Gaming system and method for providing a cascading symbol game including a plurality of independent reels which provide a stacked symbol functionality

• US 9,437,084 B2
• Filed: 11/01/2013
• Issued: 09/06/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Rodgers, Paulina, Parker, Christmas C., Hoffman, Benjamin C.
• Primary Examiner(s): PIERCE, DAMON JOSEPH
• Application Number:
  US14/070,097
• Publication Number:
  US 20140057698A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,040 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3265 Influencing the position of stopped moving members to achieve a winning arrangement, e.g. nudging, shuffling, holding
• 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 displays a plurality of independent reels, wherein each independent reel generates a symbol from a plurality of symbol positions of that independent reel in accordance with a plurality of probabilities. At least two adjacent independent reels generate symbols according to relatively high probabilities of generating a designated symbol. For a play of the game, the gaming system generates and displays a symbol for each independent reel and provides an award for any displayed winning symbol combinations. In one embodiment, for at least one symbol position of at least one winning symbol combination, the gaming system re-generates a symbol for one or more independent, such as by displaying a symbol from an adjacent symbol position of that independent reel. The gaming system provides an award for any winning symbol combinations and repeats until no winning symbol combinations are displayed.

Claims

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

(a) enabling a player to wager on the play of the game,

(b) causing at least one display device to display a plurality of independent reels, each independent reel including a plurality of symbols in a plurality of symbol positions, each of the symbols having a probability of being generated, wherein at least two vertically adjacent independent reels are each stacked with a designated symbol,

(c) causing at least one processor to execute a plurality of instructions to generate one of the symbols in one of the symbol positions of each of the plurality of independent reels in accordance with the probability of being generated for each symbol,

(d) causing the at least one display device to display the generated symbols, and

(e) when any winning symbol combination is displayed;

(i) causing the at least one display device to display an award based on each winning symbol combination,

(ii) for at least one independent reel of at least one winning symbol combination, for said at least one independent reel;

(A) causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to generate a symbol in an adjacent symbol position to the symbol position of the displayed symbol of said at least one independent reel, and

(B) causing the at least one display device to display the generated symbol in the adjacent symbol position to the symbol position of the displayed symbol of said at least one independent reel, and

(iii) repeating (e) at least once.

2. The method of claim 1, which includes, for the play of the game, causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to randomly associate one of a plurality of reel strips with each of the plurality of independent reels.

3. The method of claim 1, which includes, when any winning symbol combination is displayed for the plurality of independent reels, causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to alter the probability of being generated of the designated symbol associated with at least one of the plurality of independent reels.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the probability of being generated for the designated symbol of each of the at least two vertically adjacent stacked independent reels is greater than the probability of being generated for any other symbol of each of said two vertically adjacent stacked independent reels.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein a first probability of being generated for the designated symbol is associated with a first independent reel, and which includes, when any winning symbol combination is displayed for the plurality of independent reels, causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to associate said first probability with a second independent reel, the second independent reel being adjacent to the first independent reel.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the symbol displayed by the second independent reel is included in at least one winning symbol combination.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least two vertically adjacent stacked independent reels form a first set of stacked independent reels, and which includes causing the at least one display device to display a second set of stacked independent reels as horizontally adjacent to the first set of stacked independent reels, the second set of stacked independent reels including at least two vertically adjacent stacked independent reels.

8. The method of claim 1, which includes, when any winning symbol combination is displayed for the plurality of independent reels, causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to shift a first symbol displayed by a first independent reel to a second independent reel such that the second independent reel displays the first symbol, the first independent reel being adjacent to the second independent reel.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the symbol displayed by the second independent reel is included in at least one winning symbol combination.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the wager on the play of the game and any displayed award is selected from the group consisting of:

a quantity of monetary credits and a quantity of non-monetary credits.

11. The method of claim 1, which is provided through a data network.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the data network is an internet.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein any awards cause an increase of a credit balance which is increasable via an acceptor of a physical item associated with a monetary value, and decreasable via a cashout device configured to receive an input to cause an initiation of a payout associated with the credit balance.

14. The method of claim 1, which includes, when any winning symbol combination is displayed, for said at least one independent reel of the at least one winning symbol combination, causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to randomly generate the symbol in the adjacent symbol position to the symbol position of the displayed symbol of said at least one independent reel.

15. A method of operating a gaming system, said method comprising:

(a) causing at least one display device to display a plurality of dependent reels, each of the dependent reels including a plurality of dependent reel symbol positions, each of the dependent reel symbol positions being associated with an independent reel, each independent reel including a reel strip having a plurality of symbols in a plurality of independent reel symbol positions, wherein at least one of the independent reels is stacked with a designated symbol,

(b) enabling a player to wager on a single play of a game, and

(c) for the single play of the game;

(i) causing at least one processor to execute a plurality of instructions to select a same quantity of adjacent dependent reel symbol positions for each dependent reel for the play of the game, wherein for each selected dependent reel symbol position;

(A) causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to generate one of the symbols of the independent reel which is associated with said dependent reel symbol position, and

(B) causing the at least one display device to display said generated symbol in said dependent reel symbol position, and

(ii) when any winning symbol combination is displayed;

(A) causing the at least one display device to display an award to the player based on said displayed winning symbol combination, and

(B) for a selected symbol displayed in a selected independent reel symbol position of one of the independent reels;

(I) causing the at least one display device to display a different symbol for said selected independent reel symbol position of said independent reel, said different symbol being in an independent reel symbol position adjacent to the selected independent reel symbol position of said independent reel, and

(II) repeating (ii) at least once.

16. The method of claim 15, which includes, for the play of the game, causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to randomly associate one of the plurality of dependent reels with each column of a matrix of independent reels.

17. The method of claim 15, which includes, when any winning symbol combination is displayed, causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to alter a probability of being generated of the designated symbol associated with at least one of the plurality of independent reels.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein a probability of being generated for the designated symbol of each of the at least two vertically adjacent stacked independent reels is greater than a probability of being generated for any other symbol of each of said two vertically adjacent stacked independent reels.

19. The method of claim 15, which includes causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to select a same quantity of adjacent dependent reel symbol positions for each dependent reel in the single play of the game by randomly selecting a plurality of adjacent dependent reel symbol positions for each dependent reel.

20. The method of claim 15, which includes causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to select a same quantity of adjacent dependent reel symbol positions for at least one dependent reel in the single play of the game by rotating said at least one independent reel by one dependent reel symbol position.

21. The method of claim 15, wherein at least one of the dependent reels is stacked with a set of weighted independent reels, each of the subset of weighted independent reels being stacked with a designated symbol.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein at least two adjacent dependent reels are each stacked with a set of weighted independent reels.

23. The method of claim 15, which includes, when any winning symbol combination is displayed, causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to select a different quantity of adjacent dependent reel symbol positions for at least one of the dependent reels.

24. The method of claim 15, wherein the selected symbol is one of a plurality of symbols of one of the winning symbol combinations.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein each symbol of any of the winning symbol combinations is the selected symbol, and which includes, for each of the plurality of selected symbols, causing the at least one display device to display a different symbol for said selected independent reel symbol position, said different symbol being in an independent reel symbol position adjacent to the selected independent reel symbol position.

26. The method of claim 15, wherein at least one of the wager on the single play of the game and any displayed award is selected from the group consisting of:

a quantity of monetary credits and a quantity of non-monetary credits.

27. The method of claim 15, which is provided through a data network.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the data network is an internet.

29. The method of claim 15, wherein any awards cause an increase of a credit balance which is increasable via an acceptor of a physical item associated with a monetary value, and decreasable via a cashout device configured to receive an input to cause an initiation of a payout associated with the credit balance.

30. The method of claim 15, which includes, when any winning symbol combination is displayed, for the selected symbol displayed in the selected independent reel symbol position of one of the independent reels, causing the at least one display device to display a random different symbol for said selected independent reel symbol position of said independent reel, said random different symbol being in the independent reel symbol position adjacent to the selected independent reel symbol position of said independent reel.