Patent ID: 7238110

Claim:
A gaming device operable under control of a processor, said gaming device comprising: a plurality of reels controlled by the processor; a plurality of symbols on each of the reels; a triggering event; a plurality of winning symbol combinations of said symbols; a plurality of awards associated with the winning symbol combinations; and at least one input device in communication with the processor, wherein the processor is programmed to: (a) activate the reels upon a wager by a player using the at least one input device; (b) determine if any of the winning symbol combinations occur in said activation of said reels, and provide the player any of the awards associated with any determined winning symbol combinations which occur in said activation of said reels; (c) determine if said triggering event occurs in said activation of said reels; and (d) if said triggering event occurs in said activation of said reels, provide a plurality of free activations of said reels, and for said plurality of free activations of said reels: (i) determine if any of the winning symbol combinations occur in said free activations of said reels, and provide the player any of the awards associated with any of the determined winning symbol combinations which occur in said free activations of said reels, (ii) accumulate any predetermined symbols which occur in said free activations of said reels, and (iii) if a designated number of predetermined symbols are accumulated in at least two of the free activations of said reels, provide at least one additional free activation of said reels, said designated number being at least two.