Patents Assigned to Aruze Gaming America, Inc.
  • Patent number: 9373217
    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: July 9, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2016
    Assignees: UNIVERSAL ENTERTAINMENT CORPORATION, ARUZE GAMING AMERICA, INC.
    Inventors: Kenta Kitamura, Yoichi Kato, Makoto Miyawaki, Hiromoto Yamauchi
  • Patent number: 9370716
    Abstract: A gaming machine includes a control lever that is gripped by a player, a display configured to display an effect image, and a controller programmed to execute a predetermined process. The control lever includes a rotation axis, a reel handle configured to rotate the rotation axis, a rotation sensor configured to detect the number of rotation of the rotation axis, and a rotation resistance imparting unit configured to impart resistance to the rotation axis such that the torque increases in accordance with the rotational speed in one direction of the rotation axis. In accordance with the game status of the game, the controller causes the rotation sensor to detect the number of rotation of the rotation axis which is rotated as the reel handle of the control lever is rotated, and changes the content of the effect image displayed on the display in accordance with the detected number of rotation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2016
    Assignees: UNIVERSAL ENTERTAINMENT CORPORATION, ARUZE GAMING AMERICA, INC.
    Inventors: Hiroki Munakata, Gou Miyamoto, Daisyun Okamoto, Kensaku Yoshikawa, Kazuo Okada
  • Patent number: 9373218
    Abstract: The gaming machine includes: a cabinet having a display window; one or more reels disposed in the cabinet so that the or each reel is visible from outside the cabinet through the display window, the or each of the one or more reels being provided with a reel band having symbols; and a light application device configured to apply visible light representing visual information which enables recognition of information related to games to the 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 a position out of a sight area in which the one or more reels are visible from outside the cabinet through the display window.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2016
    Assignees: UNIVERSAL ENTERTAINMENT CORPORATION, ARUZE GAMING AMERICA, INC.
    Inventors: Yoshinori Kondo, Jun Hirato, Kenta Kitamura, Takehisa Itagaki
  • Patent number: 9361764
    Abstract: An object of the gaming machine is to simultaneously display symbols and visual information with a simple structure, while displaying the symbols clearly. The gaming machine includes: one or more reels each provided with a reel band having one or more symbols; and a light application device configured to apply visible light representing visual information which enables recognition of information related to games on an outer circumference of the one or more reels. The reel band has a mirror layer which reflects the visible light from the light application device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2016
    Assignees: UNIVERSAL ENTERTAINMENT CORPORATION, ARUZE GAMING AMERICA, INC.
    Inventors: Yoshinori Kondo, Jun Hirato, Kenta Kitamura, Takehisa Itagaki
  • Patent number: 9361757
    Abstract: Game qualification time may be set to allow participation in a common game from a basic game. This game qualification time is awarded in accordance with a bet amount stored in a RAM 243, after receiving a bet which is input by means of a 1-bet button 26 and a maximum bet button 27. A winning probability in a quick catch bonus game that occurs when a game result of the basic game is a predetermined game result is increased in accordance with the length of the game qualification time stored in a game qualification time management table in the RAM 243 (i.e., a basic quick catch bonus payout table is replaced with a special quick catch bonus payout table).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2016
    Assignees: UNIVERSAL ENTERTAINMENT CORPORATION, ARUZE GAMING AMERICA, INC.
    Inventors: Masumi Fujisawa, Takehisa Itagaki, Kensaku Yoshikawa, Daisyun Okamoto, Hiroki Munakata
  • Patent number: 9342949
    Abstract: Highly entertaining games are provided. When a trigger condition is established in a normal game, the following processes are executed: 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 number of times of execution of the free game in the bonus game, when the re-trigger condition is established in the bonus game.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2016
    Assignees: Universal Entertainment Corporation, Aruze Gaming America, Inc.
    Inventors: Takehisa Itagaki, Yoichi Kato, Toshitaka Suzuki
  • Patent number: 9327188
    Abstract: A plurality of gaming terminals each having a terminal display on which a plurality of symbols are lined up, a plurality of upper displays forming a single common effect image display screen constituted by gaming terminal areas corresponding to the respective gaming terminals, and a center controller are included. The center controller determines whether a common game is being run when an independent special game is started, and produces an effect in the gaming terminal area corresponding to the gaming terminal, only when the common game is not being run.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2016
    Assignees: Universal Entertainment Corporation, Aruze Gaming America, Inc.
    Inventors: Hiroki Munakata, Kenta Sugano, Daisyun Okamoto, Masumi Fujisawa, Takehisa Itagaki
  • Patent number: 9330526
    Abstract: A gaming machine according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a display panel configured to display images of a game, the display panel including a screen facing downward; a partial mirror disposed under the display panel and inclined with respect to the screen to partially reflect the images from the display panel into a forward direction; a background member disposed rear to the partial mirror such that an image of the background member passes through the partial mirror into the forward direction to overlap the images from the display panel; and a controller configured to execute the game and to control the display panel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2016
    Assignees: UNIVERSAL ENTERTAINMENT CORPORATION, ARUZE GAMING AMERICA, INC.
    Inventors: Kenta Kitamura, Jun Hirato, Takashi Izawa, Keita Shimura
  • Patent number: 9324207
    Abstract: When a wild symbol 311a is fixedly displayed, a gaming machine of the present invention preferentially displays a fixedly displayed wild symbol 311a over a symbol 311 rearranged behind the fixedly displayed wild symbol 311a until rearrangement is completed. When the plurality of symbols 311 rearranged including the symbol 311 rearranged behind the fixedly displayed wild symbol 311a satisfy a predetermined relation, the symbol 311 rearranged behind the fixedly displayed wild symbol 311a is preferentially displayed over the fixedly displayed wild symbol 311a. When the predetermined relation is not satisfied, the fixedly displayed wild symbol 311a is preferentially displayed over the symbol 311 rearranged behind the fixedly displayed wild symbol 311a.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2016
    Assignees: UNIVERSAL ENTERTAINMENT CORPORATION, ARUZE GAMING AMERICA, INC.
    Inventors: Yutaka Kadode, Kohei Hashimoto, Fumiya Abe
  • Patent number: 9324212
    Abstract: A gaming machine 1: variably displays a plurality of symbols on a lower image display panel 141 in response to an external input; randomly determining symbols 501 to be rearranged on the lower image display panel 141; determining one of game results based on the symbols 501 randomly determined; execute a common indication effect common to all the game results; and after common indication effect is executed, executes an individual indication effect according to the game result determined while the symbols are variably displayed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2016
    Assignees: UNIVERSAL ENTERTAINMENT CORPORATION, ARUZE GAMING AMERICA, INC.
    Inventors: Masumi Fujisawa, Kenta Kitamura, Kenji Enokido
  • Patent number: 9299217
    Abstract: To provide a gaming terminal capable of effectively preventing breakage of a support mechanism of a lever-type operation device or the like and a method of providing notification, when a lever 6100 is rotated by a player during the running of a game, the angle of inclination is detected by an inclination detection mechanism 600a, and history information is updated based on the detected angle of inclination. Then whether the updated history information satisfies a predetermined warning condition is determined. A warning is issued to the player and the number of warnings is updated if the predetermined warning condition is satisfied, and the game being run is invalidated when the number of warnings reaches a predetermined value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2016
    Assignees: Universal Entertainment Corporation, Aruze Gaming America, Inc.
    Inventors: Masumi Fujisawa, Takehisa Itagaki, Kensaku Yoshikawa, Daisyun OKamoto, Hiroki Munakata
  • Patent number: 9286748
    Abstract: A gaming machine that is capable of imparting diversified variations to the play 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 one of a free game and a roulette game. In a case where the free game is selected, a total of values of BONUS symbols that correspond to the feature game trigger is determined as the number of free games. On the other hand, in a case where the roulette game is selected, a game is completed by carrying out roulette game processing once, and the amount of payouts is determined based on the number of free games. The free game and the roulette game are respectively set so that expectation values of the number of payouts are equal to each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2016
    Assignees: UNIVERSAL ENTERTAINMENT CORPORATION, ARUZE GAMING AMERICA, INC.
    Inventors: Masumi Fujisawa, Kenta Kitamura, Susumu Mio
  • Patent number: 9286745
    Abstract: A game control method according to the present invention comprises: a downloading step conducted by a server of downloading exchange-ratio changing data for use in determining the currency value of a credit in a gaming terminal to the gaming terminal; an exchange ratio determining step conducted by the gaming terminal of determining the exchange ratio between credits and currency values using the exchange-ratio changing data downloaded from the server, and an exchanging step conducted by the gaming terminal of exchanging a monetary value for a credit and/or exchanging a credit for a monetary value, based on the determined exchange ratio.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2016
    Assignee: ARUZE GAMING AMERICA, INC.
    Inventor: Kazuo Okada
  • Patent number: 9286749
    Abstract: A gaming machine with more gaming excitement is provided. The gaming machine includes; a cabinet; an upper image display panel which is provided on the cabinet and is a display displaying an effect image regarding a game; a lamp body which is three-dimensionally formed and is a formed object provided on the cabinet to protrude toward the front surface as compared to at least the lower end of the upper image display panel; a sensor configured to detect the player' gesture with respect to the lamp body; a controller used to start the game, and the controller detects the player's gesture by the sensor at a timing corresponding to the state of the game and displays an effect image corresponding to the detected player's gesture on the upper image display panel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2016
    Assignees: UNIVERSAL ENTERTAINMENT CORPORATION, ARUZE GAMING AMERICA, INC.
    Inventors: Masumi Fujisawa, Kenji Enokido, Kou Kobayashi, Hiroki Nakamura
  • Patent number: 9280878
    Abstract: In a reel band, the transmittance of the light emitted from a backlight is adjusted without using a sheet for decreasing the transmittance, and the reel band is decorated without resort to printing. A reel band M32 includes: a translucent base layer M320; a symbol print layer M322 laminated on an outer side of the base layer M320 with respect to a direction of a thickness of the base layer M320 to form a plurality of symbols 501; and a mesh pattern layer M321 having rough texture and laminated on a portion of the base layer which portion is different from portions on which at least the plurality of symbols 501 are formed when viewed from a direction in which the layer is laminated, the mesh pattern layer M321 including a shield area M3211 configured to attenuate applied light and a non-laminated area M3212 configured to pass applied light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2016
    Assignees: UNIVERSAL ENTERTAINMENT CORPORATION, ARUZE GAMING AMERICA, INC.
    Inventor: Jun Hirato
  • Patent number: 9279920
    Abstract: Provided is a reel unit for a gaming machine which suppresses decrease in visibility of a reel belt due to the formation of image of light source on a reel even if light emission intensity for illuminating the reel is high. It is provided a first light diffusion sheet with translucency having a light refraction surface including a surface formed thereon for refracting light passing therethrough in various directions, the first light diffusion sheet stacked on a base sheet; and a second light diffusion sheet having the light refraction surface, the second light diffusion sheet stacked on the first light diffusion sheet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2016
    Assignees: UNIVERSAL ENTERTAINMENT CORPORATION, ARUZE GAMING AMERICA, INC.
    Inventors: Motomichi Sato, Tatsuya Teranishi, Kenta Kitamura, Jun Hirato, Takuto Nakayama
  • Patent number: 9257002
    Abstract: A plurality of gaming terminals 10, a terminal image display panel 16 and an upper display 700 which display effect images in accordance with the gaming state of a game on the gaming terminals 10 and display at least one of the effect images in three dimensions, a terminal controller 630, which switches at least one of the effect images on the terminal image display panel 16 and the upper display 700 from two dimensional display to three dimensional display when the gaming state satisfies a predetermined condition, and a center controller 200.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 9, 2016
    Assignees: Universal Entertainment Corporation, Aruze Gaming America, Inc.
    Inventors: Masumi Fujisawa, Kenta Kitamura, Hiroki Munakata
  • Patent number: 9257011
    Abstract: The present invention provides a gaming machine that is capable of realizing an attractive payout rate for a player. The gaming machine is adapted to suggest that a state advantageous to a player be established, by shielding a symbol that is scrolled and then displaying a shade of a specific character. In this manner, the player can play a game with a sense of expectation. After the shading has been released, a specific symbol is displayed, thereby establishing the state advantageous to the player. Therefore, the player can realize that the routine migrates to the state advantageous to the player.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 9, 2016
    Assignees: Universal Entertainment Corporation, Aruze Gaming America, Inc.
    Inventors: Kenta Kitamura, Masumi Fujisawa
  • Patent number: 9251669
    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: October 28, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2016
    Assignees: UNIVERSAL ENTERTAINMENT CORPORATION, ARUZE GAMING AMERICA, INC.
    Inventors: Yukinori Inamura, Yoichi Kato, Kazuo Okada
  • Patent number: 9230396
    Abstract: A gaming machine according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a display panel configured to display images of a game, the display panel including a screen facing downward; a partial mirror disposed under the display panel and inclined with respect to the screen to partially reflect the images from the display panel into a forward direction; and a controller configured to execute the game and to control the display panel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2016
    Assignees: UNIVERSAL ENTERTAINMENT CORPORATION, ARUZE GAMING AMERICA, INC.
    Inventors: Kenta Kitamura, Jun Hirato, Takashi Izawa, Keita Shimura