# US 9,039,513 B2 · System and method for displaying an exploding icon > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 9,039,513 B2 - Document ID: US9039513B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 14/033,342 - Filed: 2013-09-20 - Published: 2014-04-03 - Granted: 2015-05-26 - Earliest claimed: 2004-10-04 - Assignees: Bally Gaming, Inc. - Applicants: Bally Gaming International, Inc. - Inventors: David B. Schultz; Terence G. Daly; Kimberly J. Cohn; William E. Rommerdahl; John LaSalvia; John E. Garofalo, Jr.; Nathanial A. Hammond; Jack A. Martin - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9039513B2 ## CPC - G07F 17/3258: {Cumulative reward schemes, e.g. jackpots} - G07F 17/32: for games, toys, sports, or amusements - G07F 17/3227: {Configuring a gaming machine, e.g. downloading personal settings, selecting working parameters} - G07F: COIN-FREED OR LIKE APPARATUS (coin sorting G07D3/00; coin testing G07D5/00; {handling coins or paper currencies apart from payment activated apparatus G07D; payment architectures, schemes or protocols G06Q20/00}) ## Abstract Systems, gaming machines, and methods for displaying an exploding icon are disclosed. One method includes receiving player input to activate a primary game; activating the primary game; presenting the activated game on a single screen of a video display, the activated game comprising a primary game displaying one or more game icons in various locations on a main screen of the video display and upon the occurrence of a triggering event, the primary game appears to animate at least one of the displayed game icons and move one or more wild icons about the main screen of the video display over one or more of the game icons, and randomly replacing one or more of the game icons with the one or more wild icons; determining whether the resulting combination of game icons and wild icons form any winning combinations; and awarding a single game payout for the primary game. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A gaming machine-enabled method for playing a primary game, the gaming machine-enabled method comprising: providing one or more servers that are connected to a physical network including a back-end server and a player tracking server, wherein the back-end server contains animation graphics and the player tracking server contains player tracking information; providing a gaming machine that is connected to the one or more servers via the physical network, the gaming machine including a video display on which the primary game is presented using a game processor, wherein the animation graphics contained in the back-end server are accessible by the gaming machine via the physical network, wherein the player tracking server is in communication with the gaming machine via the physical network to transmit player tracking information; receiving, via a player input component, player input to activate a primary game on the gaming machine; activating, via the game processor, the primary game on the gaming machine; presenting the activated primary game on the video display, the activated game comprising a primary game displaying one or more game icons in various locations on a main screen of the video display and upon the occurrence of a triggering event, the primary game appears to animate, via the game processor, at least one of the displayed game icons and move multiple wild icons about the main screen of the video display over one or more of the game icons, and randomly replacing one or more of the game icons with the multiple wild icons; determining, via the game processor, whether the resulting combination of game icons and wild icons form any winning combinations; and awarding, via the game processor, a single game payout for the primary game. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the triggering event is the presence of one or more particular icons, the particular location of one or more particular icons, the presence of a winning combination of icons, a particular number of consecutive wins, a maximum bet, a particular time, a particular player, or a combination thereof. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the animation comprises animating one or more of the displayed game icons, such that the one or more animated game icons appear to produce the multiple wild icons. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the animation comprises animating at least one particular game icon, such that the particular game icon appears to enlarge until it explodes to produce multiple wild icons. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the multiple wild icons appear to move randomly about the display screen. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the animated event comprises animating one or more of the displayed game icons, such that the two or more animated game icons appear to interact with each other to produce multiple wild icons. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the animation comprises animating a first game icon and animating a second game icon, wherein the first animated game icon interacts with the second animated game icon and appears to cause the second animated icon to burst and produce multiple wild icons. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein each of the multiple moving wild icons is positioned in a fixed location on the display screen. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the player input is the number of bets placed, the number of lines bet, or a combination thereof. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving player input to determine the final locations of the wild icons. ### Claim 11 A video gaming system, the video gaming system comprising: one or more servers that are connected to a physical network including a back-end server and a player tracking server, wherein the back-end server contains animation graphics and the player tracking server contains player tracking information; a gaming machine that is connected to the one or more servers via the physical network, the gaming machine including a video display on which the primary game is presented using a game processor, wherein the animation graphics contained in the back-end server are accessible by the gaming machine via the physical network, wherein the player tracking server is in communication with the gaming machine via the physical network to transmit player tracking information; one or more game icons for display in various locations on a main screen of the video display, wherein at least a first game icon is animated, via the game processor, to present an animated interaction between the first game icon and a second game icon that produces one or more additional icons from the second game icon; at least one animated icon configured to produce multiple wild icons that move about the main screen of the video display and then are randomly positioned in fixed locations on the main screen of the video display, wherein player input affects the number of wild icons produced; a memory device containing instructions, the memory device and the processor configured to execute instructions that trigger the presentation of the animated icon, evaluate whether one or more combinations of the game icons and the wild icons form any winning combinations, and award a payout for each winning combination. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The video gaming system of claim 11, wherein one or more or the wild icons produced is a multiplier wild icon. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The video gaming system of claim 11, wherein the means for triggering the presentation of the animated icon comprises the occurrence of a pre-defined triggering event. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The video gaming system of claim 13, wherein the triggering event is the presence of one or more particular icons, the particular location of one or more particular icons, the presence of a winning combination of icons, a particular number of consecutive wins, a maximum bet, a particular time, a particular player, or a combination thereof. ### Claim 15 (depends on 11) The video gaming system of claim 11, wherein at least one animated icon appears to enlarge and explode to produce multiple wild icons. ### Claim 16 (depends on 11) The video gaming system of claim 11, wherein the wagering game comprises more than one animated icon configured to produce multiple wild icons. ### Claim 17 (depends on 11) The video gaming system of claim 11, wherein the wagering game comprises a first animated icon that interacts with a second animated icon and causes the second animated icon to burst and produce multiple wild icons. ### Claim 18 (depends on 11) The video gaming system of claim 11, wherein each of the multiple moving wild icons is positioned in a fixed location on the display screen. ### Claim 19 (depends on 11) The video gaming system of claim 11, wherein the player input is the number of bets placed, the number of lines bet, or a combination thereof. ### Claim 20 (depends on 11) The video gaming system of claim 11, further comprising receiving player input to determine the final positions of additional icons. ### Claim 21 A gaming machine-enabled method for playing a game, the gaming machine-enabled method comprising: providing one or more servers that are connected to a physical network including a back-end server and a player tracking server, wherein the back-end server contains animation graphics and the player tracking server contains player tracking information; providing a gaming machine that is connected to the one or more servers via the physical network, the gaming machine including a video display on which the primary game is presented using a game processor, wherein the animation graphics contained in the back-end server are accessible by the gaming machine via the physical network, wherein the player tracking server is in communication with the gaming machine via the physical network to transmit player tracking information; receiving, via a player input component, player input to activate a primary game on the gaming machine; activating, via the game processor, the primary game and displaying one or more game icons in various fixed locations on a main screen of the video display; presenting an animated event, via the game processor, upon the occurrence of a triggering event during the primary game, wherein the animated event comprises moving a game icon over the various fixed locations on the display screen, appearing to animate at least one of the displayed game icons, producing multiple wild icons from the moving game icon, and randomly replacing one or more game icons in the various fixed locations on the main screen of the video display with the multiple wild icons; determining, via the game processor, whether the resulting combination of game icons and wild icons form any winning combinations; and awarding, via the game processor, a single payout for the primary game based on one or more winning combinations.