US 9,286,746 B2Granted

Gaming system and method having a partial selectable symbol matrix

AssigneeIgt

InventorsDaniel M. Marks, Anthony M. Singer, Howard M. Marks

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Abstract

A gaming device including a plurality of symbol generators adapted to generate a plurality of symbols at a plurality of symbol positions. In one embodiment, a player selects a first symbol position, the selected symbol position is activated and the gaming device reveals whether a terminator is associated with the selected symbol position. In this embodiment, the player continues selecting symbol positions (and the gaming device continues activating the selected symbol positions) until a terminator is revealed to be associated with a selected symbol position. After a terminator is revealed, the gaming device randomly generating a symbol at each of the activated symbol positions. The gaming device determines an outcome based on the symbols or combinations of symbols generated at the activated symbol positions and provides the player the determined outcome.

Claims36

Dependent claims

A gaming system comprising:

a housing;
a plurality of input devices supported by the housing, said plurality of input devices including:
(i) an acceptor, and
(ii) a cashout device;
at least one display device supported by the housing;
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 said at least one display device and said plurality of input devices to:
(a) if a physical item is received via the acceptor, establish a credit balance based, at least in part, on a monetary value associated with the received physical item,
(b) for each play of a game:
(i) without randomly generating any symbols at any active symbol display positions:
(A) enable a player to pick one of a plurality of symbol display positions associated with one of a plurality of reels, wherein a plurality of said symbol display positions associated with the plurality of reels are initially inactive, and
(B) if said picked symbol display position is inactive, activate said picked symbol display position,
(ii) thereafter, determine if a terminating event occurred, said determination being independent of any wager placed,
(iii) if the terminating event occurred, thereafter:
(A) randomly generate one of a plurality of symbols at each of the active symbol display positions,
(B) determine any awards associated with any plurality of the randomly generated symbols which form any predetermined winning symbol combinations, and
(C) display any determined awards associated with the randomly generated symbols, wherein said credit balance is increasable based on any determined awards associated with the randomly generated symbols, and
(iv) if the terminating event did not occur, repeat (b) (i) to (b) (iv), and
(c) if a cashout input is received via the cashout device, cause an initiation of any payout associated with the credit balance.

17 more elements

A gaming system comprising:

a housing;
a plurality of input devices supported by the housing, said plurality of input devices including:
(i) an acceptor, and
(ii) a cashout device;
at least one display device supported by the housing;
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 said at least one display device and said plurality of input devices to:
(a) if a physical item is received via the acceptor, establish a credit balance based, at least in part, on a monetary value associated with the received physical item,
(b) for each play of a game:
(i) without randomly generating any symbols at any active symbol display positions, initiate a symbol display position selection sequence including:
(A) enabling a player to pick at least one of a plurality of symbol display positions associated with one of a plurality of reels, a plurality of said symbol display positions associated with the plurality of reels are initially inactive, and
(B) activating each of said inactive symbol display positions picked by the player until a terminating event occurs, said terminating event occurring independent of any wager placed, and
(ii) after the terminating event occurs, initiate a symbol generation sequence including:
(A) randomly generating one of a plurality of symbols at each of the active symbol display positions,
(B) determining any awards associated with any plurality of the randomly generated symbols which form any predetermined winning symbol combinations, and
(C) displaying any determined awards associated with the randomly generated symbols, wherein said credit balance is increasable based on any determined awards associated with the randomly generated symbols, and
(c) if a cashout input is received via the cashout device, cause an initiation of any payout associated with the credit balance.

15 more elements

A method of operating a gaming system, for each play of a game said method comprising:

(a) without randomly generating any symbols at any active symbol display positions:
(i) enabling a player to pick one of a plurality of symbol display positions associated with one of a plurality of reels, wherein a plurality of said symbol display positions associated with the plurality of reels are initially inactive, and
(ii) if said picked symbol display position is inactive, causing at least one processor to execute a plurality of instructions to activate said picked symbol display position;
(b) thereafter, causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to determine if a terminating event occurred, said determination being independent of any wager placed;
(c) if the terminating event occurred, thereafter:
(i) causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to randomly generate one of a plurality of symbols at each of the active symbol display positions,
(ii) causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to determine any awards associated with any plurality of the randomly generated symbols which form any predetermined winning symbol combinations, and
(iii) causing at least one display device to display any determined awards associated with the randomly generated symbols, wherein a credit balance is increasable based on any determined awards associated with the randomly generated symbols, said credit balance being:
(i) increasable via an acceptor of a physical item associated with a monetary value, and (ii) decreasable via a cashout device;
and
(d) if the terminating event did not occur, repeating (a) to (d).

8 more elements

A method of operating a gaming system, for each play of a game, said method comprising:

(a) without randomly generating any symbols at any active symbol display positions, causing at least one processor to execute a plurality of instructions to initiate a symbol display position selection sequence including:
(i) enabling a player to pick at least one of a plurality of symbol display positions associated with one of a plurality of reels, a plurality of said symbol display positions associated with the plurality of reels are initially inactive, and
(ii) causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to activate each of said inactive symbol display positions picked by the player until a terminating event occurs, said terminating event occurring independent of any wager placed;
and
(b) after the terminating event occurs, causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to initiate a symbol generation sequence including:
(i) causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to randomly generate one of a plurality of symbols at each of the active symbol display positions,
(ii) causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to determine any awards associated with any plurality of the randomly generated symbols which form any predetermined winning symbol combinations, and
(iii) causing at least one display device to display any determined awards associated with the randomly generated symbols, wherein a credit balance is increasable based on any determined awards associated with the randomly generated symbols, said credit balance being:
(i) increasable via an acceptor of a physical item associated with a monetary value, and (ii) decreasable via a cashout device.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 13/536,412Filed 28 Jun 2012 · continuation
Priority: 28 Jan 2004
Published: US 2012/0270634 A125 Oct 2012
Granted: 15 Mar 2016
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification8 codes

G07F 17/3213
Display means: details of moving display elements, e.g. spinning reels, tumbling members
G07F 17/32
Coin-freed apparatus for hiring articles; Coin-freed facilities or services: for games, toys, sports, or amusements
G07F 17/3209
Player-machine interfaces: input means, e.g. buttons, touch screen
G07F 17/3225
For games, toys, sports, or amusements: data transfer within a gaming system, e.g. data sent between gaming machines and users

Family

Application60/539,607Us provisional application · filed 28 Jan 2004
Application11/045,895Parent of this continuation · filed 27 Jan 2005
US 2012/0270634 A1Pre-grant publication · published 25 Oct 2012
US 8,221,206 B2Parent of this continuation
US 2005/0192081 A1Published application
US 9,286,746 B2This patent

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