US 7,682,246 B2Granted

Gaming device and method having free activation mode and free activation mode with free activation retrigger

AssigneeIgt

InventorsKaren M. Cregan, Anthony J. Baerlocher, Ryan W. Cuddy, Erick T. Ching, Jasonlee Kissee Hohman

Life of this patent

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Abstract

A gaming device including a free activation mode having a predetermined number of free activations wherein the probability of extending the free activation mode is increased by a triggering event which triggers an unlimited number of free activations. A termination event terminates the unlimited fee activations. A freezing event freezes the number of remaining free activations. A resetting event resets the number of remaining free activations. A locking event causes at least one symbol or at least one card to remain unchanged or lock during the unlimited free activations. The gaming device generates a plurality of symbols while not changing the locked symbol or re-deals the remaining cards an unlimited number of times until a termination event occurs.

Claims29

Dependent claims

A gaming device comprising:

at least one display device;
at least one processor;
and
at least one memory device which stores a plurality of instructions, which when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor, upon a triggering event, to:
(a) provide an initial amount of free plays of a game, said game having a plurality of symbols, a plurality of winning symbols combinations, and a plurality of awards associated with the winning symbol combinations, wherein the initial amount is at least two;
(b) for each said free play of the game, provide any of the awards associated with winning symbol combinations which occur in said free play of the game;
(c) for each said free play of the game, reduce the number of remaining free plays of the game;
and
(d) if a freezing event occurs in any of said free plays of the game, provide additional free plays of the game:
(i) until a terminating event occurs;
(ii) without reducing the number of remaining free plays of the game, and
(iii) for each said additional free play of the game, provide any awards associated with winning symbol combinations which occur in said additional free play of the game.

9 more elements

A gaming device comprising:

at least one display device;
at least one processor;
and
at least one memory device which stores a plurality of instructions, which when executed by the at least one processor, cause said at least one processor to operate with the at least one display device, upon
a free activation mode triggering event, to:
(a) initiate a free activation mode of a game, said game including a plurality of symbols, a plurality of winning symbol combinations, and a plurality of awards associated with the winning symbol combinations;
(b) provide an initial amount of free activations of the game for said free activation mode, said initial amount being greater than one;
(c) generate a plurality of the symbols and decrease the number of remaining free activations of the game;
(d) display said generated plurality of the symbols;
(e) determine if any winning symbol combinations occur and display any awards associated with said winning symbol combinations;
(f) repeat (c) to (e) until a freezing event occurs or until the number of remaining free activations of the game reaches a designated number;
(g) if the freezing event occurs in the free activation mode:
(i) freeze the number of remaining free activations of the game;
(ii) generate a plurality of the symbols without decreasing the number of remaining free activations of the game;
(iii) display said generated plurality of the symbols;
(iv) determine if any winning symbol combinations occur and display any awards associated with said winning symbol combinations;
and
(v) repeat (ii) to (iv) until a terminating event occurs;
and
(iv) if a terminating event occurs and if the number of remaining free activations of the game has not reached the designated number, repeat (c) to (f);
and
(h) end the free activation mode if the number of remaining free activations reaches the designated number.

19 more elements

A method of operating a gaming device, said method comprising:

(a) initiating a free activation mode of a game if a free activation mode triggering event occurs, wherein the free activation mode has an initial amount of free activations, the initial amount being greater than one;
(b) generating a plurality of symbols and decreasing the number of remaining free activations of said free activation mode;
(c) causing at least one display device to display said generated plurality of symbols;
(d) determining if any winning symbol combinations occur and displaying any awards associated with said winning symbol combinations;
(e) repeating (b) to (d) until a freezing event occurs in the free activation mode or until the number of remaining free activations reaches a designated number;
(f) if a freezing event occurs in the free activation mode:
(i) freezing the number of remaining free activations;
(ii) generating another plurality of symbols without decreasing the number of remaining free activations;
(iii) causing the at least one display device to display said generated plurality of symbols;
(iv) determining if any winning symbol combinations occur and displaying any awards associated with said winning symbol combinations;
(v) repeating (ii) to (iv) until a terminating event occurs;
and
(vi) if a terminating event occurs and if the number of remaining free activations has not reached the designated number, repeating (b) to (e);
and
(g) ending the free activation mode if the number of remaining free activations reaches the designated number.

12 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 11/217,182Filed 1 Sep 2005 · continuation in part
Priority: 11 Sep 2002
Published: US 2006/0068885 A130 Mar 2006
Granted: 23 Mar 2010
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification4 codes

G07F 17/3267
Game play aspects of gaming systems: game outcomes which determine the course of the subsequent game, e.g. double or quits, free games, higher…
G07F 17/3244
For games, toys, sports, or amusements: payment aspects of a gaming system, e.g. payment schemes, setting payout ratio, bonus or consolation prizes
G07F 17/3265
Player actions which determine the course of the game, e.g. selecting a prize to be won, outcome to be achieved, game to be played: influencing…
G07F
Coin-freed or like apparatus

Family

Application10/241,255Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 11 Sep 2002
Application10/661,443Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 12 Sep 2003
US 2006/0068885 A1Pre-grant publication · published 30 Mar 2006
US 7,074,127 B2Parent of this continuation-in-part
US 7,056,213 B2Parent of this continuation-in-part
US 2004/0048652 A1Published application
US 2004/0137982 A1Published application
US 7,682,246 B2This patent

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