Gaming system, gaming device, and method for providing a cascading symbol game including shifting different determined symbols

• US 8,323,091 B2
• Filed: 08/09/2010
• Issued: 12/04/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Frank, Gregory F., DeCasa, Rogelio S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Vo, Peter DungBa
• Assistant Examiner(s): PIERCE, DAMON JOSEPH
• Application Number:
  US12/853,050
• Publication Number:
  US 20120034973A1
• Time in Patent Office: 848 Days
• Field of Search: 463/16, 463/20, 463/25
• US Class Current: 463/20
• 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 17/34 depending on the stopping of moving members in a mechanical slot machine, e.g. "fruit" machines

Abstract

During a play of a game, the disclosed gaming system determines that an ending condition has occurred. For example, the gaming system determines that an ending condition has occurred when no winning symbol combinations are displayed for the play of the game. Following determination that the ending condition has occurred, the gaming system determines whether to provide access to an additional win opportunity for the play of the game. If the additional win opportunity is to be provided, the gaming system removes one or more symbols from a plurality of symbol positions even though such symbols do not form a winning symbol combination. The gaming system fills any resulting empty symbol positions by shifting symbols and/or displaying generated symbols, and provides awards for any then-generated winning symbol combinations. The additional win opportunity may be accessed because of a player wager or because other additional win opportunity criteria are satisfied.

Claims

1. A gaming system 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 input device and the at least one display device, for a play of a game, to;

(a) display a plurality of symbol positions in a designated arrangement of symbol positions,

(b) for each of the symbol positions, display a randomly generated one of a plurality of symbols in said symbol position,

(c) determine if the displayed symbols form any game winning symbol combinations,

(d) when the displayed symbols form any game winning symbol combinations;

(i) provide an award based on said game winning symbol combinations;

(ii) remove at least one symbol from at least one game winning symbol combination from display,

(iii) display one of the plurality of symbols in each of any then-empty symbol positions, and

(iv) repeat (c) and (d), and

(e) when the displayed symbols do not form any game winning symbol combinations;

(i) determine whether to provide an additional win opportunity, said determination being independent of the displayed symbols,

(ii) when the determination is to provide the additional win opportunity;

(A) remove at least one symbol from display based on at least one removal criterion,

(B) cause any symbol which is displayed in a predetermined spatial relationship with any empty symbol position to shift in to that empty symbol position according to a predetermined rule,

(C) after said shifting, generate one or more of the plurality of symbols in each of any then-empty symbol positions,

(D) determine if the displayed symbols form any additional winning symbol combinations, and

(E) when the displayed symbols form any additional winning symbol combinations, provide an additional award based on said additional winning symbol combinations, and

(iii) when the determination is not to provide the additional win opportunity, terminate the play of the game.

2. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of instructions cause the at least one processor to operate with the at least one display device to determine whether to provide the additional win opportunity based on whether an additional win opportunity criterion is satisfied.

3. The gaming system of claim 2, wherein the additional win opportunity criterion is satisfied based on an optional portion of a wager amount provided prior to the play of the game.

4. The gaming system of claim 3, wherein the optional portion of the wager amount is based on a quantity of symbols to be removed based on the at least one removal criterion.

5. The gaming system of claim 2, wherein the additional win opportunity criterion is satisfied based a determination made as a result of the optional wager amount having been provided prior to the play of the game.

6. The gaming system of claim 2, wherein the additional win opportunity criterion is satisfied based, at least in part, on a random eligibility determination made for the play of the game.

7. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the at least one removal criterion includes whether any displayed symbol is a designated type of symbol.

8. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein, when the determination is to provide the additional win opportunity, the plurality of instructions cause the at least one processor to operate with the at least one display device and the at least one input device to enable a player to select at least one displayed symbol, and wherein the at least one removal criterion includes whether the player has selected any displayed symbol.

9. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein, when the determination is to provide the additional win opportunity, the plurality of instructions cause the at least one processor to operate with the at least one display device and the at least one input device to enable a player to select at least one symbol position, and wherein the at least one removal criterion includes whether any displayed symbol is in the selected symbol position.

10. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein when the determination is to provide the additional win opportunity, the removal is independent of a portion of the play of the game prior to the determination of whether to provide the additional win opportunity.

11. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein determining whether to provide the additional win opportunity includes determining whether a player selected one of a plurality of different packages, each of the plurality of packages resulting in a removal of one or more symbols during the additional win opportunity, and each of the plurality of packages being associated with a price based on an expected outcome of that package.

12. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein when the displayed symbols form any game winning symbol combinations, said removal of at least one symbol from at least one game winning symbol combination from display includes:

(1) causing any symbol which is displayed in the predetermined spatial relationship with any empty symbol position to shift in to that empty symbol position according to the predetermined rule, and

(2) after said shifting, generating one or more of the plurality of symbols in each of any then-empty symbol positions.

13. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the predetermined spatial relationship is satisfied when any symbol is displayed adjacent to and above any empty symbol position, and wherein the predetermined rule includes shifting a displayed symbol downward.

14. A gaming system 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 input device and the at least one display device, following a first portion of a play of a game, after which each of a plurality of symbol positions displays one of a plurality of different symbols, to;

(a) determine whether to provide an additional win opportunity, said determination being independent of the displayed symbols,

(b) when the determination is to provide the additional win opportunity;

(i) enable a player to select at least one displayed symbol,

(ii) remove at least one symbol from display based on the at least one player-selected symbol,

(iii) cause any symbol which is displayed in a predetermined spatial relationship with any empty symbol position to shift in to that empty symbol position according to a predetermined rule,

(iv) after said shifting, generate one or more of the plurality of symbols in each of any then-empty symbol positions,

(v) determine if the displayed symbols form any additional winning symbol combinations, and

(vi) when the displayed symbols form any additional winning symbol combinations

(1) provide an additional award based on said additional winning symbol combinations,

(2) remove at least one of the plurality of displayed symbols from the plurality of symbol positions, and

(3) repeat (iii) to (vi), and

(c) when the determination is not to provide the additional win opportunity, terminate the play of the game.

15. The gaming system of claim 14, wherein the plurality of instructions cause the at least one processor to operate with the at least one display device to determine whether to provide the additional win opportunity based on whether an additional win opportunity criterion is satisfied.

16. The gaming system of claim 15, wherein the additional win opportunity criterion is satisfied based on an optional portion of a wager amount provided prior to the play of the game.

17. The gaming system of claim 16, wherein the optional portion of the wager amount is based on a quantity of symbols to be removed based on the at least one removal criterion.

18. The gaming system of claim 15, wherein the additional win opportunity criterion is satisfied based on an optional wager amount provided after determining that the displayed symbols do not form any game winning symbol combinations during the play of the game.

19. The gaming system of claim 15, wherein the additional win opportunity criterion is satisfied based, at least in part, on a random eligibility determination made for the play of the game.

20. The gaming system of claim 14, wherein determining whether to provide the additional win opportunity includes determining whether a player selected one of a plurality of different packages, each of the plurality of packages resulting in a removal of one or more symbols during the additional win opportunity, and each of the plurality of packages being associated with a price based on an expected outcome of that package.

21. The gaming system of claim 14, wherein the additional award includes access to at least one bonus event different from the additional win opportunity.

22. The gaming system of claim 14, wherein the predetermined spatial relationship is satisfied when any symbol is displayed adjacent to and above any empty symbol position, and wherein the predetermined rule includes shifting a displayed symbol downward as far as possible.

23. A method of operating a gaming system, said method comprising, for a play of a game:

(a) causing at least one display device to display a plurality of symbol positions in a designated arrangement of symbol positions,

(b) for each of the symbol positions, causing the at least one display device to display a randomly generated one of a plurality of symbols in said symbol position,

(c) causing at least one processor to execute a plurality of instructions to determine if the displayed symbols form any game winning symbol combinations,

(d) when the determination is that the displayed symbols form any game winning symbol combinations;

(i) causing the at least one display device to display a win indication based on said game winning symbol combinations;

(ii) removing at least one symbol from at least one game winning symbol combination from said display,

(iii) causing the at least one display device to display one of the plurality of symbols in each of any then-empty symbol positions, and

(iv) repeating (c) and (d),

(e) causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to determine whether to provide an additional win opportunity, said determination being independent of the displayed symbols,

(f) when the determination is to provide the additional win opportunity;

(i) removing at least one symbol from said display based on at least one removal criterion,

(ii) causing any symbol which is displayed in a predetermined spatial relationship with any empty symbol position to shift in to that empty symbol position according to a predetermined rule,

(iii) after said shifting, causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to generate one or more of the plurality of symbols in each of any then-empty symbol positions,

(iv) causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to determine if the displayed symbols form any additional winning symbol combinations, and

(v) when the determination is that the displayed symbols form at least one additional winning symbol combinations, causing the at least one display device to display an additional win indication based on said at least one additional winning symbol combination; and

(g) when the determination is not to provide the additional win opportunity, causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to terminate the play of the game.

24. The method of claim 23, which includes causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to determine whether to provide the additional win opportunity based on whether an additional win opportunity criterion is satisfied.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the additional win opportunity criterion is satisfied based, at least in part, on a random eligibility determination made for the play of the game.

26. The method of claim 23, wherein the at least one removal criterion includes whether any displayed symbol is a designated type of symbol.

27. The method of claim 23, which includes, when the determination is to provide the additional win opportunity, enabling a player to select at least one displayed symbol, wherein the at least one removal criterion includes whether the player has selected any displayed symbol.

28. The method of claim 23, which includes, when the determination is to provide the additional win opportunity, enabling a player to select at least one symbol position, wherein the at least one removal criterion includes whether any displayed symbol is in the selected symbol position.

29. The method of claim 23, wherein when the determination is to provide the additional win opportunity, any removal during said additional win opportunity is independent of a portion of the play of the game prior to the determination to provide the additional win opportunity.

30. The method of claim 23, wherein when the displayed symbols form any game winning symbol combinations, said removal of at least one symbol from at least one game winning symbol combination from display includes:

(1) causing any symbol which is displayed in the predetermined spatial relationship with any empty symbol position to shift in to that empty symbol position according to the predetermined rule, and

(2) after said shifting, causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to generate one or more of the plurality of symbols in each of any then-empty symbol positions.

31. The method of claim 23, wherein the predetermined spatial relationship is satisfied when any symbol is displayed adjacent to and above any empty symbol position, and wherein the predetermined rule includes shifting a displayed symbol downward as far as possible.