US 8,998,702 B2Granted

Gaming system, gaming device, and method for providing a game with additional win opportunities

AssigneeIgt

InventorsGregory F. Frank, Rogelio S. DeCasa, Jr.

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Abstract

During a play of a game, the disclosed gaming system determines that an ending condition has occurred. For example, the gaming system determines that an ending condition has occurred when no winning symbol combinations are displayed for the play of the game. Following determination that the ending condition has occurred, the gaming system determines whether to provide access to an additional win opportunity for the play of the game. If the additional win opportunity is to be provided, the gaming system removes one or more symbols from a plurality of symbol positions even though such symbols do not form a winning symbol combination. The gaming system fills any resulting empty symbol positions by shifting symbols and/or displaying generated symbols, and provides awards for any then-generated winning symbol combinations. The additional win opportunity may be accessed because of a player wager or because other additional win opportunity criteria are satisfied.

Claims46

Dependent claims

A gaming system comprising:

at least one input device;
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 to operate with the at least one input device and the at least one display device, for a play of a game after a placement of a wager amount, to:
(a) display a plurality of symbol positions in a designated arrangement of symbol positions,
(b) for each of the symbol positions, display a randomly generated one of a plurality of symbols in said symbol position,
(c) determine if the displayed symbols form any game winning symbol combinations,
(d) when the displayed symbols form any game winning symbol combinations:
(i) provide an award based on said game winning symbol combinations;
(ii) remove at least one symbol from at least one game winning symbol combination from display,
(iii) display one of the plurality of symbols in each of any then-empty symbol positions, and
(iv) repeat (c) and (d), and
(e) when the displayed symbols do not form any game winning symbol combinations:
(i) determine whether to provide an additional win opportunity, said determination being independent of the displayed symbols,
(ii) when the determination is to provide the additional win opportunity, thereafter:
(A) remove at least one symbol from the display based on at least one removal criterion,
(B) generate one or more of the plurality of symbols in each of any then-empty symbol positions,
(C) determine if the displayed symbols form any additional winning symbol combinations, and
(D) when the displayed symbols form any additional winning symbol combinations, provide an additional award based on said additional winning symbol combinations, and
(iii) when the determination is not to provide the additional win opportunity, terminate the play of the game.

18 more elements

A gaming system comprising:

at least one input device;
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 to operate with the at least one input device and the at least one display device, following a first portion of a play of a game after a placement of a wager amount and after which each of a plurality of symbol positions displays one of a plurality of different symbols not forming any winning symbol combinations, to:
(a) determine whether to provide an additional win opportunity, said determination being independent of the displayed symbols,
(b) when the determination is to provide the additional win opportunity, thereafter:
(i) receive a selection of at least one displayed symbol,
(ii) remove at least one displayed symbol based on the at least one selected symbol,
(iii) generate one or more of the plurality of symbols in each of any then-empty symbol positions,
(iv) determine if the displayed symbols form any additional winning symbol combinations, and
(v) when the displayed symbols form any additional winning symbol combinations:
(1) provide an additional award based on said additional winning symbol combinations,
(2) remove at least one of the plurality of displayed symbols from the plurality of symbol positions, and
(3) repeat (iii) to (v), and
(c) when the determination is not to provide the additional win opportunity, terminate the play of the game.

13 more elements

A method of operating a gaming system, for a play of a game after a placement of a wager amount, said method comprising:

(a) causing at least one display device to display a plurality of symbol positions in a designated arrangement of symbol positions,
(b) for each of the symbol positions, causing the at least one display device to display a randomly generated one of a plurality of symbols in said symbol position,
(c) causing at least one processor to execute a plurality of instructions to determine if the displayed symbols form any game winning symbol combinations,
(d) when the displayed symbols form any game winning symbol combinations:
(i) providing an award based on said game winning symbol combinations;
(ii) causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to remove at least one symbol from at least one game winning symbol combination from display,
(iii) causing the at least one display device to display one of the plurality of symbols in each of any then-empty symbol positions, and
(iv) repeating (c) and (d), and
(e) when the displayed symbols do not form any game winning symbol combinations:
(i) causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to determine whether to provide an additional win opportunity, said determination being independent of the displayed symbols,
(ii) when the determination is to provide the additional win opportunity, thereafter:
(A) causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to remove at least one symbol from the display based on at least one removal criterion,
(B) causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to generate one or more of the plurality of symbols in each of any then-empty symbol positions,
(C) causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to determine if the displayed symbols form any additional winning symbol combinations, and
(D) when the displayed symbols form any additional winning symbol combinations, providing an additional award based on said additional winning symbol combinations, and
(iii) when the determination is not to provide the additional win opportunity, causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to terminate the play of the game.

13 more elements

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

(a) causing at least one processor to execute a plurality of instructions to determine whether to provide an additional win opportunity, said determination being independent of a plurality of displayed symbols which do not form any winning symbol combinations,
(b) when the determination is to provide the additional win opportunity, thereafter:
(i) receiving a selection of at least one of the displayed symbols,
(ii) causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to remove at least one of the displayed symbols based on the at least one selected symbol,
(iii) causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to generate one or more of the plurality of symbols in each of any then-empty symbol positions,
(iv) causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to determine if the displayed symbols form any additional winning symbol combinations, and
(v) when the displayed symbols form any additional winning symbol combinations:
(1) providing an additional award based on said additional winning symbol combinations,
(2) causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to remove at least one of the plurality of displayed symbols from the plurality of symbol positions, and
(3) repeating (iii) to (v), and
(c) when the determination is not to provide the additional win opportunity, causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to terminate the play of the game.

8 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 13/669,854Filed 6 Nov 2012 · continuation
Priority: 9 Aug 2010
Published: US 2013/0072285 A121 Mar 2013
Granted: 7 Apr 2015
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification5 codes

G07F 17/32
Coin-freed apparatus for hiring articles; Coin-freed facilities or services: for games, toys, sports, or amusements
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 17/3267
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 17/34
For games, toys, sports, or amusements: depending on the stopping of moving members in a mechanical slot machine, e.g. "fruit" machines

Family

Application12/853,050Parent of this continuation · filed 9 Aug 2010
US 2013/0072285 A1Pre-grant publication · published 21 Mar 2013
US 8,323,091 B2Parent of this continuation
US 2012/0034973 A1Published application
US 8,998,702 B2This patent

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