Nested Reel Expansion for Dynamic Award Determination
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing gaming systems lack innovative mechanisms to enhance player engagement and award determination in secondary games by revealing hidden reels dynamically during gameplay.
Innovation Solution
Implementing nested reels with an initially hidden inner reel that expands from an outer reel upon an expansion condition, allowing for multiple inner reels to be revealed and contributing to award determination, with the outer and inner reels rotating along the same axis and the outer reel having a larger circumference.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If nested reels with hidden inner reels are implemented, then player engagement and award potential are enhanced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements nested reels where an inner reel is positioned within an outer reel, both rotating along the same axis. The inner reel is initially hidden and only becomes visible when triggered by specific symbols (e.g., scatter symbols), creating a nested structure that reveals additional gaming elements only when needed, thus enhancing player engagement without permanently increasing visible complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically transitions the inner reel from a hidden state to a visible state based on game conditions. When triggering symbols appear on the outer reel, the inner reel expands outward from its nested position to become fully visible and functional. This dynamic reconfiguration allows the system to adapt its complexity based on game progression, maintaining simplicity during base gameplay while enabling enhanced features when activated
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple inner reels are revealed dynamically, then award determination complexity increases, but player engagement is enhanced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the reel system into distinct segments: an outer reel and one or more inner reels, each with their own symbol sets and rotation mechanisms. This segmentation allows independent control and evaluation of each reel's contribution to award determination. The outer reel handles base game awards while inner reels provide bonus awards, enabling complex award structures to be managed through modular, independent components
Solution Approach 2:
The system pre-configures multiple inner reels with different symbol sets and award potentials, ready to be deployed when triggering conditions are met. The inner reels are prepared in advance with their respective symbols and weightings, so when activation occurs, they can immediately contribute to award determination without requiring complex real-time configuration, thus managing computational complexity while maintaining award diversity
3Ease of operation
If the inner reel expands from the outer reel, then the gaming mechanism becomes more complex, but player engagement is enhanced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the rotation function into a unified mechanism where both the outer reel and inner reel rotate along the same axis. The inner reel shares the rotation infrastructure with the outer reel, eliminating the need for separate rotation mechanisms. This merging simplifies the overall mechanical design while enabling the nested configuration, as both reels can be controlled by a single rotation system that operates on different radii
Data Source
AI summary
Gaming systems and methods that provide a game with nested reels including an outer reel and an inner reel where the inner reel is initially nested in (and thus hidden in) the outer reel and then moveable out of the outer reel during a play of the game.