Gaming system and method for providing a cascading symbol game with shifting symbols between multiple symbol display position matrices

• US 9,905,073 B2
• Filed: 05/26/2016
• Issued: 02/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Nicely, Mark C.
• Primary Examiner(s): McClellan, James S
• Application Number:
  US15/165,897
• Publication Number:
  US 20160275750A1
• Time in Patent Office: 642 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3213 Details of moving display elements, e.g. spinning reels, tumbling members
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3225 Data transfer within a gaming system, e.g. data sent between gaming machines and users
• 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 17/3267 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 17/34 depending on the stopping of moving members in a mechanical slot machine, e.g. "fruit" machines

Abstract

A gaming system including a cascading symbol or tumbling reel game which utilizes a plurality of symbol display position matrices or grids. Each symbol display position matrix includes a plurality of symbol display positions, wherein at least one of the symbol display position matrices includes one or more symbol display positions associated with a plurality of different symbol display positions of a plurality of the symbol display position matrices.

Claims

1. A gaming system comprising:

at least one display device;

at least one input 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 operate with the at least one display device and the at least one input device to;

(a) display one of a plurality of symbols at each of a plurality of symbol display positions of each of a plurality of symbol display position matrices, wherein;

(i) at least a first one of the symbol display positions of a first one of the symbol display position matrices is linked to at least a first one of the symbol display positions of a second one of the symbol display position matrices, and

(ii) at least the first one of the symbol display positions of the second one of the symbol display position matrices is linked to at least a first one of the symbol display positions of a third one of the symbol display position matrices,

(b) for each symbol display position matrix;

(i) determine if any of the symbols displayed at the symbol display positions of said symbol display position matrix form any winning symbol combinations, and

(ii) if a plurality of the displayed symbols form at least one winning symbol combination, display one of a plurality of awards for each displayed winning symbol combination, and

(c) if the symbol displayed at the first one of the symbol display positions of the first one of the symbol display position matrices qualifies to be moved;

(i) reposition, in a first direction, said displayed symbol from the first one of the symbol display positions of the first one of the symbol display position matrices to the first one of the symbol display positions of the second one of the symbol display position matrices, and

(ii) thereafter, reposition, in a second, different direction, said displayed symbol from the first one of the symbol display positions of the second one of the symbol display position matrices to the first one of the symbol display positions of the third one of the symbol display position matrices.

2. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of symbol display position matrices are individually associated with a distinct play of a different game.

3. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein when executed by the at least one processor, the plurality of instructions cause the at least one processor to enable a player to one of:

(i) wager on a play of a game associated with each of the plurality of symbol display position matrices, and (ii) individually wager on a play of each of a plurality of games, each game being individually associated with one of the plurality of symbol display position matrices.

4. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the display of each of the symbols for each symbol display position matrix is independent from the display of any of the symbols for any of the other symbol display position matrices.

5. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein when executed by the at least one processor, the plurality of instructions cause the at least one processor to repeat (b)(i) and (b)(ii) after (c)(ii).

6. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of awards include at least one selected from the group consisting of:

a quantity of monetary credits, a quantity of non-monetary credits, a quantity of promotional credits, a quantity of player tracking points, a progressive award, a modifier, a quantity of free plays of the game, a quantity of plays of at least one non-wagering game, at least one lottery based award, a wager match for at least one play of the game, an increase in an average expected payback percentage of the game, at least one comp, a quantity of credits usable for an online play of an online game, a quantity of virtual goods and an access code usable to unlock content on an internet.

7. The gaming system of claim 1, which includes a housing, and a plurality of input devices supported by the housing, said plurality of input devices including an acceptor, and a cashout device, wherein when executed by the at least one processor, the plurality of instructions cause the at least one processor to operate with the plurality of input devices to:

if a physical item is received via the acceptor, establish a credit balance based, at least in part, on a monetary value associated with the received physical item, and if a cashout input is received via the cashout device, cause an initiation of any payout associated with the credit balance.

8. A gaming system server comprising:

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;

(a) cause at least one display device to display one of a plurality of symbols at each of a plurality of symbol display positions of each of a plurality of symbol display position matrices, wherein;

(i) at least a first one of the symbol display positions of a first one of the symbol display position matrices is linked to at least a first one of the symbol display positions of a second one of the symbol display position matrices, and

(ii) at least the first one of the symbol display positions of the second one of the symbol display position matrices is linked to at least a first one of the symbol display positions of a third one of the symbol display position matrices,

(b) for each symbol display position matrix;

(i) determine if any of the symbols displayed at the symbol display positions of said symbol display position matrix form any winning symbol combinations, and

(ii) if a plurality of the displayed symbols form at least one winning symbol combination, cause the at least one display device to display one of a plurality of awards for each displayed winning symbol combination, and

(c) if the symbol displayed at the first one of the symbol display positions of the first one of the symbol display position matrices qualifies to be moved;

(i) cause the at least one display device to display a repositioning, in a first direction, of said displayed symbol from the first one of the symbol display positions of the first one of the symbol display position matrices to the first one of the symbol display positions of the second one of the symbol display position matrices, and

(ii) thereafter, cause the at east one display device to display a repositioning, in a second, different direction, of said displayed symbol from the first one of the symbol display positions of the second one of the symbol display position matrices to the first one of the symbol display positions of the third one of the symbol display position matrices.

9. The gaming system server of claim 8, wherein each of the plurality of symbol display position matrices are individually associated with a distinct play of a different game.

10. The gaming system server of claim 8, wherein when executed by the at least one processor, the plurality of instructions cause the at least one processor to receive data of one of:

(i) a wager placed on a play of a game associated with each of the plurality of symbol display position matrices, and (ii) a plurality of wagers individually placed on a play of each of a plurality of games, each game being individually associated with one of the plurality of symbol display position matrices.

11. The gaming system server of claim 8, wherein the display of each of the symbols for each symbol display position matrix is independent from the display of any of the symbols for any of the other symbol display position matrices.

12. The gaming system server of claim 8, wherein when executed by the at least one processor, the plurality of instructions cause the at least one processor to repeat (b)(i) and (b)(ii) after (c)(ii).

13. The gaming system server of claim 8, wherein the plurality of awards include at least one selected from the group consisting of:

a quantity of monetary credits, a quantity of non-monetary credits, a quantity of promotional credits, a quantity of player tracking points, a progressive award, a modifier, a quantity of free plays of the game, a quantity of plays of at least one non-wagering game, at least one lottery based award, a wager match for at least one play of the game, an increase in an average expected payback percentage of the game, at least one comp, a quantity of credits usable for an online play of an online game, a quantity of virtual goods and an access code usable to unlock content on an internet.

14. The gaming system server of claim 8, wherein a credit balance is increasable based on any displayed awards, said credit balance being increasable via an acceptor of a physical item associated with a monetary value, and said credit balance being decreasable via a cashout device.

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

(a) causing at least one display device to display one of a plurality of symbols at each of a plurality of symbol display positions of each of a plurality of symbol display position matrices, wherein;

(i) at least a first one of the symbol display positions of a first one of the symbol display position matrices is linked to at least a first one of the symbol display positions of a second one of the symbol display position matrices, and

(ii) at least the first one of the symbol display positions of the second one of the symbol display position matrices is linked to at least a first one of the symbol display positions of a third one of the symbol display position matrices,

(b) for each symbol display position matrix;

(i) causing at least one processor to execute a plurality of instructions to determine if any of the symbols displayed at the symbol display positions of said symbol display position matrix form any winning symbol combinations, and

(ii) if a plurality of the displayed symbols form at least one winning symbol combination, causing the at least one display device to display one of a plurality of awards for each displayed winning symbol combination, and

(c) if the symbol displayed at the first one of the symbol display positions of the first one of the symbol display position matrices qualifies to be moved;

(i) causing the at least one display device to display a repositioning, in a first direction, of said displayed symbol from the first one of the symbol display positions of the first one of the symbol display position matrices to the first one of the symbol display positions of the second one of the symbol display position matrices, and

(ii) thereafter, causing the at least one display device to display a repositioning, in a second, different direction, of said displayed symbol from the first one of the symbol display positions of the second one of the symbol display position matrices to the first one of the symbol display positions of the third one of the symbol display position matrices.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein each of the plurality of symbol display position matrices are individually associated with a distinct play of a different game.

17. The method of claim 15, which includes receiving data of one of:

(i) a wager placed on a play of a game associated with each of the plurality of symbol display position matrices, and (ii) a plurality of wagers individually placed on a play of each of a plurality of games, each game being individually associated with one of the plurality of symbol display position matrices.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the display of each of the symbols for each symbol display position matrix is independent from the display of any of the symbols for any of the other symbol display position matrices.

19. The method of claim 15, which includes causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to repeat (b)(i) and (b)(ii) after (c)(ii).

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the plurality of awards include at least one selected from the group consisting of:

a quantity of monetary credits, a quantity of non-monetary credits, a quantity of promotional credits, a quantity of player tracking points, a progressive award, a modifier, a quantity of free plays of the game, a quantity of plays of at least one non-wagering game, at least one lottery based award, a wager match for at least one play of the game, an increase in an average expected payback percentage of the game, at least one comp, a quantity of credits usable for an online play of an online game, a quantity of virtual goods and an access code usable to unlock content on an internet.

21. The method of claim 15, wherein a credit balance is increasable based on any displayed awards, said credit balance being increasable via an acceptor of a physical item associated with a monetary value, and said credit balance being decreasable via a cashout device.