Gaming Machine Reduced Cell Pattern Determination
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional slot machines limit player expectations for prize-winning patterns due to fixed cell sizes and symbol stop positions, resulting in high payouts only in rare cases.
Innovation Solution
A gaming machine with a lottery region featuring alternating normal and reduced cell columns, where symbols are sized accordingly, allowing for multiple combinations of symbols to form prize-winning patterns, even in partial reduction states, thereby increasing player expectations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If cell sizes are fixed and equal to each other with one symbol per cell, then the control of symbol stop position is simplified, but the diversity of prize-winning patterns is limited and player expectation cannot be sufficiently heightened
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides a normal cell into multiple reduced cells (e.g., two reduced cells per normal cell). This segmentation allows the system to create more stop positions within the same physical space, enabling diverse prize-winning patterns while maintaining simplified control through the mapping relationship between normal and reduced cells.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent dynamically switches between normal state (with normal cells) and partial reduction state (with reduced cells). This dynamic transformation allows the system to adapt the cell structure during gameplay, creating varied prize-winning opportunities without complicating the fundamental control mechanism.
2Device complexity
If high allotment is provided only when plural symbols are stopped in a prize winning determination target cell, then the payout structure is simple, but the player's expectation for realizing the prize winning pattern cannot be sufficiently heightened
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting normal cells into reduced cells, the patent creates multiple potential stop positions within each normal cell. This allows players to win high allotments in multiple scenarios (e.g., symbols stopping at different reduced cell positions), heightening expectation while keeping the payout structure relatively simple through the underlying normal cell framework.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of cell size by introducing reduced cells that are smaller than normal cells. This parameter change creates new winning conditions where symbols can stop at different positions (e.g., upper half or lower half of a normal cell), increasing player expectation without fundamentally altering the payout structure.
3Ease of operation
If the stop position of the reel is controlled using the size of the corresponding cell as a unit, then the symbol display control is straightforward, but the number of possible prize-winning combinations is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments each normal cell into multiple reduced cells, effectively multiplying the number of stop positions available. This segmentation increases the number of prize-winning combinations from N normal cells to potentially 2N or more reduced cell positions, while maintaining straightforward control through the normal-to-reduced cell mapping system.
Data Source
AI summary
A gaming machine includes a lottery region defined such that cell columns are arranged to be parallel with each other. Symbols in each symbol column are moved along the cell column at a predetermined game opportunity and are stopped in one cell unit. A determination is performed as to whether a combination of symbols stopped in a determination target cell group forms a prize winning pattern. Reduced cells are defined by equally dividing a cell in a cell column when a predetermined reduction condition is satisfied, reduces symbols corresponding to the reduced cells, recognizes that at least one normal cell and the reduced cells are included in the target cell group, selects the reduced cells included in the target cell group, and determines that a combination of a symbol stopped in the selected reduced cell and the normal cell included in the target cell group forms the prize winning pattern.