Movable Symbol Indicator Plates for Gaming Device Bonus Games
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Solution Overview
Problem
Gaming devices lack innovative bonus games that provide larger awards with minimal risk, limiting player excitement and engagement.
Innovation Solution
A gaming device featuring two movable symbol indicator plates, where one plate overlaps the other, allowing players to select and reveal symbols or awards through transparent sections, enabling increased opportunities for larger awards by selecting colored or unscrambled symbols.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a single award wheel is used in bonus games, then the game structure is simple, but the award opportunities and player excitement are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a nested structure where a second award wheel is positioned within the first award wheel, allowing both wheels to share the same central axis and rotate independently. This nesting approach increases award opportunities by providing multiple wheels with different symbol sets and award structures, while maintaining a compact game structure that does not require additional space or complex mechanical arrangements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent divides the bonus game into multiple independent award wheels, each with its own set of symbols and award outcomes. Players can spin different wheels to access different award opportunities, effectively segmenting the overall award structure into manageable, independent components that can be individually controlled and displayed.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple award wheels are added to increase award opportunities, then player excitement increases, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
By nesting the second award wheel within the first wheel and sharing a common central axis, the patent minimizes the mechanical structure required. Both wheels can rotate independently using separate drive mechanisms, but the nested arrangement reduces the overall space requirements and simplifies the supporting framework compared to having separate, externally mounted wheels.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent designs the award wheels to serve multiple functions: they display different symbol sets, provide different award opportunities, and can be individually controlled to create various game scenarios. The transparent section of the second wheel also serves dual purposes by both displaying symbols and allowing players to see through to the first wheel, maximizing the utility of each component.
3Ease of operation
If transparent sections are used in the second plate, then symbol visibility and interaction are enhanced, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies transparency selectively to specific sections of the second plate rather than making the entire plate transparent. This allows players to view symbols on the first plate through designated transparent areas while maintaining opacity in other sections to display different information. This localized approach enhances symbol visibility and interaction where needed while simplifying manufacturing compared to creating entirely transparent plates.
Data Source
AI summary
A gaming device including a first and second indicator plate which are adjacent to each other and on the same axis where the second plate overlaps at least a portion of the first plate and the first and second plates are in different planes. In one embodiment, the first plate includes at least one symbol where one or more awards are associated with the symbol. The second plate is composed at least in part of a substantially transparent material, which enables a player to see through at least a portion of the second plate to view one or more symbols on the first plate. The second plate also includes a plurality of sections, which indicate one or more symbols on the first plate. In one embodiment, the second plate includes at least one transparent section and at least one non-transparent section.