Slot Machine Playfield Segmentation for Non-Contiguous Wins
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional slot machines are limited by the need for winning lines to determine winning combinations and are constrained by fixed rotating reels, restricting player interaction and creativity in defining an active playfield.
Innovation Solution
A slot machine that allows players to manually or randomly select an active playfield from a plurality of playing positions, where each position is independently controlled and can form winning combinations without contiguity, using a mechanism of subdividing the playfield into groups with randomly assigned symbols and a 'key' symbol for winning combinations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conventional slot machines use fixed rotating reels and winning lines to determine winning combinations, then the machine structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but player interaction and creativity in defining an active playfield are restricted
Solution Approach 1:
The playfield is segmented into multiple independent playing positions arranged in a grid, where each position can be independently selected or activated. This allows players to define custom playfields by selecting specific positions, rather than being constrained by fixed reel configurations. The segmentation enables flexible playfield definition while maintaining manageable system complexity through modular position control.
Solution Approach 2:
The playfield configuration is made dynamic and adjustable, allowing players to manually or randomly select which playing positions are active for each spin. This dynamic reconfiguration capability enables players to create different playfield patterns (e.g., horizontal lines, vertical lines, diagonals, or custom shapes) without changing the physical machine structure, thus improving adaptability while keeping the device complexity manageable through software control.
2Adaptability or versatility
If slot machines require winning lines to determine winning combinations, then the winning determination logic is simple, but the machine is constrained by fixed reel configurations and requires contiguity for winning combinations
Solution Approach 1:
The concept of fixed winning lines is extracted and replaced with independently selectable playing positions. Instead of requiring symbols to align on predetermined continuous lines, the system allows players to select any combination of positions as their active playfield. This extraction of the rigid winning line constraint enables non-contiguous winning combinations while the winning determination logic simply checks for symbol matches at the selected positions, maintaining logical simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The winning determination system becomes dynamic by allowing the active playfield to be reconfigured each spin based on player selection or random assignment. Players can choose to activate different patterns of playing positions (contiguous or non-contiguous), and the winning logic adapts to evaluate matches only at the currently active positions. This dynamic approach provides winning combination flexibility without significantly increasing logic complexity, as the same matching algorithm applies regardless of position arrangement.
3Productivity
If the entire playfield is activated with multiple wagers per reel, then the player has maximum winning opportunities, but the wager requirement and device complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
Players are not required to activate the entire playfield with maximum wagers. Instead, they can selectively activate only the playing positions needed for their desired playfield configuration. The system allows partial activation where players wager proportionally to the number of positions they wish to activate, rather than requiring full playfield activation. This partial action approach provides winning opportunities proportional to the wager amount while keeping wager management and device complexity manageable.
Data Source
AI summary
A gaming device that does not employ pay lines is provided, and has a playfield that is subdivided into a plurality of groups. The configuration of the groups could be done manually by the player, or at random, and changes for each game. At least one key group is used to define key symbols that must be repeated at other groups for a winning combination of symbols to occur.