US 12,183,169 B2Granted

Gaming machine and methods of allowing a player to play gaming machines having replaceable reels

AssigneeKonami Gaming, Inc.

InventorKeith Rucker

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Abstract

A gaming device for providing an award to a player is described. The gaming device includes a controller that is configured to display a game including a plurality of reels being displayed within a grid. Each of the plurality of reels includes a plurality of symbol positions that are each being displayed with a corresponding symbol. The controller randomly generates a first outcome and spins and stops the plurality of reels to display the first outcome. The controller also detects a triggering condition and responsively selects a reel and replaces the selected reel with a replacement reel. The replacement reel includes a number of symbol positions being displayed in the grid that is less than a number of symbol positions included with the selected reel. The controller randomly generates a second outcome, spins and stops the plurality of reels including the replacement reel.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A gaming machine, comprising:

a gaming cabinet;
a display device mounted to the gaming cabinet and including a display screen displaying computer-generated images;
a user input device mounted to the gaming cabinet and configured to generate a signal indicative of a player's selection input;
and
a controller including one or more processors coupled to the display device and the user input device, the one or more processors programmed to execute an algorithm to display an animated sequence of computer-generated images on the display device including the steps of:
rendering five reels within five columns on the display screen of the display device with each of the five reels including a plurality of symbol positions displayed with a corresponding symbol;
transforming a first set of adjacent reels of the five reels into a first single replacement reel having fewer symbol positions than the first set of adjacent reels and displaying oversized symbols extending across each column associated with the first set of adjacent reels;
transforming a second set of adjacent reels of the five reels into a second single replacement reel having fewer symbol positions than the second set of adjacent reels and displaying oversized symbols extending across each column associated with the second set of adjacent reels;
and
animating the reels including the first and second replacement reels to spin and stop to display an outcome of a game.

7 more elements

A method of operating a gaming machine including a gaming cabinet, a display device mounted to the gaming cabinet and including a display screen displaying computer-generated images, a user input device mounted to the gaming cabinet and configured to generate a signal indicative of a player's selection input, and a controller including one or more processors coupled to the display device and the user input device, the method including the one or more processors performing an algorithm to display an animated sequence of computer-generated images on the display device including the steps of:

rendering five reels within five columns on the display screen of the display device with each of the five reels including a plurality of symbol positions displayed with a corresponding symbol;
transforming a first set of adjacent reels of the five reels into a first single replacement reel having fewer symbol positions than the first set of adjacent reels and displaying oversized symbols extending across each column associated with the first set of adjacent reels;
transforming a second set of adjacent reels of the five reels into a second single replacement reel having fewer symbol positions than the second set of adjacent reels and displaying oversized symbols extending across each column associated with the second set of adjacent reels;
and
animating the reels including the first and second replacement reels to spin and stop to display an outcome of a game.

2 more elements

A non-transitory computer-readable storage media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon for operating a gaming machine including a gaming cabinet, a display device mounted to the gaming cabinet and including a display screen displaying computer-generated images, a user input device mounted to the gaming cabinet and configured to generate a signal indicative of a player's selection input, and a controller including one or more processors coupled to the display device and the user input device, when executed by one or more processors the computer-executable instructions cause the one or more processors to perform an algorithm to display an animated sequence of computer-generated images on the display device including the steps of:

rendering five reels within five columns on the display screen of the display device with each of the five reels including a plurality of symbol positions displayed with a corresponding symbol;
transforming a first set of adjacent reels of the five reels into a first single replacement reel having fewer symbol positions than the first set of adjacent reels and displaying oversized symbols extending across each column associated with the first set of adjacent reels;
transforming a second set of adjacent reels of the five reels into a second single replacement reel having fewer symbol positions than the second set of adjacent reels and displaying oversized symbols extending across each column associated with the second set of adjacent reels;
and
animating the reels including the first and second replacement reels to spin and stop to display an outcome of a game.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 18/131,750Filed 6 Apr 2023 · continuation
Priority: AU 201422411412 Sep 2014
Published: US 2023/0377426 A123 Nov 2023
Granted: 31 Dec 2024
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification3 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 17/326
For games, toys, sports, or amusements: game play aspects of gaming systems
G07F
Coin-freed or like apparatus

Family

Application14/836,843Parent of this continuation · filed 26 Aug 2015
Application17/024,548Parent of this continuation · filed 17 Sep 2020
US 10,810,844 B2Parent of this continuation · filed 20 Oct 2020
US 2023/0377426 A1Pre-grant publication · published 23 Nov 2023
US 11,651,661 B2Parent of this continuation
US 2016/0078711 A1Published application
US 2021/0264742 A1Published application
US 12,183,169 B2This patent

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

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