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Gaming machine with playing-board bonus game affected by free spins of the reelsRelated Patent Categories: Amusement Devices: Games, Including Means For Processing Electronic Data (e.g., Computer/video Game, Etc.), In A Chance Application, Lot Match Or Lot Combination (e.g., Roulette, Lottery, Etc.)Gaming machine with playing-board bonus game affected by free spins of the reels description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070021183, Gaming machine with playing-board bonus game affected by free spins of the reels. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
COPYRIGHT [0001] A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent files or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever. FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0002] The present invention relates generally to gaming machines, and methods for playing wagering games, and more particularly, to a gaming machine having a playing-board bonus game. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0003] Gaming machines, such as slot machines, video poker machines and the like, have been a cornerstone of the gaming industry for several years. Generally, the popularity of such machines with players is dependent on the likelihood (or perceived likelihood) of winning money at the machine and the intrinsic entertainment value of the machine relative to other available gaming options. Where the available gaming options include a number of competing machines and the expectation of winning at each machine is roughly the same (or believed to be the same), players are likely to be attracted to the most entertaining and exciting machines. Shrewd operators consequently strive to employ the most entertaining and exciting machines, features, and enhancements available because such machines attract frequent play and hence increase profitability to the operator. Therefore, there is a continuing need for gaming machine manufacturers to continuously develop new games and improved gaming enhancements that will attract frequent play through enhanced entertainment value to the player. [0004] One concept that has been successfully employed to enhance the entertainment value of a game is the concept of a "secondary" or "bonus" game that may be played in conjunction with a "basic" game. The bonus game may comprise any type of game, either similar to or completely different from the basic game, which is entered upon the occurrence of a selected event or outcome in the basic game. Generally, bonus games provide a greater expectation of winning than the basic game and may also be accompanied with more attractive or unusual video displays and/or audio. Bonus games may additionally award players with "progressive jackpot" awards that are funded, at least in part, by a percentage of coin-in from the gaming machine or a plurality of participating gaming machines. Because the bonus game concept offers tremendous advantages in player appeal and excitement relative to other known games, and because such games are attractive to both players and operators, there is a continuing need to develop gaming machines with new types of bonus games to satisfy the demands of players and operators. [0005] One type of bonus game that has been developed is a playing-board bonus game where elements of a playing-board game are incorporated into the bonus game. These games may have reel symbols that resemble the characters, tokens, game pieces, and so forth of the playing-board game. Similarly, the cabinet, signage, and/or the graphics design of the gaming machine may be made to resemble the board layout of the playing-board game. Furthermore, the rules that control certain aspects of game play may, in some cases, be modeled after the rules of the playing-board game. [0006] It would be desirable to be able to increase the excitement and entertainment value of these playing-board game type bonus games in order to attract more players. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0007] According to one aspect of the invention, a gaming machine includes a value input device for receiving a wager from a player at the gaming machine, a wagering game being initiated upon receipt of the wager. The gaming machine further includes at least one display for displaying a plurality of reels of the wagering game. Each reel has a plurality of symbols for representing an outcome of the wagering game, the outcome being randomly selected from a plurality of outcomes. The at least one display is also for displaying a game board of the wagering game, the game board having a game path composed of a plurality of game spaces. Upon occurrence of a predetermined event, the player is given one or more free spins of the reels and movement of a space identifier of the player around the game path is determined by at least one advancement symbol or symbol combination appearing on the reels after one of the one or more free spins. [0008] According to another aspect of the invention, a method of conducting a wagering game on a gaming machine includes initiating a wagering game upon receipt of a wager from a player at the gaming machine, the wagering game having an outcome that is randomly selected from a plurality of outcomes. The method further includes displaying a game board and a plurality of reels of the wagering game, the game board having a game path composed of a plurality of game spaces and each reel having a plurality of symbols. The player is given one or more free spins of the reels upon occurrence of a predetermined event and a space identifier of the player is moved around the game path based on an advancement symbol or symbol combination appearing on the reels after one of the one or more free spins. [0009] According to still another aspect of the invention, a gaming machine includes a value input device for receiving a wager from a player at the gaming machine, a wagering game being initiated upon receipt of the wager. The gaming machine also includes a plurality of reels of the wagering game, each reel having a plurality of symbols for representing an outcome of the wagering game, the outcome being randomly selected from a plurality of outcomes. The gaming machine further includes a display for displaying a game board having a game path, the plurality of reels including symbols that cause advancement of a space identifier of the player along the game path during free spins of the reels. [0010] According to yet another aspect of the invention, a gaming machine includes a value input device for receiving a wager from a player at the gaming machine, a wagering game being initiated upon receipt of the wager. The gaming machine further includes a display for displaying a plurality of reels of the wagering game, each reel having a plurality of symbols for representing an outcome of the wagering game, the outcome randomly selected from a plurality of outcomes. Upon occurrence of a predetermined event, the player is given one or more free spins of the reels, where each free spin increments a conditional award that is awarded to the player upon satisfaction of a predetermined condition. [0011] Additional aspects of the invention will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art in view of the detailed description of various embodiments, which is made with reference to the drawings, a brief description of which is provided below. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0012] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a gaming machine embodying the present invention; [0013] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a control system suitable for operating the gaming machine; [0014] FIGS. 3a-3d illustrate movement of a player around an exemplary game board according to one embodiment of the invention; [0015] FIG. 4 illustrates exemplary awards that may be given based on the movement of the player around the game board according to one embodiment of the invention; and [0016] FIGS. 5a-5b illustrate a conditional termination of game play based on the movement of the player around the game board according to one embodiment of the invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION [0017] While this invention is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms, there is shown in the drawings and will herein be described in detail preferred embodiments of the invention with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the broad aspect of the invention to the embodiments illustrated. [0018] Referring to FIG. 1, a gaming machine 10 is used in gaming establishments such as casinos. With regard to the present invention, the gaming machine 10 may be any type of gaming machine and may have varying structures and methods of operation. For example, the gaming machine 10 may be an electromechanical gaming machine configured to play mechanical slots, or it may be an electronic gaming machine configured to play a video casino game, such as blackjack, slots, keno, poker, blackjack, roulette, etc. Continue reading about Gaming machine with playing-board bonus game affected by free spins of the reels... Full patent description for Gaming machine with playing-board bonus game affected by free spins of the reels Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Gaming machine with playing-board bonus game affected by free spins of the reels 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 with playing-board bonus game affected by free spins of the reels or other areas of interest. ### Previous Patent Application: Method of using a rule based script to describe gaming machine payout Next Patent Application: Method of playing a game of chance including purchase of additional game play information and system for facilitating the play thereof Industry Class: Amusement devices: games ### FreshPatents.com Support Thank you for viewing the Gaming machine with playing-board bonus game affected by free spins of the reels patent info. IP-related news and info Results in 0.09963 seconds Other interesting Feshpatents.com categories: Canon USA , Celera Genomics , Cephalon, Inc. , Cingular Wireless , Clorox , Colgate-Palmolive , Corning , Cymer , 174 |
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