Gaming Device Symbol Activation Matrix
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional gaming devices lack innovative ways for players to activate and win symbol combinations, leading to limited player engagement and excitement, as they typically rely on paylines and predetermined symbol combinations.
Innovation Solution
A gaming device that allows players to wager to activate specific symbols or sets of symbols in a matrix, with the wager amount determining the number of symbols activated, enabling evaluation for winning combinations such as linear or non-linear arrangements, and incorporating wild and scatter symbols for enhanced chances of winning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conventional payline-based symbol combination evaluation is used, then the game structure is simple and easy to understand, but player engagement and excitement are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the symbol evaluation process by allowing players to selectively activate specific symbols rather than evaluating all symbols across entire paylines. This segmentation enables players to focus their wagers on specific symbols they believe will form winning combinations, increasing engagement while maintaining manageable game structure through the grid-based activation system.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces dynamic symbol activation where players can choose to activate different numbers and positions of symbols based on their strategy and wager amount. This dynamic approach transforms the static payline evaluation into an adaptive system where the evaluation scope changes with each player decision, enhancing engagement without overwhelming complexity.
2Reliability
If all symbols are activated for evaluation, then more winning combinations can be found, but the wager amount required increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by allowing players to activate symbols in specific locations on the grid rather than uniformly activating all symbols. Players can concentrate their activation on areas where they perceive higher winning potential, enabling targeted evaluation that improves winning combination detection in critical areas while minimizing unnecessary wagering on less promising regions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements partial action by enabling players to activate only a subset of symbols rather than all symbols. This partial activation allows players to balance their wager amounts with their desire to detect winning combinations, activating enough symbols to find wins while avoiding the cost of activating every symbol on the grid.
3Ease of operation
If players can select individual symbols to activate, then wager control is improved, but the complexity of symbol selection increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies universality by designing the symbol activation interface to serve multiple functions: it displays the grid of symbols, indicates which symbols are activated, allows player selection, and shows wager information. This multi-functional interface consolidates what could be multiple separate controls into a single intuitive display, improving ease of operation without adding significant complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses visual copying where the activation interface mirrors the actual symbol grid layout. Players interact with a visual representation that directly corresponds to the evaluation grid, making the selection process intuitive. The interface copies the spatial relationships and symbol positions, allowing players to easily understand which symbols they are activating without complex controls or abstract representations.
Data Source
AI summary
A gaming device including a matrix having a plurality of positions defining at least one row and at least one column. The matrix includes a plurality of independently operable symbol generators where each of the positions of the matrix includes at least one of the independently operable symbol generators. Each of the symbol generators include a plurality of symbols. The gaming device enables the player to purchase or activate one or more of the symbols based on a wager made by the player. After the player makes a wager the gaming device activates the designated symbols based on the wager made by the player. The gaming device then causes the symbol generators to each generate symbols in the game. The gaming device evaluates the purchased or activatable symbols generated by the symbol generators in the matrix and provides an award to the player for any winning symbol combinations including the purchased or activated symbols displayed by the symbol generators in the matrix.