Appeal No. 2005-0988
Application 09/878,592
As indicated on page 4 of the brief, independent claim 21
has been selected by appellant as being representative of the
subject matter on appeal, and claims 11, 20 and 22 grouped to
stand or fall together with claim 21. Claim 21 reads as follows:
21. A gaming machine for conducting a game of chance, the
gaming machine being controlled by a processor in response to a
wager, comprising:
a selection stage for awarding a number of game pieces based
on selections made by a player;
a pachinko-type stage for successively and randomly
directing each awarded game piece down a pachinko-type peg board
to one of plurality of payout indicia; and
a basic game including a plurality of possible outcomes, the
plurality of possible outcomes including at least one start-bonus
outcome for triggering a bonus game including the selection stage
and the pachinko-type stage.
The prior art references of record relied upon by the
examiner in rejecting the appealed claims are:
Pierce et al. (Pierce) 6,047,963 Apr. 11, 2000
Mayeroff 6,186,894 Feb. 13, 2001
“Plinko” pages 1 - 10, 1983.
Claims 11 and 20 through 22 stand rejected under 35 U.S.C.
§ 103(a) as being unpatentable over Pierce in view of Mayeroff
and “Plinko.”
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