Gaming system, gaming device, and gaming method for shifting symbols from a staging area to a symbol matrix

• US 8,444,473 B2
• Filed: 08/27/2009
• Issued: 05/21/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Ching, Erick T., Menesini, Benjamin D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Elisca, Pierre Eddy
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kamal, Shahid
• Application Number:
  US12/549,082
• Publication Number:
  US 20100004049A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,363 Days
• Field of Search: 463/16, 463/20, 463/21, 463/40, 463/30, 463/43
• US Class Current: 463/20
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3213 Details of moving display elements, e.g. spinning reels, tumbling members
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/326 Game play aspects of gaming systems
• 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

A gaming device displays a symbol matrix including a plurality of symbol positions and at least two symbol staging areas, each symbol staging area including at least one supplemental symbol potentially shiftable into the symbol matrix. The gaming device displays a symbol staging area indicator. For a play of a game, the gaming device generates a symbol in each symbol position of the symbol matrix. Upon an occurrence of a triggering condition, the gaming device indicates one of the symbol staging areas using the symbol staging area indicator and removes at least one symbol from at least one symbol position of the symbol matrix. The gaming device re-populates the empty symbol positions by shifting any appropriate symbols of the symbol matrix any appropriate empty symbol positions, and thereafter shifting at least one supplemental symbol from the indicated symbol staging area into at least one remaining empty symbol position.

Claims

1. A gaming device comprising:

at least one display device;

at least one input 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 display device and the at least one input device to;

(a) display a symbol matrix, said symbol matrix including a plurality of symbol positions;

(b) for each symbol position of the symbol matrix, display a randomly, generated one of a plurality of different symbols from a symbol pool;

(c) display a plurality of symbol staging areas adjacent to the symbol matrix;

(d) for each of the symbol staging areas, display at least one randomly generated supplemental symbol;

(e) provide a first award based on any winning symbol combination displayed in the symbol matrix;

(f) determine if a triggering event occurs; and

(g) if the triggering event occurs;

(i) display an indication of one of the symbol staging areas,

(ii) remove at least one symbol from the symbol matrix, resulting in at least one empty symbol position,

(iii) for each empty symbol position of the symbol matrix, shift one of the supplemental symbols from the indicated symbol staging area into said symbol matrix to fill said empty symbol position, and

(iv) after such shifting, provide a second award for any winning symbol combinations displayed in the symbol matrix.

2. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein, when executed by the at least one processor, the instructions cause the at least one processor to operate with the at least one display device, if the triggering event occurs, to fill said empty symbol position by:

shifting at least one displayed symbol of the symbol matrix into the at least one empty symbol position of the symbol matrix, said shifting resulting in at least one shift-caused empty symbol position, and shifting one of the supplemental symbols from the indicated symbol staging area into each shift-caused empty symbol position.

3. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein at least one of the symbol staging area includes a plurality of supplemental symbols arranged such that a first supplemental symbol is associated with a first subset of the symbol positions of the symbol matrix and such that a second supplemental symbol is associated with a different second subset of the symbol positions of the symbol matrix.

4. The gaming device of claim 3, wherein the first subset of the symbol positions of the symbol matrix includes a first row of the symbol positions and wherein the different second subset of the symbol positions of the symbol matrix includes a different second row of the symbol positions.

5. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein at least one of the symbol staging areas includes a plurality of supplemental symbols in an order, and wherein the instructions cause the at least one processor to operate with the at least one display device to shift the at least one supplemental symbol from the indicated symbol staging area to at least one empty symbol position of the symbol matrix according to the order.

6. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein the triggering event occurs based on the symbols displayed in the symbol matrix.

7. The gaming device of claim 6, wherein the triggering event occurs if at least one winning symbol combination is displayed in the symbol matrix.

8. The gaming device of claim 7, wherein, when executed by the at least one processor, the instructions cause the at least one processor to remove at least one symbol from the symbol matrix based on the at least one winning symbol combination displayed in the symbol matrix.

9. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein, when executed by the at least one processor, the instructions cause the at least one processor, if the triggering event occurs, to randomly display the indication of the symbol staging area using a symbol staging area indicator.

10. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein at least one symbol staging area includes a plurality of sub-staging areas, each sub-staging area associated with a subset of the symbols of the symbol matrix.

11. The gaming device of claim 10, wherein each sub-staging is associated with a row of symbol positions of the symbol matrix, and wherein, when executed by the at least one processor, the instructions cause the at least one processor to shift at least one symbol from the sub-staging area to at least one empty symbol position of the associated row of symbol positions of the symbol matrix.

12. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein, when executed by the at least one processor, the instructions cause the at least one processor to display a randomly generated supplemental symbol in each of the plurality of symbol staging areas for each of a plurality of plays of a game.