WAGERING GAME WITH A SECONDARY REEL HAVING OVERSIZED SINGLE-EVALUATION SYMBOLS

• US 20140087830A1
• Filed: 02/12/2013
• Published: 03/27/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LNW Gaming Incorporated (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: WMS Gaming Incorporated (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Inventors: Gobe, Alexander J., Homik, Jeremy M.
• Granted Patent: US 9,520,022 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 17/323 wherein the player is informed, e.g. advertisements, odds, instructions
• 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 17/34 depending on the stopping of moving members in a mechanical slot machine, e.g. "fruit" machines

Abstract

A gaming system includes one or more input devices, one or more display devices, and one or more processors, and one or more memory devices storing instructions that cause the gaming system to receive an input indicative of a wager. The instructions further cause the gaming system to display a wagering game having an array of symbol positions positioned on a plurality of primary reels and at least one secondary reel overlaying two or more adjacent primary reels, the secondary reel including at least one oversized standard symbol, the oversized symbol overlaying symbol positions on at least two of the two or more adjacent primary reels. The instructions further cause the gaming system to spin the two or more adjacent primary reels and the secondary reel such that the two or more adjacent primary reels and the secondary reel appear to spin as a single reel.

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 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 a wagering game having an array of symbol positions positioned on a plurality of primary reels and at least one secondary reel overlaying two or more adjacent primary reels, the secondary reel including at least one oversized symbol, the oversized symbol overlaying symbol positions on at least two of the two or more adjacent primary reels, the oversized symbol being a standard symbol, and

spin the two or more adjacent primary reels and the secondary reel such that the two or more adjacent primary reels and the secondary reel appear to spin as a single reel.

2. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the one or more memory devices stores instructions that further cause the two or more adjacent primary reels and the secondary reel to stop spinning simultaneously.

3. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the one or more memory devices stores instructions that further cause the gaming system to evaluate the array for one or more winning outcomes, the oversized symbol being evaluated as multiple standard symbols, each of the multiple standard symbols being positioned in a symbol position overlaid by the oversized symbol.

4. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein a portion of the oversized symbol replaces each of the symbols located in the symbol positions overlaid by the oversized symbol.

5. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the two or more adjacent primary reels overlaid by the secondary reel are distinguishable from the remaining primary reels.

6. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the one or more memory devices stores instructions that further cause the gaming system to determine at least one of a position and a width of the secondary reel.

7. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the one or more memory devices stores instructions that further cause the gaming system to spin the secondary reel in response to a predetermined condition.

8. 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 wagering game having an array of symbol positions positioned on a plurality of primary reels and at least one secondary reel overlaying two or more adjacent primary reels, the secondary reel including at least one oversized symbol, the oversized symbol overlaying symbol positions on at least two of the two or more adjacent primary reels, the oversized symbol being a standard symbol; and

spinning the two or more adjacent primary reels and the secondary reel, by at least one of one or more processors, such that the two or more adjacent primary reels and the secondary reel appear to spin as a single reel.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, further comprising simultaneously stopping the two or more adjacent primary reels and the secondary reel.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, further comprising evaluating the array for one or more winning outcomes by at least one of one or more processors, the oversized symbol being evaluated as multiple symbols, each of the multiple symbols being positioned in a symbol position overlaid by the oversized symbol.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, further comprising replacing each symbol located in the symbol positions overlaid by the oversized symbol with a portion of the oversized symbol.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein the two or more adjacent primary reels overlaid by the secondary reel are distinguishable from the remaining primary reels.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, further comprising determining, by at least one of one or more processors, at least one of a position and a width of the secondary reel.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, further comprising spinning the secondary reel, by at least one of one or more processors, in response to a predetermined condition.

15. 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 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 a wagering game having a plurality of primary reels, each of the primary reels having a plurality of symbols thereon,

determine a width of a secondary reel having at least one oversized symbol thereon, the width corresponding to a width of from two primary reels to all of the primary reels,

overlay two or more adjacent primary reels with the secondary reel having the determined width, and

spin the two or more adjacent primary reels overlaid by the secondary reel such that the two or more adjacent primary reels overlaid by the secondary reel appear to spin as a single reel.

16. The gaming system of claim 15, wherein the oversized symbol is a standard symbol.

17. The gaming system of claim 15, wherein the one or more memory devices stores instructions that further cause the two or more adjacent primary reels and the secondary reel to stop spinning simultaneously.

18. The gaming system of claim 15, wherein the one or more memory devices stores instructions that further cause the gaming system to evaluate an outcome of the spin for one or more winning outcomes, the oversized symbol being evaluated as multiple standard symbols, each of the multiple standard symbols replacing a primary reel symbol overlaid by the oversized symbol.

19. The gaming system of claim 15, wherein a portion of the oversized symbol replaces each primary reel symbol overlaid by the oversized symbol.

20. The gaming system of claim 15, wherein the two or more adjacent primary reels overlaid by the secondary reel are distinguishable from the remaining primary reels.

21. The gaming system of claim 15, wherein the one or more memory devices stores instructions that further cause the gaming system to determine a position of the secondary reel.

22. The gaming system of claim 15, wherein the oversized symbol extends across at least two of the two or more adjacent primary reels.