Merged game matrices on an electronic gaming machine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11238692-B2
Application number	US-202016902930-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 16, 2020
Priority date	Sep 1, 2017
Publication date	Feb 1, 2022
Grant date	Feb 1, 2022

Abstract

A method of playing a feature game on a gaming machine. A display displays a first game and a second game. A game controller determines if a merging condition occurs, and if a merging condition occurs, animates a merging of the first game and the second game into a merged game at the display. The merged game has a plurality of display positions from the first game, the second game, and a set of additional display positions.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A non-transitory computer-readable medium readable by at least one processor and comprising instructions stored thereon to cause the at least one processor to at least:
cause display of a first game instance having a first plurality of display positions and a second game instance having a second plurality of display positions;
cause a merge of the first game instance and the second game instance when a merging condition occurs, with an insertion of a set of additional display positions between the first plurality of display positions and the second plurality of display positions to form a third plurality of display positions; whereby the third plurality of display positions forms a first merged game instance having contiguous display positions;
populate the first plurality of display positions and the second plurality of display positions in the first merged game instance with symbols selected from a first symbol set, based on one or more random numbers generated by a random number generator;
populate the set of additional display positions with symbols selected from a special symbol set formed from a wild symbol and a predetermined symbol from the first symbol set; and
generate a game outcome when the symbols selected in the first merged game instance form a winning outcome.

2. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1 , wherein the merging condition occurs when the first game instance has been played a predetermined number of times.

3. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1 , wherein the merging condition occurs when the first game instance displays the predetermined symbol.

4. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1 , wherein the merging condition occurs when both the first game instance and the second game instance have winning outcomes.

5. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1 , wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the at least one processor to:
cause display of a separator that separates the first game instance from the second game instance before the merge; and
cause an animation of a removal of the separator at the merge of the first game instance and the second game instance for the insertion of the set of additional display positions.

6. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 5 , wherein the animation of the removal of the separator further comprises showing at least one rope being attached to the separator and the separator being pulled the separator away by the at least one rope from between the first game instance and the second game instance.

7. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1 , wherein the special symbol set is the first symbol set.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1 , wherein the predetermined symbol is the wild symbol.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1 , wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the at least one processor to:
cause display of a fourth game instance having a fourth plurality of display positions; and
animating a second merge of the fourth game instance with the first merged game instance to form a second merged game instance comprising the third plurality of display positions and the fourth plurality of display positions.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1 , wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the processor to cause display of the symbols selected for the set of additional display positions before displaying the symbols selected for the first plurality of display positions and the second plurality of display positions.

11. A gaming machine comprising:
a credit input that receives a credit;
a display that displays a first game instance having a first plurality of display positions and a second game instance having a second plurality of display positions, and animates a merge of the first game instance and the second game instance when a merging condition occurs with an insertion of a set of additional display positions between the first plurality of display positions and the second plurality of display positions to form a third plurality of display positions; whereby the third plurality of display positions forms a first merged game instance having contiguous display positions; and
a game controller comprising a processor and a memory storing instructions, which, when executed, cause the processor to at least:
populate the first plurality of display positions and the second plurality of display positions in the first merged game instance with symbols selected from a first symbol set, based on one or more random numbers generated by a random number generator,
populate the set of additional display positions with symbols selected from a special symbol set formed from a wild symbol and a predetermined symbol from the first symbol set, and
present an award when the symbols selected in the first merged game instance form a winning outcome.

12. The gaming machine of claim 11 , wherein the merging condition occurs when the first game instance has been played a predetermined number of times.

13. The gaming machine of claim 11 , wherein the merging condition occurs when the first game instance displays the predetermined symbol.

14. The gaming machine of claim 11 , wherein the merging condition occurs when both the first game instance and the second game instance have winning outcomes.

15. The gaming machine of claim 11 , wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the display to display a separator that separates the first game instance from the second game instance before the merge, and animate a removal of the separator at the merge of the first game instance and the second game instance for the insertion of the set of additional display positions.

16. The gaming machine of claim 15 , wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the display to show at least one rope being attached to the separator and the separator being pulled the separator away by the at least one rope from between the first game instance and the second game instance at the removal of the separator.

17. The gaming machine of claim 11 , wherein the special symbol set is the first symbol set.

18. The gaming machine of claim 17 , wherein the predetermined symbol is the wild symbol.

19. The gaming machine of claim 11 , wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the display to display a fourth game instance having a fourth plurality of display positions, and to animate a second merge of the fourth game instance with the first merged game instance to form a second merged game instance comprising the third plurality of display positions and the fourth plurality of display positions.

20. The gaming machine of claim 11 , wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the display to display the symbols selected for the set of additional display positions before displaying the symbols selected for the first plurality of display positions and the second plurality of display positions.

Assignees

• Aristocrat Technologies Au

Inventors

• Penacho Gary Joseph
• Tuomey Thomas

Classifications

• G07F17/34

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

• G07F17/3213 Primary

  Details of moving display elements, e.g. spinning reels, tumbling members · CPC title

• G07F17/3267

  Game outcomes which determine the course of the subsequent game, e.g. double or quits, free games, higher payouts, different new games · CPC title

• G07F17/3244

  Payment aspects of a gaming system, e.g. payment schemes, setting payout ratio, bonus or consolation prizes · CPC title

• G07F17/326

  Game play aspects of gaming systems · CPC title