Granted Patent B2

US 10,445,974 · App. 15/872,814 · Granted Oct 15, 2019

Inventor: Brian Watkins (Austin, TX)

Assignee: Everi Games, Inc.

G07F17/3211G07F17/3209G07F17/3227G07F17/3288

Abstract

Claims (50)

1. A gaming machine comprising:

a cabinet to which is mounted one or more video displays;

a controller operatively coupled to control the one or more video displays;

a credit input device in communication with the controller and adapted for accepting a physical item associated with a monetary value that establishes a player credit balance;

a plurality of player-activated input devices in communication with the controller for setting wagers covered by the credit balance and initiating games for determining the outcomes of the wagers;

a first data structure stored in a memory comprising data corresponding to four or more game presentations, each including a set of virtual reel strips including game symbols;

a second data structure stored in the memory comprising data corresponding to a bonus game structure;

wherein the controller is programmed to:

cause the four or more game presentations to be displayed simultaneously by at least one of the displays;

in response to a wager activation by a player on one of the player-activated input devices, cause the four or more game presentations to all simultaneously display conducting a game including spinning their respective sets of virtual reels and stopping to produce a respective randomly selected outcome, and evaluate the outcomes for winning patterns each having an associated credit award;

determine if the four or more virtual game presentations all include a winning pattern, and if so, activate the bonus game structure to display the conduct of a bonus game and a bonus game result;

based on the bonus game result, applying a base game modifier or awarding a bonus prize amount in addition to a base game prize and crediting the resulting amount to the credit balance; and

receive a player cash out input through a player control and, in response, initiate a payout of the credit balance.

2. The gaming machine of claim 1 , in which the second data structure includes a wheel including a plurality of sections containing different multiplier values, the wheel adapted to be spun when activated and stop on a section to select the multiplier value of that section.

3. The gaming machine of claim 2 , in which the wheel includes a section operable to activate a free spin bonus when the wheel stops on that section.

4. The gaming machine of claim 1 , in which the four or more game presentations includes four presentations each having a five-reel game, and in which the winning patterns are formed by designated paylines in each of the four five-reel games.

5. The gaming machine of claim 1 , in which based on the bonus result, a base game prize modifier is applied by applying a multiplier based on the bonus result to all of the credit awards of the four or more game presentations.

6. A method of providing a wagering game under control of a gaming machine electronic controller, the method comprising:

receiving a player deposit through a credit input device and in response activating a credit meter value that establishes a player credit balance;

activating a first data game presentation data structure causing four or more game presentations to be displayed simultaneously by at least one display on a gaming machine;

in response to a wager activation by a player on a player input device, causing the four or more game presentations to all simultaneously display conducting a game including spinning their respective sets of virtual reels and stopping to produce a respective randomly selected outcome, and evaluating the outcomes for winning patterns each having an associated credit award;

determining if the four or more game presentations all include a winning pattern, and if so, activating a bonus game data structure to display the conduct of a bonus game and a bonus game result;

based on the bonus game result, applying a base game modifier or awarding a bonus prize amount in addition to a base game prize and crediting the resulting amount to the credit balance; and

receiving a player cash out input through a player control and, in response, initiating a payout of the credit balance.

7. The method of claim 6 , in which the bonus game data structure includes a wheel including a plurality of sections containing different multiplier values, the wheel is spun when activated and stops on a section to select the multiplier value of that section.

8. The method of claim 7 , in which the wheel includes a section operable to activate a free spin bonus when the wheel stops on that section.

9. The method of claim 6 , in which the four or more game presentations includes four presentations each having a five-reel game, and in which the winning patterns are formed by designated paylines in each of the four five-reel games.

10. The method of claim 6 , in which based on the bonus result, a base game prize modifier is applied by applying a multiplier based on the bonus result to all of the credit awards of the four or more game presentations.

11. The method of claim 6 , further comprising:

before determining if the game presentations all have a winning pattern, detecting the presence of a trigger pattern in one of the game presentations;

in response, based on a characteristic of the game presentation including the trigger pattern, selecting one or more of the other game presentations; and

in the selected one or more game presentations, modifying a corresponding virtual reel strip to include the trigger pattern.

12. A gaming machine comprising:

a cabinet to which is mounted one or more video displays;

a controller operatively coupled to control the one or more video displays;

a credit input device in communication with the controller and adapted for accepting a physical item associated with a monetary value that establishes a player credit balance;

a plurality of player-activated input devices in communication with the controller for setting wagers covered by the credit balance and initiating games for determining the outcomes of the wagers;

a first data structure stored in a memory comprising data corresponding to four or more game presentations, each including a set of virtual reel strips including game symbols;

a second data structure stored in the memory comprising data corresponding to a bonus game structure;

wherein the controller is programmed to:

cause the four or more game presentations to be displayed simultaneously by at least one of the displays;

in response to a wager activation by a player on one of the player-activated input devices, cause the four or more game presentations to all simultaneously display conducting a game including spinning their respective sets of virtual reels and stopping to produce a respective randomly selected outcome, and evaluate the outcomes for winning patterns each having an associated credit award;

detect the presence of a trigger pattern in one of the game presentations;

in response, based on a characteristic of the game presentation including the trigger pattern, select one or more of the other game presentations;

in the selected one or more game presentations, modifying a corresponding virtual reel strip to include the trigger pattern; and

then, evaluating the game presentations for winning patterns.

13. The gaming machine of claim 12 , wherein the controller is further programmed to:

after evaluating the game presentations for winning patterns, determine if the four or more game presentations all include a winning pattern, and if so, activate the bonus game structure to display the conduct of a bonus game and a bonus game result;

based on the bonus game result, applying a base game modifier or awarding a bonus prize amount in addition to a base game prize and crediting the resulting amount to the credit balance; and

receive a player cash out input through a player control and, in response, initiate a payout of the credit balance.

Assignments (9)

Continuity (2)

Cited By (1)

US 12,249,219