Gaming device having player selection of scatter pay symbol positions

• US 20060084493A1
• Filed: 09/29/2004
• Published: 04/20/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Swift, Brian D., Pederson, Mark W., Slater, Jody N.
• Granted Patent: US 7,740,536 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/20
• 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 device with a scatter pay formed by enabling a player to pick a plurality of symbol display areas. The symbols generated to be displayed in the picked symbol display areas of the scatter pay are evaluated by the gaming device for a winning combination. In one embodiment, whether an award is associated with a combination of symbols generated in the picked symbol display areas of the scatter pay is based on a separate scatter pay paytable. In one embodiment, the player is enabled to pick a predetermined number of symbol display areas upon the generation of a triggering symbol. Alternatively, the player is enabled to pick the symbol display areas to be included in a scatter pay based on making a wager of a predetermined amount.

Claims

1. A gaming device operated under the control of a processor, said gaming device comprising:

a game controlled by the processor and operable upon a wager by a player;

a plurality of reels in said game;

a plurality of symbols on said reels;

a plurality of symbol display areas associated with said reels, wherein each symbol display area is adapted to display one of said symbols upon activation of the reels;

a predetermined condition, wherein, upon an occurrence of the predetermined condition, the player is enabled to pick a plurality of the symbol display areas of at least two, but not all, of the reels; and

at least one award associated with at least one of winning combination of symbols, wherein said award is provided to the player if, upon at least one subsequent generation of the symbols on the reels in the symbol display areas, the winning combination of symbols associated with said award is displayed in the symbol display areas picked by the player.

2. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein the predetermined condition includes the generation of at least one trigger symbol of the plurality of symbols.

3. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein the predetermined condition includes a predetermined amount of the wager.

4. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein the predetermined condition enables the player to pick a plurality of symbol display areas upon the generation of a plurality of trigger symbols.

5. The gaming device of claim 4, wherein at least two of the plurality of trigger symbols are different from one another.

6. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein the number of symbol display areas the player is enabled to pick is predetermined.

7. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein the number of symbol display areas the player is enabled to pick is based on the amount of the wager of the player.

8. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein the number of symbol display areas the player is enabled to pick is based on the number of trigger symbols generated.

9. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein the number of symbol display areas the player is enabled to pick is based on a previous outcome in a game.

10. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein the reels are automatically activated upon the selection of the plurality of symbol display areas.

11. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein subsequent generation of symbols in the symbol display areas occurs a plurality of times, and wherein the player is provided an award associated with any winning combination of symbols displayed in the symbol display areas picked by the player for each subsequent generation of symbols.

12. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein a plurality of different awards is associated with a plurality of winning combinations of symbols.

13. The gaming device of claim 1, which includes a paytable associated with the symbols generated in the symbol display areas picked by the player, wherein the paytable associates at least one award with at least one winning combination of said symbols.

14. The gaming device of claim 13, wherein the paytable is different from at least one other paytable, wherein said other paytable associates an award with other winning combinations.

15. The gaming device of claim 1, which includes a winning combination of symbols based on the order in which the player picked the symbol display areas.

16. A method of operating a gaming device, said method comprising:

(a) displaying to a player a plurality of symbol display areas associated with a plurality of reels;

(b) enabling the player to pick a plurality of the symbol display areas of at least two, but not all, of the reels;

(c) generating a plurality of-symbols to be displayed in the symbol display areas;

(d) determining if a winning combination of symbols is displayed in the symbol display areas picked by the player; and

(e) providing the player an award associated with any winning combination of symbols displayed in the symbol display areas picked by the player.

17. The method of claim 16, which includes enabling the player to pick a plurality of the symbol display areas if the player makes a wager equal to a predetermined amount in the game.

18. The method of claim 16, which includes enabling the player to pick a plurality of the symbol display areas upon generation of at least one trigger symbol.

19. The method of claim 16, which includes enabling the player to pick a predetermined number of the symbol display areas.

20. The method of claim 16, which includes determining the number of symbol display areas to be picked by the player based on a trigger symbol generated by the gaming device.

21. The method of claim 16, which includes determining the number of symbol display areas to be picked by the player based on a number of trigger symbols generated by the gaming device.

22. The method of claim 16, which includes determining the number of symbol display areas to be picked by the player based on an amount of a wager made by the player in the game.

23. The method of claim 16, which includes automatically activating the reels upon picking the plurality of symbol display areas.

24. The method of claim 16, which includes generating a plurality of symbols to be displayed in the symbol display areas a plurality of times and providing the player an award associated with any winning combination of symbols displayed in the symbol display areas picked by the player for each plurality of symbols generated.

25. The method of claim 16, which includes determining a winning combination based on the order in which the player picks the symbol display areas.

26. The method of claim 16, which includes determining a winning combination based on a paytable associated with the symbols generated in the symbol display areas picked by the player.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the paytable associated with the symbols generated at the symbol display areas picked by the player is different from at least one paytable associated with other symbol combinations in the game.

28. The method of claim 16, which is included on a data network.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the data network is an internet.