Gaming device with shifting replacement symbols

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9940794-B2
Application number	US-201414302217-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 11, 2014
Priority date	Jun 11, 2014
Publication date	Apr 10, 2018
Grant date	Apr 10, 2018

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 display system, a processing system, and an acceptor to receive a physical item having a monetary value associated with the received physical item, the method comprising, for a play of a game:
a. displaying a first plurality of randomly determined symbols at a plurality of symbol display positions associated with a plurality of reels to form an outcome;
b. displaying on the display system a set of replacement symbols concurrently with the first plurality of randomly determined symbols, the set of replacement symbols comprising a plurality of different symbols, where each reel of the plurality of reels is associated with a corresponding replacement symbol in the set of replacement symbols, wherein values of the replacement symbols are displayed to a player, wherein the set of replacement symbols are displayed on the display system separately from the plurality of reels, and wherein the replacement symbols for inclusion in the set are selected pseudo-randomly independently of any displayed symbol combination;
c. substituting, under control of the processing system, a first special symbol displayed on the outcome with a first replacement symbol from the set of replacement symbols that corresponds to a first reel of the plurality of reels on which the first special symbol was displayed, and substituting, under control of the processing system, a second special symbol displayed on the outcome with a second replacement symbol that corresponds to a second reel on which the second special symbol was displayed, wherein each replacement symbol in the set of replacement symbols is uniquely associated with an associated one of the plurality of reels such that only the replacement symbol associated with the reel displaying the special symbol substitutes for the special symbol on that reel;
d. granting an award to a player for any winning combination of symbols in the outcome based on all symbols displayed, including any replacement symbols that substituted for the special symbols; and
e. replacing replacement symbols in the set that have been used to substitute for the special symbols.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein step b 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 reels.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein step b comprises displaying a plurality of rows of the replacement symbols, wherein only a bottom row of replacement symbols is used to substitute for the special symbols in the game.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising removing at least one of the replacement symbols from the set and adding a new replacement symbol to the set 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 on each reel.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of 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 step of substituting the special symbol displayed on the reels with a replacement symbol from the set comprises altering a reel that displayed the special symbol to instead display the replacement symbol, wherein the method further comprises changing the reel back to its original state after the award is granted.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the special symbols have no value other than to be replaced by the replacement symbols.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the display system and processing system are part of a dedicated video gaming machine.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the display system and processing system are part of a multi-use computing device programmed to carry out the game.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the display system and processing system are part of a portable computing device programmed to carry out the game via the Internet.

14. A video gaming device comprising:
a display system;
a programmed processor system, and
an acceptor to receive a physical item having a monetary value associated with the received physical item;
wherein the processor system is programmed for carrying out the following operations:
a. displaying a first plurality of randomly determined symbols at a plurality of symbol display positions associated with a plurality of reels to form an outcome;
b. displaying on the display system a set of replacement symbols concurrently with the first plurality of randomly determined symbols, the set of replacement symbols comprising a plurality of different symbols, where each reel of the plurality of reels can display a special symbol is associated with a corresponding replacement symbol in the set of replacement symbols, wherein values of the replacement symbols are displayed to a player, wherein the set of replacement symbols are displayed on the display system separately from the plurality of reels, and wherein the replacement symbols for inclusion in the set are selected pseudo-randomly independently of any displayed symbol combination;
c. substituting, under control of the processing system, a first special symbol displayed on the outcome with a first replacement symbol from the set of replacement symbols that corresponds to a first reel of the plurality of reels on which the first special symbol was displayed, and substituting, under control of the processing system, a second special symbol displayed on the outcome with a second replacement symbol that corresponds to a second reel on which the second special symbol was displayed, wherein each replacement symbol in the set of replacement symbols is uniquely associated with an associated one of the plurality of reels such that only the replacement symbol associated with the reel displaying the special symbol substitutes for the special symbol on that reel;
d. granting an award to a player for any winning combination of symbols in the outcome based on all symbols displayed, including any replacement symbols that substituted for the special symbols; and
e. replacing replacement symbols in the set that have been used to substitute for the special symbols.

15. The device of claim 14 wherein step b 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 reels.

16. The device of claim 14 wherein step b comprises displaying a plurality of rows of the replacement symbols, wherein only a bottom row of replacement symbols is used to substitute for the special symbols in the first game.

17. The device of claim 14 wherein the processing system is further programmed to perform the step of removing at least one of the replacement symbols from the set and adding a new replacement symbol to the set for each game so the player is guaranteed to see a new set of replacement symbols for each game.

18. The device of claim 14 wherein the replacement symbols are pseudo-randomly selected by the processing system for inclusion in the set using weighted probabilities.

19. The device of claim 14 wherein the video gaming device is

Assignees

• Gtech Canada Ulc
• Igt Canada Solutions Ulc

Inventors

• Comeau Brian

Classifications

• G07F17/34 Primary

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

• G07F17/3265

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