Enhancements to game components in gaming systems

• US 9,454,879 B2
• Filed: 09/17/2013
• Issued: 09/27/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Igt Canada Solutions Ulc (GTECH SpA)
• Original Assignee: Igt Canada Solutions Ulc (GTECH SpA)
• Inventors: Pierer, Franz, Trainor, Bethany Joy, Bowron, Edward, Adams, Khaled
• Primary Examiner(s): Laneau, Ronald
• Assistant Examiner(s): Williams, Ross
• Application Number:
  US14/029,364
• Publication Number:
  US 20140194183A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,106 Days
• Field of Search: 463 16- 20
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3211 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/34 depending on the stopping of moving members in a mechanical slot machine, e.g. "fruit" machines

Abstract

A computer-implemented method for enhancing game components in a gaming system, the method comprising: displaying at least one of a row and a column of the game components along a plane on a display device in accordance with a set of game rules for a given game, each one of the game components having an original symbol associated thereto; selecting at least one of the game components for enhancement; expanding selected ones of the game components outside of the plane and associating at least one additional symbol to expanded selected ones of the game components; and integrating the at least one additional symbol into the given game.

Claims

1. An electronic gaming system for enhancing virtual game components comprising:

at least one gaming device processor;

at least one gaming device memory device storing a plurality of gaming device instructions;

a display device connected to the at least one gaming device processor;

a plurality of input devices, including;

an acceptor of a first physical item associated with a first monetary value and a validator configured to identify the first physical item;

a cashout button actuatable to cause an initiation of a payout associated with a credit balance;

a game controller board connected to the display device, the at least one gaming device memory device storing the plurality of gaming device instructions, and the at least one graphics processor, the game controller board configured to receive input data from the plurality of input devices to interface with a host system to identify the user account;

a display controller board connected to the three dimensional graphics processor;

wherein the game controller board is further configured to control the display controller board to render, on the display device a virtual three dimensional reel space defined by a plurality of rows and columns of the virtual game components arranged as a surface of a virtual cylinder in accordance with a set of game rules for a given game, each one of the virtual game components having an original symbol associated thereto, the virtual three dimensional reel space having a virtual rotational axis; and

wherein the game controller board is further configured to select at least one of the virtual game components for three dimensional enhancement and to generate an animation effect on the display device using the display controller board to render a three dimensional stack of virtual bonus game components along a stacking axis perpendicular to the virtual rotational axis of the virtual three dimensional reel space, the three-dimensional stack extending from the at least one additional symbol on the surface of the cylinder as part of the three dimensional enhancement and to render a virtual rotation of the virtual three dimensional reel space and the three dimensional stack of virtual bonus game components around the virtual rotational axis on the display device; and

to integrate the at least one additional symbol into the given game to trigger transfer of virtual credits to the user account by actuating the cashout button to cause the payout associated with the credit balance.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a camera configured for player head motion tracking to detect a head position and trigger the display controller to update a view of the virtual three dimensional reel space on the display using the graphics controller based on the head position.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the plurality of three dimensional stacks of bonus game components are of varying depths.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein selecting at least one of the virtual game components for enhancement comprises selecting a plurality of virtual game components, and expanding selected ones comprises generating a plurality of virtual three dimensional stacks of bonus game components.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the bonus game components are wild components and the processor updates the three dimensional stack of bonus game components over a sequence of rounds to generate another animation effect on the display device using the display controller to add and remove a portion of the wild components from the stack.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprise a three dimensional adjustment interface to receive player input to trigger the graphics processor to dynamically update the three dimensional enhancement.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the display controller board provides the three dimensional stack by providing the at least one additional symbol at least one of parallel, perpendicular, and at an angle with the original symbol.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the given game is a base game, and wherein the processor is further configured to detect a trigger event to launch a bonus game using the three dimensional stack, wherein the three dimensional stack impacts payout of additional rounds of the bonus game to the card reader and a variant game with the three dimensional enhancement.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one gamine device processor is further configured to detect that a prize event occurs and upon detection, to launch a plurality of prize game selections using the three dimensional enhancement, and to determine a selected prize from the plurality of prize selections after the remaining prizes from the plurality of prize selections are eliminated.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to display a visual indicator at a symbol position of the three dimensional stack when a symbol at that symbol position is involved in a winning combination of symbols at the end of a main game, and remove the symbol from the three dimensional stack using the graphical animation effect.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the visual indicator is configured to modify an image from a symbol position by at least one of:

adding an image to a symbol position when a symbol at that symbol position is involved in a winning combination of symbols at the end of the main game, subtracting an image from a symbol position when a symbol at that symbol position is involved in a winning combination of symbols at the end of the main game, and changing an image at a symbol position when a symbol at that symbol position is involved in a winning combination of symbols at the end of the main game, and displaying the visual indicator as a tile that appears behind a symbol, where the tile is extinguished when a symbol at that symbol position is involved in a winning combination of symbols at the end of the main game.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein there are multiple layers of visual indicators and a bonus game is initiated when all visual indicators in all the layers indicate that all symbol positions in a matrix have had a symbol involved in a winning combination.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the processor is further configured to receive a plurality of different bets prior to each main game, and provide a secondary game by:

associating different bet amounts with different visual indicators;

using only the visual indicators at the symbol positions during a main game associated with the particular bet amount for that main game;

saving in a memory a status of the visual indicators associated with a previous bet amount when the player changes the bet amount for a new main game; and

playing the secondary game with the set of visual indicators associated with the bet amount for the new main game.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the virtual three dimensional reel space includes a matrix of symbol representations, each symbol representation corresponding to a symbol position and storing a corresponding symbol for rendering by the display controller board.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the virtual bonus game components include a hidden award corresponding to a position within the matrix of symbol representations, the virtual bonus game triggered by the game controller board to conclude when a user reveals the hidden award.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the acceptor is configured to receive one or more types of physical cards including at least one of machine-readable printable tickets, smart cards, and magnetic stripe cards.

17. The system of claim 1, further comprising a physical hopper configured to dispense coins or tokens responsive to the triggered transfer of virtual credits to the user account by actuation of the cashout button.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing one or more sequences of machine-readable instructions which, when executed by one or more gaming device processors, causes the one or more processors to perform a method for enhancing game components in an electronic gaming system having at least one display device, a plurality of input devices including at least an acceptor of a first physical item associated with a first monetary value and a validator configured to identify the first physical item, and a cashout button actuatable to cause an initiation of a payout associated with a credit balance, the method comprising:

receiving input data from the acceptor;

interfacing, by the validator, with a host system to identify a user account;

rendering using a display controller connected to the one or more gaming device processors, a virtual three dimensional reel space defined by a plurality of rows and columns of the virtual game components arranged as a surface of a cylinder in accordance with a set of game rules for a given game, each one of the virtual game components having an original symbol associated thereto, the virtual three dimensional reel space having a virtual rotational axis;

selecting at least one of the virtual game components for three dimensional enhancement;

generating an animation effect on the display device using a display controller to provide a three dimensional stack of bonus game components along a stacking axis perpendicular to the virtual rotational axis of the virtual three dimensional reel space, the stack extending from the at least one additional symbol on the surface of the cylinder as part of the three dimensional enhancement and rotating the three dimensional reel space and the three dimensional stack of bonus game components around the virtual rotational axis on the display device; and

integrating the at least one additional symbol into the given game to trigger transfer of virtual credits to the user account by actuating the cashout button to cause the payout associated with the credit balance.

19. A gaming system for enhancing game components in a gaming system comprising:

a display device;

a plurality of input devices, including an acceptor of a first physical item associated with a first monetary value, and a validator configured to identify the first physical item;

a cashout button actuatable to cause an initiation of a payout associated with a credit balance;

a camera configured for player head motion tracking to detect a head position relative to the display device as a view guide;

at least one gaming device processor coupled to the display device, the plurality of input devices, and at least one gaming device memory storing one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by the one or more gaming device processors, causes the one or more gaming device processors to;

display, on the display device using a display controller connected to the graphics processor, a virtual three dimensional reel space with the virtual game components arranged as a surface of a virtual cylinder, each one of the virtual game components having an original symbol associated thereto, the virtual three dimensional reel space having a virtual rotational axis and displayed based on the view guide;

select at least one of the game components for three dimensional enhancement;

generate an animation effect on the display device using a display controller to provide a three dimensional stack of bonus game components along a stacking axis perpendicular to the rotational axis of the three dimensional reel space, the three dimensional stack extending from the at least one additional symbol on the surface of the cylinder as part of the three dimensional enhancement and rotate the three dimensional reel space and the three dimensional stack of bonus game components around the rotational axis on the display device; and

integrate the at least one additional symbol into the given game to trigger a value transfer to a user account.

20. The system of claim 19, further comprising a three dimensional adjustment interface to receive player input to trigger the gaming device processor to dynamically update the three dimensional enhancement.