WAGERING GAME WITH GAME ENHANCEMENT WINDOW

• US 20140018147A1
• Filed: 03/08/2013
• Published: 01/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LNW Gaming Incorporated
• Original Assignee: WMS Gaming Incorporated (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Inventors: Gobe, Alexander J., Louie, Daniel P., Pryor, David M., Vann, Jamie W.
• Granted Patent: US 8,834,258 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/20
• 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 17/3265 Influencing the position of stopped moving members to achieve a winning arrangement, e.g. nudging, shuffling, holding
• 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 includes instructions that cause the gaming system to receive an input indicative of a wager, display a plurality of reels defining a symbol array, and display a symbol-alteration region including at least two symbol positions and extending through a subset of the symbol array at a predefined position. The plurality of reels includes a plurality of symbols moving through the symbol array. The plurality of symbols includes a special symbol that has a first function for evaluating a game outcome. The symbol-alteration region is positioned such that at least some of the symbols move between a first position outside the symbol-alteration region and a second position within the symbol-alteration region. The instructions further cause the gaming system to, in response to the special symbol stopping within the symbol-alteration region, alter a functionality of the special symbol to include a second function for evaluating the game outcome.

Claims

1. A gaming system comprising:

one or more input devices;

one or more display devices;

one or more processors; and

one or more memory devices storing instructions that, when executed by at least one of the one or more processors, cause the gaming system to;

receive, via at least one of the one or more input devices, an input indicative of a wager;

display, on at least one of the one or more display devices, a plurality of reels defining a symbol array, the plurality of reels including a plurality of symbols moving through the symbol array, the plurality of symbols including a special symbol having a first function for evaluating a game outcome;

display, on at least one of the one or more display devices, a symbol-alteration region including at least two symbol positions and extending through a subset of the symbol array at a predefined position such that at least some of the plurality of symbols move between a first position outside the symbol-alteration region and a second position within the symbol-alteration region; and

in response to the special symbol stopping within the symbol-alteration region, alter a functionality of the special symbol to include a second function for evaluating the game outcome.

2. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the special symbol includes a depiction, the depiction being altered as the special symbol transitions between the first position outside the symbol-alteration region and the second position within the symbol-alteration region.

3. The gaming system of claim 2, wherein the depiction of the special symbol includes a first state and a second state, the first state being associated with the special symbol when positioned outside of the symbol-alteration region and the second state being associated with the special symbol when positioned inside of the symbol-alteration region.

4. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the functionality of the special symbol includes the first function and the second function for evaluating the game outcome.

5. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the instructions further cause the gaming system to display the game outcome by use of symbols aligned along a plurality of paylines, at least one of the plurality of paylines including at least one symbol position within the symbol-alteration region and at least one symbol position outside the symbol-alteration region, the second function of the special symbol only applying when the special symbol is on the at least one payline and within the symbol-alteration region.

6. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the symbol-alteration region includes a variable depiction and the second function is selected from a plurality of functions, and wherein the second function is indicated by one of the various depictions of the symbol-alteration region.

7. A computer-implemented method in a gaming system, the method comprising:

receiving, via at least one of one or more input devices, an input indicative of a wager;

displaying, on at least one of one or more display devices, a plurality of reels defining a symbol array, the plurality of reels including a plurality of symbols moving within the symbol array, the plurality of symbols including a special symbol having a first function for evaluating a game outcome;

displaying, on at least one of the one or more display devices, a symbol-alteration region being located at a predefined position while the plurality of symbols are moving through the symbol array, the symbol-alteration region overlying a first subset of the symbol array and including at least two symbol positions within the symbol array;

displaying, on at least one of the one or more display devices, the game outcome, the game outcome including the special symbol stopping within the symbol-alteration region; and

in response to the special symbol stopping within the symbol-alteration region, altering a functionality of the special symbol to include a second function for evaluating the game outcome.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, further comprising altering a depiction of the special symbol as the special symbol moves between a first position outside the symbol-alteration region and a second position within the symbol-alteration region.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein the functionality of the special symbol includes the first function and the second function for evaluating the game outcome.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein the displaying the game outcome includes displaying symbols aligned along a plurality of paylines, at least one of the plurality of paylines including at least one symbol position within the symbol-alteration region and at least one symbol position outside the symbol-alteration region, the second function of the special symbol only applying when the special symbol is on the at least one payline and within the symbol-alteration region.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein the special symbol includes a variable depiction and the second function is selected from a plurality of functions, and wherein the second function is indicated by one of the various depictions of the special symbol.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, further comprising:

displaying, on at least one of the one or more display devices, a second symbol-alteration region overlying a second subset of the symbol array; and

in response to the special symbol stopping within the second symbol-alteration region, altering the functionality of the special symbol to include a third function for evaluating the game outcome.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, wherein the first subset of the symbol array includes no symbol positions that are a part of the second subset of the symbol array.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, wherein the first subset of the symbol array is displayed during a first play of a wagering game and the second subset of the symbol array is displayed during a second play of the wagering game, the first subset occupying a first number of symbol positions and the second subset occupying a second number of symbol positions.

15. A gaming system comprising:

one or more input devices;

one or more display devices;

one or more processors;

one or more memory devices storing instructions that, when executed by at least one of the one or more processors, cause the gaming system to;

receive, via at least one of the one or more input devices, an input indicative of a wager;

display, on at least one of the one or more display devices, a plurality of reels defining a symbol array, the plurality of reels including a plurality of symbols moving within the symbol array, the plurality of symbols including a special symbol having an original depiction and an altered depiction;

display, on at least one of the one or more display devices, a symbol-alteration region overlying a subset of the symbol array; and

in response to the special symbol moving between a first position outside the symbol-alteration region and a second position within the symbol-alteration region, alter the original depiction of the special symbol to the altered depiction.

16. The gaming system of claim 15, wherein the special symbol has a first function when located in regions of the symbol array outside of the symbol-alteration region, and wherein the instructions further cause the gaming system to, in response to the special symbol stopping within the symbol-alteration region, alter a functionality of the special symbol to a second function for evaluating the game outcome.

17. The gaming system of claim 16, wherein the special symbol occupies at least two symbol positions within the symbol array, and wherein the functionality is altered in response to each of the symbol positions of the special symbol stopping within the symbol-alteration region.

18. The gaming system of claim 15, wherein the instructions further cause the gaming system to, in response to the special symbol moving from within the symbol-alteration region to a position outside the symbol-alteration region, return the altered depiction to the original depiction for the special symbol.

19. The gaming system of claim 15, wherein the instructions further cause the gaming system to, in response to each move between the first position and the second position, alter the special symbol to a different altered depiction from a plurality of altered depictions, and wherein the special symbol includes a functionality based on the particular altered depiction that is displayed.

20. The gaming system of claim 15, wherein a first portion of the special symbol is located within the symbol-alteration region and a second portion of the special symbol is located outside the symbol-alteration region such that the first portion displays the altered depiction and the second portion displays the original depiction.

21. The gaming system of claim 15, wherein the instructions further cause the gaming system to trigger an event, the event being determined by a number of times the special symbol has moved between the first position and the second position.

22. A computer-implemented method in a gaming system, the method comprising:

receiving, via at least one of one or more input devices, an input indicative of a wager;

displaying, on at least one of one or more display devices, a plurality of reels defining a symbol array, the plurality of reels including a plurality of symbols, the plurality of symbols including a special symbol having an original depiction and an altered depiction;

displaying, on at least one of the one or more display devices, a symbol-alteration region extending through a subset of the symbol array;

moving the plurality of symbols through the symbol array such that the special symbol moves between a first position outside the symbol-alteration region and a second position within the symbol-alteration region; and

in response to the special symbol moving between the first position and the second position, altering, via at least one of one or more processors, the original depiction of the special symbol to the altered depiction.

23. The computer-implemented method of claim 22, further comprising, in response to the special symbol stopping within the symbol-alteration region, altering a functionality of the special symbol to include a first function for evaluating the game outcome.

24. The computer-implemented method of claim 22, further comprising triggering an event, the event being determined by a number of times the special symbol has moved between the first position and the second position.

25. The computer-implemented method of claim 22, wherein a first portion of the special symbol is located within the symbol-alteration region and a second portion of the special symbol is located outside the symbol-alteration region such that the first portion displays the altered depiction and the second portion displays the original depiction.

26. One or more physical machine-readable storage media including instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

receive, via at least one of the one or more input devices, an input indicative of a wager;

display, on at least one of the one or more display devices, a plurality of reels defining a symbol array, the plurality of reels including a plurality of symbols moving through the symbol array, the plurality of symbols including a special symbol having a first function for evaluating a game outcome;

display, on at least one of the one or more display devices, a symbol-alteration region including at least two symbol positions and extending through a subset of the symbol array at a predefined position such that at least some of the plurality of symbols move between a first position outside the symbol-alteration region and a second position within the symbol-alteration region; and

in response to the special symbol stopping within the symbol-alteration region, alter a functionality of the special symbol to include a second function for evaluating the game outcome.

27. The one or more physical machine-readable storage media of claim 26, wherein the special symbol includes a depiction, the depiction being altered as the special symbol transitions between a first position within the symbol-alteration region and a second position outside the symbol-alteration region.

28. The one or more physical machine-readable storage media of claim 26, wherein the functionality of the special symbol includes the first function and the second function for evaluating the game outcome.