Persistent Slot Collection Features for Reel Replacement

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing electronic gaming machines lack mechanisms to enhance player engagement and variety in slot games by persisting collectible symbols across game instances, limiting the potential for dynamic and unpredictable gameplay experiences.

Innovation Solution

Implementing a persistent collection feature where scatter symbols trigger free spin features, collectible symbols accumulate during free spins, and upon reaching a threshold, a reel replacement feature, such as a wild reel, is activated, enhancing gameplay dynamics and variety.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If traditional slot games are used without persistent collection features, then the game structure is simple and easy to understand, but player engagement and gameplay variety are limited

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvegameplay varietyVSAvoidgame structure

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements collection indicators that persist across base games and free spin features, allowing players to accumulate collectible symbols over multiple game instances. This preliminary accumulation mechanism creates ongoing engagement and variety without fundamentally changing the core slot game structure, as symbols collected in base games carry forward to bonus features.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The game is segmented into distinct features (base game, free spin feature, collection feature) that operate semi-independently. The collection indicator system is segmented across multiple reels and persists across game instances, allowing each segment to contribute to overall gameplay variety while maintaining clear structural boundaries.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

2Adaptability or versatility

If random outcomes are introduced through persistent collection features, then player engagement increases, but controlling RTP rates becomes more challenging

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveplayer engagementVSAvoidRTP control

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements feedback mechanisms where collection indicators provide visual feedback to players about their progress toward triggering reel replacement features. This feedback loop engages players while the underlying RNG and payout structures maintain controlled RTP rates, as the feedback is informational rather than causally influencing the random outcomes.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The patent changes the parameter of symbol persistence across game instances, allowing collectible symbols to accumulate over time. This parameter change increases engagement through dynamic progression while the RTP control parameters (payout percentages, trigger frequencies) remain independently managed through standard gaming mathematics.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

3Duration of action of moving object

If collectible symbols persist from base game to bonus game, then gameplay dynamics are enhanced, but the system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesymbol persistenceVSAvoidsystem structure

Core Design Contradiction:

Duration of action of moving objectVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The collection indicator system serves multiple functions: it tracks symbols from base games, carries over to free spin features, and triggers reel replacement events. This multi-functionality allows a single persistent mechanism to enhance gameplay dynamics across different game phases without requiring separate systems for each feature.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The collection indicator provides continuous tracking of collectible symbols across game instances and features. This continuity maintains player engagement throughout the gaming session as progress is preserved and visible, while the underlying system remains relatively simple by using a single persistent data structure rather than resetting between features.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #20Continuity of useful action

Data Source

PatentUS12437612B2Persistent collection feature systems and methods

Publication Date: 2025.10.07 ARISTOCRAT TECHNOLOGIES INC

AI summary

A gaming device is provided. The gaming device is configured to determine that at least a threshold number of scatter symbols is displayed in respective slot positions of a plurality of reels, determine a number of free spin credits for a free spin feature, for each of the plurality of reels, cause the game display to increment a collection indicator corresponding to each reel by a number of scatter symbols displayed in the corresponding reel, generate at least one collectible symbols in one of the slot position, cause the game display to increment the collection indicator for the reels in which the collection symbols are displayed, determine that one of the collection indicators has reached a threshold number of collectible symbols, and cause the game display to display a reel replacement feature in the reel corresponding to the one of the collection indicators.