Patent ID: 11928933
Assignee: ARISTOCRAT TECHNOLOGIES AUSTRALIA PTY LIMITED
Field: Control (Instruments)
Classification: CPC G | IPC G

Claim 17:
18. An electronic gaming device comprising control logic configured to perform operations to control a user interface of the electronic gaming device, the operations comprising:
starting an iterative re-spin process that uses reels and a reel area on a display screen of the electronic gaming device, each of the reels of the iterative re-spin process having an associated reel strip that is movable through the reel area on the display screen upon a spin of the reel, and each of the reels of the iterative re-spin process having a lock state stored in a memory device, wherein the reel area spans m reels in a first dimension and spans n symbols in a second dimension different than the first dimension; and
storing, in the memory device, current state information of the electronic gaming device;
for each given iteration of one or more iterations of the iterative re-spin process:
based at least in part upon a lock state stored in the memory device for respective ones of the reels of the iterative re-spin process, determining which of the reels of the iterative re-spin process to spin for the given iteration, including identifying any locked reels, among the reels of the iterative re-spin process, for the given iteration,

wherein, for each of the identified any locked reels for the given iteration, the reel area is caused to be displayed on the display screen as enclosing a special symbol stack, and wherein, for each of the identified locked reels for the given iteration, the lock state for the reel is a locked state;
causing each special symbol stack to remain displayed on the display screen during the given iteration;
determining, based on at least a first returned value of a random number generator, results for spinning any unlocked reels, among the reels of the iterative re-spin process, for the given iteration, wherein the unlocked reels are reels that were not identified as being locked reels among the reels of the iterative re-spin process, for the given iteration;
displaying, on the display screen, a spinning and stopping of the unlocked reels, wherein the spinning and stopping of the unlocked reels causes the determined results to be displayed on the display screen;
modifying, in the memory device, the lock state of any unlocked reel that displays the special symbol stack as part of the displayed results from an unlocked state to a locked state;
determining, based on a comparison of the displayed determined results with a continuation condition stored in the memory device, whether the continuation condition is satisfied for the given iteration;
if the continuation condition is satisfied, causing the display of a next iterative re-spin process of the one or more iterations; and
if the continuation condition is not satisfied, performing operations to exit the iterative re-spin process.