GAMING MACHINE WITH RUNS OF SYMBOLS

• US 20130084944A1
• Filed: 11/26/2012
• Published: 04/04/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Konami Gaming Incorporated (Konami Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Konami Gaming Incorporated (Konami Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Yoshimi, Osamu
• Granted Patent: US 8,616,955 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/20
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 9/24 Electric games; Games using electronic circuits not otherwise provided for video games A63F13/00; computerized gaming systems G07F17/32
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3213 Details of moving display elements, e.g. spinning reels, tumbling members
• 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 17/3288 Betting, e.g. on live events, bookmaking
• 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 machine comprising a processor configured to execute a game displaying a matrix of symbol containing elements having a plurality of rows and a plurality columns; at least one column of said matrix comprising a portion of a simulated rotatable reel of a plurality of said symbol containing elements; said simulated rotatable reel comprising sections of symbol containing elements displaying a plurality of symbols; said simulated rotatable reel including at least one section in which a consecutive run of two or more of said symbol containing elements is populated by a first identical symbol so that, said first identical symbol being used for a first play of said game, a second identical symbol being randomly selected, the first identical symbol being replaced by the second identical symbol in said consecutive run of two or more of said symbol containing elements, said second identical symbol being used for a second play of said game.

Claims

1. A gaming machine for providing a game to a player, comprising:

a reel having a predetermined number of elements, wherein each element has an associated symbol from a set of symbols and the reel having a run of consecutive elements;

a display device having a matrix having a plurality of display elements arranged in a column, the number of display elements in the column being less than the predetermined number of elements in the reel, the display device for displaying a portion of the reel such that the symbols associated with some of the elements of the reel are displayed in the matrix when the reel is in a stop position; and

,

a game controller for initiating an instance of the game using the reel during which the reel is spun at a game speed and populating the run of consecutive elements with an identical replacement symbol, wherein the player is made aware of the population of the run of consecutive elements with the identical replacement symbol while the reel is spinning

2. The gaming machine, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the reel is spin at a speed slower than the game speed, wherein the population of the run of consecutive elements with the identical replacement symbol is performed while the reel is spinning at the speed slower than the game speed.

3. The gaming machine, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the speed of the reel is ramped up to the game speed, wherein the population of the run of consecutive elements with the identical replacement symbol is performed while speed of the reel is being ramped up to the game speed.

4. The gaming machine, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the run of consecutive elements initially contains an initial identical symbol.

5. The gaming machine, as set forth in claim 1, wherein each of the elements of the run of consecutive elements is initially populated by a random symbol from the set of symbols.

6. The gaming machine, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the identical replacement symbol is selected by the controller from a subset of the set of symbols.

7. The gaming machine, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the identical replacement symbol is randomly selected from a subset of the symbols.

8. The gaming machine, as set forth in claim 6, wherein each symbol of the subset of symbols is assigned a probability of selection.

9. The gaming machine, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the reel is a first reel, the gaming machine further comprising second, third, fourth and fifth reels, wherein the matrix of elements is comprised of five columns and three rows of elements, the five columns being associated with a respective one of the reels.

10. The gaming machine, as set forth in claim 9, wherein the first reel is a left-most reel.

11. The gaming machine, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the reel is a virtual reel.

12. A method of providing an electronic game on a gaming machine having a reel and a display device, the reel having a predetermined number of elements, wherein each element has an associated symbol from a set of symbols and the reel having a run of consecutive elements, the display device having a matrix having a plurality of display elements arranged in a column, the number of display elements in the column being less than the predetermined number of elements in the reel, the display device for displaying a portion of the reel such that the symbols associated with some of the elements of the reel are displayed in the matrix when the reel is in a stop position, the method including the steps of:

initiating an instance of the game using the reel during which the reel is spun at a game speed;

populating the run of consecutive elements with an identical replacement symbol, wherein the player is made aware of the population of the run of consecutive elements with the identical replacement symbol while the reel is spinning.

13. The method, as set forth in claim 12, wherein the reel is spin at a speed slower than the game speed, wherein the population of the run of consecutive elements with the identical replacement symbol is performed while the reel is spinning at the speed slower than the game speed.

14. The method, as set forth in claim 12, wherein the speed of the reel is ramped up to the game speed, wherein the population of the run of consecutive elements with the identical replacement symbol is performed while speed of the reel is being ramped up to the game speed.

15. The method, as set forth in claim 12, wherein the run of consecutive elements initially contains an initial identical symbol.

16. The method, as set forth in claim 12, wherein each of the elements of the run of consecutive elements is initially populated by a random symbol from the set of symbols.

17. The method, as set forth in claim 12, wherein the identical replacement symbol is selected by the controller from a subset of the set of symbols.

18. The method, as set forth in claim 12, wherein the identical replacement symbol is randomly selected from a subset of the symbols.

19. The method, as set forth in claim 18, wherein each symbol of the subset of symbols is assigned a probability of selection.

20. The method, as set forth in claim 12, wherein the reel is a first reel, the gaming machine further comprising second, third, fourth and fifth reels, wherein the matrix of elements is comprised of five columns and three rows of elements, the five columns being associated with a respective one of the reels.

21. The method, as set forth in claim 20, wherein the first reel is a left-most reel.

22. The method, as set forth in claim 12, wherein the reel is a virtual reel.