Gaming Reel Symbol Resizing to Reduce Blank Areas

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Solution Overview

Problem

Traditional mechanically driven reel slot machines are being replaced by electronic machines due to their ability to offer more complex games and digital features, but players find mechanical or simulated reels with too many blank spaces less appealing, leading to decreased player engagement.

Innovation Solution

The development of gaming reels with fewer blank spaces, where visible reel symbols are expanded into blank areas, either in mechanical or processor-based gaming machines, using a simulated reel configurator to resize and display symbols, reducing the amount of blank space and enhancing visual appeal.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If visible reel symbols are expanded into blank areas, then visual appeal and player engagement are improved, but the complexity of reel configuration increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvereel configurationVSAvoidreel symbol arrangement

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The reel configurator dynamically adjusts symbol positions and sizes based on detected blank areas, allowing the system to adapt the reel configuration automatically rather than requiring manual setup for each scenario

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system uses the reel configurator to automatically detect blank areas and perform the expansion of symbols into those areas without requiring external manual intervention, making the system self-configuring

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

2Ease of operation

If reel symbols are resized to reduce blank spaces, then player engagement increases, but the precision of symbol positioning requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveplayer engagementVSAvoidsymbol positioning

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces manual mechanical configuration with an automated reel configurator that uses detection and control systems to position and resize symbols, eliminating the need for precise manual positioning

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The system changes the parameters of reel symbols (size, position) dynamically based on the detected blank areas, allowing flexible adjustment without fixed precision requirements

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentUS8616953B2Reel symbol resizing for reel based gaming machines

Publication Date: 2013.12.31 INTERNATIONAL GAME TECHNOLOGY INC

AI summary

Gaming machines, systems and methods for sizing or resizing visible reel symbols are disclosed. Gaming machines include an exterior housing, master gaming controller, display device and mechanical or virtual reels. Reels include a plurality of reel stops, each containing a visible reel symbols or a blank or ghost region. Visible reel symbols are expanded into adjacent reel stops, which can be ghosts or blank reel stops, such that blank areas are reduced. A reel configurator sizes or resizes the visible reel symbols, which reel configurator can be located at a remote host or within the gaming machine itself. A remote host can provide downloadable virtual reel strips and visible reel symbols to gaming machines within a system including processor-based machines. Resizing of visible reel symbols can involve stretching the symbols in a direction that extends into one or both reel stops adjacent to the reel stop containing the stretched reel symbol.