Patent ID: 11941951
Assignee: KONAMI GAMING, INC.
Field: Control (Instruments)
Classification: CPC G | IPC G

Claim 7:
8. A method of operating a gaming machine including a cabinet, a first display device mounted to the cabinet, a second display device mounted to the cabinet, and a control unit including a processor operably coupled to the first display device and the second display device, the first display device configured to display computer-generated images including a first symbol display area including a plurality of virtual reels displaying a plurality of symbols in a first plurality of cells arranged in a first grid having a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns, the second display device including a plurality of horizontal mechanical bonus symbol reels with each horizontal mechanical bonus symbol reel displaying a plurality of wild symbols and a plurality of null symbols and being associated with a corresponding row of the first grid, the method including the processor performing an algorithm including the steps of:
randomly selecting a first plurality of symbols associated with the first symbol display area, each symbol in the first set of symbols being associated with one of the plurality of cells in the first grid, the symbols in the first plurality of symbols being selected from a first set of symbols;
animating the plurality of virtual reels to sequentially spin through the first grid and stop to display the first plurality of symbols within the first grid forming an initial outcome;
spinning and stopping each horizontal mechanical bonus symbol reel to display a bonus pattern of wild symbols; and
animating the bonus pattern of wild symbols to appear on the first grid, the bonus pattern of symbols and any remaining symbols from the first plurality of symbols in the first grid forming a second outcome.