Patent ID: 11908282
Assignee: ARISTOCRAT TECHNOLOGIES AUSTRALIA PTY LIMITED
Field: Control (Instruments)
Classification: CPC G | IPC G

Claim 0:
1. A method of operating a gaming device, the gaming device having a processor and a memory storing a plurality of reel strips corresponding to a plurality of columns of symbol positions, a defined symbol, a weighted table having a plurality of weights defining relative probabilities of a plurality of different numbers of columns to be populated by the defined symbol, the method comprising:
causing a display device of the gaming device to animate a number of game instances based on at least one random number generated by a random number generator, responsive to a condition being met;
for each game instance of the number of game instances selected, determining a number of columns of symbol positions to be populated by the defined symbol selected from the plurality of different numbers of columns based at least in part on the random number generator and the plurality of weights in the weighted table;
visually animating at the display device the defined symbol oversizing into a first oversized defined symbol to occupy a first column of symbol positions among the number of columns of symbol positions selected for a current game instance and at least one subsequent game instance, and a plurality of symbols populating the columns of symbol positions unoccupied by the first oversized defined symbol from the plurality of reel strips corresponding to the columns of symbol positions unoccupied by the first oversized defined symbol based on the random number generator;
responsive to a second column of symbol positions being displayed adjacent the first column of symbol positions displaying a second oversized defined symbol, visually animating the first oversized defined symbol combining with the second oversized defined symbol to form a third oversized defined symbol occupying both the first column of symbol positions and the second column of symbol positions; and
animating an award on the display device evaluated from the third oversized defined symbol and the plurality of symbols selected for the columns of symbol positions unoccupied by the third oversized defined symbol.