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US 8,771,054 B2Granted
Wagering game with persistent wild symbol reel positions
AssigneeWMS Gaming Inc.
InventorsDion K. Aoki, Jamie W. Vann
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A gaming system for conducting a wagering game comprises a display including a plurality of symbol-bearing reels having a plurality of symbol locations and symbols that indicate a randomly selected outcome of the wagering game. In response to a certain event, at least one symbol on the reels in a particular one of the plurality of symbol locations is altered to produce an altered function of the symbol. The altered function of the altered symbol at the particular symbol location is maintained for subsequent plays of the wagering game.
Claims25
A gaming system comprising:
- at least one input device;
- at least one display device;
- at least one processor;
- at least one memory device storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the gaming system to:
- display an evaluable array and a plurality of symbol-bearing reels on the at least one display device, each reel including a plurality of reel locations having symbols that indicate a randomly selected outcome of a wagering game after the plurality of symbol-bearing reels stop with respect to the evaluable array, wherein a first symbol is positioned at at least a first reel location and a second reel location;
- receive a wager to receive at least a first evaluation of the array;
- virtually rotate the plurality of symbol-bearing reels relative to the evaluable array;
- in response to a certain event in the wagering game,
- automatically alter the first symbol at the first reel location to produce an altered function of the first symbol at the first reel location, the first symbol at the first reel location and altered function selected by the processor, and
- leave the first symbol at the second reel location unaltered;
- and
- maintain the altered function of the first symbol at the first reel location during a subsequent virtual rotation of the plurality of symbol-bearing reels relative to the evaluable array.
9 more elements
A computer-implemented method in a gaming system, comprising:
- displaying on at least one display device an evaluable array and a plurality of symbol-bearing reels, each reel including a plurality of reel locations having symbols that indicate a randomly selected outcome of a wagering game after the plurality of symbol-bearing reels stop with respect to the evaluable array, wherein a first symbol is positioned at a first reel location and the same first symbol is positioned at a second reel location;
- receiving a wager in response to an input via at least one input device to receive a first evaluation of the array;
- virtually rotating the plurality of symbol-bearing reels relative to the evaluable array;
- automatically altering the first symbol at the first reel location by at least one of one or more processors to produce an altered function of the first symbol at the first reel location, wherein the first symbol at the first reel location is selected by the at least one or more processors and while leaving the same first symbol at the second reel location unaltered;
- and
- maintaining the altered function of the first symbol at the first reel location by at least one of the one or more processors during at least one subsequent virtual rotation of the plurality of symbol-bearing reels relative to the evaluable array.
3 more elements
A gaming system comprising:
- at least one input device;
- at least one display device;
- at least one processor;
- at least one memory device storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the gaming system to:
- receive a wager;
- display a plurality of reels, each reel having a plurality of reel locations;
- in response to a special event, automatically alter the function of a first symbol at a first reel location, to create an altered-function symbol, the alteration of the first symbol at the first reel location not altering the function of other like first symbols that are not part of the special event;
- maintain the altered-function symbol at the first particular reel location for subsequent game play;
- and
- award a payout in response to the altered-function symbol at the first reel location being included in a winning outcome in the subsequent game play of the wagering game.
7 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.