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US 8,007,357 B2Granted
Gaming device having a probability-enhancing trigger symbol
AssigneeIgt
InventorsRyan W. Cuddy, Erick T. Ching, Jasonlee Kissee Hohman
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A gaming device including a re-initiation mode wherein the probability of extending the bonus game is increased by fixing the reel or reels displaying a wild symbol on the reel. In the re-initiation mode embodiment, the gaming device re-activates some or all of the reels except the reel displaying the wild symbol for a predetermined number of free spins or until the reactivated reels display or indicate a wild symbol on the reels. The gaming device provides any outcomes associated with indicated symbols or combination of symbols. In one embodiment, if a predetermined number of wild symbols are displayed on designated reels, the gaming device re-initiates the bonus game.
Claims123
A gaming device comprising:
- at least one display device;
- at least one input device;
- at least one processor;
- and
- at least one memory device storing a plurality of instructions, wherein the plurality of instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to operate with the at least one display device and the at least one input device to:
- (A) operate a game upon a wager by a player, wherein the game includes:
- (a) a plurality of reels;
- and
- (b) a plurality of symbols on the reels, the plurality of symbols including a plurality of wild symbols, wherein a plurality of different reels each include at least one of the wild symbols;
- and
- (B) after an occurrence of a triggering event associated with a play of the game:
- (a) cause a generation of a first quantity of the symbols on a first quantity of the reels without an additional wager by the player,
- (b) provide the player any award associated with any winning combinations of the generated symbols on said first quantity of the reels from said generation,
- (c) repeat (B)(a) and (B)(b) until at least one of the wild symbols is generated on said first quantity of the reels, and
- (d) if at least one of the wild symbols is generated on said first quantity of the reels,
- (i) cause a subsequent event to occur on a second quantity of the reels, said first quantity of the reels being greater than said second quantity of the reels, wherein the result of said subsequent event is either a terminating result or a non-terminating result, both of which are based on the quantity of the wild symbols generated on the second quantity of the reels in said subsequent event, and
- (ii) if the non-terminating result occurs, repeat (B)(a) to (B)(d).
14 more elements
A gaming device comprising:
- at least one display device;
- at least one input device;
- at least one processor;
- and
- at least one memory device storing a plurality of instructions, wherein the plurality of instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to operate with the at least one display device and the at least one input device to:
- (A) operate a primary game upon a wager by a player, and
- (B) after an occurrence of a triggering event in the primary game:
- (a) cause a generation of a first quantity of symbols without an additional wager by the player,
- (b) provide the player any award associated with any of the generated symbols from said generation,
- (c) repeat (a) and (b) until a designated symbol is generated, and
- (d) if the designated symbol is generated:
- (i) cause a subsequent event to occur, the subsequent event including at least one generation of a second quantity of symbols, the first quantity of symbols being greater than the second quantity of symbols, wherein the result of said subsequent event is either a terminating result or a non-terminating result, both of which are based on the number of the designated symbols generated in said subsequent event, and
- (ii) if the non-terminating result occurs, repeat (B)(a) to (B)(d).
10 more elements
A gaming device comprising:
- at least one display device;
- at least one input device;
- at least one processor;
- and
- at least one memory device storing a plurality of instructions, wherein the plurality of instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to operate with the at least one display device and the at least one input device to:
- (A) operate a game upon a wager by a player, wherein the game includes a free activation mode and a re-initiation mode;
- (B) after the occurrence of a triggering event associated with the game:
- (a) initiate the free activation mode;
- (b) cause a play of the game without an additional wager by the player, the play of the game including a generation of a first quantity of symbols,
- (c) provide to the player any award associated with any winning outcome from said play of the game, and
- (d) repeat (B)(b) and (B)(c) until a free activation mode terminating event occurs;
- and
- (C) after the occurrence of the free activation mode terminating event, initiate the re-initiation mode, the re-initiation mode including a quantity of generations of a second quantity of symbols, the first quantity of symbols being greater than the second quantity of symbols, the re-initiation mode resulting in either a terminating result or a non-terminating result, both of which are based on whether a designated outcome occurs in the quantity of generations of the second quantity of symbols provided in the re-initiation mode;
- wherein if the non-terminating result occurs in the re-initiation mode, the free activation mode is re-initiated by repeating (B)(a) to (B)(d).
11 more elements
A gaming device comprising:
- at least one display device;
- at least one input device;
- at least one processor;
- and
- at least one memory device storing a plurality of instructions, wherein the plurality of instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to operate with the at least one display device and the at least one input device to:
- (A) operate a game upon a wager by a player;
- and
- (B) after a triggering event associated with the game occurs:
- (a) initiate a bonus mode in the game;
- (b) cause a play of the game without an additional wager by the player, the play of the game including a generation of a first quantity of symbols,
- (c) provide to the player any award associated with any winning outcome from said play of the game,
- (d) repeat (b) and (c) until a terminating event occurs, and
- (e) upon an occurrence of the terminating event, provide a subsequent event, the subsequent event including a quantity of generations of a second quantity of symbols, the first quantity of symbols being greater than the second quantity of symbols, wherein said subsequent event determines whether to extend the bonus mode by repeating (B)(a) to (B)(d) or to terminate the bonus mode.
10 more elements
A gaming device comprising:
- at least one display device;
- at least one input device;
- at least one processor;
- and
- at least one memory device storing a plurality of instructions, wherein the plurality of instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to operate with the at least one display device and the at least one input device to:
- (A) operate a game upon a wager by a player, the game including:
- (a) a plurality of reels;
- and
- (b) a plurality of symbols on the reels, the plurality of symbols including a plurality of wild symbols, wherein a plurality of different reels each include at least one of the wild symbols;
- and
- (B) after an occurrence of a triggering event associated with the game:
- (a) cause an activation of a first quantity of the reels without an additional wager by the player to generate a first quantity of the symbols on the first quantity of the reels,
- (b) provide the player any award associated with any winning combinations of the generated symbols on said first quantity of the reels from said activation,
- (c) repeat (B)(a) and (B)(b) until at least one of the wild symbols is generated on said first quantity of the reels, and
- (d) if at least one of the wild symbols is generated on said first quantity of the reels, cause a subsequent event to occur, the subsequent event including a quantity of activations of a second quantity of the reels to generate a second quantity of the symbols on the second quantity of the reels, wherein the first quantity of the reels is greater than the second quantity of the reels, wherein the first quantity of the symbols is greater than the second quantity of the symbols, wherein said subsequent event determines whether to repeat (B)(a) to (B)(c).
12 more elements
A method of operating a gaming device comprising:
- (a) causing a processor to operate a game upon a wager by a player, the game having a plurality of reels and a plurality of symbols on the reels, the symbols including at least two wild symbols, wherein each of two of the reels include one of the wild symbols;
- and
- (b) after a triggering event associated with a generation of one or more designated symbols on the reels in the game:
- (i) causing the processor to cause a generation of a plurality of the symbols on the reels without an additional wager by the player,
- (ii) causing the processor to provide the player any award associated with any winning combinations of generated symbols on said reels from said generation,
- (iii) repeating (i) to (ii) until one of the wild symbols is generated on one of said reels in said generation, and
- (iv) if one of the wild symbols is generated on one of said reels in said generation, causing the processor to lock the position of the reel with said wild symbol for a designated number of further generations of symbols on a designated number of other reels, wherein:
- (1) if a designated number of other wild symbols are generated on said reels in the designated number of further generations, causing the processor to unlock the position of the reels with said wild symbol and return to (i), and
- (2) if the designated number of other wild symbols are not generated on said reels in the designated number of further generations, causing the processor to terminate any further generations of said reels until another wager is made in the game.
6 more elements
A method of operating a gaming device comprising:
- (a) causing a processor to operate a game upon a wager by a player, the game having a plurality of reels and a plurality of symbols on the reels, the symbols including at least two designated symbols, wherein each of two of the reels include one of the designated symbols;
- and
- (b) after a triggering event associated with a generation of one or more of the designated symbols on the reels in the game:
- (i) causing the processor to cause a generation of a plurality of the symbols on the reels without an additional wager by the player,
- (ii) causing the processor to provide the player any award associated with any winning combinations of generated symbols on said reels from said generation,
- (iii) repeating (i) to (ii) until one of the designated symbols is generated on one of said reels in said generation, and
- (iv) if one of the designated symbols is generated on one of said reels in said generation, causing the processor to lock the position of the reel with said designated symbol for a designated number of further generations of symbols on a designated number of other reels, wherein:
- (1) if a designated number of other designated symbols are generated on said reels in the designated number of further generations, causing the processor to unlock the position of the reels with said designated symbol and return to (i), and
- (2) if the designated number of other designated symbols are not generated on said reels in the designated number of further generations, causing the processor to terminate any further generations of said reels until another wager is made in the game.
6 more elements
A method of operating a gaming device, said method comprising:
- (a) causing a processor to operate a game upon a wager by a player, the game having a plurality of reels and a plurality of symbols on the reels, the symbols including at least two designated symbols, wherein each of two of the reels includes one of the designated symbols;
- and
- (b) upon a triggering event associated with a generation of one or more of the designated symbols on the reels:
- (i) causing the processor to cause a generation of a plurality of the symbols on the reels without an additional wager by the player,
- (ii) causing the processor to provide the player any award associated with any winning combinations of generated symbols on said reels from said generation,
- (iii) repeating (i) and (ii) until one of the designated symbols is generated on one of said reels in said generation, and
- (iv) if one of the designated symbols is generated on one of said reels in said generation, causing the processor to lock the position of the reel with said designated symbol for a designated number of further generations of symbols on a designated number of other reels, and:
- (1) if a designated number of other designated symbols are generated on said reels in the designated number of further generations, causing the processor to unlock the position of the reels with said designated symbol and return to (i),
- (2) if the designated number of other designated symbols are not generated on said reels in the designated number of further generations, causing the processor to terminate any further generations of said reels until another wager is made in the game,
- (3) wherein each reel that generates one of the designated symbols is locked for any subsequent further generations of symbols until the designated number of other designated symbols are generated on said reels or the designated number of other designated symbols are not generated on said reels in the designated number of further generations, and
- (4) the player is provided any award associated with any winning combinations of generated symbols on said reels from each said further generation.
8 more elements
A method of operating a gaming device comprising:
- (a) causing a processor to operate a game upon a wager by a player, the game having a plurality of reels and a plurality of symbols on the reels, the plurality of symbols including a plurality of wild symbols, wherein a plurality of different reels each include at least one of the wild symbols;
- and
- (b) after a triggering event associated with a play of the game occurs:
- (i) causing the processor to cause a generation of a first quantity of the symbols on a first quantity of the reels without an additional wager by the player,
- (ii) causing the processor to provide to the player any award associated with any winning combinations of the generated symbols on said first quantity of the reels from said generation,
- (iii) repeating (b)(i) and (b)(ii) until at least one of the wild symbols is generated on said first quantity of the reels, and
- (iv) if at least one of the wild symbols is generated on said first quantity of the reels,
- (1) causing the processor to provide a subsequent event on a second quantity of the reels, said first quantity of the reels being greater than said second quantity of the reels, wherein the result of the subsequent event is either a terminating result or a non-terminating result, both of which are based on the quantity of the wild symbols generated on the second quantity of the reels in the subsequent event, and
- (2) if the non-terminating result occurs in the subsequent event, repeating steps (b)(i) to (b)(iv).
6 more elements
A method of operating a gaming device comprising:
- (a) causing a processor to operate a primary game upon a wager by a player;
- and
- (b) after a triggering event triggered in the primary game:
- causing the processor to cause a generation of a first quantity of symbols without an additional wager by the player,
- (ii) causing the processor to provide to the player any award associated with any of the generated symbols from said generation,
- (iii) repeating steps (b)(i) and (b)(ii) until a wild symbol is generated, and
- (iv) if the wild symbol is generated,
- (1) causing the processor to provide a subsequent event, the subsequent event including at least one generation of a second quantity of symbols, the first quantity of symbols being greater than the second quantity of symbols, wherein the result of said subsequent event is either a terminating result or a non-terminating result, both of which are based on the number of the wild symbols generated in said subsequent event, and
- (2) if the non-terminating event occurs in said subsequent event, repeating steps (b)(i) to (b)(iv).
6 more elements
A method of operating a gaming device comprising:
- (a) causing a processor to operate a game upon a wager by a player, the game including a triggering event;
- and
- (b) causing the processor to initiate a bonus mode upon the occurrence of the triggering event associated with the game, wherein the bonus mode includes:
- (i) causing the processor to cause a play of the game without an additional wager by the player, the play of the game including a generation of a first quantity of symbols,
- (ii) causing the processor to provide to the player any award associated with any winning outcome from said play of the game,
- (iii) repeating (b)(i) and (b)(ii) until a terminating event occurs, and
- (iv) upon an occurrence of the terminating event, causing the processor to provide a subsequent event, the subsequent event including a quantity of generations of a second quantity of symbols, the first quantity of symbols being greater than the second quantity of symbols, wherein said subsequent event determines whether to extend the bonus mode by repeating (b)(i) to (b)(iii) or to terminate the bonus mode.
4 more elements
A method of operating a gaming device comprising:
- (a) causing a processor to operate a game upon a wager by a player, the game including a plurality of reels and a plurality of symbols on the reels, the plurality of symbols including a plurality of wild symbols, wherein a plurality of different reels each include at least one of the wild symbols;
- and
- (b) upon an occurrence of a triggering event in a play of the game:
- (i) causing the processor to activate a first quantity of the reels without an additional wager by the player to generate a first quantity of the symbols on the reels,
- (ii) causing the processor to provide the player any award associated with any winning combinations of the generated symbols on said first quantity of the reels from said activation,
- (iii) repeating (b)(i) and (b)(ii) until at least one of the wild symbols is generated on at least one of said reels, and
- (iv) if at least one of the wild symbols is generated on at least one of said reels, causing the processor to cause a subsequent event to occur, the subsequent event including a quantity of activations of a second quantity of the reels to generate a second quantity of the symbols on the second quantity of the reels, wherein the first quantity of the reels is greater than the second quantity of the reels, wherein the first quantity of the symbols is greater than the second quantity of the symbols, wherein said subsequent event determines whether to repeat (b)(i) to (b)(iii).
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.