Gaming system, gaming device, and gaming method for shifting symbols from a staging area to a symbol matrix
First Claim
1. A gaming system comprising:
- a housing;
at least one display device supported by the housing;
a plurality of input devices supported by the housing, said plurality of input devices includingan acceptor, anda cashout 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;
responsive to a physical item being received via the acceptor, establish a credit balance based, at least in part, on a monetary value associated with the received physical item, wherein said physical item is selected from the group consisting of;
a ticket associated with the monetary value and a unit of currency;
cause the at least one display device to display a plurality of reel sets, each of the reel sets including a plurality of reels, each of the plurality of reels associated with a plurality of symbol positions;
for each reel set;
determine a plurality of symbols, wherein the determination of the plurality of symbols for each reel set is independent from the determination of the plurality of symbols of any other of said reel sets, andcause the at least one display device to display the determined symbols at the plurality of symbol positions associated with the reels in the reel set;
transfer at least one symbol from at least one symbol position associated with at least one reel in at least a first of the reel sets to at least one empty symbol position associated with at least one reel in at least a second of the reel sets; and
responsive to a cashout input being received via the cashout device, cause an initiation of any payout associated with the credit balance.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
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.
501 Citations
18 Claims
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1. A gaming system comprising:
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a housing; at least one display device supported by the housing; a plurality of input devices supported by the housing, said plurality of input devices including an acceptor, and a cashout 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; responsive to a physical item being received via the acceptor, establish a credit balance based, at least in part, on a monetary value associated with the received physical item, wherein said physical item is selected from the group consisting of;
a ticket associated with the monetary value and a unit of currency;cause the at least one display device to display a plurality of reel sets, each of the reel sets including a plurality of reels, each of the plurality of reels associated with a plurality of symbol positions; for each reel set; determine a plurality of symbols, wherein the determination of the plurality of symbols for each reel set is independent from the determination of the plurality of symbols of any other of said reel sets, and cause the at least one display device to display the determined symbols at the plurality of symbol positions associated with the reels in the reel set; transfer at least one symbol from at least one symbol position associated with at least one reel in at least a first of the reel sets to at least one empty symbol position associated with at least one reel in at least a second of the reel sets; and responsive to a cashout input being received via the cashout device, cause an initiation of any payout associated with the credit balance. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A method of operating a gaming device, said method comprising:
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responsive to a physical item being received via an acceptor of the gaming device, establishing a credit balance based, at least in part, on a monetary value associated with the received physical item, wherein said physical item is selected from the group consisting of;
a ticket associated with the monetary value and a unit of currency;causing a display, by at least one display device, of a plurality of reel sets, each of the reel sets including a plurality of reels, each of the plurality of reels associated with a plurality of symbol positions; for each reel set; causing at least one processor to execute a plurality of instructions to determine a plurality of symbols, wherein the determination of the plurality of symbols for each reel set is independent from the determination of the plurality of symbols of any other of said reel sets, and causing a display, by the at least one display device, of the determined symbols at the plurality of symbol positions associated with the reels in the reel set; causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to transfer at least one symbol from at least one symbol position associated with at least one reel in at least a first of the reel sets to at least one empty symbol position associated with at least one reel in at least a second of the reel sets; and responsive to a cashout input being received via a cashout device of the gaming device, causing an initiation of any payout associated with the credit balance. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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Specification