shutter is not disposed between the at least one mechanical reel and the video display device.

In one embodiment, the system is arranged such that when the or each virtual reel is displayed instead of the or each mechanical reel, the displayed symbols are the same. With this embodiment, at least some of the symbols on the or each virtual reel may be rearranged relative to the symbols shown on the mechanical reels.

In one embodiment, the system is arranged to modify lighting associated with the at least one mechanical reel or the video display device as or prior to at least one mechanical reel or at least one virtual reel becomes viewable.

In one embodiment, each virtual reel is a 3D representation of a respective mechanical reel.

In one embodiment, the video display device is controllable so as to replicate the appearance of physical components associated with the mechanical reels, such as edge lighting devices or heat sinks.

In one embodiment, the gaming system is arranged to implement a base game using the mechanical reels and to make the virtual reels viewable instead of the mechanical reels when a trigger condition occurs during the base game.

In an alternative embodiment, the gaming system is arranged to implement a base game using the virtual reels and to make the mechanical reels viewable instead of the virtual reels when a trigger condition occurs during the base game.

In one embodiment, the gaming system is arranged to commence special game mode in response to player input, based on the amount or type of bet placed, or when a special game is purchased by a player.

The trigger condition may be display of a particular symbol, or display of a defined symbol combination.

In accordance with a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of gaming comprising:

providing at least one mechanical reel having an associated set of symbols;

using the at least one mechanical reel to controllably display at least one symbol selected from the set of symbols;

disposing a video display device over the at least one mechanical reel, the video display device being controllable:to display for each mechanical reel a virtual reel and associated virtual symbols representative of the mechanical reel and associated symbols, andso as to be disposed in an operative first state wherein the at least one virtual reel is viewable on the video display device, or a substantially transparent second state wherein the at least one virtual reel is not viewable on the video display device; and

positioning a shutter device between the video display device and the at least one mechanical reel, the shutter device disposable in a first state wherein the at least one mechanical reel is revealed or a second state wherein the at least one mechanical reel is concealed; and

controlling the video display device and the shutter device such that either the at least one mechanical reel or the at least one virtual reel representative of the at least one mechanical reel is viewable by a player.

In accordance with a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer readable device having a computer readable program code embodied therein for causing a computer to operate in accordance with the gaming system of the first aspect.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present gaming system operates such that during implementation of a game, a mechanical reel arrangement and a virtual reel arrangement representative of the mechanical reel arrangement are provided, with a shutter device disposed between the mechanical and virtual reel arrangements. The shutter device and the virtual reel arrangement are controllable so that the mechanical reel arrangement or the corresponding virtual reel arrangement is viewable by a player. In this way, it is possible to switch between the mechanical reel arrangement and the virtual reel arrangement and in so doing provide a player with the impression that the same reels and associated symbols are being used in the game despite the change between the mechanical or virtual arrangements.

It will be understood that the system enables manipulation of the symbols to occur during a game that would not be possible with a solely mechanical reel implemented game.

In one implementation, the mechanical reel arrangement comprises a plurality of rotatable symbol bearing reels, and the shutter device is controllable so as to be disposable in an open first state wherein the virtual reels are not visible and the mechanical reels are visible through the shutter device, or a closed second state wherein the virtual reels are visible and the mechanical reels are not visible.

In one conventional type of gaming machine, a spinning reel type game comprises a display area including 15 display positions, with each display position including one symbol. The display positions are arranged in five vertically disposed reels, with each reel corresponding with a display position group, and each reel having three visible display positions. After the reels are spun and subsequently stopped, the display positions show a random selection of symbols.

Generally, with such games, a plurality of win patterns in the form of win lines are defined which extend across the reels and include one display position from each reel. Typically the symbols that are disposed in a win line are compared with winning symbol combinations defined in a pay table so as to determine whether a player of the game should receive an award. For example, if winning symbol combinations are based on poker hands, a particular prize would be awarded if the win line comprises four aces. Other winning symbol combinations and corresponding prizes may also be defined.

With the present system, a base game is implemented using the mechanical reels during normal game mode, and a feature game is implemented using virtual reels representative of the mechanical reels during special game mode.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown a schematic block diagram of a gaming system10arranged to implement a probabilistic game of the type wherein several symbols from a set of symbols are randomly displayed, and a game outcome is determined on the basis of the displayed symbols. The system is of the type including multiple game modes, such normal game mode wherein a base game is implemented and special game mode wherein a feature game is implemented.

With the present embodiment, a conventional spinning reel type base game is implemented during normal game mode using a plurality of mechanical reels. The set of base symbols used during the base game include standard symbols and function symbols, and the game outcome is determined on the basis of the displayed standard symbols and the function associated with any displayed function symbol. For example, standard symbols may resemble fruit such as apples, pears and bananas with a win outcome being determined when a predetermined number of the same fruit appear on a display along a win line, or are displayed according to defined outcome patterns such as scattered, and so on. The function associated with a function symbol may be for example a wild function wherein display of the function symbol is treated during consideration of the game outcome as any of the standard symbols. A function symbol may be represented as the word “WILD”, a star, or by any other suitable word or symbol. Other functions are also envisaged such as scatter functions, multiplier functions, repeat win functions, jackpot functions and feature commencement functions.

Referring toFIG. 1, a schematic diagram of components of a gaming system10in accordance with the present embodiment is shown. The components comprise a player interface30and a game controller32. The player interface30is arranged to enable interaction between a player and the gaming system and for this purpose includes input/output components required for the player to enter instructions and play the game.

Components of the player interface30may vary but will typically include a credit mechanism34to enable a player to input credits and receive payouts, a video display device36, and a game play mechanism38arranged to enable a player to input game play instructions.

The game controller32is in data communication with the player interface30and typically includes a processor40arranged to process game play instructions and output game player outcomes to the display36. Typically, the game play instructions are stored as program code in a memory42that can also be hardwired. It will be understood that in this specification the term “processor” is used to refer generically to any device that can process game play instructions and may include a microprocessor, microcontroller, programmable logic device or other computational device such as a personal computer or a server.

A functional diagram illustrating operative components of the game controller32is shown inFIG. 2.

The memory42is arranged to store symbols data14, win outcome data16indicative of win condition requirements for base and feature games, and game instruction data18indicative of game instructions usable by the gaming machine10to control operation of the base and feature games.

The game controller32includes a symbol selector20which is arranged during normal game mode to select several symbols for display to a player in a plurality of display positions on a plurality of mechanical reels, and a reel controller21arranged to control the mechanical reels so that the reels stop with the selected symbols displayed. In this example, the selection carried out by the symbol selector20is made using a random number generator22.

It will be appreciated that the random number generator22may be of a type which is arranged to generate pseudo random numbers based on a seed number, and that in this specification the term “random” will be understood accordingly to mean truly random or pseudo random.

With this embodiment, the game controller32also comprises a trigger determiner23arranged to determine whether a trigger condition exists, and a feature implementer25arranged to implement a feature game when a trigger condition is determined to exist.

During a feature game, the feature implementer25interacts with a shutter controller26and a display controller27.

The shutter controller26is arranged to control an electronic shutter device so as to dispose the shutter device in an open first state wherein the shutter device is substantially transparent, or a closed second sate wherein the shutter device is substantially opaque.

The display controller27is arranged to control the display device36so as to display representations of spinning reels corresponding to the mechanical reels when the shutter device is disposed in the second state, and in particular to control the stopping positions of the mechanical reels so that selected symbols are shown on the virtual reels.

The game controller32also comprises an outcome evaluator28which, in accordance with game instructions18, determines game outcomes based on the symbols displayed during normal or special game mode.

The game controller32also comprises a prize allocator29arranged to allocate a prize to a player when a winning outcome exists.

In the present embodiment, the symbol selector20, the trigger determiner23, the function allocator24, the feature implementer25, the reel controller21, the shutter controller26, the display controller27, the outcome evaluator28, and the prize allocator29are at least partly implemented using the processor40and associated software although it will be understood that other implementations are envisaged.

The gaming system10can take a number of different forms.

In a first form, a player operable gaming device in the form of a stand alone gaming machine is provided wherein all or most components required for implementing the game are present in the gaming machine.

In a second form, a distributed architecture is provided wherein some of the components required for implementing the game are present in a player operable gaming device and some of the components required for implementing the game are located remotely relative to the gaming device. For example, a “thick client” architecture may be used wherein part of the game is executed on a player operable gaming terminal and part of the game is executed remotely, such as by a gaming server; or a “thin client” architecture may be used wherein most of the game is executed remotely such as by a gaming server and a player operable gaming terminal is used only to display audible and/or visible gaming information to the player and receive gaming inputs from the player.

However, it will be understood that other arrangements are envisaged. For example, an architecture may be provided wherein a gaming device is networked to a device server and the respective functions of the gaming machine and the gaming server are selectively modifiable. For example, the gaming system may operate in stand alone gaming machine mode, “thick client” mode or “thin client” mode depending on the game being played, operating conditions, and so on. Other variations will be apparent to persons skilled in the art.

A gaming system in the form of a stand alone gaming machine50is illustrated inFIG. 3. The gaming machine50includes a console52having a display arrangement54that is used to display a base game or a feature game56. A mid-trim60of the gaming machine50houses a bank of buttons62for enabling a player to interact with the gaming machine, in particular during gameplay. The mid-trim60also houses a credit input mechanism64which in this example includes a coin input chute64A and a bill collector64B. Other credit input mechanisms may also be employed, for example, a card reader for reading a smart card, debit card or credit card.

A top box66may carry artwork68, including for example pay tables and details of bonus awards and other information or images relating to the game. Further artwork and/or information may be provided on a front panel69of the console52. A coin tray70is mounted beneath the front panel69for dispensing cash payouts from the gaming machine50.

As shown more particularly inFIG. 4, the display arrangement54comprises several rotatable mechanical reels80that are controllable using the reel controller21to spin and stop at a selected position. Each of the reels80has a plurality of associated symbols82. The stopping position for each reel80is determined such that symbols selected by the symbol selector20are displayed when the reels stop.

Disposed in front of the mechanical reels80is a shutter device84disposable in an open first state or a closed second state. In the first state, the symbols82on the reels80are not concealed by the shutter device84, and in the closed state, the symbols82are concealed by the shutter device84.

In this example, the shutter device84is of electronic type and is therefore electronically controllable to dispose the shutter device84in the closed or open state. However, it will be understood that other arrangements are envisaged. For example, the shutter device may be mechanically implemented, for example such that the shutter device is movable between a position wherein the reels are concealed by the shutter device and a position wherein the reels are not concealed by the shutter device.

The display arrangement54also includes a video display device88, which may incorporate a liquid crystal display, a plasma screen, or any other suitable video display unit. The video display device88is disposed in front of the shutter device84and is arranged to display virtual reels80′ representative of the mechanical reels80and including symbols82′ that are the same as the symbols82on the mechanical reels80.

The video display device84is controllable so as to be disposed in an operative first state wherein the virtual reels are viewable on the video display device84, and a substantially transparent second state wherein the virtual reels are not viewable on the video display device84and the mechanical reels are viewable through the video display device84.

A player marketing module (PMM)72having a display74is connected to the gaming machine50. The main purpose of the PMM72is to allow the player to interact with a player loyalty system. The PMM has a magnetic card reader for the purpose of reading a player tracking device, for example as part of a loyalty program. However other reading devices may be employed and the player tracking device may be in the form of a card, flash drive or any other portable storage medium capable of being read by the reading device. In this example, the PMM62is a Sentinel III device produced by Aristocrat Technologies Pty Ltd.

FIG. 5shows a block diagram of operative components of a gaming device100which may be the same as or different to the gaming machine shown inFIG. 3.

The gaming machine100includes a game controller101having a processor102. Instructions and data to control operation of the processor102in accordance with the present invention are stored in a memory103which is in data communication with the processor102.

Typically, the gaming machine100will include both volatile and non-volatile memory and more than one of each type of memory, with such memories being collectively represented by the memory103.

FIG. 6shows a block diagram of the main components of an exemplary memory103. The memory103includes RAM103A, EPROM103B and a mass storage device103C. The RAM103A typically temporarily holds program files for execution by the processor102and related data. The EPROM103B may be a boot ROM device and/or may contain some system or game related code. The mass storage device103C is typically used to store game programs, the integrity of which may be verified and/or authenticated by the processor102using protected code from the EPROM103B or elsewhere.

The gaming machine has hardware meters104for purposes including ensuring regulatory compliance and monitoring player credit, an input/output (I/O) interface105for communicating with a player interface120of the gaming machine100, the player interface120having several peripheral devices. The input/output interface105and/or the peripheral devices may be intelligent devices with their own memory for storing associated instructions and data for use with the input/output interface or the peripheral devices. A random number generator module113generates random numbers for use by the processor102.

In the example shown inFIG. 5, the peripheral devices that communicate with the game controller101comprise one or more displays106; a touch screen and/or bank of buttons107; a card and/or ticket reader108; a printer109; a bill acceptor and/or coin input mechanism110; a coin output mechanism111; and a shutter86. Additional hardware may be included as part of the gaming machine100, or hardware may be omitted as required for the specific implementation.

In addition, the gaming machine100may include a communications interface, for example a network card112. The network card may, for example, send status information, accounting information or other information to a central controller, server or database and receive data or commands from the central controller, server or database.

It is also possible for the operative components of the gaming machine100to be distributed, for example input/output devices106,107,108,109,110,111may be provided remotely from the game controller101.

FIG. 7shows a gaming system200in accordance with an alternative embodiment. The gaming system200includes a network201, which for example may be an Ethernet network, a LAN or a WAN. In this example, three banks203of two gaming machines202are connected to the network201. The gaming machines202provide a player operable interface and may be the same as the gaming machines40,100shown inFIGS. 3 and 5, or may have simplified functionality depending on the requirements for implementing game play. While banks203of two gaming machines are illustrated inFIG. 7, banks of one, three or more gaming machines are also envisaged.

One or more displays204may also be connected to the network201. The displays204may, for example, be associated with one or more banks203of gaming machines. The displays204may be used to display representations associated with game play on the gaming machines202, and/or used to display other representations, for example promotional or informational material.

In a thick client embodiment, a game server205implements part of the game played by a player using a gaming machine202and the gaming machine202implements part of the game. With this embodiment, as both the game server205and the gaming machine202implement part of the game, they collectively provide a game controller. A database management server206may manage storage of game programs and associated data for downloading or access by the gaming devices202in a database206A. Typically, if the gaming system enables players to participate in a Jackpot game, a Jackpot server207will be provided to monitor and carry out the Jackpot game.

In a variation of the above thick client embodiment, the gaming machine202may implement the game, with the game server205functioning merely to serve data indicative of a game to the gaming machine202for implementation.

With this implementation, a data signal containing a computer program usable by the client terminal to implement the gaming system may be transferred from the game server to the client terminal, for example in response to a request by the client terminal.

In a thin client embodiment, the game server205implements most or all of the game played by a player using a gaming machine202and the gaming machine202essentially provides only the player interface. With this embodiment, the game server205provides the game controller. The gaming machine will receive player instructions, and pass the instructions to the game server which will process them and return game play outcomes to the gaming machine for display. In a thin client embodiment, the gaming machines could be computer terminals, e.g. PCs running software that provides a player interface operable using standard computer input and output components.

Servers are also typically provided to assist in the administration of the gaming system200, including for example a gaming floor management server208and a licensing server209to monitor the use of licenses relating to particular games. An administrator terminal210is provided to allow an administrator to monitor the network201and the devices connected to the network.

The gaming system200may communicate with other gaming systems, other local networks such as a corporate network, and/or a wide area network such as the Internet, for example through a firewall211.

A loyalty program server212may also be provided.

Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that in accordance with known techniques, functionality at the server side of the network may be distributed over a plurality of different computers. For example, elements may be run as a single “engine” on one server or a separate server may be provided. For example, the game server205could run a random number generator engine.

Alternatively, a separate random number generator server could be provided.

Examples of specific implementations of the gaming system will now be described in relation to a stand alone gaming machine50although it will be understood that implementation may also be carried out using other gaming system architectures such as a network architecture of the type shown inFIG. 7.

The gaming system is operable in normal game mode and special game mode and may be arranged to commence special game mode when a predetermined game outcome occurs. Special game mode may comprise one or more free games.

Special game mode may commence automatically on the basis of a game event occurring during a base game, such as display of a particular symbol, based on game outcomes determined by the gaming system, or may be prompted by a player pressing a button on the gaming system10after the player has identified that a game outcome corresponding to special game mode requirements has occurred.

The gaming system10may also be arranged so as to determine eligibility for special game mode, for example based on the amount or type of bet placed, based on particular time periods and so on.

Special game mode may also be arranged to commence when a special game is purchased by a player.

A specific example will now be described in relation to flow diagram250shown inFIG. 8, which illustrates steps252to270of a method of gaming implemented by the gaming system according to the present embodiment.

During the base game, the shutter device84is in the open first state and the video display device88is disposed in a substantially transparent state. As such, the mechanical reels80are visible through the video display device88by the player. In this example, five mechanical reels80are provided and during the base game the mechanical reels80are rotated and subsequently stopped254to display standard symbols and one or more function symbols. Win outcomes are determined on the basis of the symbols visible at the display positions when the reels stop.

Typically, a player will purchase or otherwise obtain win entitlements such as several win lines which are used in the game to determine win outcomes. If the displayed symbols on the reels have symbols associated with a winning combination such as a winning combination disposed on a win line, the player wins a prize.

The outcome generator28determines whether the symbols displayed correspond to a winning outcome and, if a winning outcome exists, a prize associated with the winning outcome is awarded256to the player. This determination is made by comparing the displayed symbols with a pay table or similar.

If a predefined game outcome occurs258during the base game, such as display of a defined combination of symbols, the gaming system implements a feature game.

During implementation of the feature game, virtual reels80′ are displayed on the video display device88and are visible instead of the mechanical reels80. The virtual reels80′correspond to the mechanical reels80such that the virtual reels80′ are a virtual representation of the mechanical reels80.

In order to provide a suitable transition from mechanical reels80to virtual reels80′, the system may be arranged to dim mechanical reel lighting260, then increase the mechanical reel backlighting262.

The shutter device84is then controlled so as to move to the second state264, thereby concealing the mechanical reels80from view by the player, and representations of the mechanical reels are displayed on the video display device88. In this way, the player is provided with a virtual representation of the reels used during the base game and the appearance to the player is of a virtual model of the mechanical reels80.

In this example, the symbols displayed to the player on the video display device88are the same as the symbols displayed on the mechanical reels immediately prior to commencing the feature game. However, in this example, at least some of the symbols displayed on the video display device88are rearranged compared to the symbols displayed on the mechanical reels80in order to provide with player with an opportunity to obtain a different prize.

In this example, in order to increase the realism of the virtual reels80′ and the visual similarity of the virtual reels80′ with the mechanical reels80, the virtual reels80′ may be represented using 3D techniques, and/or the perspective, lighting and appearance of the materials of the mechanical reels80may be represented on the video display device as accurately as possible.

The symbols displayed on the video display device are evaluated by the outcome evaluator28and the prize allocator29awards a prize, for example according to a defined pay table.

It will be understood that although the above example is described in relation to a gaming system wherein a base game is implemented using the mechanical reels80and with the shutter device84in an open first state, it will be understood that as an alternative a base game may be implemented using the video display device88and the associated virtual reels80′ and with the shutter device84in a closed second state. With this alternative arrangement, at commencement of a feature game, the shutter device would be caused to move to the open first state, the video display device88caused to move to the substantially transparent state, and the mechanical reels80used to implement the feature game.

It will be understood that in addition to virtual reels that closely resemble the mechanical reels80, other visible aspects of the mechanical reel arrangement may also be replicated by the video display device84. For example, edge lighting devices, heat sinks, or any other physical component that is viewable on at the display arrangement when the mechanical reels are used80, may be represented on the video display device88.

It will be appreciated that by alternating between mechanical reels and virtual reels that accurately represent the mechanical reels and are disposed at the same apparent location, the difference in appearance to a player between the mechanical and virtual reels is minimal. As a consequence, the player's attention is drawn more towards changes in the game rather than changes to the appearance of the reels used in the game. It also becomes possible to use mechanical reels for aspects of a game wherein modification of the symbol positions is not required, and to replace the mechanical reels with a substantially identical virtual copy of the reels for aspects of the game wherein modification of the symbols or symbol positions is required.

Modifications and variations as would be apparent to a skilled addressee are determined to be within the scope of the present invention.