Gaming device having an interactive matrix game
First Claim
1. A gaming device comprising:
- a housing;
a matrix connected to the housing, said matrix defining a plurality of receptacles;
a plurality of members adapted to engage the receptacles;
a plurality of ejectors associated with the receptacles for displacing the members from the receptacles; and
a processor in communication with the ejectors and operable to cause the ejectors to displace the members from the receptacles, determine if any winning combination of members occur in the receptacles after the members re-engage the receptacles and provide an award to a player if at least one winning combination of members engages the receptacles.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A gaming device and method having a bonus game including a matrix defining a plurality of receptacles and a plurality of members that engage the receptacles. The object of the game is to obtain at least one winning combination of members in the receptacles of the matrix. The gaming device provides a number of activations to the player. The player may choose members to eject or displace from the receptacles after each activation. The player continues to select members to eject from the receptacles in the matrix until the player obtains one or more winning combinations of members in the receptacles or until there are no activations remaining. The player receives at least one award for each winning combination of members that occur in the receptacles in the matrix.
102 Citations
69 Claims
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1. A gaming device comprising:
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a housing;
a matrix connected to the housing, said matrix defining a plurality of receptacles;
a plurality of members adapted to engage the receptacles;
a plurality of ejectors associated with the receptacles for displacing the members from the receptacles; and
a processor in communication with the ejectors and operable to cause the ejectors to displace the members from the receptacles, determine if any winning combination of members occur in the receptacles after the members re-engage the receptacles and provide an award to a player if at least one winning combination of members engages the receptacles. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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26. A gaming device comprising:
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a housing;
a matrix connected to the housing, said matrix defining a plurality of receptacles;
a plurality of members adapted to engage the receptacles;
a plurality of member ejectors associated with the receptacles;
a selector for accepting or rejecting a winning combination of members engaged in the receptacles; and
a processor in communication with the member ejectors and selector, said processor operable to cause the ejectors to displace the members from the receptacles, determine if one or more winning combinations of members occur in the receptacles after the members re-engage the receptacles, cause the selector to enable a player to accept or reject a winning combination of members in the receptacles, cause the ejectors to displace the members if the player rejects said winning combination and provide an award to the player if the player accepts the winning combination of members in the receptacles. - View Dependent Claims (27)
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28. A gaming device comprising:
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a housing;
a matrix connected to the housing, said matrix defining a plurality of receptacles;
a plurality of members adapted to engage the receptacles;
a plurality of member ejectors associated with the receptacles;
a selector associated with each receptacle for independently selecting members to displace from each said receptacle; and
a processor in communication with the ejectors and selectors, said processor operable to cause the ejectors to displace the members from the receptacles, determine if any winning combinations of members occur in the receptacles after the members re-engage the receptacles, cause the selector to enable a player to independently select members to eject from the receptacles, cause the ejectors to displace the selected members from the receptacles and provide an award to the player for winning combinations of members that occur in the receptacles. - View Dependent Claims (29)
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30. A gaming device comprising:
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a housing;
a matrix connected to the housing, said matrix defining a plurality of receptacles;
a plurality of first and second members adapted to engage the receptacles;
a plurality of member ejectors associated with the receptacles;
a selector associated with each receptacle for independently selecting first and second members to eject from said receptacles; and
a processor in communication with the ejectors and selectors, said processor operable to cause the ejectors to displace the first and second members from the receptacles, determine if any winning combinations of first or second members occur in the receptacles after the first and second members re-engage the receptacles, cause the selector to enable the player to independently select first and second members to eject from the receptacles, cause the ejectors to displace the selected first and second members from the receptacles and provide any award to the player for one or more winning combinations of first or second members that occur in the receptacles. - View Dependent Claims (31, 32)
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33. A gaming device comprising:
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a housing;
a M×
N matrix connected to the housing which defines a plurality of receptacles, wherein M represents the number of rows and N represents the number of columns of the receptacles in said matrix;
a plurality of first and second members adapted to engage the receptacles;
a plurality of member ejectors associated with the receptacles;
a number of activations;
a selector associated with each receptacle for selecting first and second members to displace from the receptacles; and
a processor in communication with the ejectors and selectors, said processor operable to cause the ejectors to displace the first and second members from the receptacles until at least one winning combination occurs in the receptacles or until there are no activations remaining, determine if any winning combinations of first or second members occur in the receptacles after each time the first and second members re-engage the receptacles, cause the selectors to enable the player to independently select first and second members to displace from the receptacles, cause the ejectors to displace the selected first and second members from the receptacles, and provide an award to the player for one or more winning combinations of first or second members that occur in the receptacles. - View Dependent Claims (34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39)
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40. A gaming device comprising:
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a housing;
a holding device connected to the housing, said holding device defining a plurality of first receptacles;
a matrix connected to the housing, said matrix defining a plurality of second receptacles;
a plurality of members adapted to engage the first and second receptacles, wherein the members are initially held by the first receptacles of the holding device;
at least one selector associated with the first receptacles; and
a processor in communication with the selector, said processor operable to enable the player to independently select members to release from the first receptacles, cause the first receptacles in the holding device to release the selected members to engage the second receptacles, and provide an award to the player for one or more winning combinations of members that occur in the second receptacles. - View Dependent Claims (41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46)
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47. A wagering gaming device comprising:
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a plurality of members;
a cabinet;
at least one receptacle connected to the cabinet, said receptacle adapted to receive each said member, one at a time; and
an award provided to a player based on which member is received in the receptacle. - View Dependent Claims (48, 49)
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50. A wagering gaming device comprising:
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a cabinet;
a member;
a plurality of receptacles connected to the cabinet, said receptacles each adapted to receive said member; and
an award provided to a player based on which receptacle receives the member. - View Dependent Claims (51)
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52. A method of operating a wagering gaming device, the method comprising the steps of:
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(a) displaying a plurality of receptacles to a player, wherein a plurality of members are engaged in said receptacles;
(b) ejecting the members from the receptacles;
(c) determining if any winning combinations of members occur in the receptacles after the members re-engage the receptacles; and
(d) providing an award to the player if at least one winning combination of members occurs in the receptacles. - View Dependent Claims (53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59)
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60. A method of operating a wagering gaming device, the method comprising the steps of:
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(a) determining a number of ejections of a plurality of first and second members;
(b) displaying a plurality of receptacles to a player, wherein the plurality of first and second members are engaged in said receptacles and wherein the first and second members are different;
(c) ejecting the first and second members from the receptacles;
(d) determining if any winning combinations of first or second members occur in the receptacles after the first and second members re-engage the receptacles;
(e) enabling the player to accept or reject the winning combinations of first and second members that occur in the receptacles;
(f) ejecting the first and second members from the receptacles in the matrix if the player rejects the winning combinations of first or second members that occur in the receptacles;
(g) providing an award to the player if the player accepts the winning combinations of first or second members that occur in the receptacles; and
(h) repeating steps (e) to (g) until the player accepts the winning combinations or until there are no ejections remaining. - View Dependent Claims (61, 62)
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63. A method of operating a wagering gaming device, the method comprising the steps of:
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(a) displaying a plurality of receptacles to a player wherein a plurality of first and second members are engaged in said receptacles;
(b) determining a number of ejections of the members;
(c) ejecting the first and second members from the receptacles in the matrix;
(d) enabling the player to independently select first and second members to eject from the receptacles after the first and second members re-engage the receptacles;
(e) ejecting the selected first and second members from the receptacles in the matrix;
(f) providing an award to the player if any winning combinations of first and/or second members occur in the receptacles in the matrix after the first and second members re-engage the receptacles; and
(g) repeating steps (d) to (f) until at least one winning combination of first or second members occurs in the receptacles or until there are no ejections remaining. - View Dependent Claims (64, 65, 66)
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67. A method of operating a gaming device, the method comprising the steps of:
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(a) displaying a plurality of members in a holding device defining a plurality of first receptacles;
(b) enabling a player to independently select members to release from the first receptacles to engage a plurality of second receptacles;
(c) enabling the player to independently select particular members in the second receptacles in the matrix for a number of activations;
(d) ejecting the selected members from the second receptacles;
(e) providing an award to the player if at least one winning combination of first or second members occurs in the second receptacles after the selected members re-engage the second receptacles; and
(f) repeating steps (c) to (e) until at least one winning combination of first or second members occurs in the second receptacles or until there are no ejections remaining. - View Dependent Claims (68, 69)
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Specification