Wagering game for awarding attributes in a plurality of plays

• US 8,974,290 B2
• Filed: 09/25/2013
• Issued: 03/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LNW Gaming Incorporated
• Original Assignee: WMS Gaming Incorporated (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Inventors: Gomez, Benjamin T., Jaffe, Joel R., SeLegue, Dylan B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Suhol, Dmitry
• Assistant Examiner(s): YEN, JASON TAHAI
• Application Number:
  US14/036,318
• Publication Number:
  US 20140024433A1
• Time in Patent Office: 531 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 463/20
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3206 Player sensing means, e.g. presence detection, biometrics
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3223 Architectural aspects of a gaming system, e.g. internal configuration, master/slave, wireless communication
• 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 17/3258 Cumulative reward schemes, e.g. jackpots
• 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 17/329 Regular and instant lottery, e.g. electronic scratch cards
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3293 Card games, e.g. poker, canasta, black jack
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/34 depending on the stopping of moving members in a mechanical slot machine, e.g. "fruit" machines

Abstract

A method for conducting a computer-implemented wagering game includes using a processor to execute a plurality of plays of the wagering game, each play having an expected value. A plurality of randomly selected symbols, which are associated with each play, are displayed on a display. The processor is used to randomly assign a plurality of attributes across the plurality of plays. Each attribute increases an expected value of the play to which the attribute is assigned, from a first value to a second value. The first value is in the absence of the attribute and the second value is in the presence of the attribute.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of operating a gaming system primarily dedicated to playing a casino wagering game, the gaming system including gaming cabinet, a random element generator, one or more processors, an electronic display device, and an electronic input device, the electronic display device disposed on the gaming cabinet, the electronic input device being disposed on the gaming cabinet, the method comprising:

generating one or more random elements with the random element generator;

receiving, via a physical input to the electronic input device, a wager input to initiate the casino wagering game;

determining an outcome of the casino wagering game based, at least in part, on the one or more random elements;

awarding, by at least one of the one or more processors, a plurality of free plays of the casino wagering game in an initial non-displayed sequence;

determining, by at least one of the one or more processors, an aspect associated with the free plays;

reordering, by at least one of the one or more processors, the free plays from the initial non-displayed sequence to a displayed sequence according to the determined aspect; and

displaying, on the electronic display device, the plurality of free plays in the displayed sequence.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein each free play includes a spin of symbol-bearing reels having a number of attributes, and wherein the aspect is the number of attributes in the spin of symbol-bearing reels.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the attributes are selected from a group consisting of wild symbols, non-wild special symbols, multipliers, and payline activator symbols.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the reordering includes reordering the free plays such that the number of attributes increases throughout the displayed sequence.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the reordering includes reordering the free plays such that the number of attributes in free plays near an end of the displayed sequence is greater than the number of attributes in free plays near a beginning of the displayed sequence.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the awarding is in response to a mystery or symbol-based trigger occurring during play of an underlying base game.

7. A gaming system primarily dedicated to playing a casino wagering game, comprising:

a gaming cabinet for housing components associated with the casino wagering game;

an electronic input device disposed on the gaming cabinet, the electronic input device configured to receive a physical input from a player to initiate the casino wagering game and transform the input into an electronic data signal;

an electronic display device disposed on the gaming cabinet;

a random element generator configured to generate one or more random elements; and

one or more memory devices storing instructions that, when executed by at least one of one or more processors,

initiate the casino wagering game in response to the electronic data signal from the electronic input device,

determine an outcome of the casino wagering game based, at least in part, on the one or more random elements,

award a plurality of free plays of the wagering game in an initial non-displayed sequence;

determine an aspect associated with the free plays;

reorder the free plays from the initial non-displayed sequence to a displayed sequence according to the determined aspect; and

display the plurality of free plays in the displayed sequence on the electronic display device.

8. The gaming system of claim 7, wherein each free play includes a spin of symbol-bearing reels having a number of attributes, and wherein the aspect is the number of attributes in the spin of symbol-bearing reels.

9. The gaming system of claim 8, wherein the attributes are selected from a group consisting of wild symbols, non-wild special symbols, multipliers, and payline activator symbols.

10. The gaming system of claim 8, wherein the reorder includes reordering the free plays such that the number of attributes increases throughout the displayed sequence.

11. The gaming system of claim 8, wherein the reorder includes reordering the free plays such that the number of attributes in free plays near an end of the displayed sequence is greater than the number of attributes in free plays near a beginning of the displayed sequence.

12. The gaming system of claim 7, wherein the award of the plurality of free plays is in response to a mystery or symbol-based trigger occurring during play of an underlying base game.

13. A computer-implemented method of operating a wagering game system primarily dedicated to playing a casino wagering game, the wagering game system including a gaming cabinet, a random element generator, an electronic input device, an electronic display device, the electronic display disposed on the gaming cabinet, the electronic input device disposed on the gaming cabinet, and one or more memory devices storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, perform the acts of:

generating one or more random elements with the random element generator;

receiving, via a physical input to the electronic input device, a wager input to initiate the casino wagering game;

determining an outcome of the casino wagering game based, at least in part, on the one or more random elements;

awarding a plurality of free plays of the casino wagering game in an initial non-displayed sequence, the plurality of plays including a first play and a second play, the first play being awarded prior to the second play in the initial non-displayed sequence;

determining an aspect associated with the free plays;

reordering the free plays from the initial non-displayed sequence to a displayed sequence according to the determined aspect; and

displaying, on the electronic display device, the plurality of free plays in the displayed sequence including the second play being displayed prior to the first play.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein each free play includes a spin of symbol-bearing reels having a number of attributes, and wherein the aspect is the number of attributes in the spin of symbol-bearing reels.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, wherein the attributes are selected from a group consisting of wild symbols, non-wild special symbols, multipliers, and payline activator symbols.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, wherein the reordering includes reordering the free plays such that the number of attributes increases throughout the displayed sequence, the first play having a higher number of attributes than the second play.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, wherein the reordering includes reordering the free plays such that the number of attributes in free plays near an end of the displayed sequence is greater than the number of attributes in free plays near a beginning of the displayed sequence.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein the awarding is in response to a mystery or symbol-based trigger occurring during play of an underlying base game.