Shared Center Reel for Gaming Machine Symbol Combinations
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional video gaming machines with standard 3×5 matrices of symbols can become monotonous for players, offering limited opportunities to win and making it difficult to follow the rapid spinning and stopping of reels.
Innovation Solution
The introduction of a shared center reel displaying seven symbols, with the upper and lower matrices each comprising four reels, allows for more noticeable and exciting gameplay by incorporating special symbols that can trigger secondary games and increase winning opportunities, including a prominent center reel that stops last and contains wild, free spin, and instant award symbols.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a standard 3×5 matrix of reels is used, then the game structure is simple and easy to understand, but the player experiences monotony and has limited winning opportunities
Solution Approach 1:
The reel structure is segmented into an upper 3×5 matrix and a lower 3×5 matrix, with the center reel being shared between both matrices. This segmentation creates multiple independent reels (eight total) that can spin independently, providing more varied symbol combinations and increasing winning opportunities while maintaining a manageable structure through the shared center reel.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adds a vertical dimension by stacking two 3×5 matrices one above the other, creating an upper and lower reel set. This dimensional expansion from a single matrix to two matrices provides additional symbol combinations and winning pathways without requiring a completely new reel design, thus increasing versatility while controlling complexity.
2Productivity
If all reels spin and stop rapidly, then the game progresses quickly, but the player finds it difficult to follow the progress
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the center reel from the standard five-reel configuration and makes it prominent as a shared resource between upper and lower matrices. By highlighting this central reel with special symbols (wild, free spin, instant awards), the design draws player attention to a specific focal point, making it easier to track progress while maintaining rapid spinning through the independent reels.
Solution Approach 2:
The center reel is given local quality by displaying special symbols different from the ordinary symbols on other reels. This localized differentiation creates a focal point that stands out during spinning, helping players track the center reel's progress while the surrounding reels continue to spin independently, thus maintaining game speed while improving trackability.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the center reel displays seven symbols, then the player has more opportunities to win and the symbols are more noticeable, but the reel structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The center reel is designed with multi-functionality, serving both the upper and lower 3×5 matrices simultaneously. It displays seven symbols that can contribute to winning combinations in either matrix, and its special symbols (wild, free spin, instant awards) provide multiple game functions. This universal design increases versatility and symbol combinations while avoiding the need for separate center reels in each matrix, thus controlling structural complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
On a display screen in a gaming device is displayed an upper set of reels, a lower set of reels, and a larger shared reel that extends between the upper set of reels and the lower set of reels, the shared reel containing special symbols, wherein symbols on an upper section of the shared reel are combinable with symbols on the upper set of reels; and wherein symbols on a lower section of the shared reel are combinable with symbols on the lower set of reels. The special symbols may include wild symbols, free spin symbols, instant awards, mystery wild symbols, and secondary game play symbols. Since the player can focus on only one reel, the shared reel, which frequently determines whether the player wins, the player becomes more involved in the game and enjoys it more.