WO2006036774A2

WO2006036774A2 - Culturally enriched slot machine

Info

Publication number: WO2006036774A2
Application number: PCT/US2005/034100
Authority: WO
Inventors: Ray Chan; Li Hang Ng; Jane Wong
Original assignee: Cnw Gaming Development
Priority date: 2004-09-24
Filing date: 2005-09-22
Publication date: 2006-04-06
Also published as: US20090209313A1; CN101056681A; WO2006036774A3; WO2006036773A3; WO2006036773A2; CN101056682A

Abstract

A gaming device comprising a plurality of reels each having at least one symbolic expression and a plurality of awards associated with a winning arrangement of symbolic expressions, where at least one winning arrangement of symbolic expressions comprises at least two dissimilar symbolic expressions that together constitute a phrase or sentence.

Description

CULTURALLY ENRICHED SLOT MACHINE

COPYRIGHT NOTICE

[0001] A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains or may contain material that is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyrights.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

[0002] This invention relates to the field of gaming devices, and, more particularly, gaming devices displaying certain arrangements of symbols as winning combinations. Description of Related Art

[0003] It is known to provide gaming devices having reels or other representations of variable symbols, wherein certain alignments or combinations of symbols provide a winning combination, resulting in credits or a payout to the player. Video poker and traditional 3 reel slot machines are examples of such gaming devices.

[0004] Traditional 3 -reel slot designs display one set of symbols in the pay window. Later designs have increased the size of the window to show either a central pay line with the near misses above and below the pay line, or multi-line machines with more than one pay line, including machines that pay from left to right or right to left, with numerous individual spinning reels.

[0005] In a typical such gaming device a play field, face plate, video screen or other display means is provided as the user interface, generally with between three and five reels, which may be actual spinning elements or displays of objects or images displaying a virtual spin operation. At the end of the rotation, each reel typically presents one of a variety of symbols at a predetermined horizontal pay line. The combination of symbols along the pay line is used to determine the result of a gambling proposition, with certain of the arrangements of symbols providing winning combinations of varying degree.

[0006] Five spinning reel games have been adapted for playing poker, commonly referred to as "video poker machines". With the increasingly sophisticated electronic technology introduced throughout the 1980s and 1990s, elements of popular games of the

i

859900vl 2967Q/0003 past have also been incorporated into video gaming designs, for instance, Bingo, Monopoly and Wheel of Fortune. Inventions have followed that have attempted to expand the variety of video representations in gaming devices. Examples are United States Patent Number 6,428,412 B12, describing an invention incorporating symbols and elements taken from the popular word game Jumble into an electronic gaming device. Similarly, United States Patent Number 6,685,561 B2, describes an invention incorporating symbols and elements taken from the popular word game Scrabble. A further example is United States Patent Number 6,605,001 Bl, which describes a video gaming device utilizing elements from the popular board game Yahtzee.

[0007] While word games, card games and dice games continue to provide popular appeal to video gaming devices, they tend to be attractive only to those having a previous experience in playing the games themselves. There remains, then, a continuing need to develop gaming devices that are attractive to differing segments of the gaming population.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0008] A gaming device comprising a plurality of reels each having at least one symbolic expression and a plurality of awards associated with a winning arrangement of symbolic expressions, where at least one winning arrangement of symbolic expressions comprises at least two dissimilar symbolic expressions that together constitute a phrase or sentence.

[0009] In a preferred gaming device, the at least one symbolic expression comprises a word derived from a phonetic writing system.

[0010] In another preferred gaming device, the at least one symbolic expression comprises an ideographic, pictographic or logographic writing system.

[0011] In a still further preferred gaming device, the logographic writing system is a complex writing system, such as the Chinese writing system.

[0012] In another preferred gaming device, the phrase or sentence is a phrase or sentence common to the culture utilizing the writing system, such as a phrase or sentence of best wishes.

[0013] The gaming device may present the phrase or sentence in a three symbol phrase or sentence of best wishes, a four symbol phrase or sentence of best wishes or a five or greater symbol phrase or sentence of best wishes.

[0014] In a preferred such gaming device a Kung Hey Fat Choi is utilized as the four symbol phrase or sentence of best wishes.

2 859900vl 29670/0003 [0015] In a different preferred such gaming device, the phrase or sentence is derived from an idiom or proverb common to the culture utilizing the writing system.

[0016] In a further alternative gaming device of the invention, the phrase or sentence is thematically related to a story common to the culture utilizing the writing system, such as story from mythology, history or literature.

[0017] Preferred are those gaming devices where the winning combination of symbols reflects a pattern of ideographic symbols recognizable as a depiction of an event from the story.

[0018] In another preferred embodiment, the gaming device of the invention utilizes at least two dissimilar ideographic symbols to form the phrase or sentence on a representation of a poster, for instance a good wishes poster.

[0019] In one alternative embodiment, multiple posters conveying the same ideographic phrase or sentence form a winning combination.

[0020] The invention thus provides gaming devices that capture the excitement of certain segments of the gaming population using symbols associated with a cultural references and expressions of luck recognizable to members of a selected cultural tradition.

[0021] These and other features and advantages of this invention are described in, or are apparent from, the following detailed description of various exemplary embodiments of the apparatus and methods according to this invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT [0022] The invention provides a gaming device with awards associated with a combination of winning symbols that have an independent association or identity associated with a selected cultural tradition.

[0023] Any multiple element gaming field or screen may be used in the gaming device, including, but not limited to, those having reels or other gaming elements that can be visually presented to a player as rotatable or otherwise changeable elements. Hereinafter it will be understood that when the term "element" is used, it comprises any type or manner commonly used within such gaming devices, such as for example, spinning reels, tiles, electronic displays, etc., that have the capability of displaying one or more gaming symbols (or the lack thereof) per element.

[0024] It will also be understood hereinafter that when the term "symbol" is utilized it shall mean any graphic element or other representation of a recognizable character, whether painted, written, inscribed, or visually presented by electronic means, such as by

3 859900vl 29670/0003 pixels or the like.

[0025] Writing systems are classified into various types, including: pictographic, ideographic, logographic, syllabic, and alphabetic systems. Pictographic, or iconic, writing systems are designed to represent words, ideas, or groups of words or ideas by the use of elements that visually portray their associated meanings. The design and look of the characters make direct reference to objects, persons, or events. A "pictographic symbol" will hereinafter be understood to mean a symbol that represents the item, person place or thing that its visual similarity suggests.

[0026] Ideographic writing systems represent words, ideas or groups of the same by symbols where the relationship to the meanings is less obvious than for pictographic symbols. Logograms are sometimes considered a subgroup of ideograms. Logographic writing symbols represent parts of words or whole words, but they do not tend to resemble or represent the word in appearance. Logographic scripts include Ancient Egyptian, Chinese, Chϊr-nom (obsolete Vietnamese script), Japanese, Khitan, Linear B (ancient Crete), Mayan, the Naxi scripts of Tibet, and archaic regional Chinese scripts such as Jurchen, Nushu and Tangut (Hsihsia).

[0027] An "ideographic symbol" shall hereinafter be understood to mean any graphic symbol that represents ideas or things, and not sounds. The word ideogram is also sometimes used to convey this concept. Today's major ideographic writing systems are the Chinese character systems used in China, Japan, and Korea. The traditional Vietnamese writing was based on Chinese. Such symbols are also represented in the form of writing of Egyptian hieroglyphs.

[0028] Syllabic writing represents syllables with signs.

[0029] All of the above is contrasted with a phonetic system, where each symbol represents a sound. Almost all European alphabets, and the different alphabetic based scripts all over the world, are based on the Greek and Roman alphabet, with certain modification and adaptation, and are phonetic in nature. Most other writing systems are also phonetic, including the mono-syllabic systems of Katakana and Hiragana in Japan, the Devanagari in South-East Asia etc.

[0030] Phonetic or alphabetic systems are those where symbols are used to represent individual distinctive sounds, or phonemes, of a given language. The written symbol of an alphabetic system refers to a spoken sound, including vowels and consonants.

[0031] A "symbolic expression" as used herein means any written symbol that conveys the meaning of a word, concept or idea. In any writing system, a word constitutes

4 859900vl 29670/0003 the basic unit of spoken or written language. Words can be combined to create phrases, clauses and sentences. A word is a sound or a combination of sounds, or its representation in writing or printing, that symbolizes and communicates a meaning. A symbolic expression thus includes words of any system, including pictographic and ideographic symbols or phonetic symbols arranged for the expression of a word. A symbolic expression also includes various words, concepts and ideas that are represented by ideographic symbols.

[0032] Many writing systems are combinations of different writing systems. Such complex scripts can use symbols to represent both sound and meaning. As a result, these scripts generally include a large number of symbols, up to the tens of thousand of symbols of Chinese writing systems. Most linguists believe that writing was invented in China during the latter half of the 2nd millennium BC and that there is no evidence to suggest the transmission of writing from elsewhere. The earliest recognizable examples of written Chinese date from 1500-950 BC.

[0033) Chinese is written with characters known as M^F [ΫXΨ] (hanzi). Each character represents a syllable of spoken Chinese and also has a meaning. The characters were originally pictures of people, animals or other things but over the centuries they have become increasingly stylized and no longer resemble the things the represent. This is why Chinese is said by some to be logographic, as it is no longer easy to associate a particular sound or word with most of the symbols. Many of the characters are actually compounds of two or more characters

[0034] There is no upper limit to the number of characters in the Chinese writing system. The largest Chinese dictionaries include about 56,000 characters, but most of them are archaic, obscure or rare variant forms. Knowledge of about 3,000 characters enables one to read about 99% of the characters in Chinese newspapers and magazines. For Chinese literature, technical writings or Classical Chinese, one would need to be familiar with about 6,000 characters.

[0035] The Japanese writing system is based on and developed from the Chinese writing system, as are the Korean and certain other Asian writing systems, most now obsolete. A writing system is considered as being a "Chinese writing system" when the symbols are derived from and generally relate in meaning to those originally developed and still used in China.

[0036] The invention is particularly adapted for forming gaming devices and video jackpot games with elements derived from Chinese, Japanese or Korean cultures or

8599QOvI 29670/0003 cultural traditions.

[0037] The gaming device may be variously adapted for use with different ideographic symbols as the symbolic expression, from pictographic symbols to sophisticated ideographic writing systems, for instance any of the written character ideographic systems described above.

[0038] In one preferred embodiment, the gaming device comprises symbol expresssions of an ideographic written system presented on the gaming elements such that the alignments of symbols at a pay line can be read to relate a phrase or sentence. By "phrase or sentence" it will be hereinafter understood to mean any recognizable phrase or sentence, saying or other phrase or sentence understood by one familiar with a selected cultural tradition. As one example, the symbol alignment may convey a common phrase or sentence, or recite a major theme of a culturally recognizable event or story.

[0039] The award is associated with the particular arrangement of ideographic symbols. The winning arrangement of symbols may in this case comprise at least two dissimilar symbols that collectively convey an ideographic phrase or sentence in the writing system of the selected cultural tradition. In one embodiment a pay line displaying symbols that are read as a phrase or sentence associated with a particularly happy event or saying, such as a phrase or sentence conveying best wishes and recognized as propitious or common to the culture, would have a high payout. Tailoring the device in this manner to the phrase or sentence and sayings of a particular culture creates an attractive gaming device for use by members of that culture.

[0040] The two or more dissimilar ideographic symbols could be presented as a poster, for example, a good wishes poster. Multiple posters conveying the same ideographic phrase or sentence may also be used to form a winning combination.

[0041] Good wishes posters, or "fai chun" have Chinese phrase or sentences spelled out in Chinese ideographic written characters, such as a saying or phrase or sentence conveying good wishes or encouragement. Different posters are common for celebrating specific events, holidays, or other happy occasions, such as a wedding, a birth or a holiday such as the Chinese New Year.

[0042] The invention also provides a video jackpot game having a plurality of reels for displaying ideographic symbols to a player, where the ideographic symbols have an independent association or identity associated with a selected cultural tradition. The awards are associated with set combinations of winning symbols displayed on the plurality of reels. In one example, a winning arrangement of pictographic symbols comprises at least three

6 859900vl 29670/0003 similar symbols, and a winning arrangement of symbols generates a bonus round where the symbol of the wining combination is electronically displayed portraying an action identifiable with the particular association of the symbol within the selected cultural tradition.

[0043] The phrase or sentence could be thematically related to a story common to the culture, such as a story from the mythology, history or literature of that culture. For instance, a winning combination of symbols might reflect a pattern of pictographic symbols that are a depiction of an event from such a story. Such an association may be derived be from literature, in which case the ideographic symbol may portray a title or scene from a poem, an epic poem or a novel.

[0044] For instance, pictographic symbols may be used that are derived from characters in a Chinese classic story such as "The Journey to the West", "Dream of the Red Chamber", "108 Outlaws of the Marsh", "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" and "Eagle Shooting Heroes". As an example, characters from the Journey To The West, one of the Four Classic Novels in Chinese literature, are used.

[0045] Written in the mid- 1500' s, The Journey To The West is a fantasy about a Super Monkey who protected the Tang Dynasty Monk during his pilgrimage to India (the West) in search of Buddhist scriptures. The pilgrimage was an historic journey that took place between 627 and 645 A.D. During the 19-year journey, the great Monk translated 75 Buddhist sutras and brought them back to China. Currently, the historic documents are preserved in the Wild Goose Pagoda in Xian, the Chinese Capital for the dynasty. In the case of The Journey to the West, there are many readily recognizable characters that could be incorporated into the gaming device, for instance the Monk and the Super Monkey.

[0046] Because most such stories have multiple characters, a great variety of such video gaming machines can be readily developed, with each machine having a theme based on the respective story.

[0047] In a different embodiment of the device, the ideographic symbols will have an association with a story from classic mythology, such as the pictographic symbols derived from the Chinese Zodiac. Alternatively, the pictographic symbols may be derived from the Thirty-Six Strategies or the Eight Immortals.

[0048] Alternatively, the characters could have an association with a story from history, including symbols recognizably associated with individuals or items from an important historical event, dynasty or other historic period.

[0049] Other character associations that could be used for ideographic symbols for the jackpot gaming device includes traditional festivals, and the common characters

7 859900vl 29670/0003 associated therewith.

[0050] The jackpot gaming device optionally includes the use of animation, which can be used to further associate the ideographic symbol with the story or event, by the portrayal of an action identifiable with the association of that symbol in the selected cultural tradition.

[0051] Other items in the popular culture, including other games, or even gambling games, also have readily recognizable symbols that can be incorporated in gaming machines.

[0052] In this fashion a gaming device could be based popular Chinese game of mahjong. Mahjong is played with 144 tiles, four in each of the 36 distinct tiles. There are three main suits in mahjong (36 tiles in each suit of Circles, Sticks, and Maans [one Maan is Ten Thousand; nine Maan is Ninety Thousand]), plus 36 "Bonus Tiles" (16 Wind Tiles; 12 Treasure Tiles; and 8 Flower Tiles). Mahjong players take turns to draw and discard tiles after a hand is dealt, in a similar fashion as in Gin Rummy.

[0053] Even though the exact game may be different from region to region, the basic objective of the game is the same — a player wins (or "mahjongs") by improving his/her hand into certain defined pattern (a playing hand has 13 tiles and a mahjonged hand has 14 tiles) The more difficult the mahjonged hand is to accomplish (such as all tiles in one suit), the more the player wins. This is determined by rules that govern how many bonus levels ("Faan") are assigned to defined features of the hand, and the total number of "Faans" determines the amount to be collected for the hand.

[0054] In a gaming device the method for playing mahjong may comprise the steps of; a) a player initiating the game, b) generating an advanced mahjong hand that has a winnable combination of tiles, c) electronically displaying the mahjong hand to the player, d) electronically displaying to the player at least two unknown tiles representing a draw for the mahjong hand, where at least one of the tiles represents a winning tile for the mahjong hand, d) the player selecting among the unknown tiles to determine the outcome of the hand, e) the player receiving a predetermined amount based on the winning hand that the player holds.

[0055] The gaming device can generate an advanced mahjong hand by the player selecting from a pool of tiles that is enriched for selecting potential winnable combinations, or may be generated by the video gaming device from a predetermined selection of potential winnable combinations. A preferred method would be the use of an algorithm for generating potential winnable combinations. Of course, while the winning hand may be a mahjonged hand, other combinations that are less than a mahjoned hand may also provide a winning

8 859900vl 29670/0003 combination under the rules for the gaming device.

[0056] Pai Gow is a another popular gambling game in the Chinese culture - so popular that it has evolved to the casino game of "Pai Gow Poker", which is played with the standard playing cards. Pai Gow is traditionally played with a set of 32 domino-like tiles, which are divided into two "suits": a. The Scholar Suit (^C -F): 22 tiles (in 11 identical pairs), identified by their names (in the order of their ranking: Heaven, Earth, Man, Goose); and b. The Military Suit (3£ -F): 10 tiles (4 non-identical pairs, plus the two tiles making up the "Supreme" (SE ^)), identified by their numbers (pairs of 9's, 8's, 7's, and 5's, with the 3 and 6 forming the "Supreme".)

[0057] In the game of Pai Gow, each player is dealt 4 tiles, which are to be arranged in two 2-tile combinations (the weaker in the front and the stronger in the back). A player competes his/her 2 combinations with the dealer's (the front competes with the front, and the back competes with the back). If the player beats the dealer in both, he/she wins the wager; if the player loses in both, he/she loses the wager; otherwise, it's a push.) The ranking of the 2-tile combinations are: Supreme (the 3 and 6 of the Military Suit); A pair in the Scholar Suit (in their respective ranking); A pair in the Military Suit (in the ranking of 9's, 8's, 7's and 5's); The "Wong" (One of the top 2 ranking Scholars — Heaven or Earth - matching with a Military 9); The "Gong" (One of the top 2 ranking Scholars - Heaven or Earth - matching with a Military 8, or the Scholar 8, i.e. Man); and Point count. If the point counts are the same for the respective combination, the player and dealer compete with the ranking of the individual tiles forming the combination. For example, a six-point combination with Heaven beats a six-point combination with Earth.

[0058] In the video pai gow game a player initiating the game and the gaming device electronically displays to the player four tiles representing a player's hand. The player combines the hand into a front two-tile combination and a back two-tile combination, whereupon the gaming device electronically displaying to the player a set of four tiles representing a dealer's hand and compares the players front and back two-tile combinations with the display of the front and back two-tile combinations of the dealer. The player then receives a predetermined amount based on winning both the front and two-tile combinations against the dealer.

[0059] Teen Gow is a popular variation of gambling game played with Pai Gow tiles. In the game of Teen Gow, four players compete with each other. In the very first round of a game, players throw dice to determine who is the banker for the round. Subsequently,

9 859900vl 29670/0003 the winner of each round becomes the banker for the following round. For a round, each player gets a hand of 8 tiles. The banker leads a single tile, a pair in the Military Suit, a pair in the Scholar Suit, or a 2-, 3-, or 4-tile combo (see below). The other players take turn to either discard, or take the trick(s) by playing a higher rank of single tile, a pair or a combo. Whoever wins the last trick of the round is the winner for the round.

[0060] In order to win the trick(s) in Teen Gow, a player has to follow suit. (For example, a pair of Scholar Tiles beats only a lower pair of Scholar Tiles, but not a pair of Military Tiles; Heaven-Heaven-9 beats Earth-Earth-8 but not Earth-8-8.) By itself, the Military Three and Six ranks the lowest and third lowest, respectively. Together, they cannot be beaten if led, but neither can they overtake any other 2-tile led-tricks. In the game of Teen Gow, each of the top 4 ranks in the Scholar Suit (i.e. Heaven, Earth, Man, Goose) matches with the respective rank in the Military Suit (9, 8, 7, 5) to form a unique Combination (i.e. Heaven 9, Earth 8, Man 7 and Goose 5). The 2-tile combos are: Heaven-9, Earth-8, Man-7 and Goose-5; the 3-tile combos are: Heaven-Heaven-9, Heaven-9-9, Earth-Earth-8, Earth-8- 8... and so forth.

[0061] A video teen gow game may be provided having features similar to those of the pai gow game.

[0062] The following examples are intended to illustrate but not to limit the invention. All English transliterations of Chinese symbols are provided in common Hong Kong style Cantonese. Chinese ideographic writing symbols are provided in simplified Chinese, though in practice simplified or traditional Chinese ideographic writing symbols may be used.

Example I. Best Wishes Machines

[0063] The following are examples of ideographic symbol best wishes gaming devices utilizing Chinese characters to phrase an expression of best wishes or good luck. A. Three-character gaming devices are constructed having the following symbols:

1. three Chinese characters that make up the three-character best wish;

2. a symbol designed with a number considered lucky in the Chinese culture which serves as a wild-card symbol as well as a multiplier for the prize (numbers such as 2, 3, 6 and 8, are considered lucky numbers for many Chinese);

3. the character "Hey" If in red (Happiness); and

10 859900vl 29670/0003 4. the symbol "Double Hey" H^ in red (Double happiness).

B. Four-Character Gaming devices may be produced with four or more Chinese characters that make up one or two four-character best wish expressions and a symbol designed with the number 8, which serves as a wild-card symbol as well as a multiplier for the prize.

C. The following are samples of our three element devices, with the associated three-character best wish expressions:

1. Legacy & Treasure Ding Choy Wong T M E (Meaning: Fertile & Prosperous)

2. Blessed by the Stars Fook Luk Sau Jg It W (Meaning: Fortune Wealth Longevity)

3. Happy Family Fook On Hong fe 5: M (Meaning: Fortune Peace Health)

4. Here's Good Luck Ho Won Loi £f S. 5fξ (Meaning: Good Luck Coming)

5. Perfect 8 Jun Seen Mai M H H (Meaning: Truth Divinity Beauty)

6. God of Treasure (or Star of Treasure)Choi Sun Doe M JΦ PJ (Meaning: Treasure God Arriving)

7. Treasures Hunt Fu Gwei Bo It jli 3. (Meaning: Wealth Preciousness Treasure)

8. Royal Match Lung Fung Pui % R SB (Meaning: Dragon Phoenix Match)

9. Prosperity 8 Chung Faat Baak ψ R S

(Meaning: Center Prosperous White - The Treasure Tiles in the Mahjong game)

10. Trinity 8 Teen Dey Yan 5? M Λ (Meaning: Heaven Earth People, the Chinese version of Trinity)

D. As an illustration, in the game of Ding Choi Wong, the symbols are: Ding, Choi, Wong, 8, Hey, D-Hey:

1 1 859900vl 29670/0003 Jackpot: "8 8 8"

Grand Prize: "Ding Choi Wong"

Top Prizes: "Ding Ding Ding"; "Choi Choi Choi"; and "Wong

Wong Wong"

Medium Prizes: "D-Hey D-Hey D-Hey"; "Hey Hey Hey"

Small Prizes: 2 D-Hey; 2 Hey; 1 D-Hey; and 1 Hey, any position on the play line.

The symbol 8 is a wild-card multiplier. For example: "Ding Ding 8" wins 8 times the set prize for "Ding Ding Ding"; and "8 Choi Wong", "Ding 8 Wong", and "Ding Choi 8" each wins 8 times the set prize for "Ding Choi Wong".

E. The following are some of 4 reel devices, and the associated four-character best wish expressions:

1. Kung Hey Fat Choy Kung Hey Fat Choy S*U ^t W (Meaning: A Wish of Prosperity)

2. Blooming Fortune Fa Hoi Fu Gwai ^~$L

(Meaning: Fortune Blooming Like the Flowers)

3 Royal Blessings Lung Fung Ching Cheong fi ^~ L

(Meaning: Blessed by the Dragon and Phoenix)

4. Best of Wishes Maan See Sing Yee J3 ^β- f&.

M

(Meaning: Everything Better Than What Your Wish)

5. Harmonious Trinity Teen Dey Yan Wor 5ξ M A

IP

(Meaning: Heaven, Earth, and Man in Harmony)

6. Bountiful Family(a) Gum Yuk Moon Tong 4fe ΞE M & (Gold and Jade Fill the Home)

Bountiful Family(b) Moon Tong Gut Hing fμjtj ^ ltf

(The Home Be Filled with Luck and Happiness)

12 859900vl 29670/0003 7. Legacy & Prosperity(a) Wong Ding Wong Choy BΞ T BΞ M

(Meaning: Fertile & Prosperous);

Legacy & Prosperity(b) Tim Ding Fat Choy $fs T %L

(Meaning: FerHave a Son and Prosper);

8. Wealth & Longevity(a) Fook Luk Sau Chuen H, H ^p

(Be Complete with Fortune Wealth )

Wealth & Longevity(b) Tim Fook Tim Sau $S Is $5 #

(Longevity & Have more in Fortune and Longevity)

9. Wealth & Honors (a) Fook Luk Fu Gwai ti It IS St (Meaning: Have Fortune and Wealth )

Wealth & Honors (b) Fu Gwai Wing Wa £ ^ ^ ^ (Meaning: Be Wealthy and Honored)

10. Great, Great Fortune (a) Dai Gut Dai Lai λ I-T ^!

*U

(Meaning: Great Luck, Great Profits)

Great, Great Fortune (b) Dai Fu Dai Gwai jξ U ^C

(Great Fortune, Great Treasures)

11. Mother Lode of Treasures (a) JiI Choy Juan Bo ffi M iS It

(Meaning: Bring in Treasures and Wealth)

Mother Lode of Treasures (b)Choy Yuen Gwong Juan W IS r

(Meaning: Sources of Treasures keep expanding)

F. As an illustration of the a four reel gaming device using Kung Hey Fat Choy symbols of Kung, Hey, Fat, Choy and 8. Jackpot: "8 8 8 8"

13 859900vl 29670/Q003 Grand Prize: "Kung Hey Fat Choy"

Top Prizes: "Kung Kung Kung Kung"; "Hey Hey Hey Hey"; "Fat Fat Fat

Fat"; "Choy Choy Choy Choy": "Kung Hey Kung Hey"; and "Fat Choy Fat

Choy"

Medium Prizes: "Kung Kung Kung"; "Hey Hey Hey"; "Fat Fat

Fat"; and "Choy Choy Choy")

Small Prize: Connected "Kung Hey"; and "Fat Choy" at any position on the play line.

Since 8 is a wild-card multiplier: "Kung Kung 8 Kung" wins 8 times the set prize for "Kung Kung Kung Kung"; and "Kung Hey Fat 8", "Kung Hey 8 Choy", "Kung 8 Fat Choy" and "8 Hey Fat Choy" each wins 8 times the set prize for "Kung Hey Fat Choy".

G. As an illustration for a double best wish expressions in a four reel game, in the game of Legacy & Prosperity, the symbols are: Wong, Ding, Choy, Tim, Fat and 8.

Jackpot: ".8 8 8 8"

Grand Prize: "Wong Ding Wong Choy"; and "Tim Ding Fat Choy"

Top Prizes: "Wong Wong Wong Wong"; "Ding Ding Ding Ding"; "Fat Fat

Fat Fat"; "Choy Choy Choy Choy"; "Tim Tim Tim Tim"; "Tim Ding Tim

Ding"; "Fat Choy Fat Choy"; "Wong Ding Wong Ding"; and "Wong Choy

Wong Choy"

Medium Prizes: "Wong Wong Wong"; "Ding Ding Ding"; "Fat Fat

Fat"; and "Choy Choy Choy"; "Tim Tim Tim"

Small Prizes: Connected "Wong Ding"; "Wong Choy"; "Tim Ding" and "Fat

Choy" at any position on the play line.

H. Four -line machines with four slots on each line provide a total of 12 wagering lines, four horizontal and two diagonal, with two directions (forth and back) for each line:

Bets Wagered Applicable Line

1 Horizontal 1, Left to Right

2 Horizontal 2, Left to Right

3 Horizontal 3, Left to Right

4 Horizontal 4, Left to Right

5 Diagonal 1, Top Left to Bottom Right

6 Diagonal 2, Bottom Left to Top Right

14

859900vl 29670/0003 7 Horizontal 1 , Right to Left

8 Horizontal 2, Right to Left

9 Horizontal 3, Right to Left

10 Horizontal 4, Right to Left

11 Diagonal 1 , Bottom Right to Top Left

12 Diagonal 2, Top Right to Bottom Left

Once each bet is wagered, the respective line and direction light up on the machine to give the player a clear indication of the applicable line and direction for the wager.

I. Happy New Year

Chinese New Year is such an important day that there are many symbols for the event.

Most Valuable Symbol: The "Fook" (is ) red poster.

Other symbols:

* Firecrackers;

* Lion dance;

* Peach flower;

* Red envelope;

* Good Wish Posters - "fai chun" (W ^);

* Tangerines;

* Traditional fried dumpling - "jeen dui" (M M) - in the traditional one-on- three arrangement;

* Jasmine flower;

* Two kids in the traditional New Year bowing stance;

* Traditional Gold piece;

* Traditional Silver piece;

* Red Lanterns; and

* Couplet posters - "dui luen" (M ft)

Winning Combinations: Adjacent 5, 4 or 3 identical symbols on the play line. Three "Fook" posters on the play line takes the player to the Bonus Round.

Sample Bonus Round: The player selects one of the following items, each carrying a bonus value, to decorate the exterior of a house.

15 859900vl 29670/0003 Good Wish Posters - "fai chun" (W #) of 2 posters (Left and Right) Couplet posters - "dui luen" (M S£); Lanterns; Firecrackers; Dancing Lion.

When the player makes picks the item, he/she collects the bonus, and 4 choices of the item are placed on the lower part of the screen. In the first round, all four choices carry the "continue for more bonus" sign, and the player continues to pick another item, for more bonuses.

In the second and subsequent rounds, two of the choices carry the "continue for more bonus" sign, and each of the two other choices carries a multiplier. If the player beats the odds and gets the "Continue with More Bonus" sign in each round (which becomes the "Jackpot" sign in the final round), he/she wins the predetermined Jackpot. If the player gets the multiplier in any round, the Bonus Round ends and the player gets the cumulative bonus times the multiplier.

J. Best of Wishes

It's a tradition to put the "Fai Chun", Good Wishes Posters, on the wall to celebrate the Chinese New Year. Many such posters are known.

This PCM features different posters. Since all posters carry good wishes, it gives the players a "good luck" feeling while playing this machine.

Most Valuable Symbol: The centerpiece "Fook" ($1) poster (Meaning: Good Fortune)

Other Symbols: Good Wish Posters featuring the following expressions:

Kung Hey Fat Choy ^ ϊih %L M (Meaning: Prosperous)

Sun Chun Dai Gut 0f ^ λ I-T (Meaning: Lucky for the new year)

Lung Ma Jing Sun j& ^ %n ffi (Meaning: Healthy like the dragon and the horse)

Lung Jing Fu Mang ^~$L Iff jfe SL (Meaning: Spirited and healthy like the dragon

& tiger)

Yut Bun Maan Lai — ^f- 75 ^ll (Meaning: Get tremendous return on the investment)

Chut Yup Ping On Bi A W- ^ (Meaning: Safe trip in and out)

Sum Sheong See Sing 'i_Λ ^tS ^ f$c (Meaning: Accomplish all the wishes)

Fa Hoi Fu Gwai ^c Jf % jft (Meaning: Fortune Blooming Like the Flowers)

Lung Fung Ching Cheong jέ A ΞE II (Meaning: Blessed by the Dragon and

Phoenix)

16 859900vl 29670/0003 Maan See Sing Yee 75 ♦ $4 M (Meaning: Everything Better Than Your Wish)

Tim Ding Fat Choy $S T M ' . M (Meaning: Have a Son and Prosper)

Fook Luk Sau Chuen M tf: 0 ^. (Meaning: Complete with Fortune, Wealth, &

Longevity)

Fu Gwai Wing Wa US^' jS ^ ^ (Meaning: Wealthy and Honored) Dai Gut Dai Lai ≠: ^"E-T ^~k M (Meaning: Great Luck & Great Profit)

JiI Choy Juan Bo ffi M iϊ -£ (Meaning: Attract Treasure and bring in) Choy Yuen Gwong Juan M I T I (Meaning: Sources of Treasure keep expanding)

Wang Choy Jau Sau ÷ϋt M Sft ψ (Meaning: Treasure readily arrives) Say Gwai Ping On El $ ¹P $ (Meaning: Safe and sound throughout the four seasons)

Sample Bonus Round: From eight random Good Wish Posters, each carrying a different bonus value, the player picks one. The four characters of the poster are then shown on the screen, and the player is prompted to pick one of the characters. In the first round, all four characters carry the "continue for more bonus" sign, and the player picks another Good Wish Poster, for more bonuses. The four characters of the second poster are then shown on the screen. In this and subsequent rounds, two of the characters carry the "continue for more bonus" sign, and each of the other two carries a multiplier. If the player beats the odds and gets the "Continue with More Bonus" sign in each round (which becomes the "Jackpot" sign in the final round), he/she wins the predetermined Jackpot. If the player gets the multiplier in any round, the Bonus Round ends and the player gets the cumulative bonus times the multiplier.

K. Congratulations and Celebrations

Chinese festivals and special events are celebrated with traditional customs. The theme of this gaming device is the festive celebrations.

Most Value Symbol: The symbol double happiness (IfIt)

Other symbols

* Good Wish Poster (Chinese New Year)

17 859900 vl 29670/0003 * Red Envelope (Chinese New Year, birthday, wedding, and special occasions)

* New Year Lantern (Lantern Night - the 15th of the first month)

* Tangerines (Chinese New Year)

* Jung (££) - Chinese tamale (Dragon Boat Festival)

* Dragon Boat (Dragon Boat Festival)

* Moon Cake (Mid-autumn Festival)

* Mid-autumn Lantern (Mid-autumn Festival)

* Double Red Candles (Wedding)

* Red eggs (Newborn Baby)

* Lion Dance (All special events)

* Firecrackers (All special events)

Winning Combinations: Adjacent 5, 4 or 3 identical symbols on the play line. Three double happiness symbols on the play line takes the player to the Bonus Round.

Sample Bonus Round: On the top half of the screen, 8 festival/special events are displayed, each carrying a bonus value. (Chinese New Year, Lantern Night, Dragon Boat Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival, Wedding, Birthday, Newborn Baby, New Business.) The player picks a special event and collects the bonus. The bottom half of the screen displays four items related to the event, and the player picks one. In the first round, all four event- items carry the "continue for more bonus" sign, and the player continues to pick another event, for more bonuses. In the second and subsequent rounds, two of the event-items carry the "continue for more bonus" sign, and each of the other two carries a multiplier. If the player beats the odds and gets the "Continue with More Bonus" sign in each round (which becomes the "Jackpot" sign in the final round), he/she wins the predetermined Jackpot. If the player gets the multiplier in any round, the Bonus Round ends and the player gets the cumulative bonus times the multiplier.

[0064] Although the foregoing invention has been described in some detail by way of illustration and example for purposes of clarity and understanding, it will be obvious that certain changes and modifications may be practiced within the scope of the invention, as limited only by the scope of the appended claims.

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Claims

CLAIMS L A gaming device comprising: a plurality of reels each having at least one symbolic expression; and a plurality of awards associated with a winning arrangement of symbolic expressions, wherein at least one winning arrangement of symbolic expressions comprises at least two dissimilar symbolic expressions that together constitute a phrase or sentence. 2. The gaming device of Claim 1, wherein said at least one symbolic expression comprises a word derived from a phonetic writing system. 3. The gaming device of Claim 1, wherein said at least one symbolic expression comprises a word derived from a complex writing system. 4. The gaming device of Claim 1, wherein said symbolic expression is from a pictographic writing system. 5. The gaming device of Claim 1, wherein said symbolic expression is from an ideographic writing system. 6. The gaming device of Claim 1, wherein said symbolic expression is from a logographic writing system. 7. The gaming device of Claim 1, wherein said logographic writing system is a Chinese writing system. 8. The gaming device of Claim 1, wherein said phrase or sentence is a phrase or sentence common to the culture utilizing said writing system. 9. The gaming device of Claim 5, wherein said phrase or sentence is a phrase or sentence of best wishes. 10. The gaming device of Claim 5, wherein said phrase or sentence is a three symbol phrase or sentence of best wishes. 11. The gaming device of Claim 5, wherein said phrase or sentence is a four symbol phrase or sentence of best wishes. 12. The gaming device of Claim 5, wherein said four symbol phrase or sentence of best wishes is Kung Hey Fat Choi. 13. The gaming device of Claim 5, wherein said phrase or sentence is a five or greater symbol phrase or sentence of best wishes. 14. The gaming device of Claim 5, wherein said phrase or sentence is derived from an idiom or proverb common to the culture utilizing said writing system. 15. The gaming device of Claim 5, wherein said phrase or sentence is thematically related to a story common to the culture utilizing said writing system.

19 859900vl 29670/0003 16. The gaming device of Claim 11, wherein said story is a story from mythology. 17. The gaming device of Claim 11 , wherein said story is a story from history. 18. The gaming device of Claim 11, wherein said story is a story from literature. 19. The gaming device of Claim 11 , wherein a winning combination of symbols reflects a pattern of ideographic symbols recognizable as a depiction of an event from said story. 20. The gaming device of Claim 11 , wherein said at least two dissimilar ideographic symbols form said phrase or sentence on a representation of a poster. 21. The gaming device of Claim 16, wherein said poster is a good wishes poster. 22. The gaming device of Claim 17, wherein multiple posters conveying the same ideographic phrase or sentence form a winning combination.

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