Patents Assigned to Aruze Gaming America, Inc.
  • Patent number: 9230412
    Abstract: In a gaming machine, a symbol display device variably displays a plurality of symbols, and an input device inputs an instruction related to a game. A controller executes a normal game in which the symbol display device variably displays and then stop-displays symbols, triggers a bonus game when a plurality of specific symbols are stop-displayed in the normal game, selects any one of a plurality of options by an operation of the input device by a user in the bonus game, and awards a benefit according to the selected option. Further, when the selected option selected in the processing is a specific option, the controller selects another one of the plurality of options by the operation of the input device by the user, and awards a benefit according to the selected another option.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2016
    Assignees: UNIVERSAL ENTERTAINMENT CORPORATION, ARUZE GAMING AMERICA, INC.
    Inventors: Takehisa Itagaki, Masahiko Konishi, Masaya Honda, Masahiro Yoshida, Hiroki Saito, Kazumasa Yoshizawa, Hiroki Nakamura, Kenta Sugano
  • Patent number: 9224264
    Abstract: Provided is a multi-currency bill acceptor that can easily convert an existing cashless system into a multi-currency cashless system at low cost. In the case of reading a ticket, the multi-currency bill acceptor converts information on the ticket into data in a ticket format readable by a game controller and sends it to the game controller; in the case of reading a bill, it sends information on the bill to the game controller in a form of data converted into a ticket format.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2015
    Assignees: Universal Entertainment Corporation, Aruze Gaming America, Inc.
    Inventor: Kengo Takeda
  • Patent number: 9218725
    Abstract: A gaming machine which can control the tempo of the game to refresh the player while maintaining continuity of the game, enhancing entertainingness and amusement of the game, and encouraging the player's sense of achievements. The input unit receives an instruction related to a game. The memory stores a first symbol determination table causing that a specific symbol appears among rearranged symbols on the symbol display unit with a first probability and a second symbol determination table causing that the specific symbol appears among the rearranged symbols with a second probability higher than the first probability. The controller starts the game in response to the instruction received through the input unit to execute the game in a normal mode and shifting the normal mode to a chance mode according to the game result in the normal mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 22, 2015
    Assignees: Universal Entertainment Corporation, Aruze Gaming America, Inc.
    Inventors: Akira Osawa, Tatsuya Teranishi, Takeshi Iso, Kenta Kitamura
  • Patent number: 9218708
    Abstract: On a lower image display panel 141, a game result of rearranged of symbols 501 is randomly determined. When the result is winning of a bonus game, individual indication data and common indication data associated with the type of the bonus game are specified. After an indication effect starts based on the common indication data, an indication effect is executed based on the individual indication data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 22, 2015
    Assignees: Universal Entertainment Corporation, Aruze Gaming America, Inc.
    Inventors: Masumi Fujisawa, Kenta Kitamura, Susumu Mio, Makoto Miyawaki
  • Patent number: 9214070
    Abstract: A gaming machine randomly determines symbols to be rearranged on a reel unit in a game in a normal mode, based on a predetermined probability. The gaming machine determines whether the determined symbols include a chance symbol. When it is determined that the symbols include a chance symbol, the gaming machine randomly determines an expecting degree and conducts the shifting to a chance mode. In the game in the chance mode, the gaming machine randomly determines the symbols to be rearranged on the reel unit based on the probability corresponding to the determined expecting degree. When the game is run for a predetermined number of times, the gaming machine ends the chance mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2015
    Assignees: UNIVERSAL ENTERTAINMENT CORPORATION, ARUZE GAMING AMERICA, INC.
    Inventors: Kenta Kitamura, Tatsuya Teranishi, Akira Osawa
  • Patent number: 9214061
    Abstract: When a common game condition is established, at least one of the following games is run: a first common game in which a participating gaming terminal is able to win a bonus type more than once and a payout based on a unit payout amount corresponding to the bonus type that the gaming terminal wins is awarded to the gaming terminal; a second common game in which a participating gaming terminal is able to win a bonus type more than once and a payout based on the number of winnings is awarded to the gaming terminal; and a third common game in which one of the participating gaming terminals is able to win one of the predetermined bonus types and a payout is awarded to the gaming terminal which wins said one of the bonus types.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2015
    Assignees: Universal Entertainment Corporation, Aruze Gaming America, Inc.
    Inventors: Hiroki Munakata, Kenta Sugano, Daisyun Okamoto, Masumi Fujisawa, Takehisa Itagaki
  • Patent number: 9208636
    Abstract: In a gaming system including gaming terminals, each gaming terminal executes a bonus game when the result of a base game satisfies a predetermined condition. If a first gaming machine that does not have an entry right exists among the gaming terminals when the base game is executed, the controller performs drawing of the entry right for the first gaming terminal. The controller sets an award expected in a bonus game of a first case to be greater than an award expected in a bonus game of a second case. The first case is a case that the bonus game is triggered in a gaming terminal that has the entry right when the base game is executed, and the second case is a case that the bonus game is triggered in the gaming terminal that does not the entry right when the base game is executed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2015
    Assignees: UNIVERSAL ENTERTAINMENT CORPORATION, ARUZE GAMING AMERICA, INC.
    Inventor: Hiromoto Yamauchi
  • Patent number: 9208654
    Abstract: The present invention provides a gaming machine provided with a mechanical reel, which expands the variation of the pattern of rearrangement of symbols. The gaming machine includes a reel assembly M1 including a plurality of reels bearing a plurality of symbols on the outer surface thereof, and a backlight device M7 for illuminating each of the reels from inside. The plurality of symbols includes a variable symbol CS for representing various symbols in response to the color of light emitted from the backlight device M7. The variable symbol CS represents a first symbol upon the backlight device M7 emitting first color light, and represents a second symbol upon the backlight device M7 emitting second color light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2015
    Assignees: UNIVERSAL ENTERTAINMENT CORPORATION, ARUZE GAMING AMERICA, INC.
    Inventors: Yoshinori Kondo, Akira Osawa, Jun Hirato, Kenta Kitamura
  • Patent number: 9208657
    Abstract: Provided is a slot machine which prevents two continuous symbols from coming to be continuous even by conducting a rewriting process. In a case where the one part of the symbol columns is stopped and displayed in the display frame of a symbol display area 4, when a continuous symbol (CHANCE symbol 403) stopped displayed in the display frame of the symbol display area 4 is present in an upstream direction of the scrolling display outside of the display frame of the symbol display area 4, conducted is a delay process in which the rewriting process is conducted for a portion of the symbol column which is present upstream of a position P1 of the continuous symbol (CHANCE symbol 403) in the scrolling display being present in the upstream direction of the scrolling display outside of the display frame of the symbol display area 4.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2015
    Assignees: UNIVERSAL ENTERTAINMENT CORPORATION, ARUZE GAMING AMERICA, INC.
    Inventors: Masumi Fujisawa, Kenta Kitamura, Kensaku Yoshikawa, Kazuo Okada
  • Patent number: 9208658
    Abstract: Provided is a slot machine capable of reducing unfairness which may result between a player who has made an investment and a player who has not made an investment and allowing a player to proceed with a game by making an investment in expectation of a jackpot at ease. Each money amount which is constant is accumulated independently of a number of bets each time betting is conducted, and upon winning a jackpot, a money amount calculated by multiplying a money amount accumulated until then by a multiplying factor based on the number of bets is provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2015
    Assignees: UNIVERSAL ENTERTAINMENT CORPORATION, ARUZE GAMING AMERICA, INC.
    Inventors: Yoichi Kato, Hiroaki Kashima, Naoya Shirai, Masumi Fujisawa, Hiroki Nakamura, Takeshi Aoki, Kazuo Okada
  • Patent number: 9208653
    Abstract: In a gaming machine, a display displays at least part of a map including a plurality of cell forming courses on which a character moves in a game. The controller executes each round of the game, moves the character to a destination cell in each round, determines whether an event set to the destination cell belongs to predetermined events, selects any one determination table from among a plurality of determination tables based on a position of the destination cell when the event belongs to the predetermined events, performs the event set to the destination cell, determines a result of the performed event based on the selected determination table, and awards a profit corresponding to the result of the performed event to the player.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2015
    Assignees: UNIVERSAL ENTERTAINMENT CORPORATION, ARUZE GAMING AMERICA, INC.
    Inventors: Masumi Fujisawa, Hiroki Munakata, Kenji Enokido, Takehisa Itagaki, Masaya Honda, Daisyun Okamoto
  • Patent number: 9205322
    Abstract: A roulette game device is configured to make prediction of a game result difficult by making timing at which a bet operation ends variable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2015
    Assignee: ARUZE GAMING AMERICA, INC.
    Inventor: Katsuhiro Kido
  • Patent number: 9208656
    Abstract: On the slot machine, a slot game including a base game and free games is caused to proceed on a display. On the base game reel strips, on all of a plurality of reels, symbols whose each kind is the same, other than feature symbols and wild symbols, are arranged in succession. On the free game reel strips, on all of a plurality of reels, symbols whose each kind is the same, other than the feature symbols and the wild symbols, are arranged in succession and in addition thereto, only in a case of top symbols whose payout multiplying factor is the highest, the top symbols whose number is larger than a number of top symbols displayed on the base game reel strips are arranged in succession.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2015
    Assignees: UNIVERSAL ENTERTAINMENT CORPORATION, ARUZE GAMING AMERICA, INC.
    Inventors: Yukinori Inamura, Yoichi Kato, Kazuo Okada
  • Patent number: 9208638
    Abstract: A gaming terminal includes: a terminal image display panel; a lever-type operation device configured to receive an operation of a player; a support mechanism which rotatably supports the operation device at one end portion of the operation device and includes a restriction member configured to restrict inclination of the operation device, the restriction member being positioned so that the operation device abuts the restriction member when the operation device is inclined at a first angle; an inclination detecting mechanism which detects an angle of inclination of the operation device; and a controller which causes the terminal image display panel to output a predetermined sound and/or to give a visual indication to give a warning to the player when the angle of inclination of the operation device detected by the inclination detecting mechanism is greater than a second angle which is equal to or greater than the first angle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2015
    Assignees: UNIVERSAL ENTERTAINMENT CORPORATION, ARUZE GAMING AMERICA, INC.
    Inventors: Masumi Fujisawa, Takehisa Itagaki, Kensaku Yoshikawa, Daisyun Okamoto, Hiroki Munakata, Gou Miyamoto
  • Patent number: 9208643
    Abstract: A game playing information integration system which outputs the operation state of game units installed in a gaming facility, the proportions of visitors by type, and the trends of the greatest common preferences of visitors seen from the proportion and other information so that such information can be grasped in real time, and provides useful information for appropriately managing the operation and management of the gaming facility while achieving greater harmony of players and the gaming facility (shop) is provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2015
    Assignees: UNIVERSAL ENTERTAINMENT CORPORATION, ARUZE GAMING AMERICA, INC.
    Inventor: Kazuo Okada
  • Patent number: 9202347
    Abstract: Provided is a slot machine capable of reducing unfairness which may result between a player who has made an investment and a player who has not made an investment and allowing a player to proceed with a game by making an investment in expectation of a jackpot at ease. Each money amount which is constant is accumulated independently of a number of bets each time betting is conducted, and upon winning a jackpot, a money amount calculated by multiplying a money amount accumulated until then by a multiplying factor based on the number of bets is provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2015
    Assignees: UNIVERSAL ENTERTAINMENT CORPORATION, ARUZE GAMING AMERICA, INC.
    Inventors: Yoichi Kato, Hiroaki Kashima, Naoya Shirai, Masumi Fujisawa, Hiroki Nakamura, Takeshi Aoki, Kazuo Okada
  • Patent number: 9196118
    Abstract: A reduction in amusement of gaming which may occur after providing a progressive bonus is suppressed. A gaming machine 1 conducts a revival drawing for a bonus game after finishing the bonus game. A revival winning probability after finishing a progressive bonus game is lower than that after finishing the other bonus games. In the gaming machine 1, it may be configured that the revival drawing after finishing the progressive bonus game is not conducted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2015
    Assignees: UNIVERSAL ENTERTAINMENT CORPORATION, ARUZE GAMING AMERICA, INC.
    Inventors: Masumi Fujisawa, Takehisa Itagaki, Yoichi Kato, Daisyun Okamoto, Hiroki Munakata
  • Patent number: 9183698
    Abstract: A gaming machine of the present invention includes: a light application device configured to apply visible light representing visual information which enables recognition of information related to games on a reel band, The or each of one or more reels has a mirror layer which reflects the visible light from the light application device. The light application device is disposed in an area outside the window frame of the display window so that the visible light is applied to the reel, on the side of the reel band, and is used as a front light device that emits visible light which is not representing the visual information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2015
    Assignees: UNIVERISAL ENTERTAINMENT CORPORATION, ARUZE GAMING AMERICA, INC.
    Inventors: Yoshinori Kondo, Jun Hirato, Kenta Kitamura, Takehisa Itagaki
  • Patent number: 9183697
    Abstract: A gaming machine of the present invention stores a bet area on which a bet is placed and a game value placed as the bet in each gaming terminal, rotates and stops the wheel to determine a resulting symbol from the plurality of symbols, awards a payout based on the resulting symbol and the odds set for the bet area on which the bet is placed in the gaming terminal, and adjusts the payout rate by changing the odds set for the bet areas in the gaming terminals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2015
    Assignees: UNIVERSAL ENTERTAINMENT CORPORATION, ARUZE GAMING AMERICA, INC.
    Inventors: Katsuhiro Kido, Hiroki Munakata
  • Patent number: 9183694
    Abstract: A gaming machine has an armrest for a player to rest his/her arm(s) thereon. The armrest has a woofer specialized in low-pitched sound output inside the armrest. Vibrations produced with the sound output of the woofer are transmitted to the player through the armrest.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2015
    Assignee: ARUZE GAMING AMERICA, INC.
    Inventors: Yoshihide Endo, Takashi Izawa