# US 12,183,160 B2 · Gaming system and method providing free plays of a game with increasing quantities of paylines > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,183,160 B2 - Document ID: US12183160B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/342,217 - Filed: 2023-06-27 - Published: 2023-10-26 - Granted: 2024-12-31 - Earliest claimed: 2019-10-08 - Assignees: Igt - Applicants: Igt - Inventors: Craig Schaefer - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12183160B2 ## CPC - G07F 17/3267: {Game outcomes which determine the course of the subsequent game, e.g. double or quits, free games, higher payouts, different new games} - G07F 17/3209: {Input means, e.g. buttons, touch screen} - G07F 17/3213: {Details of moving display elements, e.g. spinning reels, tumbling members} - G07F 17/3223: {Architectural aspects of a gaming system, e.g. internal configuration, leader-follower, wireless communication} - G07F 17/3225: {Data transfer within a gaming system, e.g. data sent between gaming machines and users} - G07F 17/3244: {Payment aspects of a gaming system, e.g. payment schemes, setting payout ratio, bonus or consolation prizes} - G07F 17/3239: {Tracking of individual players} - G07F 17/3241: {Security aspects of a gaming system, e.g. detecting cheating, device integrity, surveillance (computer security G06F21/00)} - G07F: COIN-FREED OR LIKE APPARATUS (coin sorting G07D3/00; coin testing G07D5/00; {handling coins or paper currencies apart from payment activated apparatus G07D; payment architectures, schemes or protocols G06Q20/00}) ## Abstract Gaming systems and methods for providing free plays of a game with increasing quantities of paylines, wherein for each of a plurality of free plays of a game of a free game sequence, any awards for the displayed plurality of symbols for that free play of the game are based on a quantity of paylines associated with the symbol display positions for that free play of the game, wherein the quantity of paylines for that free play of the game is greater than a previous quantity of paylines for a previous free play of the game of the sequence by a determined quantity of additional paylines. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A gaming system comprising: a housing comprising an access door; a security monitoring circuit supported by the housing and configured to monitor the access door; a power distribution component supported by the housing; a plurality of output devices comprising a display device supported by the housing, a player tracking display supported by the housing, and a speaker supported by the housing; a sound card supported by the housing and operable with the speaker; a plurality of input devices comprising a payment device supported by the housing, a touch screen input device supported by the housing and operable with the display device, a wagering input device supported by the housing, and a cashout input device supported by the housing; a processor; and a memory device that stores a plurality of instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to: for each of a plurality of plays of a game of a sequence: randomly determine, via at least one of a random number generator and a pseudo-random number generator, a plurality of symbols of a plurality of reels, cause a display, via the display device, of the plurality of randomly determined symbols of the plurality of reels at a plurality of symbol display positions associated with the plurality of reels, determine any award for the displayed plurality of symbols based on a quantity of ways to win symbol evaluations associated with the symbol display positions for that play of the game, wherein the quantity of ways to win symbol evaluations is greater than a previous quantity of ways to win symbol evaluations for a previous play of the game of the sequence by a determined quantity of additional ways to win symbol evaluations, and wherein the determined quantity of additional ways to win symbol evaluations is randomly determined independent of the plurality of randomly determined symbols displayed at the plurality of symbol display positions associated with the plurality of reels, and cause a display, via the display device, of any determined award for that play of the game. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The gaming system of claim 1, wherein when executed by the processor, the instructions cause the processor to, for each of the plurality of plays of the game of the sequence, cause the quantity of ways to win symbol evaluations associated with the symbol display positions for that play of the game to comprise all of the determined quantities of additional ways to win symbol evaluations for all of the previous plays of the game of the sequence. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The gaming system of claim 1, wherein when executed by the processor, the instructions cause the processor to randomly determine each of the quantities of additional ways to win symbol evaluations. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The gaming system of claim 3, wherein when executed by the processor, the instructions cause the processor to, for each of the plurality of plays of the game of the sequence, determine any award for the displayed plurality of symbols based on the quantity of ways to win symbol evaluations associated with the symbol display positions for that play of the game, wherein the quantity of ways to win symbol evaluations is greater than each of the previous quantity of ways to win symbol evaluations for each of the previous plays of the game of the sequence. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The gaming system of claim 1, wherein when executed by the processor, the instructions cause the processor to, for one of the plays of the game, cause a display, via the display device, of a plurality different possible quantities of additional ways to win symbol evaluations for that play of the game before determining one of those different possible quantities of additional ways to win symbol evaluations for that play of the game. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The gaming system of claim 1, wherein when executed by the processor, the instructions cause the processor to, for one of the plurality of plays of the game, cause a display, via the display device, of a plurality of additional symbol display positions associated with the plurality of reels, and cause a display, via the display device, of a plurality of randomly determined symbols of the plurality of reels at the plurality of symbol display positions and the plurality of additional symbol display positions. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The gaming system of claim 1, wherein when executed by the processor, the instructions cause the processor to accumulate designated symbols during the plays of the game of the sequence, and responsive to an occurrence of a triggering event associated with the accumulated designated symbols, increase a quantity of the plays of the game of the sequence. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The gaming system of claim 1, further comprising an acceptor, wherein when executed by the processor, the instructions cause the processor to, as a result of a physical item being received via the acceptor, modify a credit balance based on a monetary value associated with the received physical item, and as a result of a cashout input being received, cause an initiation of any payout associated with the credit balance. ### Claim 9 A gaming system comprising: a housing comprising an access door, a security monitoring circuit supported by the housing and configured to monitor the access door; a power distribution component supported by the housing; a plurality of output devices comprising a display device supported by the housing, a player tracking display supported by the housing, and a speaker supported by the housing; a sound card supported by the housing and operable with the speaker; a plurality of input devices comprising a payment device supported by the housing, a touch screen input device supported by the housing and operable with the display device, a wagering input device supported by the housing, and a cashout input device supported by the housing; a processor; and a memory device that stores a plurality of instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to: cause a display, via the display device, of a first play of a game of a sequence, the first play of the game comprising: a first random determination, via at least one of a random number generator and a pseudo-random number generator, of a first plurality of symbols of a plurality of reels, a first display, via the display device, of the first plurality of randomly determined symbols of the plurality of reels at a plurality of symbol display positions associated with the plurality of reels, and a first determination of a first award for the displayed first plurality of symbols based on a first quantity of ways to win symbol evaluations associated with the symbol display positions for the first play of the game, wherein the first quantity of ways to win symbol evaluations comprises a base quantity of ways to win symbol evaluations and a randomly determined first quantity of additional ways to win symbol evaluations, and wherein the randomly determined first quantity of additional ways to win symbol evaluations is determined independent of the first plurality of randomly determined symbols displayed at the plurality of symbol display positions associated with the plurality of reels; cause a first display, via the display device, of the first award for the first play of the game; cause a display, via the display device, of a second play of the game of the sequence, the second play of the game comprising: a second random determination, via at least one of the random number generator and the pseudo-random number generator, of a second plurality of symbols of the plurality of reels, a second display, via the display device, of the second plurality of randomly determined symbols of the plurality of reels at the plurality of symbol display positions associated with the plurality of reels, and a second determination of a second award for the displayed second plurality of symbols based on a second quantity of ways to win symbol evaluations associated with the symbol display positions for the second play of the game, wherein the second quantity of ways to win symbol evaluations comprises the base quantity of ways to win symbol evaluations, the randomly determined first quantity of additional ways to win symbol evaluations, and the randomly determined second quantity of additional ways to win symbol evaluations, and wherein the randomly determined second quantity of additional ways to win symbol evaluations is determined independent of the second plurality of randomly determined symbols displayed at the plurality of symbol display positions associated with the plurality of reels; cause a second display, via the display device, of the second award for the second play of the game; cause a display, via the display device, of a third play of the game of the sequence, the third play of the game comprising: a third random determination, via at least one of the random number generator and the pseudo-random number generator, of a third plurality of symbols of the plurality of reels, a third display, via the display device, of the third plurality of randomly determined symbols of the plurality of reels at the plurality of symbol display positions associated with the plurality of reels, a third determination of a third award for the displayed third plurality of symbols based on a third quantity of ways to win symbol evaluations associated with the symbol display positions for the third play of the game, wherein the third quantity of ways to win symbol evaluations comprises the base quantity of ways to win symbol evaluations, the randomly determined first quantity of additional ways to win symbol evaluations, the randomly determined second quantity of additional ways to win symbol evaluations, and the randomly determined third quantity of additional ways to win symbol evaluations, and wherein the randomly determined third quantity of additional ways to win symbol evaluations is determined independent of the third plurality of randomly determined symbols displayed at the plurality of symbol display positions associated with the plurality of reels; and cause a third display, via the display device, of the third award for the third play of the game. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The gaming system of claim 9, wherein when executed by the processor, the instructions cause the processor to, for each of the plays of the game, cause a display, via the display device, of a plurality different possible quantities of additional ways to win symbol evaluations for that play of the game before randomly determining one of those quantities of additional ways to win symbol evaluations for that play of the game. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The gaming system of claim 9, wherein when executed by the processor, the instructions cause the processor to, for one of the plurality of plays of the game, cause a display, via the display device, of a plurality of additional symbol display positions associated with the plurality of reels, and cause a display, via the display device, of a plurality of randomly determined symbols of the plurality of reels at the plurality of symbol display positions and the plurality of additional symbol display positions. ### Claim 12 (depends on 9) The gaming system of claim 9, wherein when executed by the processor, the instructions cause the processor to, accumulate designated symbols during the plays of the game, and responsive to an occurrence of a triggering event associated with the accumulated designated symbols, for one of the plurality of plays of the game of the sequence, determine an additional award for the displayed plurality of symbols based on an additional quantity of ways to win symbol evaluations associated with the symbol display positions for that play of the game. ### Claim 13 (depends on 9) The gaming system of claim 9, wherein when executed by the processor, the instructions cause the processor to accumulate designated symbols during the plays of the game, and responsive to an occurrence of a triggering event associated with the accumulated designated symbols, increase a quantity of the plays of the game of the sequence. ### Claim 14 A gaming system comprising: a housing comprising an access door; a security monitoring circuit supported by the housing and configured to monitor the access door; a power distribution component supported by the housing; a plurality of output devices comprising a display device supported by the housing, a player tracking display supported by the housing, and a speaker supported by the housing; a sound card supported by the housing and operable with the speaker; a plurality of input devices comprising a payment device supported by the housing, a touch screen input device supported by the housing and operable with the display device, a wagering input device supported by the housing, and a cashout input device supported by the housing; a processor; and a memory device that stores a plurality of instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to: for each of a plurality of plays of a game of a sequence: cause a display, via the display device, of a plurality different possible quantities of additional ways to win symbol evaluations for the play of the game before determining one of those different possible quantities of additional ways to win symbol evaluations for the play of the game, randomly determine, via at least one of a random number generator and a pseudo-random number generator, a plurality of symbols of a plurality of reels, cause a display, via the display device, of the plurality of randomly determined symbols of the plurality of reels at a plurality of symbol display positions associated with the plurality of reels, determine any award for the displayed plurality of symbols based on a quantity of ways to win symbol evaluations associated with the symbol display positions for that play of the game, wherein the quantity of ways to win symbol evaluations is greater than a previous quantity of ways to win symbol evaluations for a previous play of the game of the sequence by a determined one of the displayed possible quantities of additional ways to win symbol evaluations, and wherein the determined quantity of additional ways to win symbol evaluations is randomly determined independent of the plurality of randomly determined symbols displayed at the plurality of symbol display positions associated with the plurality of reels, and cause a display, via the display device, of any determined award for that play of the game, wherein for at least two plays of the game of the game sequence, the respective plurality of different possible quantities of additional ways to win. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The gaming system of claim 14, wherein when executed by the processor, the instructions cause the processor to, for each of the plurality of plays of the game of the sequence, cause the quantity of ways to win symbol evaluations associated with the symbol display positions for that play of the game to comprise all of the determined quantities of additional ways to win symbol evaluations for all of the previous plays of the game of the sequence. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The gaming system of claim 14, wherein when executed by the processor, the instructions cause the processor to randomly determine each of the quantities of additional ways to win symbol evaluations. ### Claim 17 (depends on 14) The gaming system of claim 14, wherein when executed by the processor, the instructions cause the processor to, for each of the plurality of plays of the game of the sequence, determine any award for the displayed plurality of symbols based on the quantity of ways to win symbol evaluations associated with the symbol display positions for that play of the game, wherein the quantity of ways to win symbol evaluations is greater than each of the previous quantity of ways to win symbol evaluations for each of the previous plays of the game of the sequence. ### Claim 18 (depends on 14) The gaming system of claim 14, wherein when executed by the processor, the instructions cause the processor to, for one of the plurality of plays of the game, cause a display, via the display device, of a plurality of additional symbol display positions associated with the plurality of reels, and cause a display, via the display device, of a plurality of randomly determined symbols of the plurality of reels at the plurality of symbol display positions and the plurality of additional symbol display positions. ### Claim 19 (depends on 14) The gaming system of claim 14, wherein when executed by the processor, the instructions cause the processor to accumulate designated symbols during the plays of the game of the sequence, and responsive to an occurrence of a triggering event associated with the accumulated designated symbols, increase a quantity of the plays of the game of the sequence. ### Claim 20 (depends on 14) The gaming system of claim 14, further comprising an acceptor, wherein when executed by the processor, the instructions cause the processor to, as a result of a physical item being received via the acceptor, modify a credit balance based on a monetary value associated with the received physical item, and as a result of a cashout input being received, cause an initiation of any payout associated with the credit balance.