Patent ID: 11972655
Assignee: ARISTOCRAT TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
Field: Control (Instruments)
Classification: CPC G | IPC G

Claim 0:
1. A gaming device, comprising:
a housing;
a wagering input for accepting a wager from a player, the wager representing an initial credit balance of the player with the gaming device;
a processor within the housing and operative to:
determine, through a first call to a random number generator, a first set of symbols chosen from a first reel;
determine, through a second call to the random number generator, a second set of symbols chosen from an expanding reel;
determine, through a third call to the random number generator, a third set of symbols chosen from a third reel; and

a display attached to the housing and operative to:
display the first set of symbols in a first and second column of a playing field;
display the second set of symbols in a third column of the playing field; and
display the third set of symbols in a fourth and fifth column of the playing field, the third column being positioned between either the first and second column or the fourth and fifth column; wherein:

the processor is further operative to:
determine if any of the third set of symbols is a special symbol; and
in the event any of the third set of symbols is a special symbol, replace all symbols displayed in the third column with an expanded special symbol; wherein the expanded special symbol replaces at least one picture symbol that has a higher value than another picture symbol on the first reel or the third reel.