Patent Application

App. No. 11/531,636

Abstract

Claims (32)

1 . A method including:

(a) displaying a gaming graphic at a player station, the gaming graphic including a result conveying component and a background component with the background component located in a peripheral area surrounding at least a portion of the result conveying component;

(b) periodically changing the background component from a first configuration to a different configuration during the course of play at the player station; and

(c) maintaining the appearance of the result conveying component in a first configuration while the background component is periodically changed.

2 . The method of claim 1 wherein the result conveying component includes a series of simulated spinnable reels.

3 . The method of claim 1 further including storing two or more configurations for the background component and wherein changing the background component from the first configuration to the different configuration includes selecting one of the two or more stored configurations for the background component.

4 . The method of claim 1 wherein the periodic change from the first background configuration to the different background configuration is performed based on the passage of time.

5 . The method of claim 1 wherein the periodic change from the first background configuration to the different background configuration is performed based a number of plays made at the player station.

6 . The method of claim 1 wherein the periodic change from the first background configuration to the different background configuration is performed randomly.

7 . An apparatus including:

(a) a display device;

(b) a player input device;

(c) a presentation controller, the presentation controller for (i) causing the display device to display a gaming graphic, the gaming graphic including a result conveying component and a background component with the background component located in a peripheral area surrounding at least a portion of the result conveying component, for (ii) periodically changing the background component from a first configuration to a different configuration during the course of play at the player station and, for (iii) maintaining the appearance of the result conveying component while the background component is periodically changed.

8 . The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the presentation controller includes a processing device of a player station that includes the display device and player input device.

9 . The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the processing device of the player station generates a result for a game play at the player station.

10 . The apparatus of claim 8 further including a result controller located remotely from the player station for communicating a result to the player station.

11 . A method including:

(a) displaying a gaming graphic at a player station, the gaming graphic having a result conveying component and a background component, the background component including a game character;

(b) displaying the result conveying component in a character activating configuration; and

(c) displaying a character interaction sequence after displaying the result conveying component in the character activating configuration, the character interaction sequence including a visible interaction between the game character and one or more graphic symbols included in the result conveying component when in the character activating configuration.

12 . The method of claim 11 wherein the visible interaction between the game character and one or more graphic symbols includes a representation of the game character shooting at least one of the one or more graphic symbols.

13 . The method of claim 11 wherein the visible interaction between the game character and one or more graphic symbols includes a representation of the character traversing the result conveying component to interact with at least one of the one or more graphic symbols.

14 . The method of claim 11 wherein the visible interaction between the game character and one or more graphic symbols includes a representation of the character removing at least one of the one or more graphic symbols from a position in the result conveying component.

15 . The method of claim 11 further including producing verbal prompts coordinated with movement of the game character so that the verbal prompts appear to originate from the game character.

16 . The method of claim 11 wherein the visible interaction between the game character and one or more graphic symbols includes a representation of the character traversing the result conveying component to a reel symbol area formed in the result conveying component, and a representation of the character passing through the reel symbol area.

17 . The method of claim 16 further including expanding the reel symbol area to produce an expanded display area which replaces the result conveying component.

18 . The method of claim 17 further including displaying an interactive bonus game presentation in the expanded display area.

19 . An apparatus including:

(a) a display device;

(b) a player input device;

(c) a presentation controller, the presentation controller for (i) displaying a gaming graphic at a player station, the gaming graphic having a result conveying component and a background component, the background component including a game character, for (ii) displaying the result conveying component in a character activating configuration, and for (iii) displaying a character interaction sequence after displaying the result conveying component in the character activating configuration, the character interaction sequence including a visible interaction between the game character and one or more graphic symbols included in the result conveying component when in the character activating configuration.

20 . The apparatus of claim 19 wherein the presentation controller includes a processing device of a player station that includes the display device and player input device.

Assignments (13)