US 12,183,168 B2Granted

Gaming machine with enhanced respin feature

AssigneeAristocrat Technologies Australia Pty Limited

InventorsDavid Marsh, Karl Roelofs

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Abstract

A gaming machine includes a display device and a game controller. The display device includes reels disposed horizontally along the display device. The reels include an initial reel, intermediary reels disposed right of the initial reel, and a last reel disposed right of the intermediary reels. Each reel presents a vertical column of symbols. The game controller spins the reels to obtain a first game outcome comprising a first array of symbols. In response to a first reel presenting a respin symbol, the game controller selects a second reel that is adjacent to the first reel based on wrap-around adjacency between the initial reel and the last reel, and respins the second reel to obtain a second game outcome comprising a second array of symbols. The game controller may also respin a horizontal row of symbols adjacent a respin symbol.

Claims14

Dependent claims

A central determination system, comprising:

a controller;
and
a memory storing instructions which, when executed by the controller, cause the controller to generate a first game outcome and transmit one or more signals that cause a gaming machine coupled to the central determination system to:
display, on one or more display devices of the gaming machine, the first game outcome by spinning a plurality of reels displayed by the one or more display devices, wherein a first reel of the plurality of reels carries symbols including a first directional modifier that, for at least multiple successive games, points in a fixed direction toward a second reel of the plurality of reels that is adjacent to the first reel;
and
in response to the first reel displaying a first column of symbols that includes the first directional modifier that identifies the second reel by pointing in the fixed direction from the first reel to the second reel, respin only the second reel displayed by the one or more display devices while holding other reels of the plurality of reels in place to present a second game outcome that includes the first column of symbols and an updated second column of symbols displayed by the respun second reel.

3 more elements

A method of a gaming system, the method comprising:

generating a first game outcome with a central determination system of the gaming system;
transmitting the first game outcome to a gaming machine via a network to cause the gaming machine to display the first game outcome by spinning a plurality of reels displayed on one or more display devices, wherein a first reel of the plurality of reels carries symbols including a first respin symbol that points in a fixed direction, for multiple successive game plays, toward a second reel of the plurality of reels that is adjacent to the first reel;
and
in response to the first reel displaying, on the one or more display devices, a first column of symbols that includes the first respin symbol that identifies the second reel by pointing in the fixed direction from the first reel to the second reel, respinning the second reel displayed on the one or more display devices while holding other reels of the plurality of reels in place to display a second game outcome one the one or more display devices that includes the first column of symbols and an updated second column of symbols displayed by the respun second reel.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 17/987,342Filed 15 Nov 2022 · continuation
Priority: 7 Feb 2018
Published: US 2023/0073877 A19 Mar 2023
Granted: 31 Dec 2024
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification5 codes

G07F 17/34
For games, toys, sports, or amusements: depending on the stopping of moving members in a mechanical slot machine, e.g. "fruit" machines
G07F 17/3213
Display means: details of moving display elements, e.g. spinning reels, tumbling members
G07F 17/323
Data transfer within a gaming system, e.g. data sent between gaming machines and users: wherein the player is informed, e.g. advertisements, odds,…
G07F 17/3258
Payment aspects of a gaming system, e.g. payment schemes, setting payout ratio, bonus or consolation prizes: cumulative reward schemes, e.g. jackpots

Family

Application15/890,765Parent of this continuation · filed 7 Feb 2018
Application16/927,301Parent of this continuation · filed 13 Jul 2020
US 10,733,849 B2Parent of this continuation · filed 4 Aug 2020
US 2023/0073877 A1Pre-grant publication · published 9 Mar 2023
US 11,521,468 B2Parent of this continuation
US 2019/0244488 A1Published application
US 2020/0342721 A1Published application
US 12,183,168 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

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