Method of operating a gaming system, a gaming system and a game controller

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12315344-B2
Application number	US-202418435644-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 7, 2024
Priority date	Sep 23, 2015
Publication date	May 27, 2025
Grant date	May 27, 2025

Abstract

An electronic method of operating a gaming system. The method includes selecting a plurality of symbols, displaying the selected symbols, and upon the displayed symbols including one or more designated symbols, retaining each displayed designated symbol for a subsequent game round at a respective symbol display position at which the designated symbol is displayed. The method also includes, in the subsequent game round, selecting, a plurality of symbols from the symbol data, upon a further designated symbol being selected for display at a symbol display position at which the retained designated symbol is displayed, modifying the retained designated symbol to indicate that a win containing the retained designated symbol will be increased, and upon the selected symbols in the subsequent game round corresponding to a winning outcome incorporating the modified retained designated symbol, making an award of an award value corresponding to the winning outcome modifier by the increase.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A gaming server for use with a client computing device, the gaming server comprising:
a communication interface;
a memory storing instructions; and
a processor, wherein execution of the instructions causes the processor to at least:
transmit via the communication interface a game outcome comprising first symbols to be displayed in a first column of display positions of the client computing device and second symbols to be displayed in a second column of display positions of the client computing device; and
in response to a trigger condition, transmit to the client computing device via the communication interface a first updated game outcome, wherein the first updated game outcome comprises first replacement symbols to replace one or more symbols displayed in the second column of display positions, wherein the first replacement symbols include a respective first replacement symbol to be displayed at each display position of the second column without a designated symbol, and wherein each display position with the designated symbol in the second column retains its respective designated symbol.

2. The gaming server of claim 1 , wherein execution of the instructions causes the processor to transmit, to the client computing device via the communication interface, a second updated game outcome, wherein the second updated game outcome comprises second replacement symbols to replace one or more symbols displayed in the second column of display positions, wherein the second replacement symbols include a respective second replacement symbol to be displayed at each display position of the second column without the designated symbol, and wherein each display position of the second column with the designated symbol retains its respective designated symbol.

3. The gaming server of claim 2 , wherein execution of the instructions causes the processor to transmit, to the client computing device via the communication interface, updated game outcomes to the client computing device until an update fails to replace at least one symbol with the designated symbol.

4. The gaming server of claim 1 , wherein:
the first column corresponds to a single leftmost column of display positions per a perspective of a player of the client computing device; and
the second column corresponds to one of a remaining rightmost columns per the perspective of the player of the client computing device.

5. The gaming server of claim 1 , wherein:
the first column corresponds to a single leftmost column of display positions per a perspective of a player of the client computing device; and
wherein the first replacement symbols of the first updated game outcome include a respective first replacement symbol to be displayed at each display position of four rightmost columns of display positions per the perspective of the player the client computing device.

6. The gaming server of claim 1 , wherein:
the first column corresponds to a single leftmost column of display positions per a perspective of a player of the client computing device; and
execution of the instructions causes the processor to determine that the trigger condition has occurred in response to each column of display positions of a remaining rightmost columns including at least one instance of the designated symbol.

7. The gaming server of claim 1 , wherein execution of the instructions causes the processor to transmit, to the client computing device via the communication interface, third symbols to be displayed in a third column of display positions of the client computing device.

8. The gaming server of claim 7 , wherein execution of the instructions causes the processor to transmit, to the client computing device via the communication interface, second replacement symbols to replace one or more symbols displayed in the third column of display positions, wherein the second replacement symbols include a respective second replacement symbol to be displayed at each display position of the third column without the designated symbol, and wherein each display position of the third column with the designated symbol retains its respective designated symbol.

9. The gaming server of claim 1 , wherein the designated symbol is a WILD symbol.

10. A method of a client computing device, comprising:
receiving symbols from a gaming server for display in a first column of display positions and in a plurality of remaining columns of display positions of the client computing device; and
in response to detecting a trigger condition based on the symbols received by the client computing device, receiving first replacement symbols at the client computing device for display in the plurality of remaining columns, wherein the first replacement symbols include a respective first replacement symbol to be displayed at each display position of the plurality of remaining columns without a designated symbol, and wherein each display position with the designated symbol in the plurality of remaining columns retains its respective designated symbol.

11. The method of claim 10 , comprising receiving second replacement symbols for the plurality of remaining columns in response to the first replacement symbols including the designated symbol.

12. The method of claim 11 , comprising receiving third replacement symbols for the plurality of remaining columns in response to the second replacement symbols including the designated symbol.

13. The method of claim 10 , comprising receiving a set of replacement symbols for the plurality of remaining columns until a transmitted set of replacement symbols fails to include the designated symbol.

14. The method of claim 13 , comprising, in response to the transmitted set of replacement symbols failing to include the designated symbol:
receiving at the client computing device symbols for display in the first column of display positions; and
providing an award based on the symbols in the first column and the symbols in the plurality of remaining columns.

15. The method of claim 10 , wherein the first column of display positions corresponds to a leftmost column of the client computing device.

16. The method of claim 10 , wherein:
the first column of display positions corresponds to a leftmost column of the client computing device; and
the plurality of remaining columns corresponds to a remaining rightmost columns of display positions.

17. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed, cause a gaming server to:
select first symbols for a first game outcome;
transmit the first game outcome to a client computing device for display in columns of the client computing device;
detect an occurrence of a trigger condition; and
in response to the detected occurrence of the trigger condition:
select first replacement symbols for display positions of one or more columns of the client computing device without a designated symbol, thus retaining the designated symbol at display positions of the one or more columns with the designated symbol; and
transmit the first replacement symbols to the client computing device for display at the one or more columns.

18. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 17 , wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the gaming server to:
select second replacement symbols for display positions of one or more columns of the client computing device without the designated symbol, thus retaining the designated symbol at display positions of the one or more columns with the designated symbol; and
transmit the second repl

Assignees

• Aristocrat Technologies Au

Inventors

• Sanders Liam
• Chan Matthew

Classifications

• G07F17/326

  Game play aspects of gaming systems · CPC title

• G07F17/34

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

• G07F17/3225

  Data transfer within a gaming system, e.g. data sent between gaming machines and users · CPC title

• G07F17/3209

  Input means, e.g. buttons, touch screen · CPC title

• G07F17/3251

  involving media of variable value, e.g. programmable cards, programmable tokens · CPC title