Game machine having a plurality of ways for a user to obtain payouts based on the appearance of any and all symbols within an active symbol matrix (WYSIWYG)

• US 10,255,752 B2
• Filed: 02/01/2016
• Issued: 04/09/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PTT LLC
• Original Assignee: High 5 Games, LLC
• Inventors: Singer, Anthony, Marks, Howard, Marks, Daniel
• Primary Examiner(s): Shah, Milap
• Application Number:
  US15/012,836
• Publication Number:
  US 20160284158A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,163 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3209 Input means, e.g. buttons, touch screen
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3213 Details of moving display elements, e.g. spinning reels, tumbling members
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3216 Construction aspects of a gaming system, e.g. housing, seats, ergonomic aspects
• 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 17/326 Game play aspects of gaming systems
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3262 Player actions which determine the course of the game, e.g. selecting a prize to be won, outcome to be achieved, game to be played
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3267 Game outcomes which determine the course of the subsequent game, e.g. double or quits, free games, higher payouts, different new games
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/34 depending on the stopping of moving members in a mechanical slot machine, e.g. "fruit" machines

Abstract

A wagering game of chance comprising: an input device configured to accept an item associated with a monetary value, the monetary value establishing a credit balance, the credit balance being increasable and decreasable based at least on wagering activity; a memory device having computer-executable instructions stored thereon; and a processor, which upon executing the computer-executable instructions, is configured to: accept a wager, the wager amount decreasing the credit balance; use a random number generator to select and display a portion of each of a plurality of reels on a display device, the plurality of reels comprising symbols thereon including one or more number symbols; determine if a number symbol is displayed on any one of the portions of the plurality of reels on the display device; in response to at least one number symbol being displayed on any displayed portions of the plurality of reels, issue the sum of all number symbols displayed on the display device as a monetary payout without regard to the alignment of the number symbols on the reels and without regard to a pay table; and detect a command from a cashout input to cause the initiation of a the payout, via the cashout device.

Claims

1. A wagering game of chance comprising:

an input device configured to accept an item associated with a monetary value, the monetary value establishing a credit balance, the credit balance being increasable and decreasable based at least on wagering activity;

a memory device having computer-executable instructions stored thereon; and

a processor, which upon executing the computer-executable instructions, is configured to;

accept a wager from a player, the wager amount decreasing the credit balance;

display a plurality of reels spinning on a display device during a spin wherein the plurality of the reels comprise symbols thereon including one or more number symbols and wherein the number symbols are visible to the player as the reels are spinning;

use a random number generator to determine the portions of the reels that are displayed at the end of the spin;

display the portion of each of a plurality of reels on a display device, as determined by the random number generator;

determine if a number symbol is displayed on any one of the portions of the plurality of reels on the display device at the end of the spin;

in response to at least one number symbol being displayed on any displayed portions of the plurality of reels at the end of the spin, issue the sum of all number symbols displayed on the display device as a monetary payout without regard to the alignment of the number symbols on the reels and without regard to a pay table; and

detect a command from a cashout input to cause the initiation of a the payout, via the cashout device.

2. The game of claim 1 wherein the number symbol has a currency denomination.

3. The game of claim 1 wherein the number symbol on the reels is based on the wager.

4. The game of claim 1 wherein a blank symbol occupies a symbol position on the reels.

5. The game of claim 1 wherein a non-number symbol occupies a symbol position on the reels.

6. The game of claim 5 wherein the processor further determines if there is a second award based on the non-number symbol displayed in the display device.

7. The game of claim 6 wherein the second award is based on the alignment of the non-number symbol.

8. The game of claim 6 wherein the second award includes a free spin.

9. The game of claim 6 wherein the second award is a bonus game.

10. A method for playing a game of chance, the method comprising:

accepting a wager from a player through an input establishing a credit balance, the credit balance being increasable and decreasable based on wagering activity;

displaying a plurality of reels during a spin of the game, each of the reels including a plurality of symbol positions the plurality of reels comprising symbols thereon including one or more number symbols wherein the number symbols are visible to the player during the spin;

selecting, by a random number generator on a processor, stop positions for the reels to be displayed in a symbol matrix at the end of the spin, wherein the stop position for each reel determines which symbol positions on the reel are displayed at the end of the spin;

determining, by the processor, if a number symbol is displayed in the symbol matrix on the display device at the end of the spin;

in response to at least one number symbol being displayed in the symbol matrix at the end of the spin, issuing the number of the number symbol displayed on the display device as a monetary award value increasing a payout by the number without regard to the alignment of the number symbols on the reels and without regard to a pay table; and

detecting a command to cause the initiation of a the payout via a cashout device.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the number symbol has a currency denomination.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the payout is in the currency denomination.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein the number of the number symbol is based on the wager.

14. The method of claim 10 wherein there are one or more non-number symbols on the reels.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising determining if there is a second award based on the non-number symbol.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the second award is based on the alignment of the non-number symbol.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein the second award includes a bonus feature.

18. The method of claim 14 wherein the non-number symbol is a blank symbol.