Gaming system and a method of gaming

• US 9,384,624 B2
• Filed: 10/08/2013
• Issued: 07/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aristocrat Technologies Australia PTY Limited (Aristocrat Leisure Limited)
• Original Assignee: Aristocrat Technologies Australia PTY Limited (Aristocrat Leisure Limited)
• Inventors: Fong, Colin
• Primary Examiner(s): Lewis, David L
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hall, Shauna-Kay
• Application Number:
  US14/049,003
• Publication Number:
  US 20140100031A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,001 Days
• Field of Search: 463/31
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3211 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3213 Details of moving display elements, e.g. spinning reels, tumbling members
• 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 17/3262 Player actions which determine the course of the game, e.g. selecting a prize to be won, outcome to be achieved, game to be played
• 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 system comprises a player interface (50) comprising a display on which a plurality of selectable symbol display positions are displayed to a player, the player interface (50) allowing a player to select one or more windows (700-703) defining respective ones of one or more subsets of the symbol display positions (600), and a game controller (60) arranged to select symbols for display at all symbol display positions (600), and to evaluate selected symbols within each selected window based on a win entitlement applying to the selected window to determine a game outcome.

Claims

1. A gaming system comprising:

a credit input mechanism configured to receive a physical item associated with a monetary value for establishing a credit balance, the credit balance being increasable and decreasable based at least on wagering activity;

a player interface comprising a display having a plurality of selectable symbol display positions, each of the symbol display positions being configured to display a symbol to a player, the player interface allowing a player a) to select a number of intersectable windows defining subsets of the symbol display positions, and b) to re-size at least one of the number of intersectable windows to define a different subset of the symbol display positions, in accord with having established the credit balance via the credit input mechanism receiving the physical item; and

a game controller configured to select a plurality of symbols for display at all symbol display positions, and to evaluate displayed symbols within the selected intersectable windows based on a win entitlement applying to the selected intersectable windows to determine a game outcome.

2. A gaming system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the size and number of selected windows depends on at least one selection criterion.

3. A gaming system as claimed in claim 2, wherein one selection criterion comprises an amount of the wager placed by the player.

4. A gaming system as claimed in claim 2, wherein one selection criterion comprises a minimum window size.

5. A gaming system as claimed in claim 2, wherein one selection criterion comprises the number of selectable display positions.

6. A gaming system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the player interface is operable such that the player can position a window relative to the symbol display positions to select the subset of display positions.

7. A gaming system as claimed in claim 1, wherein upon a plurality of windows being selected, one of the selected windows can be positioned at least one of adjacent to, spaced from, intersecting with, or wholly within another one of the selected windows.

8. A gaming system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the player interface is operable to select the win entitlement to apply to each window.

9. A gaming system as claimed in claim 8, wherein the player interface is operable to select different win entitlements for different windows and the game controller is further to determine the game outcome based on the win entitlement specified for each window.

10. A gaming system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the same win entitlement is applied to each window.

11. A gaming system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the win entitlement comprises a number of win lines of an available number of win lines to be used in evaluation of the game outcome with respect to each window, each win line extending through a plurality of symbol display positions.

12. A gaming system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the player interface comprises a touch screen and the player can move, select or re-size the one or more windows via interaction with the touch screen.

13. A gaming system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said win entitlement is selected from a plurality of win entitlements depending upon, at least in part, the size of the selected window.

14. An electronic method of gaming having a credit input mechanism configured to receive a physical item associated with a monetary value for establishing a credit balance, the credit balance being increasable and decreasable based at least on wagering activity, a display having a plurality of selectable symbol display positions, each of the symbol display positions being configured to display a symbol, and a game controller, the method comprising:

establishing a credit balance via said credit input mechanism receiving the physical item;

in accord with having established the credit balance via the credit input mechanism receiving the physical item, receiving via the game controller a) a selection of a) a number of intersectable windows, each window defining a subset of the symbol display positions, and b) an instruction to re-size at least one of the number of intersectable windows to define a different subset of the symbol display positions;

selecting via the game controller a plurality of symbols for display at all of the symbol display positions; and

evaluating via the game controller displayed symbols within the selected intersectable windows based on a win entitlement applying to the selected intersectable windows to determine a game outcome.

15. A method as claimed in claim 14, further comprising determining the size and/or number of selected windows based on an amount of the wager placed.

16. A method as claimed in claim 14, further comprising changing the size of a window in response to a player input.

17. A method as claimed in claim 14, further comprising moving a window relative to the symbol display positions in response to a player input.

18. A method as claimed in claim 14, further comprising upon a plurality of windows being selected, positioning one of the selected windows at least one of adjacent to, spaced from, intersecting with, or wholly within another one of the selected windows in response to a player input.

19. A method as claimed in claim 14, further comprising, upon a plurality of windows being selected, applying different win entitlements to different windows.

20. A method as claimed in claim 14, further comprising, upon a plurality of windows being selected, applying the same win entitlement to different windows.

21. A method in accordance with claim 14, wherein the win entitlement comprises a number of win lines of an available number of win lines to be used in evaluation of the game outcome with respect to each window, the method further comprising extending each win line through a plurality of symbol display positions.

22. A method as claimed in claim 14, wherein selecting said win entitlement from a plurality of win entitlements depending upon, at least in part, the size of the selected window.

23. A game controller for a gaming system having a display having a plurality of selectable symbol display positions, each of the symbol display positions being configured to display a symbol, a credit input mechanism configured to receiving a physical item associated with a monetary value for establishing a credit balance, the credit balance being increasable and decreasable based at least on wagering activity, the game controller configured to:

establish a credit balance via said credit input mechanism receiving the physical item;

in accord with having established the credit balance via the credit input mechanism receiving the physical item, receive a) a selection of a) a number of intersectable windows defining subsets of the symbol display positions and b) an instruction to re-size at least one of the number of intersectable windows to define a different subset of the symbol display positions;

select a plurality of symbols for display at all symbol display positions; and

evaluate displayed symbols within the selected intersectable windows based on a win entitlement applying to the selected intersectable windows to determine a game outcome.

24. A game controller as claimed in claim 23, wherein the size and number of selected windows depends on at least one selection criterion.

25. A game controller as claimed in claim 24, wherein one selection criterion comprises an amount of the wager placed by the player.

26. A game controller as claimed in claim 24, wherein one selection criterion comprises a minimum window size.

27. A game controller as claimed in claim 24, wherein a selection criterion comprises the number of selectable display positions.

28. A game controller as claimed in claim 23, the game controller is responsive to a player input such that the player can position a window relative to the symbol display positions to select the subset of display positions.

29. A game controller as claimed in claim 23, wherein upon a plurality of windows being selected, one of the selected windows can be positioned at least one of adjacent to, spaced from, intersecting with, or wholly within another one of the selected windows.

30. A game controller as claimed in claim 23, configured to receive a win entitlement to apply to each window.

31. A game controller as claimed in claim 30, configured to apply different win entitlements to different windows.

32. A game controller as claimed in claim 23, configured to apply the same win entitlement to each window.

33. A game controller as claimed in claim 23, wherein the win entitlement comprises a number of win lines of an available number of win lines to be used in evaluation of the game outcome with respect to each window, each win line extending through a plurality of symbol display positions.

34. A game controller as claimed in claim 23, configured to receive a player input via a touch screen such that the player can move, select or re-size the one or more windows via interaction with the touch screen.

35. A game controller as claimed in claim 23, configured to select said at least one win entitlement from a plurality of win entitlements depending upon, at least in part, the size of the selected window.