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| Summary / Description | Gaming device e.g. slot machine for playing video slot game, has processor operable with display device to display player selectable symbols to player for enabling player to select one symbol |
| Type of Prior Art | Issued Patents - US |
| Country | United Kingdom (Great Britain) |
| Patent/Application # | GB2402079A |
| Kind Code | United Kingdom (GB) - Application published - A1 |
| Patentee Name | PAULSEN, CRAIG A; NGUYEN, BINH T; IGT RENO NEV |
| Relevant Pages, Columns, or Lines | page 3 line 23-page 4 line14; |
| URL | http://gb.espacenet.com/search9... |
| Filing Date | May 19, 2004 |
| Additional Information | |
| Notes | |
Excerpt page 3 line 23: The interactive player-selectable symbols in the offer set or sets can include any suitable symbol which is used during the course of the game or games associated with the gaming device. An interactive player-selectable symbol can be any element, value, gaming card and/or symbol which corresponds to a theme or game associated with the gaming device. page 9 line 10: In one embodiment of the present invention, the interactive player-selectable symbols are gaming symbols or symbols offered to the player in a video slot gaming machine. The processor determines the symbols to be displayed to the player on a plurality of gaming reels. .... The processor displays the plurality of gaming reels with the symbols and the blank positions to the player. The processor determines the symbols to be offered to the player in at least one offer set. The processor offers the player the offer set, and enables the player to select one or more of the symbols from the offer set to be placed into one or more of the blank positions displayed by the plurality of gaming reels. The processor adds the player-selected symbols to the player-chosen blank positions. If any of the symbols on one or more predetermined paylines include a predetermined winning combination of symbols, the processor provides the player with an award. In another embodiment of the present invention, the plurality of gaming reels initially displays a plurality of symbols to the player. The processor enables the player to select the symbols from the offer set to replace one or more of the symbols initially displayed by the plurality of gaming reels. It should be appreciated that there may be a plurality of sets of gaming reels. It should be appreciated that the processor may randomly determine the symbols and blank positions initially displayed by the plurality of gaming reels. It should also be appreciated that the processor may randomly determine the symbols offered to the player in the offer set. |
A method of gaming comprising: providing at least one set of player selectable symbols; receiving at least one player selection of a symbol from the at least one set of symbols; forming at least one reel strip including the at least one selected symbol; generating a game outcome from a set of reels including the at least one reel strip; and evaluating the game outcome to determine whether to make an award.
| Relevance | See the Excerpt. Disclosed is a gaming system that gives the player the ability to select symbols to include in the gaming reels. Also disclosed is utilizing user selected symbols, evaluating the game outcome and offering an award if appropriate. |
A method as claimed in claim 1, comprising randomly generating the at least one set of selectable symbols from a source set of symbols.
| Relevance | See Claim 1. |
A method as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein providing at least one set of selectable symbols comprises generating a plurality of sets of selectable symbols.
| Relevance | See Claim 1. |
A method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the step of receiving a player selection of at least one symbol comprises allowing the player to select one symbol from each set of selectable symbols.
| Relevance | See Claim 1. |
A method as claimed in anyone of claims 1 to 4, wherein the selected symbols are inserted into the at least one reel strip in place of symbols already on the reel strip.
| Relevance | See Claim 1. |
A method as claimed in anyone of claims 1 to 4, wherein the selected symbols are added to the at least one reel strip in addition to symbols already part of the reel strip.
| Relevance | See Claim 1. |
A method as claimed in anyone of claims 1 to 4, wherein a new reel of symbols is formed from the selected symbols.
| Relevance | See Claim 1. |
A method as claimed in anyone of claims 1 to 7, wherein forming at least one reel strip comprises forming a plurality of reel strips.
| Relevance | See Claim 1. |
A method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the step of forming comprises including each selected symbol in each reel strip.
| Relevance | See Claim 1. |
A method as claimed in anyone of claims 1 to 9, comprising determining whether a condition is met prior to generating a game outcome with the at least one reel strip including the selected symbol.
| Relevance | See Claim 1. |
A method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the condition is that a feature is triggered such that the at least one reel strip including the selected symbol is employed in a feature game.
| Relevance | See Claim 1. |
A game controller for a gaming system, the game controller arranged to: provide at least one set of player selectable symbols; receive at least one player selection of a symbol from the at least one set of symbols; form at least one reel strip including the at least one selected symbol; generate a game outcome from a set of reels including the at least one reel strip; and evaluate the game outcome to determine whether to make an award.
| Relevance | See Claim 1. |
A game controller as claimed in claim 12, arranged to randomly generate the at least one set of selectable symbols from a source set of symbols.
| Relevance | See Claim 1. |
A game controller as claimed in claim 12 or claim 13, arranged to provide the at least one set of selectable symbols by generating a plurality of sets of selectable symbols.
| Relevance | See Claim 1. |
A game controller claimed in claim 14, arranged to allow the player to select one symbol from each set of selectable symbols.
| Relevance | See Claim 1. |
United States