Patent ID: 9378628
Filing Date: 2016-06-28
CPC Classification: G07F

Claim Text:
1. A game machine, comprising: a wager input device configured to accept physical media indicating a monetary value to establish a credit balance; a display configured to display a game including a grid being displayed with a plurality of symbol positions and a plurality of reels being displayed in the grid, the grid defining a plurality of columns, each reel including a plurality of symbols and being displayed in a corresponding column; and a controller, the controller configured to: receive a signal from the wager input device indicating a wager being received from the player and adjust the credit balance by an amount of the wager; initiate a game in response to the wager and responsively spin the plurality of reels; select a first reel of the plurality of reels and stop the selected first reel to display corresponding symbols in each of the plurality of symbol positions in a corresponding first column displaying the first reel; evaluate the symbols displayed within the first column to determine a highest ranked symbol being displayed within the first column; replace all remaining symbols displayed within the first column with the highest ranked symbol; randomly select a second column of the plurality of columns and insert the highest ranked symbol into the symbol positions of the selected second column within the grid; stop the remaining reels to display an outcome of the game; and evaluate the outcome of the game, provide an award to the player based on the outcome of the game, and adjust the credit balance as a function of the outcome of the game and the wager.