Abstract:
In an electronic video slots game the player chooses one of many available themes where the three squares by three squares layout represents nine six sided cubes which move independently of each other and by player interaction stop their respective movements and fix to a final position. Appropriate responsible gaming messages are displayed on the screen during the course of the game.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     This Application claims the benefit of Applicants&#39; provisional patent Application No. 60/496,861 entitled 3 2 SLOTS™, filed Aug. 21, 2003. 
     
    
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT  
       [0002]     Not Applicable  
       REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING, A TABLE, OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTING COMPACT DISK, APPENDIX  
       [0003]     Not applicable  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0004]     This invention relates primarily to any of the many variations of electronic video slot machines which are played in the various legal gaming establishments. The forerunner to the electronic video slot machine was commonly known as the “one armed bandit” because of the feature of pulling a handle usually situated on the right side of the slot machine in order to commence the mechanical reels, usually three in number, to start spinning. The spinning mechanical reels would eventually stop, and when matches occurred on the designated horizontal payout line or lines, then the gaming patron would win an amount set forth on the payout schedule prominently displayed on the gaming machine. Spinning mechanical reels, while they are still prevalent at the time of the filing of this Utility Patent Application Transmittal, have evolved to electronic video slot machines where five electronic video reels of images spin and then stop. Wins are still awarded for matching the different images along certain defined payout lines. There can be twenty or more defined payout lines and the player usually has the option to play as many pay lines he or she wishes. The pay lines are quite complicated and they are explained to the gaming patron on six or more video pages which the player can view by looking at the game menu before playing. Since most of the payout lines do not follow a straight horizontal line, it is not readily apparent to a player at the conclusion of the spin whether or not there is a winning combination. The player depends on the machine to let him or her know if there was a winning combination.  
         [0005]     Just as in the mechanical reel slot machine, the outcome of the game is dictated by RNG, that is, Random Number Generator. The outcome of the game is determined at a precise moment at the beginning of the game such as the moment the first coin is dropped in an old fashioned one armed bandit or the moment the player presses the start button in an electronic video slot machine. Until that moment the gaming machine computer program continually goes through a series of numbers where each number represents a set final position of the video reels The player has no perception of being in control of the outcome of the game and there is nothing about the present design of electronic video slots which lends itself to responsible gaming messages. Both mechanical reel and electronic video slot machines can be programmed to pay back to the players an establishment&#39;s desired percentage of what is wagered over the long run. Percentages range from a low of 70 to a high of nearly 100. When a player sits down to play a slot machine, he or she usually has no idea what the return rate is on that particular machine.  
         [0006]     Unlike the mechanical reel slot machine where the pictures on the reel do not relate to a particular theme (usually multicolored single, double, triple bars, cherries, multicolored 7s, various jackpot symbols, etc.), the images on electronic video slots all relate to a single theme. For instance, a circus themed video slot machine would consist of images of clowns, elephants, circus acts, etc. Copyrighted material is often used and in such cases all of the various images would relate to the particular copyrighted theme. While such coherence of imagery may have made the game more interesting for the player, each machine is still limited to a single theme. A variety of themes is not available on a single machine.  
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0007]     The object of this invention is to improve upon the existing design of electronic video slots and to render baseless any allegation that the outcome of the electronic video slot game is “fixed” in any way and thus prevent costly litigation on that issue. Another object is to offer a choice of themes on a single machine. Another object is to promote responsible gaming by placing game appropriate responsible gaming messages on the machine during the course of play.  
         [0008]     Applicants believe that their design of Three Squared slots allows the machine to retain the control of probabilities and yet at the same time gives the player the perception that the outcome was under his or her own control. Such a design eliminates the possibility of a programmed low percentage payback and gives the player a perception of being in control. Furthermore, such a design eliminates the possibility of an allegation that the machine is “fixed” by a disgruntled player since the outcome of the game is based on a true theory of probabilities.  
         [0009]     The design of Three Squared Slots lends itself to the posting of responsible gaming messages during the game and thus help deal with the issue of problem gambling The design of Three Squared Slots enables the player to determine immediately at the conclusion of the game whether or not there was a winning combination because the pay lines are obvious and not confusing. The payout schedule of Three Squared Slots is simple and does not need to be explained on several pages; in fact, the payout schedule can be stated plainly on the slot machine glass panel. The design of Three Squared Slots is not limited to a single theme for one machine and allows the player to choose from among many different themes on a single machine.  
         [0010]     Three Squared Slots accomplishes these improvements by designing the video game screen to feature nine large squares laid out in a three by three pattern. Each of the nine squares represents a six sided cube with only one side being visible at a time. Each side of the cube will have a picture, mark, symbol, etc. relating to a particular theme. Each of the nine cubes will be a replica of each other. There is an infinite number of possible themes and a player can choose which theme to play at the beginning of the game. For instance, six different solid colors could be used on the six sides of each cube in one themed version of a game. Or the six sides of a dice could be another themed version, etc.  
         [0011]     Three matching sides in a row comprise a winner and are readily seen. There are eight single pay lines—three vertical, three horizontal, and two diagonal lines. A sizable jackpot can be awarded for the player matching all nine sides and a smaller jackpot can be awarded for matching eight sides or even seven sides.  
         [0012]     After the player has selected which of the several themes to play and after the player has inserted a base wager amount, the game then starts when the players depresses a start button on the gaming machine. At that point each of the nine cubes displays in succession each of its six sides at blinding speed. Each side of each cube will flash several times per second. During this time appropriate, non-offensive, responsible gaming messages can be flashed on the top or bottom perimeter of the video screen. Examples of such possible messages are “Knowing when to stop makes you a winner!“ or “The power to start and the power to stop is yours!‘ or “Stopping at the right time makes you a winner!“ The game ends when the player stops each of the nine squares by either touching each square on the video screen or by pressing each square&#39;s corresponding stop button on the gaming machine panel. The player&#39;s touching of the square or its corresponding button immediately freezes the picture. When the player has caused all nine cubes to stop, then the machine will award credits for any winning combination. It will be plain to the player&#39;s eyes whether or not three sides in a row matched and it will be clearly apparent if seven or more sides matched.  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING  
       [0013]      FIG. 1  shows the screen at the beginning of the game.  
         [0014]      FIG. 2  shows the screen after the player has selected which theme to play.  
         [0015]      FIG. 3  shows the screen after the game starts.  
         [0016]      FIG. 4  shows the screen after the player has caused the top row to stop.  
         [0017]      FIG. 5  shows the screen after the player has caused the middle row to stop.  
         [0018]      FIG. 6  shows the screen after the player has caused the bottom and final row to stop.  
         [0019]      FIG. 7  shows a possible pay table. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0020]     While there are many thematic variations in existing electronic video slot machines throughout legal gaming establishments each machine is limited to just one theme. This invention allows the player to choose from several available themes to play on one machine. Existing electronic video slot machines utilize images on a virtual reel usually five in number with three images visible on each reel. This invention utilizes a display of nine virtual cubes laid out in a three by three pattern with only one of the six sides being visible at a time. Existing electronic video slots allow the player to start the spinning of the reels, but the final resting stop of the virtual reels is governed by the machine&#39;s computer program. This invention allows the player to interact with the machine and gives the player the power to fix the final position of each of the nine cubes. Existing video slot machines have complicated pay out schedules because of the complexity of the non linear pay out lines, and many pages of explanation are necessary to inform the player what the payout lines are. The pay out schedule for this invention is simple for the player to comprehend. This invention is also distinguished from existing electronic video slot machines by the placement of responsible gaming messages on the video screen during the course of the game.  
         [0021]     The best mode contemplated to carry out the invention is by designing the video screen as shown in  FIG. 1 . The video screen in  FIG. 1  features nine squares laid out three squares by three squares. Each of the squares at the beginning of the game contains the name of a particular theme. The prompt on the screen instructs the player to “Select Your Theme.” If the player touches the square labeled “Let&#39;s Roll,” then the nine squares would then display one side of a die. If the player touches the square labeled “Color Coordination,” then the nine squares would display one of six solid colors. The rest of the possible themes and the corresponding images on the six sides would be as follows:  
         [0022]     “Side Orders”—bowl of soup, bowl of salad, sliced bread, baked potato, plate of French Fries, plate of sushi “Chess Matches”—six different chess pieces—Queen, King, knight, bishop, rook, pawn “Random Selection”—six stages of evolution—insect, fish, frog, zebra, gorilla, cave man “Global Positioning”—six continents of Africa, Australia, South America, Europe, North America, Asia “Let&#39;s Have A Ball”=six different sports balls—football, soccer ball, baseball, bowling ball, golf ball, basketball “Currency Trading”=six currency symbols—Japanese yen, US dollar, French franc, British pound, Spanish pesetas, Italian lira “Numbers Game”—the numbers  1  to  6  inclusive  
         [0023]     For purposes of this description of the invention the player has selected “Number&#39;s Game” and the screen now shows each square containing a number between 1 and 6 inclusive as depicted in  FIG. 2 . The prompt now appears “Press Start Button.” 
         [0024]     When the player presses the start button, each of the virtual cubes will display its six sides at blinding speed. From the point of view of the player the squares will appear to be a blur. The symbol “@” is used in  FIG. 3  to indicate each cube&#39;s rapid display of each of the six sides. The responsible gaming message “The power to start and the power to stop is yours!” appears on the bottom of the video screen.  
         [0025]      FIG. 4  depicts the video screen after the player has caused the top horizontal row to stop and fix the number in each position by either touching the video screen at each of the respective positions or by pressing each of the corresponding position&#39;s button on the machine panel. The player has been able to stop each cube at the number “5.” The responsible gaming message “Knowing when to stop makes you a winner!” now appears on the bottom of the screen.  
         [0026]      FIG. 5  depicts the video screen after the player has caused the middle horizontal row to stop in a similar manner. The player has stopped the cube in the first middle position at the number “1,” the number “5” in the second middle position, and the number “2” in the third middle position. The responsible gaming message changes to “Stopping at the right time makes you a winner!” at the bottom of the screen.  
         [0027]      FIG. 6  depicts the video screen after the player has caused the bottom row to stop in a similar manner. The first bottom cube is stopped at the number “3,” the second bottom cube at the number “4,” and the third bottom cube at the number “5.” It is plain to see that there are two three in a row lines—three “5s” in a row on the top horizontal line and three “5s” in a row in a diagonal line. The player will be awarded credits by the machine accordingly.  
         [0028]      FIG. 7  shows a suggested pay table which would be on prominent display on the video slot machine glass. The amount of the wager and the pay out amounts may be adjusted by the gaming establishment. For purposes of this description the amount wagered is fifty cents which is allocated among the eleven proposition bets. The allocation among the proposition bets in this example is as follows: $0.05 for each of the eight line bets which totals $0.40, $0.03 for the seven sides matching, $0.03 for the eight sides matching, and $0.03 for all nine sides matching, the sum for these three proposition bets being $0.09. A total of $0.49 is applied towards the proposition bets; the remaining $0.01 which represents 2% of the amount wagered goes to the gaming establishment.  
         [0029]     The computed odds for any three in a row are 36 to 1 and the player wins $1.80 for any three in a row ($0.05×36=$1.80). The computed odds for seven sides matching are 1,866 to 1 and the product of $0.03 and 1,866 is rounded out to $56.00. The computed odds for eight sides matching are 37,324 to one and the product of $0.03 and 37,324 is rounded out to $1,100.00. The computed odds for all nine sides matching are 1,679,616 to 1, and the product of that number and $0.03 is rounded out to $50,000.00. The gaming machine manufacturer or casino operator may elect to connect a group of machines to a progressive jackpot for the seven, eight, or all nine sides matching to enhance player excitement.