US 12,394,275 B2
Gaming machine and method with a symbol collection feature
Bernadine Attard, Castlereagh (AU); and David Little, Woollahra (AU)
Assigned to LNW Gaming, Inc., Las Vegas, NV (US)
Filed by LNW Gaming, Inc., Las Vegas, NV (US)
Filed on Jun. 5, 2024, as Appl. No. 18/734,108.
Application 18/734,108 is a continuation of application No. 18/315,606, filed on May 11, 2023, granted, now 12,039,833.
Application 18/315,606 is a continuation of application No. 17/584,660, filed on Jan. 26, 2022, granted, now 11,710,370, issued on Jul. 25, 2023.
Prior Publication US 2024/0321042 A1, Sep. 26, 2024
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. G07F 17/32 (2006.01)
CPC G07F 17/3213 (2013.01) [G07F 17/3258 (2013.01); G07F 17/3267 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of operating a gaming machine, the method comprising the operations of:
presenting, by a presentation assembly, a plurality of reels, an array and a collection area, the plurality of reels bearing a plurality of symbols, the plurality of symbols including value-bearing symbols; and
conducting, by game-logic circuitry, a series of spins of the plurality of reels, each spin including:
randomly selecting an active subset of the array;
spinning and stopping the plurality of reels to land symbols from the plurality of symbols in the array;
with respect to any value-bearing symbols among the landed symbols, collecting any value-bearing symbols that landed in the active subset of the array in the collection area, but not collecting any value-bearing symbols that landed outside of the active subset of the array;
evaluating whether special conditions have been met; and
if the special conditions have been met, collecting any value-bearing symbols that landed outside of the active subset of the array in the collection area; and
at a conclusion of the series of spins, awarding a payout based on the values of the value-bearing symbols in the collection area.