Gaming machine with sorting feature

• US 6,364,766 B1
• Filed: 08/03/2000
• Issued: 04/02/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 08/03/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sg Gaming, Inc. (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: WMS Gaming Incorporated (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Inventors: Anderson, Peter, Jaffe, Joel R., Gura, Damon E., Casey, Michael P., Gilmore, Jason C., Hughes, Darryl W., Simmons, Ian M., Frohm, Erica A.
• Primary Examiner(s): O'Neill, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jones, Scott E.
• Application Number:
  US09/631,322
• Time in Patent Office: 607 Days
• Field of Search: 273/138.1, 273/139, 273/142.R, 273/143.R, 273/142.B, 273/138.2, 273/459-461, 463/1, 463/16-22, 463/30-31, 463/34, 463/37, 463/46-47, 707/1-7
• US Class Current: 463/16
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• 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 17/3267 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 17/3295 Games involving skill, e.g. dexterity, memory, thinking

Abstract

A gaming machine comprises at least one visual display (mechanical or video) and a game of chance controlled by a processor in response to a wager. The game of chance includes a primary game and a sorting feature. The sorting feature is triggered by certain start-feature outcomes of the primary game. The sorting feature includes a collection of scrambled objects, such as letters, symbols, pictures, or puzzle pieces, that are at least partially sorted during operation of the sorting feature. The sorting feature generates an award, such as a payoff, a payoff multiplier, or extended play, if the sorted objects match predetermined criteria.

Claims

1. A gaming apparatus, comprising:

a processor responding to a wager; and

a sorting feature executed by said processor and displayed on one or more video displays, said sorting feature having a plurality of possible outcomes and a string of objects, the string collection of objects having a scrambled configuration and an unscrambled configuration, the string collection of objects being at least partially unscrambled from the scrambled configuration in response to random selection of at least one of the possible outcomes.

2. The game of claim 1, wherein the objects are selected from a group consisting of letters, symbols, pictures, and puzzle pieces.

3. The game of claim 1, wherein the sorting feature generates an award in response to the at least partially unscrambled objects matching predetermined criteria.

4. The game of claim 1, further including a primary game, the sorting feature being triggered by one or more start-feature outcomes in the primary game.

5. The game of claim 4, wherein the primary game includes a plurality of rotatable reels that are rotated and stopped to place symbols on each reel in visual association with at least one pay line.

6. The game of claim 4, wherein the string of objects includes a string of letters of an alphabet which, in the unscrambled configuration, forms a word.

7. The game of claim 6, wherein the string of letters is fully unscrambled to form the word in response to a first of the start-feature outcomes.

8. The game of claim 6, wherein the string of letters includes a pair of letters that are swapped in response to a second of the start-feature outcomes.

9. The gaming machine of claim 6, wherein the sorting feature includes a plurality of player-selectable elements in response to a third of the start-feature outcomes, the string of letters being progressively sorted to form the word in response to successive selection by a player of the player-selectable elements.

10. The game of claim 4, wherein the sorting feature includes a non-interactive mode and a player interactive mode, the non-interactive mode being triggered by a first of the start-feature outcomes, the player interactive mode being triggered by a second of the start-feature outcomes, the sorting feature including a plurality of player-selectable elements when in the player interactive mode.

11. The game of claim 10, wherein the one or more video displays include first and second video displays, wherein when the sorting feature is in the player interactive mode, the first display depicts the string of objects and the second display depicts the plurality of player-selectable elements.

12. The game of claim 11, wherein the collection of scrambled objects is progressively sorted to form a fully sorted arrangement in response to successive selection by a player of the player-selectable elements.

13. A gaming apparatus, comprising:

a processor responding to a wager; and

a sorting feature executed by said processor and displayed on one or more video displays,said sorting feature including a string of objects having a scrambled configuration and an unscrambled configuration, the string of objects being at least partially unscrambled from the scrambled configuration and solved at random without receiving player input guessing at the unscrambled configuration.

14. A gaming apparatus, comprising:

a processor responding to a wager; and

a sorting feature executed by said processor and displayed on one or more video displays, said sorting feature including a sorting feature having a plurality of possible outcomes and a string of scrambled letters of an alphabet, the string of scrambled letters being rearranged in response to random selection of at least one of the possible outcomes.

15. A method of conducting a game of chance on a gaming machine, comprising:

receiving a wager;

initiating a sorting feature having a plurality of possible outcomes and a string of objects, the string of objects having a scrambled configuration and an unscrambled configuration;

randomly selecting at least one of the possible outcomes; and

in response to randomly selecting at least one of the possible outcomes, partially unscrambling the string of objects from the scrambled configuration.

16. The method of claim 15, further including executing a primary game in response to the step of receiving a wager, and wherein the step of initiating a sorting feature is triggered by one or more start-feature outcomes in the primary game.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the primary game includes a plurality of rotatable reels that are rotated and stopped to place symbols on each reel in visual association with at least one pay line.