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Gaming machineRelated Patent Categories: Amusement Devices: Games, Including Means For Processing Electronic Data (e.g., Computer/video Game, Etc.), In A Chance ApplicationGaming machine description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070218969, Gaming machine. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application relates to Japanese Patent Application No. 2004-347453 filed on Nov. 30, 2004, and Japanese Patent Application No. 2004-316249 filed on Oct. 29, 2004. [0002] The contents of these applications are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0003] 1. Field of the Invention [0004] The present invention relates to a gaming machine, especially to a gaming machine comprising a plurality of variable winning devices that facilitate winning when a gaming state shifts to a specific gaming state that is advantageous for a player. [0005] 2. Discussion of the Background [0006] For increasing the player's interest in a game, a gaming machine such as a pachinko gaming machine may have a specific gaming state (also referred to as winning gaming state or big hit) in addition to a normal gaming state in which a normal game is performed, the specific gaming state being more advantageous for the player than the normal gaming state. Since it becomes easy to acquire a larger number of prize balls when the gaming state becomes the specific gaming state, the player plays the game with the aim of shifting the gaming state from the normal gaming state to the specific gaming state, thereby increasing the player's interest in the game. [0007] Pachinko gaming machines in recent years may have a plurality of specific gaming states. Examples of the specific gaming states may include a gaming state with a large number of opening times, a gaming state with a small number of opening times which are different in number of switching (so-called, the number of rounds) between an easy-to-enter state and a difficult-to-enter state in a variable winning device (special winning opening) when the switching is repeated. [0008] Among conventional pachinko gaming machines having a specific gaming state, there has been a gaming machine capable of changing the number of rounds at random by establishment of a specific condition (for example, see JP-A 9-253296). [0009] Further, there has also been a pachinko gaming machine having a probability varying specific gaming state (probability varying big hit) and a non-probability varying specific gaming state (normal big hit), with advantages after completion of the specific gaming state made different from each other. The probability varying specific gaming state is a specific gaming state where a gaming state comes into a probability varying gaming state during a period from completion of the specific gaming state to a shift to a next specific gaming state. The non-probability varying specific gaming state is a specific gaming state where the gaming state comes into a non-probability varying gaming state after completion of the specific gaming state. Here, the probability varying gaming state is one mode of the normal gaming states, in which a probability for shifting to the specific gaming state is high. The non-probability varying gaming state is a normal gaming state in which the probability for shifting to the specific gaming state is a normal one. [0010] Such specific gaming states include a time reduction specific gaming state and a non-time reduction specific gaming state, in addition to the probability varying/non-probability varying gaming states. The time reduction specific gaming state is a specific gaming state where the gaming state comes into a time reduction gaming state during a period from completion of the specific gaming state to a shift to a next specific gaming state. The non-time reduction specific gaming state is a specific gaming state where the gaming state comes into a normal gaming state (non-time reduction gaming state) after completion of the specific gaming state. Here, the time reduction gaming state is one mode of the normal gaming states. In this normal gaming state, when a predetermined starting condition is established, an identification symbol for time reduction displayed on a display device varyingly displayed, and then stopped and displayed. In addition, in establishment of a predetermined lottery easiness condition where a lottery is performed to determine whether or not a predetermined shifting condition is established, variation display time of an identification symbol for time reduction is reduced upon stop-displaying the specific identification symbol for time reduction. [0011] Moreover, in the pachinko gaming machine of this kind, the variable winning device comes into an easy-to-enter state (opened state of the special winning opening) upon a shift of the gaming state to the specific gaming state, and the pachinko gaming machine may comprise a plurality of such special winning openings. Examples of those gaming machines include: a gaming machine provided with a plurality of variable winning openings in positions apart by predetermined distances, where these variable winning openings are opened and closed non-concurrently during a winning game (e.g., see JP-A 2002-360822); and a gaming machine provided with special winning openings respectively in the upper part and lower part of a gaming board, and one of the special winning openings is opened while the other is in a closed state (e.g., see JP-A 2003-310920). [0012] However, there has been a problem with the conventional gaming machine such as the gaming machine disclosed in JP-A 9-253296 as follows. A profit is small with this gaming machine, and when big hit whose advantage is small for the player (particularly a big hit with a small profit during execution such as big hit with a small number of rounds) is determined, a profit is small (the number of rounds is small) despite the big hit, thereby causing the player to feel a sense of loss due to reduction in number of gaming balls expected to be obtained. [0013] Moreover, there has also been a problem with the gaming machines disclosed in JP-A 2002-360822 and JP-A 2003-310920 as follows. In these gaming machines, since each of the special winning openings has a similar opening/closing mode, and has not been clearly distinguished according to kinds of specific gaming states, it is difficult for the player to identify a current gaming state out of a plurality of specific gaming states based upon the opening/closing mode of the special winning opening, and the player might consider a big hit actually with a small profit as a big hit with a large profit due to movement of the special winning opening. Therefore, even when the player is able to acquire a big hit, the gaming state does not agree with the player's expectations, thereby the player's sense of accomplishment of acquiring the big hit is damped. [0014] As thus described, there has been a problem in the conventional gaming machines in that, even when the player is able to acquire a big hit by shifting of the gaming state from the normal gaming state to the specific gaming state, his or her sense of accomplishment of acquiring the big hit is damped depending upon the kind of specific gaming state. [0015] The contents of Japanese Application Nos. 2004-347453 and 2004-316249, JP-A 9-253296, JP-A 2002-360822 and JP-A 2003-310920 are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0016] Accordingly, the present invention has been made for solving the above-mentioned problems, and has an object to provide a gaming machine capable of allowing the player to clearly identify the kind of specific gaming state, to suppress a sense of loss that the player receives and give the player a sufficient sense of accomplishment of acquiring the specific gaming state. [0017] In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the present invention provides the following configurations. [0018] Namely, a first aspect of the present invention is a gaming machine comprising: specific gaming state selection means for selecting any of a plurality of specific gaming states which are more advantageous for a player than a normal gaming state, different in amount of profit, and different from the normal gaming state; gaming state shifting means for shifting the gaming state from the normal gaming state to the selected specific gaming state selected by the specific gaming state selection means out of the plurality of specific gaming states; and a plurality of variable winning devices for performing a shifting operation from a difficult-to-enter state in which entry of a gaming ball is difficult to an easy-to-enter state in which entry of the gaming ball is easy, wherein the gaming machine comprises variable winning device selection means for selecting a variable winning device for performing the switching operation correspondingly to the selected specific gaming state, out of the plurality of variable winning devices, and in a case where the selected specific gaming state is a specific gaming state with a small profit, the gaming state shifting means shifts the gaming state to a special gaming state advantageous for the player as a special mode of the normal gaming state after completion of the selected specific gaming state with a small profit. [0019] In the gaming machine according to the first aspect of the present invention, a gaming state shifts to any of a plurality of specific gaming states which are different in amount of profit, and the gaming machine has a plurality of variable winning devices for performing a switching operation from an difficult-to-enter state to an easy-to-enter state. When a specific gaming state with a small profit is selected as a selected specific gaming state, the gaming state shifts to a special gaming state as a special mode of a normal gaming state. Therefore, even in a case where a profit is small (e.g., the number of rounds is small) in the selected specific gaming state, a shift to the specific gaming state is subsequently realized, thereby making it possible to suppress a sense of loss that the player receives. It is also possible for the player to obtain a sense of accomplishment of acquiring a big hit by a profit obtained by the shift to the specific gaming state. Moreover, since the shift which is different from the shift to the selected specific gaming state, that is, the shift to the special gaming state is realized, it appears to the player that a new mode of shift is added. It is therefore possible not only to suppress a sense of loss that the player receives but to enhance a zest that the player obtains by the shift to the special gaming state. [0020] It is also preferable that the variable winning device for performing the switching operation correspondingly to a specific gaming state with a large profit and the variable winning device for performing the switching operation correspondingly to a specific gaming state with a small profit out of the plurality of specific gaming states have different shapes from each other. [0021] In this manner, since the variable winning devices for performing the shifting operation are different in shape based upon whether the amount of profit of the selected specific gaming state is large or small, when the game is in a specific gaming state, the player can clearly identify the mode of that specific gaming state. Moreover, since the player is less prone to confusion between the specific gaming state with a small profit and the specific gaming state with a large profit, it is possible to give the player a sense of accomplishment that the gaming state has come into an especially advantageous specific gaming state. Continue reading about Gaming machine... Full patent description for Gaming machine Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Gaming machine patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. Start now! - Receive info on patent apps like Gaming machine or other areas of interest. ### Previous Patent Application: Configurable celebration system Next Patent Application: Method for configuring celebration activity Industry Class: Amusement devices: games ### FreshPatents.com Support Thank you for viewing the Gaming machine patent info. IP-related news and info Results in 0.28796 seconds Other interesting Feshpatents.com categories: Software: Finance , AI , Databases , Development , Document , Navigation , Error 174 |
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