Gaming device with shifting replacement symbols

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10354497-B2
Application number	US-201815942803-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 2, 2018
Priority date	Jun 11, 2014
Publication date	Jul 16, 2019
Grant date	Jul 16, 2019

Abstract

A video slot machine has M reels, each displaying N symbols when stopped. Above the display of the reels is a set of generally valuable replacement symbols that have been independently selected at random independent from the reel display. Each reel is associated with a particular replacement symbol in the set. If a special symbol is displayed on a reel, the replacement symbol associated with that reel substitutes for the special symbol when determining the award. Examples of the replacement symbols include wild symbols, bonus symbols, and multiplier symbols. After each game, the replacement symbols are shifted, and used replacement symbols are randomly replaced to vary the possibilities for each game. The player is incentivized to play longer due to the possibility of using valuable replacement symbols in the symbol array and the possibility of very high awards being granted by multiple special symbols being displayed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method performed by a video gaming device including at least a processing system, a display system coupled to the processing system, and an acceptor, the method comprising:
receiving, by the acceptor, a physical item having a monetary value associated with the received physical item;
receiving, by the processing system, a wager;
in response to receiving the wager, displaying on the display system a plurality of game symbols at a plurality of game symbol display positions to form an outcome, wherein the plurality of game symbols are randomly determined, wherein the game symbol display positions comprise a plurality of subsets of game symbol display positions, and wherein the plurality of game symbols comprise a special symbol displayed in a first one of the game symbol display positions;
displaying on the display system a set of replacement symbols concurrently with and separate from the plurality of game symbols, the set of replacement symbols being randomly determined and comprising a plurality of different replacement symbols arranged in an ordered set of replacement symbol display positions, wherein the ordered set of replacement symbol display positions includes an entry position and an exit position, and wherein each of the plurality of subsets of game symbol display positions is associated with a corresponding replacement symbol display position;
substituting, under control of the processing system, the special symbol displayed on the outcome with a first replacement symbol from the set of replacement symbols that corresponds to the subset of game symbol positions containing the first one of the game symbol display positions in which the special symbol was displayed to provide a modified outcome;
shifting remaining ones of the replacement symbols in the ordered set of replacement symbol display positions, other than the first replacement symbol, towards the exit position and inserting a new replacement symbol at the entry position; and
granting an award to a player for any winning combination of symbols in the modified outcome including any replacement symbols that substituted for the special symbols.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein displaying the replacement symbols comprises displaying a row of the replacement symbols on the display system, wherein a number of replacement symbols in the row equals a number of the subsets of game symbol display positions.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising removing the replacement symbol displayed at the exit position if the replacement symbol displayed at the exit position is not used to replace a game symbol in the subset of game symbol display positions corresponding to the exit position.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising removing at least one of the replacement symbols from the set of replacement symbols and adding a new replacement symbol to the set of replacement symbols for each game so the player is guaranteed to see a new set of replacement symbols for each game.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the replacement symbols are pseudo-randomly selected for inclusion in the set using weighted probabilities.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the replacement symbols include wild symbols and award multiplier symbols.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein there is at least one special symbol displayed in each subset of game symbol display positions.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising receiving a wager by the player, wherein the wager is one of a variety of possible wagers for playing a single game, wherein there is a different set of replacement symbols displayed for each wager amount.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the display system comprises a main display and a secondary display, wherein the plurality of game symbols are displayed on the main display and the set of replacement symbols are displayed on the secondary display.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein each subset of game symbol display positions comprises a virtual reel of game symbol display positions.

11. A video gaming device comprising:
a display system;
an acceptor, and
a programmed processor system;
wherein the processor system comprises machine-readable instructions that, when executed by the processor system:
cause the display system to display a plurality of game symbols at a plurality of game symbol display positions to form an outcome, wherein the plurality of game symbols are randomly determined, wherein the game symbol display positions comprise a plurality of subsets of game symbol display positions, and wherein the plurality of game symbols comprise a special symbol displayed in a first one of the game symbol display positions;
cause the display system to display a set of replacement symbols concurrently with and separate from the plurality of game symbols, the set of replacement symbols being randomly determined and comprising a plurality of different replacement symbols arranged in an ordered set of replacement symbol display positions, wherein the ordered set of replacement symbol display positions includes an entry position and an exit position, and wherein each of the plurality of subsets of game symbol display positions is associated with a corresponding replacement symbol display position;
cause the processor system to substitute the special symbol displayed on the outcome with a first replacement symbol from the set of replacement symbols that corresponds to the subset of game symbol positions containing the first one of the game symbol display positions in which the special symbol was displayed to provide a modified outcome;
cause the processor system to shift remaining ones of the replacement symbols in the ordered set of replacement symbol display positions, other than the first replacement symbol, towards the exit position and inserting a new replacement symbol at the entry position; and
cause the processor system to grant an award to a player for any winning combination of symbols in the modified outcome including any replacement symbols that substituted for the special symbols.

12. The video gaming device of claim 11 , wherein displaying the replacement symbols comprises displaying a row of the replacement symbols on the display system, wherein a number of replacement symbols in the row equals a number of the subsets of game symbol display positions.

13. The video gaming device of claim 11 , further comprising machine-readable instructions that, when executed by the processor system, remove the replacement symbol displayed at the exit position if the replacement symbol displayed at the exit position is not used to replace a game symbol in the subset of game symbol display positions corresponding to the exit position.

14. The video gaming device of claim 11 , further comprising machine-readable instructions that, when executed by the processor system, remove one of the replacement symbols from the set of replacement symbols and adding a new replacement symbol to the set of replacement symbols for each game so the player is guaranteed to see a new set of replacement symbols for each game.

15. The video gaming device of claim 11 , wherein the replacement symbols are pseudo-randomly selected for inclusion in the set using weighted probabilities.

16. The video gaming device of claim 11 , wherein the replacement symbols include wild symbols and award multiplier symbols.

17. The video gaming device of claim 11 , wherein, for each subset of game symbol display positions, a special symbol displayed in one of the subset of game symbol display positions.

18. The video

Assignees

• Igt Canada Solutions Ulc

Inventors

• Comeau Brian

Classifications

• G07F17/3265

  Influencing the position of stopped moving members to achieve a winning arrangement, e.g. nudging, shuffling, holding · CPC title

• G07F17/34 Primary

  depending on the stopping of moving members {in a mechanical slot machine}, e.g. "fruit" machines · CPC title