US 11,961,359 B2
Electronic gaming machine and method for providing hotspot functionality to GUI
Sanchit Jain, New Dehli (IN); and Jason Meyer, Wyoming (AU)
Assigned to Aristocrat Technologies Australia Pty Ltd., North Ryde (AU)
Filed by Aristocrat Technologies Australia Pty Limited, North Ryde (AU)
Filed on Apr. 7, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/297,499.
Application 18/297,499 is a continuation of application No. 16/950,000, filed on Nov. 23, 2020, granted, now 11,625,975.
Claims priority of application No. 2019904507 (AU), filed on Nov. 29, 2019; and application No. 2020239714 (AU), filed on Sep. 24, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2023/0245522 A1, Aug. 3, 2023
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. G07F 17/32 (2006.01)
CPC G07F 17/3213 (2013.01) [G07F 17/3244 (2013.01); G07F 17/3267 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A gaming device comprising:
one or more displays;
one or more processors; and
one or more memories, wherein the one or more memories store computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors:
cause the one or more processors to undertake gameplay of a game, wherein an instance of gameplay of the game comprises determining a game state defining a display of a selection of symbols, wherein each symbol is displayed in a corresponding window; and
cause, for at least one instance of gameplay, the one or more processors to:
identify, for that instance of gameplay, each window in which the symbol displayed therein is a feature symbol and cause, for each window in which the symbol displayed therein is a feature symbol, one or more windows selected from a corresponding set of windows to have a corresponding modified status applied thereto according to a predefined window selection rule, wherein:
the set of windows for each window in which a feature symbol is displayed includes at least windows adjacent to that window, and
each modified status that is applied to a corresponding window as a result of that instance of gameplay is associated with a corresponding number of gameplay instances remaining before that modified status transitions from being active to being expired;
decrement, for each modified status that was active for each window having one or more active modified statuses immediately prior to that instance of gameplay, the corresponding number of gameplay instances remaining before that modified status transitions from being active to being expired; and
cause the one or more displays to present, for that instance of gameplay, a visual depiction of the game state, including at least one modified status for each window having one or more active modified statuses applied thereto and the corresponding number of gameplay instances remaining before that modified status transitions to being expired.