Wagering game for awarding positional game modifiers in a plurality of plays

• US 8,622,805 B2
• Filed: 10/25/2010
• Issued: 01/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LNW Gaming Incorporated
• Original Assignee: WMS Gaming Incorporated (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Inventors: Gomez, Benjamin T., SeLegue, Dylan B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Suhol, Dmitry
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hsu, Ryan
• Application Number:
  US12/911,132
• Publication Number:
  US 20110098101A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,170 Days
• Field of Search: 463/16, 463/20, 463/25, 463/29, 273/138.1, 273/138.2, 273/143.R
• US Class Current: 463/20
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3206 Player sensing means, e.g. presence detection, biometrics
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3223 Architectural aspects of a gaming system, e.g. internal configuration, master/slave, wireless communication
• 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 17/3258 Cumulative reward schemes, e.g. jackpots
• 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 17/329 Regular and instant lottery, e.g. electronic scratch cards
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3293 Card games, e.g. poker, canasta, black jack
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/34 depending on the stopping of moving members in a mechanical slot machine, e.g. "fruit" machines

Abstract

A method for conducting a wagering game includes awarding a plurality of positional game modifiers and a plurality of plays of the wagering game. Each play includes a set of assignable positions such that a plurality of sets of assignable positions occur over the plurality of plays, at least some of the assignable positions bearing symbols. The plurality of positional game modifiers are randomly assigned to positions in the plurality of sets of assignable positions. The plurality of plays are displayed on a display device. A processor is used to determine an outcome of each of the plays taking into account any of the positional game modifiers assigned to the positions in the set of assignable positions of each play.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for conducting wagering games on a wagering game system, the wagering game system including one or more input devices, one or more display devices, and one or more processors, the method comprising:

initially awarding, via at least one of the one or more processors, a plurality of plays N of the wagering game and a predetermined number of positional game modifiers X, the plurality of plays N including play N1 and play N2 and the predetermined number of positional game modifiers X including modifier X1 and modifier X2, each play of the plurality of plays N including a set of assignable positions M such that a plurality of assignable positions M×

N occurs across the plurality of plays N;

displaying, on at least one of the one or more display devices, a plurality of randomly selected symbols in a least some of the assignable positions M for each play of the plurality of plays N;

randomly assigning, via at least one of the one or more processors, the predetermined number of positional game modifiers X across the plurality of plays N to positions in the plurality of assignable positions M×

N, the predetermined number of positional game modifiers X being assigned such that each of modifier X1 and modifier X2 is assignable to play N1 or play N2; and

in response to assigning all modifiers of the predetermined number of positional game modifiers X across the plurality of plays N, including modifier X1 being assigned to either of play N1 or play N2 and modifier X2 being assigned to either play N1 or play N2, determining, via at least one of the one or more processors, an outcome for each play of the plurality of plays N taking into account any positional game modifiers X assigned to the assignable positions M.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined number of positional game modifiers X is a progressive award that increments in response to one or more processor-controlled wagering games or gaming devices linked to the progressive award, and wherein the awarding of the predetermined number of positional game modifiers X occurs in response to a triggering event.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined number of positional game modifiers X is selected from a group consisting of wilds, non-wild special symbols, and multipliers.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of assignable positions M in each play of the plurality of plays N is an array of fixed display positions, and wherein each play of the plurality of plays N includes a spin of symbol-bearing reels that are rotated and stopped to randomly place symbols on the reels in visual association with the fixed display positions in the array.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of assignable positions M in each play of the plurality of plays N is distributed among a plurality of symbol-bearing reels that are rotated and stopped to randomly place a subset of the symbols on the reels in visual association with a display area on at least one of the one or more display devices.

6. A computer-implemented method for conducting wagering games on a wagering game system, the wagering game system including one or more input devices, one or more display devices, and one or more processors, the method comprising:

receiving a wager in response to an input via at least one of the one or more input devices;

awarding, via at least one of the one or more processors, a progressive award including a plurality of positional game modifiers X, the plurality of positional game modifiers X including modifier X1 and modifier X2;

assigning, via at least one of the one or more processors, the positional game modifiers X to a total number of symbol-bearing positions M×

N achieved during a plurality of awarded free plays N including play N1 and N2, each play of the plurality of awarded free plays N having a set of assignable symbol-bearing positions M, the plurality of positional game modifiers X being assigned such that each of modifiers X1 and modifier X2 is assignable to play N1 or play N2;

displaying the plurality of free plays N on at least one of the one or more display devices; and

determining, via at least one of the one or more processors, an outcome for each play of the plurality of awarded free plays N, the outcome being based on any positional game modifiers X assigned to symbol-bearing positions M of each play of the plurality of awarded free plays N, including modifier X1 being assigned to either of play N1 or play N2 and modifier X2 being assigned to either play N1 or play N2.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the progressive award increments in response to one or more processor-controlled wagering games or gaming devices linked to the progressive award, and wherein the awarding of the progressive award occurs in response to a triggering event.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the plurality of positional game modifiers X is selected from a group consisting of wilds, non-wild special symbols, multipliers, and payline activator symbols.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the assigning of the positional game modifiers X to a total number of symbol-bearing positions M×

N includes randomly assigning.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein each set of assignable symbol-bearing positions M is displayed in the form of an array of fixed display positions, and wherein each play of the plurality of awarded free plays N includes a spin of reels that are rotated and stopped to randomly place symbols on the reels in visual association with the fixed display positions of the array.

11. The method of claim 6, wherein, the set of assignable symbol-bearing positions M in each play is distributed among a plurality of symbol-bearing reels that are rotated and stopped to randomly place a subset of symbols on the reels in visual association with a display area of at least one of the one or more input device.

12. A gaming system comprising:

a wager input device configured to receive a wager from a player for playing a wagering game;

a display configured to display a plurality of plays N of the wagering game, each play including a set of assignable positions M such that a plurality of assignable positions M×

N occurs over the plurality of plays N, at least some of the assignable positions M bearing symbols; and

one or more processors communicatively coupled to the display, at least one of the processors being operative to

initially award the plurality of plays N and a predetermined number of positional game modifiers X, the plurality of plays N including play N1 and play N2 and the predetermined number of positional game modifiers including modifier X1 and modifier X2,

randomly assign the predetermined number of positional game modifiers X to the plurality of assignable positions M×

N across the plurality of plays N, the predetermined number of positional game modifiers X being assigned such that each of modifier X1 and modifier X2 is assignable to play N1 or play N2, and

in response to assigning all modifiers of the predetermined number of positional game modifiers X across the plurality of plays N, including modifier X1 being assigned to either of play N1 or play N2 and modifier X2 being assigned to either play N1 or play N2, determine an outcome for each play of the plurality of plays N taking into account any positional game modifiers X assigned to the assignable positions M.

13. The gaming system of claim 12, wherein the predetermined number of positional game modifiers X is a progressive award that increments in response to one or more processor-controlled wagering games or gaming devices linked to the progressive award, and wherein the awarding of the predetermined number of positional game modifiers X occurs in response to a triggering event.

14. The gaming system of claim 12, wherein the predetermined number of positional game modifiers X is selected from a group consisting of wilds, non-wild special symbols, multipliers, and payline activator symbols.

15. The gaming system of claim 12, wherein the set of positions in each play is an array of fixed display positions, and wherein each play includes a spin of symbol-bearing reels that are rotated and stopped to randomly place the symbols on the reels in visual association with the display positions in the array.