| Patent application number | Description | Published |
|---|
| 20080227541 | Gaming method and apparatus for facilitating a game involving an expanding array - A method and apparatus for use in gaming activities such as slot machine is provided. At least some elements of a grid are marked in an initial round. An additional round can be initiated if in the initial round a series of corresponding adjacent elements was created. In each additional round, marked elements may be added to the grid of the previous round. Each additional round can be initiated if the previous round increased the number of corresponding adjacent elements as compared with the previous round. A game can be ended when a round fails to expand the series of corresponding adjacent elements. A payout can be issued, wherein the amount of the payout is related to the number of corresponding adjacent elements of the series. | 09-18-2008 |
| 20080234033 | Reel-type gaming activity involving automatic randomization of a subset of reels - A gaming apparatus has a plurality of gaming reels. Each gaming reel has a plurality of symbols that are randomly arranged in response to gaming events. A controller is coupled to the gaming reels and configured to randomize, in response to a user input, the plurality of gaming reels so that the gaming reels are in a first configuration. Based on the first configuration of the gaming reels, an arrangement of the symbols that satisfy a predetermined condition is determined. In response to the predetermined condition being satisfied, a subset of the gaming reels is randomized so that the gaming reels are in a second configuration. The subset of gaming reels is randomized independently of any user inputs occurring after the determination of the predetermined condition, and the gaming reels not in the subset of reels are held while the subset of gaming reels is randomized. The apparatus also includes a payout device that determines a payout based at least on the second configuration of the plurality of gaming reels in response to the randomization of the subset of gaming reels. | 09-25-2008 |
| 20100016054 | Gaming Method and Apparatus with Dynamic Element Function - A method and apparatus for use in gaming activities such as slot machine. A plurality of symbols is presented in connection with a gaming activity. At least one multi-characteristic symbol capable of exhibiting a plurality of different gaming characteristics is also presented. A first gaming characteristic is attributed to the multi-characteristic symbol during play of the gaming activity. The multi-characteristic symbol's first gaming characteristic is replaced with a second gaming characteristic if none of the remaining plurality of symbols exhibit the second gaming characteristic. | 01-21-2010 |
| 20100178976 | Gaming Method and Apparatus for Facilitating a Game Involving Specialty Wild Functionality - Various embodiments are directed to a plurality of rounds of a game, the game comprising providing a play area comprising a plurality of regions and game elements distributed within the regions, moving a roving wild indicator within the play area to one of the game elements, the roving wild indicator moving between the game elements within the play area during each of the plurality of rounds of the game, the element to which the roving wild indicator moves exhibiting wild functionality for at least a current round of the game, selecting one of the plurality of regions as a wild region, each element within the wild region exhibiting wild functionality for at least the current round of the game, marking a plurality of the game elements, each marking for each element of the plurality selected from a plurality of different marking types, evaluating elements of the play area to identify if the game element to which the roving wild indicator is moved in the current round of the game is within the wild region, evaluating elements of the play area to identify if one or more series of corresponding marked elements were formed, wherein the elements marked with common types of the different marking types correspond to one another and elements exhibiting wild functionality correspond to all game elements, and initiating at least one game play function other than wild functionality if the game element to which the roving wild indicator is moved is within the wild region based on the evaluation of the elements. | 07-15-2010 |
| 20100210345 | System, Apparatus, and Method for Facilitating Secondary Winning Events in Conjunction with a Primary Gaming Activity - A plurality of events associated with the primary gaming activity of a gaming machine is detected. In response to the events, a dynamic symbol is generated having a value that is independent of the respective primary gaming event. A monetary award is provided to the player based on a value of at least one of the dynamic symbols meeting a predetermined criterion. The provision of the monetary award is determined independently of outcomes of the events of the primary gaming activity. | 08-19-2010 |
| 20100216540 | Gaming Method and Apparatus for Portioning a Play Area - A method and apparatus for use in gaming activities, such as in a slot machine. A first grid comprising a plurality of elements overlayed a second grid comprising a plurality of elements is presented. At least some of the elements of the first grid and the second grid are marked. Marked elements of first grid are then used to form a subportion, the subportion boundary enclosing an area and having a correspondingly marked element of the first grid at each corner. Payouts are issued for marked elements and element combinations of the second grid within the subportion. The payouts may be administered according to a pay table. | 08-26-2010 |
| 20100298041 | Gaming Method and Apparatus for Facilitating a Game Involving Specialty Functionality - Various embodiments concern a method for facilitating a gaming activity having specialty functionality comprising providing a grid formed by a plurality of elements and marking elements of the plurality with markings selected from a plurality of marking-types, the plurality of marking-types including a feature marking-type. A plurality of feature indicators can be positioned in the grid. Then, for each element of the plurality that is marked with the feature marking-type and positionally associated with a feature indicator of the plurality, the feature marking-type can be re-marked to a respective element of the plurality that is adjacent to the element marked with the feature marking-type and positionally associated with the feature indicator. An outcome can then be determined based on one or more combinations of the markings. | 11-25-2010 |
| 20100298042 | Gaming Method and Apparatus for Facilitating a Game Involving Bonus Functionality - Systems, apparatuses and methods for impacting one or more gaming display segments based on their positions relative to presentation of a triggering symbol(s) in another display segment(s). A method involves marking elements of a grid with symbols, where at least one element is marked with a feature symbol. One or more winning combinations of the symbols are identified, where each winning combination may be associated with an award amount according to a paytable. For each of the elements marked with the feature symbol, replacement symbols are marked to the element(s) that is marked with the feature symbol, as well as to those elements adjacent to the element(s) are marked with the feature symbol. One or more additional winning combinations of symbols are then identified, where the additional winning symbol combination(s) includes at least one symbol from the original symbols marked to the plurality of elements and at least one replacement symbol. | 11-25-2010 |
| 20110034233 | Systems, Apparatuses and Methods for Enhancing Gaming Experiences - Systems, apparatuses and methods for enhancing winning result opportunities in gaming activities. Embodiments involve identifying award-enhancing opportunities using dice, and enabling repetition of such award-enhancing opportunities based on the dice results until a terminating event occurs using the die/dice. Award-enhancing opportunities can be accumulated during the repetition, whereby payout opportunities of the gaming event from which the dice activity was initiated may be enhanced. | 02-10-2011 |
| 20110034234 | SYSTEMS, APPARATUSES AND METHODS FOR AWARDING GAMING PAYOUTS - Methods, apparatuses, and systems for awarding gaming payouts in slot games are provided. Embodiments are directed to initiating a reelspin and moving at least one modifying symbol to a new symbol location. If a predetermined symbol appears in the new symbol location as a result of the reelspin, the predetermined symbol is replaced with the modifying symbol. | 02-10-2011 |
| 20110045906 | Gaming Method and Apparatus for Facilitating a Game Involving 2D and 3D Play Areas - Various embodiments are disclosed concerning games that use both 2D and 3D play areas. Various embodiments concern representing a 3D structure composed of a plurality of 3D shapes having a plurality of faces, presenting a plurality of elements, marking the plurality of faces and the elements, identifying a first set of one or more combinations of corresponding markings, moving the shapes of the three dimensional structure relative to the elements, and identifying a second set of one or more combinations of corresponding markings, each of the combinations of corresponding markings from the first set and the second set composed of markings from at least one of the elements and multiple faces of the shapes. | 02-24-2011 |
