Patent ID: 9396615
Filing Date: 2016-07-19
CPC Classification: G07F

Claim Text:
1. A method for play of a gaming machine having a credit input mechanism configured to accept a physical item associated with a monetary value for establishing a credit balance, the credit balance being increasable and decreasable based at least on wagering activity, an output mechanism configured to cause a payout associated with the credit balance, a display having a plurality of display positions, a memory storing a source symbol set having a plurality of symbols, the source symbol set comprising a plurality of separate symbol sets, at least one of the symbol sets comprising at least one removable symbol and at least one of the symbols sets comprising at least one designated symbol, and a game controller, the method comprising: establishing a credit balance via said credit input mechanism receiving the physical item; (a) in response to having established the credit balance with the physical item, decreasing the credit balance, and selecting via said game controller from said memory at least one symbol from each of the plurality of symbol sets to form a selected symbol set; (b) displaying via said game controller on said display the selected symbol set at the plurality of symbol positions; (c) removing via said game controller at least one removable symbol from said source symbol set and forming a modified source symbol set comprising the plurality of separate symbol sets without said at least one removable symbol; (d) selecting via said game controller at least one symbol from each of the plurality of symbol sets of the modified source symbol set to form a selected modified symbol set; (e) displaying via said game controller the selected modified symbol set on said display at the plurality of display positions; (f) determining via said game controller whether to make an award based on the selected modified symbol set; and in response to determining to make an award, increasing via the game controller the credit balance to permit awarding the award via the payout mechanism; and wherein the game is a spinning reel game and each symbol set corresponds to a reel; and further including a plurality of designated symbols; and wherein a designated symbol belongs to at least one reel that has a pair of neighboring reels.