Patents by Inventor Hiromoto Yamauchi

Hiromoto Yamauchi has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20160042610
    Abstract: There are provided highly entertaining games. A gaming machine 300 includes reels 151 to 155 each of which is configured to allow a predetermined type of symbols 502 to be stacked thereon. In a free game, a payout for establishment of a prize is multiplied by a multiplying factor depending on the number of rearranged wild symbols 503b.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 6, 2015
    Publication date: February 11, 2016
    Inventors: Kenta KITAMURA, Yuuki TERADA, Takeshi NARITA, Hiromoto YAMAUCHI
  • Publication number: 20160005260
    Abstract: The gaming machine includes: a display for displaying a game outcome in a base game mode; and a controller for controlling a first transition route along which a game mode is directly shifted to a free game mode in accordance with the game outcome and a second transition route along which once via a transit game mode, the game mode is shifted to the free game mode in accordance with the game outcome. The controller is programmed to control a game so as to make a probability with which along the second transition route, the game mode is shifted from the transit game mode to the free game mode higher than a probability with which along the first transition route, the game mode is shifted from the base game mode to the free game mode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 1, 2015
    Publication date: January 7, 2016
    Inventors: Yuji MIYAGAWA, Yukihiro KAWAKAMI, Takeshi NARITA, Hiroki NAKAMURA, Hiromoto YAMAUCHI, Yoichi KATO
  • Publication number: 20150356816
    Abstract: The present invention provides a gaming machine employing a free game system which provides an enhanced game element. The gaming machine determines the number of adding free game based on a game number lottery table under the condition that a first symbol is rearranged in the symbol display unit in the free game, and adds a preset number of free game under the condition that a second symbol is rearranged in the symbol display unit in the free game.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 2, 2015
    Publication date: December 10, 2015
    Inventors: Kenta KITAMURA, Hiromoto Yamauchi, Masumi Fujisawa
  • 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: 9159201
    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: April 18, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 13, 2015
    Assignees: UNIVERSAL ENTERTAINMENT CORPORATION, ARUZE GAMING AMERICA, INC.
    Inventors: Yukinori Inamura, Yoichi Kato, Kazuo Okada, Yuji Miyagawa, Hiroki Nakamura, Takeshi Narita, Hiromoto Yamauchi
  • Patent number: 9153103
    Abstract: A gaming machine with more gaming excitement is provided. The gaming machine includes: a symbol display device configured to display a result of a game by rearranging symbols in cells forming a matrix; and a controller used to start a base game requiring betting, a free game not requiring betting, and a plurality of types of bonus games. The controller is programmed to execute the steps of: executing a base game of randomly determining symbols to be rearranged in the symbol display device; determining whether a specific symbol is to be rearranged in a predetermined region of the symbol display device, the predetermined region including at least one cell; executing a free game of randomly determining symbols to be rearranged in the symbol display device; determining whether the specific symbol is to be rearranged in the predetermined region; and executing any one of the types of the bonus games.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2015
    Assignees: Universal Entertainment Corporation, Aruze Gaming America, Inc.
    Inventors: Kenta Kitamura, Kenji Enokido, Hiromoto Yamauchi
  • Patent number: 9135783
    Abstract: In a gaming machine, a controller rearranges symbols in a base game, and triggers a bonus game when a combination of the symbols rearranged in the base game satisfies a predetermined condition. The controller executes each unit game of the bonus game based on a bet betted by the player, determines a number of cells by which the character moves along with the course in each unit game, and moves the character from a current cell to a destination cell according to the number of cells in each unit game. The controller performs an event corresponding to the destination cell in each unit cell, and determines an award of the goal cell based on an average bet per unit game when the character arrives at the goal cell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2015
    Assignees: UNIVERSAL ENTERTAINMENT CORPORATION, ARUZE GAMING AMERICA, INC.
    Inventor: Hiromoto Yamauchi
  • Patent number: 9098977
    Abstract: The present invention provides a gaming machine employing a free game system which provides an enhanced game element. The gaming machine determines the number of adding free game based on a game number lottery table under the condition that a first symbol is rearranged in the symbol display unit in the free game, and adds a preset number of free game under the condition that a second symbol is rearranged in the symbol display unit in the free game.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2015
    Assignees: UNIVERSAL ENTERTAINMENT CORPORATION, ARUZE GAMING AMERICA, INC.
    Inventors: Kenta Kitamura, Hiromoto Yamauchi, Masumi Fujisawa
  • Patent number: 9033801
    Abstract: A gaming machine with more gaming excitement is provided. The gaming machine includes a cabinet; a lamp body provided on a front surface of the cabinet; a sensor configured to detect a player's gesture with respect to the lamp body; an image display panel configured to execute an effect in sync with the gesture; and a controller used to start a game, the controller starting the detection of the player's gesture by the sensor at a timing corresponding to the state of the game, and while the player's gesture is being detected, executing the effect by the upper image display panel in sync with the detected player's gesture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2015
    Assignees: UNIVERSAL ENTERTAINMENT CORPORATION, ARUZE GAMING AMERICA, INC.
    Inventors: Masumi Fujisawa, Kenta Kitamura, Kenji Enokido, Hiroki Nakamura, Hidekazu Suzuki, Hiromoto Yamauchi
  • Publication number: 20150087388
    Abstract: When a normal game is executed and a benefit awarded as a result of the game is the right to execute a free game, video reel groups of types A to E are randomly associated with first to fifth video reels 3a to 3e, respectively, a player selects one of the first to fifth video reels 3a to 3e, the type of the video reel group associated with the selected video reel is set as a video reel 3 used in the free game, and the free game is executed by using the selected video reel 3. After the free game is executed 6 times, whether to award the right to execute the free game again is randomly determined, and the right to execute the free game 6 times is awarded if it is determined that the right to execute the free game is awarded.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 12, 2014
    Publication date: March 26, 2015
    Inventors: Takehisa ITAGAKI, Masahiro YOSHIDA, Yukihiro KAWAKAMI, Hiromoto YAMAUCHI, Hiroshi TAKAHASHI
  • Publication number: 20140342802
    Abstract: When a trigger condition is established in a normal game, a gaming machine 300 executes a process of shifting to a bonus game in which a re-trigger condition which is less stringent than the trigger condition may be established, a process of executing a free game at least once in the bonus game, and a process of increasing the payout rate of the free game in the bonus game when the re-trigger condition is established in the bonus game.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 9, 2014
    Publication date: November 20, 2014
    Applicants: Universal Entertainment Corporation, Aruze Gaming America, Inc.
    Inventors: Takehisa ITAGAKI, Hiromoto Yamauchi, Yoichi Kato, Yukihiro Kawakami
  • Publication number: 20140342801
    Abstract: A gaming machine that is capable of providing information relevant to a winning combination to a player before spinning of a respective one of reels stops in a unit game is provided. When the player's operation is made, in the case where the predetermined symbol is displayed in the effect reel display region 410, symbol arrays of the effect reels are scrolled in an upward direction or in a downward direction and then the predetermined symbol is displayed at the to-be-stopped position, or alternatively, in the case where the predetermined symbol is not displayed, scrolling is controlled so that a symbol displayed immediately after the above situation is replaced with the predetermined symbol and then the predetermined symbol appears from an upper part of the effect reel display region 410, and stops at the to-be-stopped position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 21, 2014
    Publication date: November 20, 2014
    Applicants: Universal Entertainment Corporation, Aruze Gaming America, Inc.
    Inventors: Masumi FUJISAWA, Hiroki NAKAMURA, Takeshi NARITA, Hiromoto YAMAUCHI
  • Publication number: 20140342803
    Abstract: A gaming machine 10 has: a display device 12 configured to display a plurality of symbols to be continuously arranged; and a controller 30. The controller 30 executes the processing operations of: (a1) executing game processing and then according to a result of the game processing, determining whether or not to scroll at least one array of the symbols; (a2) scrolling the symbol array according to a result of the determination; and (a3) carrying out processing according to a result of the scroll.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 9, 2014
    Publication date: November 20, 2014
    Inventors: Kenta KITAMURA, YOICHI KATO, MAKOTO MIYAWAKI, HIROMOTO YAMAUCHI
  • Publication number: 20140335932
    Abstract: Symbols to be rearranged on the lower image display panel 141 are randomly selected. When the combination of the rearranged symbols results in the establishment of a bonus trigger, how many BONUS symbols 167 are included in the combination of the symbols is counted. Random determination based on a free game number random determination table 192 is executed for a number of times corresponding to the counted number of the BONUS symbols. The randomly-determined total number of times of execution of the free game is awarded as the number of times of execution of the free game. Furthermore, when the number of the BONUS symbols 167 including the combination of the symbols resulting in the establishment of the bonus game trigger is 15, the right to execute the free game 50 times is awarded.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 23, 2014
    Publication date: November 13, 2014
    Applicants: Universal Entertainment Corporation, Aruze Gaming America, Inc.
    Inventors: Masumi Fujisawa, Hideko Aoki, Toshitaka Suzuki, Hiromoto Yamauchi
  • Publication number: 20140323201
    Abstract: As a normal game, symbols to be rearranged on a lower image display panel 141 are randomly determined, and the determined symbols are rearranged. When the combination of the rearranged symbols achieves bonus trigger, how many bonus symbol 167 is included in the symbols achieving the bonus trigger is included is determined. For the number of times corresponding the determined number of the bonus symbol 167, random determination is executed based on the bonus game number random determination table 192. The total sum of the numbers of times of execution of the free game having been awarded is awarded as the number of times of execution of the free game.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 17, 2014
    Publication date: October 30, 2014
    Applicants: Universal Entertainment Corporation, Aruze Gaming America, Inc.
    Inventors: Hiromoto YAMAUCHI, Hiroki NAKAMURA, Masumi FUJISAWA, Hideko AOKI, Toshitaka SUZUKI, Takehisa ITAGAKI, Yoichi KATO, Yukihiro KAWAKAMI
  • Publication number: 20140315618
    Abstract: A gaming machine that is capable of achieving respectively different game patterns at a time of a bonus game is provided. A main CPU displays a selection screen in a case where a feature game trigger is established, and causes a player to select either one of a free game and a roulette game. In a case where the free game is selected, a total of values that correspond to BONUS symbols that correspond to the feature game trigger is determined as the number of free games. The main CPU conducts lottery processing for determination of symbols and lottery processing for determination of BONUS symbol values. The values that correspond to the BONUS symbols are added on one by one basis, and a progress of obtaining the number of free games is displayed as effect on a video display unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 7, 2014
    Publication date: October 23, 2014
    Applicants: Aruze Gaming America, Inc., Universal Entertainment Corporation
    Inventors: Masumi FUJISAWA, Kenta KITAMURA, Susumu MIO, Yoichi KATO, Hiromoto YAMAUCHI
  • Patent number: 8858315
    Abstract: In a gaming machine, a controller executes a base game, and triggers the bonus game including a plurality of unit games when a result of the base game satisfies a predetermined condition. The controller determines reachable cells of the character in each unit game of the bonus game. The controller determines an expected value of an award provided in each reachable cell by distributing predetermined credits to the reachable cells in each unit game. The controller determines a number of cells by which the character moves along with the course in each unit game, moves the character to any one of the reachable cells according to the number of cells in each unit game, and determines an award to be provided to the player according to the expected value of a cell at which the character arrives in each unit game.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2014
    Assignees: Universal Entertainment Corporation, Aruze Gaming America, Inc.
    Inventor: Hiromoto Yamauchi
  • Patent number: 8814655
    Abstract: A gaming machine 10 has: a display device 12 configured to display a plurality of symbols to be continuously arranged; and a controller 30. The controller 30 executes the processing operations of: (a1) executing game processing and then according to a result of the game processing, determining whether or not to scroll at least one array of the symbols; (a2) scrolling the symbol array according to a result of the determination; and (a3) carrying out processing according to a result of the scroll.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2014
    Assignees: Universal Entertainment Corporation, Aruze Gaming America, Inc.
    Inventors: Kenta Kitamura, Yoichi Kato, Makoto Miyawaki, Hiromoto Yamauchi
  • Publication number: 20140228092
    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: Application
    Filed: April 18, 2014
    Publication date: August 14, 2014
    Applicants: Universal Entertainment Corporation, Aruze Gaming America, Inc.
    Inventors: Yukinori INAMURA, Yoichi KATO, Kazuo OKADA, Yuji MIYAGAWA, Hiroki NAKAMURA, Takeshi NARITA, Hiromoto YAMAUCHI
  • Publication number: 20140094247
    Abstract: A map symbol to be substituted with another symbol is included in a symbol set for a game. When two or more map symbols are included in a symbol arrangement, symbols in a subset of the symbol set are scrolled on display blocks occupied by the map blocks in a simultaneous manner. Each of the map symbols is substituted with another symbol in the subset, thereby forming a finalized symbol arrangement. A payout process is performed based on the finalized symbol arrangement.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 28, 2012
    Publication date: April 3, 2014
    Applicants: Aruze Gaming America, Inc., Universal Entertainment Corporation
    Inventors: Hiromoto YAMAUCHI, Kazuo OKADA