GAMING DEVICE HAVING A PRIMARY GAME SCHEME INVOLVING A SYMBOL GENERATOR AND SECONDARY AWARD WHEELS

• US 20090305771A1
• Filed: 08/18/2009
• Published: 12/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Baerlocher, Anthony J., Webb, Bayard S.
• Granted Patent: US 7,874,913 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/20
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• 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 gaming device with a primary game scheme including one or more symbol generators and a plurality of wheels where each wheel is associated with a different one of the symbol generators. When one or more of the symbol generators generates at least one predetermined symbol, the gaming device activates or spins the wheel associated with that symbol generator. The gaming device provides any awards associated with the activated wheels to a player.

Claims

1. A gaming device comprising:

at least one input device;

at least one display 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 operate with the at least one display device and the at least one input device to;

(a) display a plurality of symbol generators, each symbol generator having a plurality of symbols including a predetermined symbol,

(b) display a wheel including a plurality of sections, each of said sections including one of a plurality of outcomes, a plurality of said outcomes being different,

(c) display a plurality of section indicators associated with the wheel, each of the plurality of section indicators being independently linked with a different one of the symbol generators and each symbol generator being independently linked with a different one of the section indicators, and

(d) for a single play of a game upon a wager by a player;

(i) for each of the symbol generators;

(A) randomly generate at least one of the symbols of said symbol generator, and

(B) cause that symbol generator to display said randomly generated symbols, and

(ii) if at least one of the predetermined symbols is randomly generated;

(A) cause the wheel to start spinning,

(B) cause the wheel to stop spinning at a randomly determined position, said randomly determined position being separate from the random generations of the symbols,

(C) for each symbol generator, if said symbol generator randomly generates the predetermined symbol, activate the section indicator independently linked to that symbol generator,

(D) for each activated section indicator, indicate one of the sections of the wheel stopped at the randomly determined position,

(E) determine an award, said determined award based, at least in part, on each of the outcomes of the indicated sections of the wheel stopped at the randomly determined position, and

(F) display and provide any determined award to the player.

2. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein when executed by the at least one processor, the plurality of instructions cause the at least one processor to determine the award based, at least in part, on the wager made by the player.

3. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein the symbol generators are reels.

4. The gaming device of claim 3, wherein the wheel is a mechanical wheel.

5. The gaming device of claim 3, wherein the reels are mechanical reels.

6. The gaming device of claim 5, wherein the wheel is a mechanical wheel.

7. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein the wheel is a mechanical wheel.

8. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein the symbols include a plurality of cards.

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

(a) causing a display of a plurality of symbol generators, each symbol generator having a plurality of symbols including a predetermined symbol,

(b) causing a display of a wheel including a plurality of sections, each of said sections including one of a plurality of outcomes, a plurality of said outcomes being different,

(c) causing a display a plurality of section indicators associated with the wheel, each of the plurality of section indicators being independently linked with a different one of the symbol generators and each symbol generator being independently linked with a different one of the section indicators, and

(d) for a single play of a game upon a wager by a player;

(i) for each of the symbol generators;

(A) randomly generating at least one of the symbols of said symbol generator, and

(B) causing that symbol generator to display said randomly generated symbols, and

(ii) if at least one of the predetermined symbols is randomly generated;

(A) causing the wheel to start spinning,

(B) causing the wheel to stop spinning at a randomly determined position, said randomly determined position being separate from the random generations of the symbols,

(C) for each symbol generator, if said symbol generator randomly generates the predetermined symbol, activating the section indicator independently linked to that symbol generator,

(D) for each activated section indicator, indicating one of the sections of the wheel stopped at the randomly determined position,

(E) determining an award, said determined award based, at least in part, on each of the outcomes of the indicated sections of the wheel stopped at the randomly determined position,

(F) causing a display of the determined award, and

(G) providing the determined award to the player.

10. The method of claim 9, which includes determining the award based, at least in part, on a wager made by the player.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the symbol generators are reels.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the wheel is a mechanical wheel.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the reels are mechanical reels.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the wheel is a mechanical wheel.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the wheel is a mechanical wheel.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein the symbols include a plurality of cards.

17. The method of claim 9, which is operated through a data network.

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