Electronic game with moving bonus symbol

• US 6,290,600 B1
• Filed: 09/08/1999
• Issued: 09/18/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Novomatic AG
• Original Assignee: Novomatic AG
• Inventors: Glasson, Naomi
• Primary Examiner(s): O'Neill, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): ASHBURN, STEVEN L
• Application Number:
  US09/391,346
• Time in Patent Office: 741 Days
• Field of Search: 463/13, 463/16-20, 463/25-27, 463/31, 463/35, 273/143.R, 273/138.1, 273/138.A
• US Class Current: 463/20
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2001/008 adapted for being playable on a screen
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3265 Influencing the position of stopped moving members to achieve a winning arrangement, e.g. nudging, shuffling, holding

Abstract

An electronic game and method are set forth wherein if a player obtains a bonus symbol on one reel of the gaming device and a landing symbol on an adjacent reel a bonus sequence is triggered. When the bonus sequence is triggered, a jumping symbol moves to the landing symbol. If the next reel includes a landing symbol, the feature symbol continues to move across the display. If any reel does not display a landing symbol, that reel is re-spun in an attempt to obtain a landing symbol. The player is awarded a bonus based upon the number of reels the feature symbol can progress through. If the symbol can progress through all the reels, a jackpot bonus is awarded.

Claims

1. An improved electronic gaming device of the type including a display, means for accepting a wager, a processor programmed to, when prompted, control the display to display at least three reels each in a spinning mode concluding at a stopped mode whereat a plurality of reel symbols are displayed on said reels defining a winning or a losing outcome based on the combination of symbols displayed on said reels and means for issuing a reward to the player when a winning outcome is obtained, the improvement comprising:

said processor adapted to sense the occurrence of a predetermined bonus triggering event;

designating a symbol as a feature symbol and another symbol as a landing symbol;

in response to sensing said triggering event said processor adapted to initiate a bonus sequence and control the display to display the feature symbol at a first position and move the feature symbol from the first position to at least one or more positions on the display associated with any displayed landing symbols;

wherein said processor is adapted to confine a selected feature symbol to be displayed to at least one reel and any selected landing symbol to other reels, said processor further adapted to, when a bonus triggering event is sensed, sense the absence of a landing symbol displayed for a said other reel and to re-select and display symbols for said other reel including any landing symbol, if any; and

means for issuing an award based upon the landing symbols moved to by said feature symbol and disregarding for the award any symbol combinations formed by the moving feature symbol.

2. The improved device of claim 1 including said processor controlling the display to move the feature symbol to a landing symbol displayed as a result of said re-selection.

3. An improved electronic gaming device of the type including a display, means for accepting a wager, a processor programmed to, when prompted, control the display to display at least three reels each in a spinning mode concluding at a stopped mode whereat a plurality of reel symbols are displayed on said reels defining a winning or a losing outcome based on the combination of symbols displayed on said reels and means for issuing a reward to the player when a winning outcome is obtained, the improvement comprising:

said processor adapted to sense the occurrence of a predetermined bonus triggering event;

designating at least one symbol as a landing symbol;

said processor is adapted to confine a selected feature symbol to be displayed to at least one reel and any selected landing symbol to other reels;

in response to sensing said triggering event said processor adapted to initiate a bonus sequence and control the display to display a feature symbol on a first position and move the feature symbol from the first position to at least one or more landing positions on the display associated with other displayed game symbols;

said processor adapted to sense the absence of a landing symbol displayed for a said other reel and to re-select and display symbols for said other reel including any landing symbol, if any;

said processor adapted to sense the absence of a landing symbol at any other reel after said re-selection and to control the display to display a terminating display sequence; and

means for issuing an award based upon landing positions moved to by said feature symbol.

4. The improved device of claim 3 including said processor adapted to control the display to display a celebration display sequence wherein a celebration symbol is displayed to interact with the feature symbol.

5. An improved electronic gaming device of the type including a display, means for accepting a wager, a processor programmed to, when prompted, control the display to display at least three reels each in a spinning mode concluding at a stopped mode whereat a plurality of reel symbols are displayed on said reels defining a winning or a losing outcome based on the combination of symbols displayed on said reels and means for issuing a reward to the player when a winning outcome is obtained, the improvement comprising:

said processor adapted to sense the occurrence of a predetermined bonus triggering event;

designating a symbol as a feature symbol and another symbol as a landing symbol;

in response to sensing said triggering event said processor adapted to initiate a bonus sequence and control the display to display the feature symbol at a first position and move the feature symbol from the first position to at least one or more positions on the display associated with any displayed landing symbols;

said processor programed to control the display to display a selected feature symbol to the left most reel of the display and any selected landing symbol to the remaining reels, said processor further adapted to sense the display of said feature symbol with a landing symbol displayed on an adjacent reel to define said triggering event whereupon the display is controlled to move the feature symbol to the landing symbol, said processor sensing the condition of the presence of a landing symbol on the next adjacent reels and if a landing symbol is displayed to control the display to display the feature symbol moving to the landing symbol on the said reels and to the said remaining reels that meet the said condition and said processor further adapted to sense the absence of a displayed landing symbol on the remaining reels and to re-select and display symbols for said other reel including any landing symbol, if any; and

means for issuing an award based upon the landing symbols moved to by said feature symbol and disregarding for the award any symbol combinations formed by the moving feature symbol.

6. An improved electronic gaming device of the type including a display, means for accepting a wager, a processor programmed to, when prompted, control the display to display at least three reels each in a spinning mode concluding at a stopped mode whereat a plurality of reel symbols are displayed on said reels defining a winning or a losing outcome based on the combination of symbols displayed on said reels and means for issuing a reward to the player when a winning outcome is obtained, the improvement comprising:

said processor adapted to sense the occurrence of a predetermined bonus triggering event;

designating at least one symbol as a landing symbol;

said processor controlling the display to display a selected feature symbol to the left most reel of the display and any selected landing symbol to the remaining reels, said processor further adapted to sense the display of said feature symbol with a landing symbol displayed on an adjacent reel to define said triggering event whereupon the display is controlled to move the feature symbol to the landing symbol, said processor sensing the condition of the presence of a landing symbol on the next adjacent reels and if a landing symbol is displayed to control the display to display the feature symbol moving to the landing symbol on the said reels and to the said remaining reels that meet the said condition;

said processor adapted to sense the absence of a displayed landing symbol on the remaining reels and to re-select and display symbols for said other reel including any landing symbol, if any; and

said processor adapted to sense the absence of a landing symbol on any remaining reels and in response thereto control the display to display a bonus terminating sequence.

7. An improved electronic gaming device of the type including a display, means for accepting a wager, a data structure storing data representing game symbols, a processor programmed to, when prompted, control the display to display at least three reels each in a spinning mode concluding at a stopped mode whereat a plurality of symbols are displayed on said reels selected from the data structure defining a winning or a losing outcome and means for issuing a reward to the player when a winning outcome is obtained, the improvement comprising:

said data structure includes for at least one selected reel a bonus initiating symbol and for the other reels a bonus enabling symbol;

said processor is adapted to sense, when the device is at the stopped mode, the display of said initiating symbol and a bonus enabling symbol on a reel adjacent to said selected reel and in response thereto initiate a bonus sequence including controlling the display to (a) sequentially move the bonus initiating symbol from the selected reel to a position associated with said enabling symbol on adjacent reels, (b) if any adjacent reel does not display an enabling symbol to control the display to display said reel in a spinning mode concluding in the display of said symbols including, in any, bonus initiating symbol; and

means for issuing a reward based upon the number of adjacent reels the bonus initiating symbol moves to.

8. The improved device of claim 7 wherein said selected reel is the leftmost reel at the display.

9. The improved device of claim 7 including said processor preprogrammed to display at least four reels.

10. The improved device of claim 7 including said processor preprogrammed to execute a first animated sequence displaying said initiating symbol moving from reel to reel.

11. An improved electronic gaming device of the type including a display, means for accepting a wager, a data structure storing data representing game symbols, a processor programmed to, when prompted, control the display to display at least three reels each in a spinning mode concluding at a stopped mode whereat a plurality of symbols are displayed on said reels selected from the data structure defining a winning or a losing outcome and means for issuing a reward to the player when a winning outcome is obtained, the improvement comprising:

said data structure includes for at least one selected reel a bonus initiating symbol and for the other reels a bonus enabling symbol;

said processor is adapted to sense, when the device is at the stopped mode, the display of said initiating symbol and a bonus enabling symbol on a reel adjacent to said selected reel and in response thereto initiate a bonus sequence including controlling the display to (a) sequentially move the bonus initiating symbol from the selected reel to a position associated with said enabling symbol on adjacent reels, (b) if any adjacent reel does not display an enabling symbol to control the display to display said reel in a spinning mode concluding in the display of said symbols including, in any, bonus initiating symbol; and

means for issuing a reward based upon the number of adjacent reels the bonus initiating symbol moves to;

said processor preprogrammed to execute a first animated sequence displaying said initiating symbol moving from reel to reel; and

said processor preprogrammed to execute a second animated sequence displaying said initiating symbol moving off the display where said processor senses that no enabling symbol appears on an adjacent reel.

12. A method for a player to play an electronic gaming device comprising:

providing a display;

providing a computer processor to control said display;

the player making a wager and prompting play of the game;

said processor in response to the player prompting play controlling the display to display at least three reels in a spinning mode concluding at a stop mode where said display displays game symbols for each reel defining a winning or a losing outcome for the game;

rewarding the player for obtaining a winning outcome;

if one of the reels in the stop mode displays a designated bonus initiating symbol and an adjacent reel displays a designated bonus enabling symbol, said processor controlling the display to display said initiating symbol moving to the adjacent reel;

if any of the remaining reels in the stop mode do not display an initiating symbol, said processor controlling the display to re-spin said remaining reels at least once to a stop position to display said symbols including any enabling symbol; and

issuing a reward to the player based upon the number of reels the enabling symbol moves to.

13. An improved electronic gaming device of the type including a display, means for accepting a wager, a processor programmed to, when prompted, control the display to display at least three reels each in a spinning mode concluding at a stopped mode whereat a plurality of reel symbols are displayed on said reels defining a winning or losing outcome based on the combination of symbols displayed on said reels and means for issuing a reward to the player when a winning outcome is obtained, the improvement comprising:

said processor is programmed to sense the outcome of a bonus triggering event, such outcome being characterized in that the display displays a feature symbol and at least one or more landing symbols and in response to sensing such a condition initiate a bonus sequence to control the display to display the feature symbol moving from its initial position toward each displayed landing symbol, said processor further determining the number of landing symbols moved to by the feature symbol;

means for issuing an award based upon the number of landing symbols moved to by said feature symbol and disregarding for the award any symbol winning combinations.

14. The improved device of claim 13 including said processor programmed to confine said feature symbol to one reel and the landing symbols to other reels.

15. An improved electronic gaming device of the type including a display, means for accepting a wager, a processor programmed to, when prompted, control the display to display at least three reels each in a spinning mode concluding at a stopped mode whereat a plurality of reel symbols are displayed on said reels defining a winning or losing outcome based on the combination of symbols displayed on said reels and means for issuing a reward to the player when a winning outcome is obtained, the improvement comprising:

said processor is programmed to sense the outcome of a bonus triggering event, such outcome being characterized in that the display displays a bonus symbol and at least one or more landing symbols and in response to sensing such a condition initiate a bonus sequence to control the display to display a feature symbol moving from its initial position that coincides with the bonus symbol position, toward each displayed landing symbol, said processor further determining the number of landing symbols moved to by the feature symbol; and

means for issuing an award based upon the number of landing symbols moved to by said feature symbol and disregarding for the award any symbol winning combinations.