Appeal No. 2005-0988
Application 09/878,592
Pierce notes (col. 1, lines 17-20) that slot machine
bonusing features have become popular, and that examples of their
success include WHEEL OF GOLD, WHEEL OF FORTUNE, JEOPARDY!, REEL
‘EM IN, and many others. The invention in Pierce is to utilize
the excitement and dynamic qualities of Pachinko as a bonus game
for an underlying game of chance such as video poker, slot
machines and the like. To that end, Pierce teaches a gaming
machine (10) for conducting a game of chance controlled by a
processor (430) in response to a wager. The machine shown in
Figure 1 comprises a conventional slot machine (20) modified to
include a Pachinko-type bonus game (30). As noted in column 3,
lines 27-30, the slot machine (20) functions conventionally when
taking wagers, making payments and being played, except that it
has been modified to accommodate the Pachinko-type bonus game and
payouts therefrom. In column 4, line 34, et seq., it is
indicated that the bonus game becomes activated when an
initiation condition occurs in the underlying basic game (30),
and that any symbol or combination of symbols may be used to
activate the bonus game. Once activated, the Pachinko-type bonus
game allows for successively and randomly directing one or more
of a plurality of awarded game pieces (col. 5, lines 4-10) down a
Pachinko-type peg board and into one of a plurality of payout
slots (230). From the disclosure in column 4, lines 46-51, it
7
Page: Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Next
Last modified: November 3, 2007