Gaming system and method for providing a cascading symbol game with multiple symbol display position elements

• US 10,055,944 B2
• Filed: 02/24/2016
• Issued: 08/21/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Nicely, Mark C.
• Primary Examiner(s): McClellan, James S
• Application Number:
  US15/052,532
• Publication Number:
  US 20160171841A1
• Time in Patent Office: 909 Days
• Field of Search: 463 16, 463 20, 463 25
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3213 Details of moving display elements, e.g. spinning reels, tumbling members
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3244 Payment aspects of a gaming system, e.g. payment schemes, setting payout ratio, bonus or consolation prizes
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/34 depending on the stopping of moving members in a mechanical slot machine, e.g. "fruit" machines

Abstract

A gaming system including a cascading symbol or tumbling reel game which utilizes zero, one or more multiple symbol display position elements. Each multiple symbol display position element is configured to occupy or span a plurality of symbol display positions of a symbol display position matrix. For a generated multiple symbol display position element to be removed from the symbol display matrix, each of the individual symbols of the multiple symbol display position element must individually qualify to be removed from the symbol display matrix.

Claims

1. A gaming system comprising:

at least one display device;

at least one input 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;

(a) responsive to receiving an input, via the at least one input device, to initiate a play of a game, cause the at least one display device to display, at a plurality of symbol display positions of each of a plurality of separate symbol display position matrices;

(i) one of a plurality of different symbols, and

(ii) one of a plurality of multiple symbol display position elements, wherein;

(A) at least a first one of the symbol display positions of a first one of the symbol display position matrices is linked to at least a first one of the symbol display positions of a second one of the symbol display position matrices, and

(B) each multiple symbol display position element is associated with a plurality of symbols displayed at a plurality of the symbol display positions,

(b) for each of the symbol display position matrices, evaluate the symbols displayed at the symbol display positions of that symbol display position matrix to determine if any of the displayed symbols form any winning symbol combinations, wherein if any multiple symbol display position elements are displayed at at least one symbol display position of the first one of the symbol display position matrices and at least one linked symbol display position of the second one of the symbol display position matrices, the at least one symbol associated with the multiple symbol display position element displayed at the at least one symbol display position of the first one of the symbol display position matrices is determined to form any winning symbol combinations with the other symbols of the first one of the symbol display position matrices and the at least one symbol associated with the multiple symbol display position element displayed at the at least one symbol display position of the second one of the symbol display position matrices is determined to form any winning symbol combinations with the other symbols of the second one of the symbol display position matrices, and

(c) for each of the symbol display position matrices, if a plurality of the displayed symbols form at least one winning symbol combination, cause the at least one display device to display one of a plurality of awards for each displayed winning symbol combination.

2. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the symbols associated with at least one of the multiple symbol display position elements include wild symbols.

3. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein when executed by the at least one processor, the plurality of instructions cause the at least one processor to:

(i) determine whether each displayed symbol qualifies to be removed, wherein for each displayed multiple symbol display position element, said determination is based on if each of the symbols of said displayed multiple symbol display position element qualify to be removed,

(ii) for each displayed symbol that qualifies to be removed, cause the at least one display device to display a removal said symbol,

(iii) cause the at least one display device to display a repositioning of a quantity of any remaining displayed symbols,

(iv) for each created empty symbol display position, cause the at least one display device to display one of the plurality of symbols, and

(v) repeat (b) and (c) at least once.

4. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of awards are selected from the group consisting of:

a quantity of monetary credits, a quantity of non-monetary credits, a quantity of promotional credits, a quantity of player tracking points, a progressive award, a modifier, a quantity of free plays of the game, a quantity of plays of at least one non-wagering game, at least one lottery based award, a wager match for at least one play of the game, an increase in an average expected payback percentage of the game, at least one comp, a quantity of credits usable for an online play of an online game, a quantity of virtual goods and an access code usable to unlock content on an internet.

5. The gaming system of claim 1, which includes a housing, and a plurality of input devices supported by the housing, said plurality of input devices including an acceptor, and a cashout device, wherein when executed by the at least one processor, the plurality of instructions cause the at least one processor to operate with the plurality of input devices to:

responsive to a physical item being received via the acceptor, establish a credit balance based, at least in part, on a monetary value associated with the received physical item, and responsive to a cashout input being received via the cashout device, cause an initiation of any payout associated with the credit balance.

6. A gaming system server comprising:

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;

(a) responsive to receiving an input to initiate a play of a game, communicate data which results in at least one display device displaying, at a plurality of symbol display positions of each of a plurality of separate symbol display position matrices;

(i) one of a plurality of different symbols, and

(ii) one of a plurality of multiple symbol display position elements, wherein;

(A) at least a first one of the symbol display positions of a first one of the symbol display position matrices is linked to at least a first one of the symbol display positions of a second one of the symbol display position matrices, and

(B) each multiple symbol display position element is associated with a plurality of symbols displayed at a plurality of the symbol display positions,

(b) for each of the symbol display position matrices, evaluate the symbols displayed at the symbol display positions of that symbol display position matrix to determine if any of the displayed symbols form any winning symbol combinations, wherein if any multiple symbol display position elements are displayed at at least one symbol display position of the first one of the symbol display position matrices and at least one linked symbol display position of the second one of the symbol display position matrices, the at least one symbol associated with the multiple symbol display position element displayed at the at least one symbol display position of the first one of the symbol display position matrices is determined to form any winning symbol combinations with the other symbols of the first one of the symbol display position matrices and the at least one symbol associated with the multiple symbol display position element displayed at the at least one symbol display position of the second one of the symbol display position matrices is determined to form any winning symbol combinations with the other symbols of the second one of the symbol display position matrices, and

(c) for each of the symbol display position matrices, if a plurality of the displayed symbols form at least one winning symbol combination, communicate data which results in the at least one display device displaying one of a plurality of awards for each displayed winning symbol combination.

7. The gaming system server of claim 6, wherein the symbols associated with at least one of the multiple symbol display position elements include wild symbols.

8. The gaming system server of claim 6, wherein when executed by the at least one processor, the plurality of instructions cause the at least one processor to:

(i) determine whether each displayed symbol qualifies to be removed, wherein for each displayed multiple symbol display position element, said determination is based on if each of the symbols of said displayed multiple symbol display position element qualify to be removed,

(ii) for each displayed symbol that qualifies to be removed, communicate data which results in the at least one display device displaying a removal of said symbol,

(iii) communicate data which results in the at least one display device displaying a repositioning of a quantity of any remaining displayed symbols,

(iv) for each created empty symbol display position, communicate data which results in the at least one display device displaying one of the plurality of symbols, and

(v) repeat (b) and (c) at least once.

9. The gaming system server of claim 6, wherein the plurality of awards are selected from the group consisting of:

a quantity of monetary credits, a quantity of non-monetary credits, a quantity of promotional credits, a quantity of player tracking points, a progressive award, a modifier, a quantity of free plays of the game, a quantity of plays of at least one non-wagering game, at least one lottery based award, a wager match for at least one play of the game, an increase in an average expected payback percentage of the game, at least one comp, a quantity of credits usable for an online play of an online game, a quantity of virtual goods and an access code usable to unlock content on an internet.

10. The gaming system server of claim 6, wherein at least one of the awards for at least one of any formed winning symbol combination causes an increase of a credit balance which is increasable via an acceptor of a physical item associated with a monetary value, and decreasable via a cashout device.

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

(a) responsive to receiving an input to initiate a play of a game, at a plurality of symbol display positions of each of a plurality of separate symbol display position matrices;

(i) displaying, by at least one display device, one of a plurality of different symbols, and

(ii) displaying, by the at least one display device, one of a plurality of multiple symbol display position elements, wherein;

(A) at least a first one of the symbol display positions of a first one of the symbol display position matrices is linked to at least a first one of the symbol display positions of a second one of the symbol display position matrices, and

(B) each multiple symbol display position element is associated with a plurality of symbols displayed at a plurality of the symbol display positions,

(b) for each of the symbol display position matrices, evaluating, by at least one processor, the symbols displayed at the symbol display positions of that symbol display position matrix to determine if any of the displayed symbols form any winning symbol combinations, wherein if any multiple symbol display position elements are displayed at at least one symbol display position of the first one of the symbol display position matrices and at least one linked symbol display position of the second one of the symbol display position matrices, the at least one symbol associated with the multiple symbol display position element displayed at the at least one symbol display position of the first one of the symbol display position matrices is determined to form any winning symbol combinations with the other symbols of the first one of the symbol display position matrices and the at least one symbol associated with the multiple symbol display position element displayed at the at least one symbol display position of the second one of the symbol display position matrices is determined to form any winning symbol combinations with the other symbols of the second one of the symbol display position matrices, and

(c) for each of the symbol display position matrices, if a plurality of the displayed symbols form at least one winning symbol combination, displaying, by the at least one display device, one of a plurality of awards for each displayed winning symbol combination.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the symbols associated with at least one of the multiple symbol display position elements include wild symbols.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

(i) determining, by the at least one processor, whether each displayed symbol qualifies to be removed, wherein for each displayed multiple symbol display position element, said determination is based on if each of the symbols of said displayed multiple symbol display position element qualify to be removed,

(ii) for each displayed symbol that qualifies to be removed, displaying, by the at least one display device, a removal of said symbol,

(iii) displaying, by the at least one display device, a repositioning of a quantity of any remaining displayed symbols,

(iv) for each created empty symbol display position, displaying, by the at least one display device, one of the plurality of symbols, and

(v) repeating (b) and (c) at least once.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the plurality of awards are selected from the group consisting of:

a quantity of monetary credits, a quantity of non-monetary credits, a quantity of promotional credits, a quantity of player tracking points, a progressive award, a modifier, a quantity of free plays of the game, a quantity of plays of at least one non-wagering game, at least one lottery based award, a wager match for at least one play of the game, an increase in an average expected payback percentage of the game, at least one comp, a quantity of credits usable for an online play of an online game, a quantity of virtual goods and an access code usable to unlock content on an internet.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein at least one of the awards for at least one of any formed winning symbol combination causes an increase of a credit balance which is increasable via an acceptor of a physical item associated with a monetary value, and decreasable via a cashout device.

16. The method of claim 11, which is executed through a data network.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the data network is an internet.