Systems, apparatus and methods for slot-style games having a symbol locking feature

Abstract

Systems, methods, and articles of manufacture provide for systems and methods slot-style games having a locking feature. In one example, the locking feature may be activated based on whether a winning outcome was determined.

Description

BACKGROUND

Social and/or wagering games of various types of such as online, offline, skill-based, games of chance, and games of mixed skill and chance are a continued source of entertainment to game players, and are often a source of great revenue for gaming companies. Some of the most popular styles of games, and one of the most consistently lucrative for the gaming industry, are those games having actual and/or simulated slot reels, which may be referred to in this disclosure as “slot-style” games. Accordingly, there is a desire to provide players with increasingly newer, more interesting, engaging, or entertaining slot-style games.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

An understanding of embodiments described herein and many of the attendant advantages thereof may be readily obtained by reference to the following detailed description when considered with the accompanying drawings, of which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a system according to some embodiments;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a system according to some embodiments;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a system according to some embodiments;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a system according to some embodiments;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a system according to some embodiments;

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an apparatus according to some embodiments;

FIG. 7A, FIG. 7B, FIG. 7C, FIG. 7D, and FIG. 7E are perspective diagrams of exemplary data storage devices according to some embodiments;

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram of a method according to some embodiments;

FIG. 9 is a flow diagram of a method according to some embodiments;

FIG. 10A and FIG. 10B are example interfaces according to some embodiments;

FIG. 11A and FIG. 11B are example interfaces according to some embodiments;

FIG. 12A and FIG. 12B are example interfaces according to some embodiments; and

FIG. 13A and FIG. 13B are example interfaces according to some embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments presented herein are descriptive of systems, apparatus, methods, and articles of manufacture for new features and functionality of slot-style games. In some embodiments, a slot-style game may comprise a symbol locking feature. In one or more embodiments, one or more locking symbols (e.g., presented in a secondary display area) indicate which one or more game symbol(s) in a slot-style game (e.g., in a primary display matrix) are and/or will be locked (e.g., for one or more subsequent slot spins). According to some embodiments, reel positions of a slot-style game may comprise multiple symbols (e.g., a primary reel symbol and a secondary symbol (a subsymbol)). In some embodiments, a subsymbol (e.g., a locking subsymbol) may be utilized to define symbol behavior, reel behavior, and/or reel position behavior, such as with respect to symbol locking mechanics. The potential of having a symbol locked for one or more subsequent reel spins may provide additional excitement for some players, because locking a symbol in place makes it certain that the symbol will appear in the next determined matrix of reel positions (e.g., which may increase the likelihood of achieving some types of winning outcomes).

The inventor has recognized that, in accordance with one or more embodiments, some types of players may find it entertaining to experience game play wherein a player is provided with information suggestive of a potential combination of a winning outcome (e.g., a winning reel spin) and one or more corresponding locking symbols.

According to some embodiments, a slot-style game may include one or more of: a slot reel spin outcome comprising one or more winning combinations of slot reel symbols, locking symbols associated with each slot reel symbol of the winning combination, locking the slot reel symbols of the winning combination for one or more subsequent spins, and/or “spinning” or otherwise determining again any remaining unlocked slot reels and/or slot reel symbol for one or more subsequent spins.

In one or more embodiments, one or more slot reel symbols are associated with a respective locking symbol (also referred to in this disclosure as a locking subsymbol).

In one embodiment, a slot-style game comprises a locking subsymbol that only locks one or more associated symbols when there is a sufficient number of locking subsymbols (e.g., displayed on slot reels) to generate a winning combination.

Throughout the description that follows and unless otherwise specified, the following terms may include and/or encompass the example meanings provided in this section. These terms and illustrative example meanings are provided to clarify the language selected to describe embodiments both in the specification and in the appended claims, and accordingly, are not intended to be limiting. While not generally limiting and while not limiting for all described embodiments, in some embodiments, the terms are specifically limited to the example definitions and/or examples provided. Other terms are defined throughout the present description.

A “game”, as the term is used herein (unless specified otherwise), may generally comprise any game (e.g., wagering or non-wagering, electronically playable over a network) playable by one or more players in accordance with specified rules. A game may be playable on a personal computer (PC) online in web browsers, on a game console and/or on a mobile device such as a smart-phone or tablet computer. “Gaming” thus generally refers to play of a game.

A “slot-style game”, as the term is utilized herein (unless otherwise specified), generally refers to a game comprising one or more physical and/or virtual (e.g., simulated) slot reels and/or positions. While physical and/or simulated reels may “spin” or cycle through a plurality of possible outcomes before landing or stopping on specific symbols representing an outcome of an instance of the game, other electronic slot-style games may comprise a matrix of outcome positions that are filled or populated with symbols representing an outcome of the instance of the game (e.g., typically referred to as “cascading” or “tumbling reel” slots). Slot reel outcomes may be populated randomly or pseudo-randomly or may be predetermined (and/or determined based on a predetermined and/or desired result) and made to appear random. Slot-style games are typically games of chance and may comprise “casual games”, “social network games”, and/or “wagering games”.

A “casual game”, as the term is utilized herein (unless otherwise specified), may generally comprise a game with simple rules with little or no time commitment on the time of a player to play. A casual game may feature, for example, very simple game play such as a puzzle or Scrabble™ game, may allow for short bursts of play (e.g., during work breaks), an ability to quickly reach a final stage and/or continuous play without a need to save the game.

A “social network game”, as used herein (unless specified otherwise), generally refers to (and in specific embodiments may be expressly limited to) a type of online game that is played through a social network, and in some embodiments may feature multiplayer and asynchronous game play mechanics. A “social network” may refer to an online service, online community, platform, or site that focuses on facilitating the building of social networks or social relations among people. A social network service may, for example, consist of a representation of each user (often a profile), his/her social links, and a variety of additional services. A social network may be web-based and provide means for users to interact over the Internet, such as e-mail and instant messaging. A social network game may in some embodiments be implemented as a browser game, but may also be implemented on other platforms such as mobile devices.

A “wagering game”, as the term is used herein (unless specified otherwise), may generally comprise (and in specific embodiments may be expressly limited to) a game on which a player can risk a wager or other consideration, such as, but not limited to: slot games, poker games, blackjack, baccarat, craps, roulette, lottery, bingo, keno, casino war, etc. A wager may comprise a monetary wager in the form of an amount of currency or any other tangible or intangible article having some value which may be risked on an outcome of a wagering game. “Gambling” or “wagering” generally refers to play of a wagering game.

The term “game provider”, as used herein (unless specified otherwise), generally refers to (and in specific embodiments may be expressly limited to) an entity or system of components which provides games for play and facilitates play of such game by use of a network such as the Internet or a proprietary or closed networks (e.g., an intranet or wide area network). For example, a game provider may operate a website which provides games in a digital format over the Internet. In some embodiments in which a game comprising a wagering game is provided, a game provider may operate a gambling website over which wagers are accepted and results of wagering games are provided.

As utilized herein, the term “player” may generally refer to (and in specific embodiments may be expressly limited to) any type, quantity, and or manner of entity associated with the play of a game. In some embodiments, a player may comprise an entity conducting play of an online game, for example, may comprise an entity that desires to play a game (e.g., an entity registered and/or scheduled to play and/or an entity having expressed interest in the play of the game—e.g., a spectator) and/or may comprise an entity that configures, manages, and/or conducts a game. A player may be currently playing a game or have previously played the game, or may not yet have initiated play—i.e., a “player” may comprise a “potential player” (e.g., in general and/or with respect to a specific game). In some embodiments, a player may comprise a user of an interface (e.g., whether or not such a player participates in a game or seeks to participate in the game). In some embodiments, a player may comprise an individual (or group) that enters, joins, logs into, registers for, and/or otherwise access an online game room, session, server, and/or other particular instance and/or segmentation of an online game.

Some embodiments described herein are associated with a “player device” or a “network device”. As used herein, a “player device” is a subset of a “network device”. The “network device”, for example, may generally refer to any device that can communicate via a network, while the “player device” may comprise a network device that is owned and/or operated by or otherwise associated with a player. Examples of player and/or network devices may include, but are not limited to: a PC, a computer workstation, a computer server, a printer, a scanner, a facsimile machine, a copier, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), a storage device (e.g., a disk drive), a hub, a router, a switch, and a modem, a video game console, or a wireless or cellular telephone. Player and/or network devices may, in some embodiments, comprise one or more network components.

As used herein, the term “network component” may refer to a player or network device, or a component, piece, portion, or combination of player or network devices. Examples of network components may include a Static Random Access Memory (SRAM) device or module, a network processor, and a network communication path, connection, port, or cable.

In addition, some embodiments are associated with a “network” or a “communication network.” As used herein, the terms “network” and “communication network” may be used interchangeably and may refer to any object, entity, component, device, and/or any combination thereof that permits, facilitates, and/or otherwise contributes to or is associated with the transmission of messages, packets, signals, and/or other forms of information between and/or within one or more network devices. Networks may be or include a plurality of interconnected network devices. In some embodiments, networks may be hard-wired, wireless, virtual, neural, and/or any other configuration or type that is or becomes known. Communication networks may include, for example, devices that communicate directly or indirectly, via a wired or wireless medium such as the Internet, intranet, a Local Area Network (LAN), a Wide Area Network (WAN), a cellular telephone network, a Bluetooth® network, a Near-Field Communication (NFC) network, a Radio Frequency (RF) network, a Virtual Private Network (VPN), Ethernet (or IEEE 802.3), Token Ring, or via any appropriate communications means or combination of communications means. Exemplary protocols include but are not limited to: Bluetooth™, Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Global System for Mobile communications (GSM), Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE), General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Wideband CDMA (WCDMA), Advanced Mobile Phone System (AMPS), Digital AMPS (D-AMPS), IEEE 802.11 (WI-FI), IEEE 802.3, SAP, the best of breed (BOB), and/or system to system (S2S).

As used herein, the terms “information” and “data” may be used interchangeably and may refer to any data, text, voice, video, image, message, bit, packet, pulse, tone, waveform, and/or other type or configuration of signal and/or information. Information may comprise information packets transmitted, for example, in accordance with the Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6) standard. Information may, according to some embodiments, be compressed, encoded, encrypted, and/or otherwise packaged or manipulated in accordance with any method that is or becomes known or practicable.

The term “indication”, as used herein (unless specified otherwise), may generally refer to any indicia and/or other information indicative of or associated with a subject, item, entity, and/or other object and/or idea. As used herein, the phrases “information indicative of” and “indicia” may be used to refer to any information that represents, describes, and/or is otherwise associated with a related entity, subject, or object. Indicia of information may include, for example, a code, a reference, a link, a signal, an identifier, and/or any combination thereof and/or any other informative representation associated with the information. In some embodiments, indicia of information (or indicative of the information) may be or include the information itself and/or any portion or component of the information. In some embodiments, an indication may include a request, a solicitation, a broadcast, and/or any other form of information gathering and/or dissemination.

A “session”, as the term is used herein (unless indicated otherwise), may generally comprise (and in specific embodiments may be expressly limited to) a period of time spanning a plurality of event instances or turns of the game, the session having a defined start and defined end. An event instance or turn is triggered upon an initiation of, or request for, at least one result of the game by a player, such as an actuation of a “start” or “spin” mechanism, which initiation causes an outcome to be determined or generated (e.g., a random number generator is contacted or communicated with to identify, generate or determine a random number to be used to determine a result for the event instance).

As used herein, the terms “outcome” and “result” should be differentiated in the present description in that an “outcome” is generally a representation of a “result”, typically comprising one or more game elements or game symbols. For example, in a “fruit themed” game, a winning outcome (i.e., an outcome corresponding to some kind of award, prize or payout) may comprise a combination of three “cherry” symbols. The “result” of this outcome may be a payout of X credits awarded to the player associated with the game. In another example, in a game in which a character moves along a game interface from a starting position to a finish position, an “outcome” of the game may comprise a symbol representing one or more movements along the interface and the “result” corresponding to this outcome may be the particular number and direction of the character's movement (e.g., three (3) spaces backwards such that the character ends up further away from the finish line). In a session embodiment, a session result may comprise a binary result (e.g., a player or game character wins or loses the session) and/or the particular award (or magnitude of award) won or earned by the player based on the session (e.g., the number of credits awarded to the player). It should be noted that the embodiments described herein encompass awards, prizes and payouts which are monetary, non-monetary, tangible or intangible.

As used herein, the term “virtual currency” may generally refer to an in-game currency that may be used as part of a game or one or more games provided by a game provider as (i) currency for making wagers, and/or (ii) to purchase or access various in-game items, features or powers.

A “credit balance”, as the term is used herein (unless indicated otherwise), may generally refer to (i) a balance of currency, whether virtual currency and/or real currency, usable for making wagers in a game and/or (ii) another tracking mechanism for tracking a player's success or advancement in a game by deducting there from points or value for unsuccessful attempts at advancement and adding thereto points or value for successful attempts at advancement.

Some embodiments are descriptive of an “array” or “matrix” of symbols or game outcomes. As utilized herein, the terms “array” and “matrix” generally refer to a group of symbols, numbers, and/or expressions arranged in a plurality of rows and columns (or that can be readily and appropriately represented mathematically as being so arranged). In some embodiments, the term “array” is utilized to refer to a multi-dimensional matrix or combination of matrices while the term “matrix” is utilized to refer to a two-dimensional set of symbols or numbers (e.g., slot reel symbols and/or mathematical representations thereof). According to some embodiments, such as in the case that an array and/or matrix is populated with graphical game symbols, the array or matrix may be output and/or displayed (e.g., transmit to and/or rendered on a player device) as part of a game session.

I. Systems

Turning first to FIG. 1, a block diagram of a system 100 according to some embodiments is shown. In some embodiments, the system 100 may comprise a gaming platform such as a gaming platform via which one or more multiplayer and/or online games may be played (e.g., one or more slot-style games as described herein). In some embodiments, the system 100 may comprise a plurality of player devices 102a-n in communication with and/or via a network 104. In some embodiments, a game server 110 may be in communication with the network 104 and/or one or more of the player devices 102a-n. In some embodiments, the game server 110 (and/or the player devices 102a-n) may be in communication with a database 140. The database 140 may store, for example, game date (e.g., processed and/or defined by the game server 110), data associated with players (not explicitly shown) owning and/or operating the player devices 102a-n, and/or instructions that cause various devices (e.g., the game server 110 and/or the player devices 102a-n) to operate in accordance with embodiments described herein.

According to some embodiments, any or all of the components 102a-n, 104, 110, 140 of the system 100 may be similar in configuration and/or functionality to any similarly named and/or numbered components described herein. Fewer or more components 102a-n, 104, 110, 140 (and/or portions thereof) and/or various configurations of the components 102a-n, 104, 110, 140 may be included in the system 100 without deviating from the scope of embodiments described herein. While multiple instances of some components 102a-n are depicted and while single instances of other components 104, 110, 140 are depicted, for example, any component 102a-n, 104, 110, 140 depicted in the system 100 may comprise a single device, a combination of devices and/or components 102a-n, 104, 110, 140, and/or a plurality of devices, as is or becomes desirable and/or practicable. Similarly, in some embodiments, one or more of the various components 102a-n, 104, 110, 140 may not be needed and/or desired in the system 100.

The player devices 102a-n, in some embodiments, may comprise any type or configuration of electronic, mobile electronic, and or other network and/or communication devices (or combinations thereof) that are or become known or practicable. A first player device 102a may, for example, comprise one or more PC devices, computer workstations (e.g., game consoles and/or gaming computers), tablet computers, such as an iPad® manufactured by Apple®, Inc. of Cupertino, Calif., and/or cellular and/or wireless telephones such as an iPhone® (also manufactured by Apple®, Inc.) or an Optimus™ S smart phone manufactured by LG® Electronics, Inc. of San Diego, Calif., and running the Android® operating system from Google®, Inc. of Mountain View, Calif. In some embodiments, one or more of the player devices 102a-n may be specifically utilized and/or configured (e.g., via specially-programmed and/or stored instructions such as may define or comprise a software application) to communicate with the game server 110 (e.g., via the network 104).

The network 104 may, according to some embodiments, comprise a LAN, WAN, cellular telephone network, Bluetooth® network, NFC network, and/or RF network with communication links between the player devices 102a-n, the game server 110, and/or the database 140. In some embodiments, the network 104 may comprise direct communications links between any or all of the components 102a-n, 110, 140 of the system 100. The game server 110 may, for example, be directly interfaced or connected to the database 140 via one or more wires, cables, wireless links, and/or other network components, such network components (e.g., communication links) comprising portions of the network 104. In some embodiments, the network 104 may comprise one or many other links or network components other than those depicted in FIG. 1. A second player device 102b may, for example, be connected to the game server 110 via various cell towers, routers, repeaters, ports, switches, and/or other network components that comprise the Internet and/or a cellular telephone (and/or Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN)) network, and which comprise portions of the network 104.

While the network 104 is depicted in FIG. 1 as a single object, the network 104 may comprise any number, type, and/or configuration of networks that is or becomes known or practicable. According to some embodiments, the network 104 may comprise a conglomeration of different sub-networks and/or network components interconnected, directly or indirectly, by the components 102a-n, 110, 140 of the system 100. The network 104 may comprise one or more cellular telephone networks with communication links between the player devices 102a-n and the game server 110, for example, and/or may comprise the Internet, with communication links between the player devices 102a-n and the database 140, for example.

According to some embodiments, the game server 110 may comprise a device (and/or system) owned and/or operated by or on behalf of or for the benefit of a gaming entity (not explicitly shown). The gaming entity may utilize player and/or game information or instructions (e.g., stored by the database 140), in some embodiments, to host, manage, analyze, design, define, price, conduct, and/or otherwise provide (or cause to be provided) one or more games such as online multiplayer games (e.g., one or more slot-style games as described herein). In some embodiments, the gaming entity (and/or a third-party; not explicitly shown) may provide an interface (not shown in FIG. 1) to and/or via the player devices 102a-n. The interface may be configured, according to some embodiments, to allow and/or facilitate electronic game play by one or more players. In some embodiments, the system 100 (and/or interface provided by the game server 110) may present game data (e.g., from the database 140) in such a manner that allows players to participate in one or more online games (singularly, in/with groups, and/or otherwise). According to some embodiments, the game server 110 may cause and/or facilitate various functionality and/or features of one or more slot-style games, each as described herein.

In some embodiments, the database 140 may comprise any type, configuration, and/or quantity of data storage devices that are or become known or practicable. The database 140 may, for example, comprise an array of optical and/or solid-state hard drives configured to store player and/or game data, and/or various operating instructions, drivers, etc. While the database 140 is depicted as a stand-alone component of the system 100 in FIG. 1, the database 140 may comprise multiple components. In some embodiments, a multi-component database 140 may be distributed across various devices and/or may comprise remotely dispersed components. Any or all of the player devices 102a-n may comprise the database 140 or a portion thereof, for example, and/or the game server 110 may comprise the database 140 or a portion thereof.

According to some embodiments, any or all of the player devices 102a-n in conjunction with one or more of the game server 110 and/or the database 140 (e.g., via the network 104) may conduct (in whole or in part), facilitate, and/or otherwise be associated with execution of one or more stored procedures, applications, processes, and/or methods (e.g., the methods 800 and 900 herein, and/or one or more portions and/or combinations thereof) as described herein.

Referring now to FIG. 2, a block diagram of a system 200 according to some embodiments is shown. In some embodiments, the system 200 may comprise a gaming platform such as a platform via which social, multiplayer, and/or online games may be played (e.g., one or more slot-style games as described herein). In some embodiments, the system 200 may comprise a plurality of player devices 202a-n, the Internet 204, a load balancer 206, and/or a game server cluster 210. The game server cluster 210 may, in some embodiments, comprise a plurality of game servers 210a-n. In some embodiments, the system 200 may comprise a cache persistor 220, a Simple Queuing Service (SQS) device 222, a task scheduler 224, an e-mail service device 226, and/or a query service device 228. As depicted in FIG. 2, any or all of the various components 202a-n, 204, 206, 210a-n, 220, 222, 224, 226, 228 may be in communication with and/or coupled to one or more databases 240a-f. The system 200 may comprise, for example, a dynamic DataBase (DB) 240a, a cloud-based cache cluster 240b (e.g., comprising a game state cache 240b-1, a slot state cache 240b-2, and/or a “hydra” cache 240b-3), a non-relational DB 240c, a remote DB service 240d, a persistence DB 240e, and/or a reporting DB 240f.

According to some embodiments, any or all of the components 202a-n, 204, 206, 210a-n, 220, 222, 224, 226, 228, 240a-f of the system 200 may be similar in configuration and/or functionality to any similarly named and/or numbered components described herein. Fewer or more components 202a-n, 204, 206, 210a-n, 220, 222, 224, 226, 228, 240a-f (and/or portions thereof) and/or various configurations of the components 202a-n, 204, 206, 210a-n, 220, 222, 224, 226, 228, 240a-f may be included in the system 200 without deviating from the scope of embodiments described herein. While multiple instances of some components 202a-n, 210a-n, 240a-f are depicted and while single instances of other components 204, 206, 220, 222, 224, 226, 228 are depicted, for example, any component 202a-n, 204, 206, 210a-n, 220, 222, 224, 226, 228, 240a-f depicted in the system 200 may comprise a single device, a combination of devices and/or components 202a-n, 204, 206, 210a-n, 220, 222, 224, 226, 228, 240a-f, and/or a plurality of devices, as is or becomes desirable and/or practicable. Similarly, in some embodiments, one or more of the various components 202a-n, 204, 206, 210a-n, 220, 222, 224, 226, 228, 240a-f may not be needed and/or desired in the system 200.

According to some embodiments, the player devices 202a-n may be utilized to access (e.g., via the Internet 204 and/or one or more other networks not explicitly shown) content provided by the game server cluster 210. The game server cluster 210 may, for example, provide, manage, host, and/or conduct various online and/or otherwise electronic games such as online bingo, slot-style games, poker, and/or other games of chance, skill, and/or combinations thereof. In some embodiments, the various game servers 210a-n (virtual and/or physical) of the game server cluster 210 may be configured to provide, manage, host, and/or conduct individual instances and/or sessions of available game types. A first game server 210a, for example, may host a first particular session of an online bingo game (or tournament), a second game server 210c may host a second particular session of an online bingo game (or tournament), a third game server 210c may facilitate an online poker tournament (e.g., and a corresponding plurality of game sessions that comprise the tournament), and/or a fourth game server 210d may provide an online slots game (e.g., by hosting one or more slot game sessions).

In some embodiments, the player devices 202a-n may comprise various components (hardware, firmware, and/or software; not explicitly shown) that facilitate game play and/or interaction with the game server cluster 210. The player device 202a-n may, for example, comprise a gaming client such as a software application programmed in Adobe® Flash® and/or HTML 5 that is configured to send requests to, and receive responses from, one or more of the game servers 210a-n of the game server cluster 210. In some embodiments, such an application operating on and/or via the player devices 202a-n may be configured in Model-View-Controller (MVC) architecture with a communication manager layer responsible for managing the requests to/responses from the game server cluster 210. In some embodiments, one or more of the game servers 210a-n may also or alternatively be configured in a MVC architecture with a communication manager and/or communications management layer (not explicitly shown in FIG. 2). In some embodiments, communications between the player devices 202a-n and the game server cluster 210 may be conducted in accordance with the HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) version 1.1 (HTTP/1.1) as published by the Internet Engineering Taskforce (IET) and the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) in RFC 2616 (June 1999).

According to some embodiments, communications between the player devices 202a-n and the game server cluster 210 may be managed and/or facilitated by the load balancer 206. The load balancer 206 may, for example, route communications from player devices 202a-n to one or more of the specific game servers 210a-n depending upon various attributes and/or variables such as bandwidth availability (e.g., traffic management/volumetric load balancing), server load (e.g., processing load balancing), server functionality (e.g., contextual awareness/availability), and/or player-server history (e.g., session awareness/“stickiness”). In some embodiments, the load balancer 206 may comprise one or more devices and/or services provided by a third-party (not separately shown in FIG. 2). The load balancer 206 may, for example, comprise an Elastic Load Balancer (ELB) service provided by Amazon® Web Services, LLC of Seattle, Wash. According to some embodiments, such as in the case that the load balancer 206 comprises the ELB or a similar service, the load balancer 206 may manage, set, determine, define, and/or otherwise influence the number of game servers 210a-n within the game server cluster 210. In the case that traffic and/or requests from the player devices 202a-n only require the first and second game servers 210a-b, for example, all other game servers 210c-n may be taken off-line, may not be initiated and/or called, and/or may otherwise not be required and/or utilized in the system 200. As demand increases (and/or if performance, security, and/or other issues cause one or more of the first and second game servers 210a-b to experience detrimental issues), the load balancer 206 may call and/or bring online one or more of the other game servers 210c-n depicted in FIG. 2. In the case that each game server 210a-n comprises an instance of an Amazon® Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) service, the load balancer 206 may add or remove instances as is or becomes practicable and/or desirable.

In some embodiments, the load balancer 206 and/or the Internet 204 may comprise one or more proxy servers and/or devices (not shown in FIG. 2) via which communications between the player devices 202a-n and the game server cluster 210 are conducted and/or routed. Such proxy servers and/or devices may comprise one or more regional game hosting centers, for example, which may be geographically dispersed and addressable by player devices 202a-n in a given geographic proximity. In some embodiments, the proxy servers and/or devices may be located in one or more geographic areas and/or jurisdictions while the game server cluster 210 (and/or certain game servers 210a-n and/or groups of game servers 210a-n thereof) is located in a separate and/or remote geographic area and/or jurisdiction.

According to some embodiments, for specific game types such as bingo, the game server cluster 210 may provide game results (such as a full set of drawn bingo numbers and/or bonus metrics) to a controller device (not separately shown in FIG. 2) that times the release of game result information to the player devices 202a-n such as by utilizing a broadcaster device (also not separately shown in FIG. 2) that transmits the time-released game results to the player devices 202a-n (e.g., in accordance with the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and Internet Protocol (IP) suite of communications protocols (TCP/IP), version 4, as defined by “Transmission Control Protocol” RFC 793 and/or “Internet Protocol” RFC 791, Defense Advance Research Projects Agency (DARPA), published by the Information Sciences Institute, University of Southern California, J. Postel, ed. (September 1981)).

In some embodiments, the game server cluster 210 (and/or one or more of the game servers 210a-n thereof) may be in communication with the dynamic DB 240a. According to some embodiments, the dynamic DB 240a may comprise a dynamically-scalable database service such as the DyanmoDB™ service provided by Amazon® Web Services, LLC. The dynamic DB 240a may, for example, store information specific to one or more certain game types (e.g., slot-style games) provided by the game server cluster 210 such as to allow, permit, and/or facilitate reporting and/or analysis of such information.

According to some embodiments, the game server cluster 210 (and/or one or more of the game servers 210a-n thereof) may be in communication with the cloud-based cache cluster 240b. Game state information from the game server cluster 210 may be stored in the game state cache 240b-1, for example, slot state (e.g., slot-game specific state) data may be stored in the slot state cache 240b-2, and/or other game and/or player information (e.g., progressive data, referral data, player rankings, audit data) may be stored in the hydra cache 240b-3. In some embodiments, the cache persistor 220 may move and/or copy data stored in the cloud-based cache cluster 240b to the non-relational DB 240c. The non-relational DB 240c may, for example, comprise a SimpleDB™ service provided by Amazon® Wed Services, LLC. According to some embodiments, the game server cluster 210 may generally access the cloud-based cache cluster 240b as-needed to store and/or retrieve game-related information. The data stored in the cloud-based cache cluster 240b may generally comprise a subset of the newest or freshest data, while the cache persistor 220 may archive and/or store or move such data to the non-relational DB 240c as it ages and/or becomes less relevant (e.g., once a player logs-off, once a game session and/or tournament ends). The game server cluster 210 may, in accordance with some embodiments, have access to the non-relational DB 240c as-needed and/or desired. The game servers 210a-n may, for example, be initialized with data from the non-relational DB 240c and/or may store and/or retrieve low frequency and/or low priority data via the non-relational DB 240c.

In some embodiments, the SQS device 222 may queue and/or otherwise manage requests, messages, events, and/or other tasks or calls to and/or from the server cluster 210. The SQS device 222 may, for example, prioritize and/or route requests between the game server cluster 210 and the task scheduler 224. In some embodiments, the SQS device 222 may provide mini-game and/or tournament information to the server cluster 210. According to some embodiments, the task scheduler 224 may initiate communications with the SQS device 222, the e-mail service provider 226 (e.g., providing e-mail lists), the remote DB service 240d (e.g., providing inserts and/or updates), and/or the persistence DB 240e (e.g., providing and/or updating game, player, and/or other reporting data), e.g., in accordance with one or more schedules.

According to some embodiments, the persistence DB 240e may comprise a data store of live environment game and/or player data. The game server cluster 210 and/or the task scheduler 224 or SQS device 222 may, for example, store game and/or player data to the persistence DB 240e and/or may pull and/or retrieve data from the persistence DB 240e, as-needed and/or desired. The server cluster 210 may, according to some embodiments, provide and/or retrieve spin and/or other game event info and/or configuration information via the persistence DB 240e.

In some embodiments, the reporting DB 240f may be created and/or populated based on the persistence DB 240e. On a scheduled and/or other basis, for example, a data transformation and/or mapping program may be utilized to pull data from the live environment (e.g., the persistence DB 240e) into the reporting DB 240f. The query service 228 may then be utilized, for example, to query the reporting DB 240f, without taxing the live environment and/or production system directly accessible by the game server cluster 210.

According to some embodiments, any or all of the player devices 202a-n in conjunction with one or more of the game servers 210a-n and/or the databases 240a-f (e.g., via the network 204) may conduct (in whole or in part), facilitate, and/or otherwise be associated with execution of one or more stored procedures, applications, processes, and/or methods (e.g., the methods 800 and 900 herein, and/or one or more portions and/or combinations thereof) as described herein.

Turning now to FIG. 3, a block diagram of a system 300 according to some embodiments is shown. In some embodiments, the system 300 may comprise and/or define a “front-end” architecture of a gaming platform such as a platform via which social, multiplayer, and/or online games may be played (e.g., one or more slot-style games as described herein). In some embodiments, the system 300 may comprise a plurality of user devices 302a-b, a plurality of networks 304a-b (e.g., a primary service provider network 304a, a secondary service provider network 304b, a production network 304c, and/or a VPN 304d), a plurality of routers 306a-b, a plurality of firewall devices 308a-b, a plurality of game servers 310a-g(e.g., web servers 310a, application servers 310b, messaging broker servers 310c, game broadcaster servers 310d, chat servers 310e, database servers 310f, and/or management and monitoring servers 310g), and/or an application delivery controller cluster 322.

According to some embodiments, any or all of the components 302a-b, 304a-b, 306a-b, 308a-b, 310a-g, 322 of the system 300 may be similar in configuration and/or functionality to any similarly named and/or numbered components described herein. Fewer or more components 302a-b, 304a-b, 306a-b, 308a-b, 310a-g, 322 (and/or portions thereof) and/or various configurations of the components 302a-b, 304a-b, 306a-b, 308a-b, 310a-g, 322 may be included in the system 300 without deviating from the scope of embodiments described herein. While multiple instances of some components 302a-b, 304a-b, 306a-b, 308a-b, 310a-g are depicted and while single instances of other components 322 are depicted, for example, any component 302a-b, 304a-b, 306a-b, 308a-b, 310a-g, 322 depicted in the system 300 may comprise a single device, a combination of devices and/or components 302a-b, 304a-b, 306a-b, 308a-b, 310a-g, 322, and/or a plurality of devices, as is or becomes desirable and/or practicable. Similarly, in some embodiments, one or more of the various components 302a-b, 304a-b, 306a-b, 308a-b, 310a-g, 322 may not be needed and/or desired in the system 300.

In some embodiments, a first user device 302a may comprise an electronic device owned and/or operated by a player of an online game (not explicitly shown) and/or by an entity that otherwise accesses online game content and/or services externally (e.g., requiring external login and/or access credentials and/or procedures). The first user device 302a may, for example, be utilized to access content provided by and/or via the application delivery controller cluster 322. In some embodiments, the first user device 302a may interface with and/or connect to the production network 304c via the primary service provider network 304a and/or the secondary service provider network 304b. The primary service provider network 304a and the secondary service provider network 304b may, for example, load balance and/or provide redundant coverage for outage recovery by utilization of a first primary service provider network router 306a-1, a second primary service provider network router 306a-2, a first secondary service provider network router 306b-1, and/or a second secondary service provider network router 306b-2.

According to some embodiments, the application delivery controller cluster 322 may be insulated and/or protected from the production network 304c by an external firewall cluster 308a. The first user device 302a may, for example, be required to provide credentials to and/or otherwise access the application delivery controller cluster 322 via the external firewall cluster 308a.

In some embodiments, the application delivery controller cluster 322 may receive via and/or from the external firewall cluster 308a and/or the production network 304c, one or more requests, calls, transmissions, and/or commands from the first user device 302a. The first user device 302a may, for example, submit a call for an online gaming interface to the application delivery controller cluster 322. In some embodiments, the application delivery controller cluster 322 may comprise one or more hardware, software, and/or firmware devices and/or modules configured (e.g., specially-programmed) to route events and/or responses between the first user device 302a and one or more of the servers 310a-g. In the case that the first user device 302a is utilized to access an online gaming interface for example, one or more of the web servers 310a (e.g., that may provide graphical and/or rendering elements for an interface and/or other web services) and/or the application servers 310b (e.g., that may provide rule and/or logic-based programming routines, elements, and/or functions—e.g., game play engines) may be called and/or managed by the application delivery controller cluster 322.

In some embodiments, the messaging broker servers 310c may receive and/or retrieve messages from the first user device 302a (and/or from one or more of the other servers 310a-b, 310d-g) and perform one or more inter-application processes in relation thereto. The messaging broker servers 310c may, for example, route, transform, consolidate, aggregate, store, augment, and/or otherwise process one or more requests in connection with provision of online gaming services to the first user device 302a (e.g., facilitating a decoupling of services provided by various applications on and/or from the various servers 310a-b, 310d-g). According to some embodiments, the game broadcaster servers 310d may provide scheduled releases of information descriptive of an online game. The game broadcaster servers 310d may, for example, provide a broadcast feed of bingo numbers, slot and/or other random (and/or pseudo-random) number results that may be accessed by (and/or transmitted to) the first user device 302a (e.g., in connection with the play of an online bingo, slots, and/or other game for which broadcast information may be utilized). In some embodiments, the chat servers 310e may provide, manage, and/or facilitate communications between the first user device 302a (and/or first user thereof) and one or more other player/user devices (such as a second user device 302b and/or other player/user devices not shown in FIG. 3).

According to some embodiments, the second user device 302b may generally comprise an electronic device owned and/or operated by a user (not shown) closely affiliated with an entity that operates the system 300 (such entity also not shown). An employee (e.g., programmer and/or Customer Service Representative (CSR)), contractor, and/or other agent of an online gaming company may, for example, utilize the second user device 302b to interface with the privately-accessible VPN 304d. The VPN 304d may, for example, provide direct access to the application servers 310b, the database servers 310f, the management and monitoring servers 310g, and/or the application delivery controller cluster 322. In some embodiments (as depicted in FIG. 3), such access may be gated through and/or insulated or protected by an internal firewall cluster 308b. The second user device 302b may, for example, be required to provide credentials to and/or otherwise access the application delivery controller cluster 322 and/or servers 310a-g via the internal firewall cluster 308b.

In some embodiments, the database servers 310f may provide access to one or more databases and/or data stores (e.g., not shown in FIG. 3; for data storage and/or retrieval). In some embodiments, the management and monitoring servers 310g may provide services such as monitoring, reporting, troubleshooting, analysis, configuring, etc. to the second user device 302b. The second user device 302b may, for example, access the management and monitoring servers 310g and/or the database servers 310f to run reports descriptive of online gaming operations, game play, and/or game referral setup, management, and/or analysis. According to some embodiments, either or both of the user devices 302a-b in conjunction with one or more of the servers 310a-g and/or the application delivery controller cluster 322 may conduct (in whole or in part), facilitate, and/or otherwise be associated with execution of one or more stored procedures, applications, processes, and/or methods (e.g., the methods 800 and 900 herein, and/or one or more portions and/or combinations thereof).

Utilization of the term “server” with respect to the servers 310a-g of the system 300 of FIG. 3 is meant solely to ease description of the configuration and/or functionality of the servers 310a-g. The term “server” is not intended to be limiting with respect to any particular hardware, software, firmware, and/or quantities thereof utilized to implement any or all of the servers 310a-g of the system 300. Similarly, while multiple types and/or instances of the severs 310a-g are depicted in FIG. 3, any or all of the servers 310a-g may be implemented in, on, and/or by one or multiple computer server and/or other electronic devices.

Referring now to FIG. 4, a block diagram of a system 400 according to some embodiments is shown. In some embodiments, the system 400 may comprise and/or define a “front-end” architecture of a gaming platform such as a platform via which social, multiplayer, and/or online games may be played (e.g., one or more slot-style games as described herein). The system 400 may be similar in configuration and/or functionality, for example, to the system 300 of FIG. 3 and/or one or more portions thereof. In some embodiments, the system 400 may comprise a user device 402, a plurality of networks (and/or environments and/or layers) 404a-j (e.g., the Internet 404a, a Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) protection layer 404b, a primary transit provider layer 404c, a secondary transit provider layer 404d, a Pre-Production (PP) environment 404e, a live environment 404f, a LAN 404g, a backend environment 404h, a PP backend layer 404i, and/or a live backend layer 404j), a plurality of routers 406b-d, a plurality of firewall devices 408e-g, 408i-j, a plurality of servers 410e-f (e.g., a PP server cluster 410e and/or a live server cluster 410f), a plurality of switching devices 422a, 422e-f, 422i-j, a Terminal Concentrator (TC) 424f, a plurality of “hydra” services 430i-j (e.g., a PP hydra service 430i and/or a live hydra service 430j), and/or a plurality of Power Distribution Unit (PDU) devices 452e-f.

According to some embodiments, any or all of the components 402, 404a-j, 406b-d, 408e-g, 408i-j, 410e-f, 422a, 422e-f, 422i-j, 424f, 430i-j, 452e-f of the system 400 may be similar in configuration and/or functionality to any similarly named and/or numbered components described herein. Fewer or more components 402, 404a-j, 406b-d, 408e-g, 408i-j, 410e-f, 422a, 422e-f, 422i-j, 424f, 430i-j, 452e-f (and/or portions thereof) and/or various configurations of the components 402, 404a-j, 406b-d, 408e-g, 408i-j, 410e-f, 422a, 422e-f, 422i-j, 424f, 430i-j, 452e-f may be included in the system 400 without deviating from the scope of embodiments described herein. While multiple instances of some components 404a-j, 406b-d, 408e-g, 408i-j, 410e-f, 422a, 422e-f, 422i-j, 430i-j, 452e-f are depicted and while single instances of other components 402, 424f are depicted, for example, any component 402, 404a-j, 406b-d, 408e-g, 408i-j, 410e-f, 422a, 422e-f, 422i-j, 424f, 430i-j, 452e-f depicted in the system 400 may comprise a single device, a combination of devices and/or components 402, 404a-j, 406b-d, 408e-g, 408i-j, 410e-f, 422a, 422e-f, 422i-j, 424f, 430i-j, 452e-f, and/or a plurality of devices, as is or becomes desirable and/or practicable. Similarly, in some embodiments, one or more of the various components 402, 404a-j, 406b-d, 408e-g, 408i-j, 410e-f, 422a, 422e-f, 422i-j, 424f, 430i-j, 452e-f may not be needed and/or desired in the system 400.

In some embodiments, the user device 402 may be utilized to access one or more of the PP environment 404e, the live environment 404f, and/or the backend environment 404h via the Internet 404a. In some embodiments, the user device 402 may be utilized to access the backend environment 404h and/or the PP hydra service 430i via the PP backend layer 404i. A PP backend switch device 422i and/or a PP backend firewall device 408i may, for example, gate and/or control access to the backend environment 404h and/or the PP hydra service 430i, via the PP backend layer 404i. In some embodiments, the user device 402 may be utilized to access the backend environment 404h and/or the live hydra service 430j via the live backend layer 404j. A live backend switch device 422j and/or a live backend firewall device 408j may, for example, gate and/or control access to the backend environment 404h and/or the live hydra service 430j, via the live backend layer 404j.

According to some embodiments, any communications (e.g., requests, calls, and/or messages) from the user device 402 may be passed through the DDoS protection layer 404b. The DDoS protection layer 404b may, for example, monitor and/or facilitate protection against various forms of cyber attacks including, but not limited to, DDoS attacks. In some embodiments, the DDoS protection layer 404b may comprise and/or be in communication with a plurality of DDoS router devices 406b-1, 406b-2, 406b-3, 406b-4 that may be utilized to route and/or direct incoming communications (e.g., from the user device 402) to appropriate portions of the system 400.

In some embodiments, the DDoS protection layer 404b and/or a first DDoS router device 406b-1 may route communications from the user device 402 through and/or via a first switch device 422a-1 and/or to, through, and/or via a first primary transit provider router device 406c-1. In some embodiments, the first switch device 422a-1 may comprise a device utilized for security switching such as may implement communications in accordance with the Generic Routing Encapsulation (GRE) communications tunneling protocol described in RFC 2784 “Generic Routing Encapsulation (GRE)” published by the Network Working Group (NWG) in March, 2000. The first primary transit provider router device 406c-1 may, for example, provide access to the PP environment 404e and/or the PP server cluster 410e thereof, such as via one or more PP firewall devices 408e-1, 408e-2 and/or one or more PP switch devices 422e-1, 422e-2. According to some embodiments, the PP switch devices 422e-1, 422e-2 may comprise content switching devices that process and route data (e.g., in the data link layer) based on data content. In some embodiments, the first primary transit provider router device 406c-1 may direct communications to, through, and/or via a PP LAN switch device 422e-3 that provides and/or facilitates access to the LAN 404g. The LAN 404g may, for example, provide private access to and/or between the PP environment 404e, the live environment 404f, and/or the backend environment 404h. In some embodiments, the first primary transit provider router device 406c-1 and/or the PP LAN switch device 422e-3 may direct communications to, through, and/or via a LAN firewall device 408g that provides direct access to either or both of the PP server cluster 410e and the live server cluster 410f.

According to some embodiments, the DDoS protection layer 404b and/or a second DDoS router device 406b-2 may route communications from the user device 402 through and/or via a second switch device 422a-2 and/or to, through, and/or via a first secondary transit provider router device 406d-1. In some embodiments, the second switch device 422a-2 may comprise a device utilized for security switching such as may implement communications in accordance with the GRE communications tunneling protocol described in RFC 2784 “Generic Routing Encapsulation (GRE)” published by the Network Working Group (NWG) in March, 2000. The first secondary transit provider router device 406d-1 may, for example, provide access to the live environment 404f and/or the live server cluster 410f thereof, such as via one or more live firewall devices 408f-1, 408f-2 and/or one or more live switch devices 422f-1, 422f-2. According to some embodiments, the live switch devices 422f-1, 422f-2 may comprise content switching devices that process and route data (e.g., in the data link layer) based on data content. In some embodiments, the first secondary transit provider router device 406d-1 may direct communications to, through, and/or via a live LAN switch device 422f-3 that provides and/or facilitates access to the LAN 404g. In some embodiments, the first secondary transit provider router device 406d-1 and/or the live LAN switch device 422f-3 may direct communications to, through, and/or via the LAN firewall device 408g that provides direct access to either or both of the PP server cluster 410e and the live server cluster 410f.

In some embodiments, the DDoS protection layer 404b and/or one or more of a third DDoS router device 406b-3 and/or a fourth DDoS router device 406b-4 may route communications from the user device 402 through and/or via one or more of the primary transit provider layer 404c and/or the secondary transit provider layer 404d. In some embodiments, a transit provider switch device 422a-3 may direct, swap, route, and/or manage communications between the primary transit provider layer 404c and the secondary transit provider layer 404d. According to some embodiments, the transit provider switch device 422a-3 may comprise a switching device that operates in accordance with an Exterior Border Gateway Protocol (EBGP)—e.g., the transit provider switch device 422a-3 may comprise one or more edge or border routers. In some embodiments, the first primary transit provider router device 406c-1, the first secondary transit provider router device 406d-1, a second primary transit provider router device 406c-2, and/or a second secondary transit provider router device 406d-2 may be utilized to route and/or direct communications between (i) the primary transit provider layer 404c and/or the secondary transit provider layer 404d and (ii) the PP environment 404e and/or the live environment 404f.

According to some embodiments, the PP server cluster 410e and/or the PP environment 404e may comprise various hardware, software, and/or firmware that permits a user (e.g., of the user device 402) to program, edit, manage, and/or otherwise interface with PP game elements and/or interfaces (e.g., for development and/or testing purposes). In some embodiments, the PDU devices 452e-1, 452e-2 may generally provide power distribution, supply, management, backup, and/or conditioning services (e.g., to the PP server cluster 410e) as is or becomes desired. According to some embodiments, additional switch devices 422e-4, 422e-5 may be utilized to distribute, balance, manage and/or control communications to, from, and/or within the PP server cluster 410e.

In some embodiments, the live server cluster 410f and/or the live environment 404f may comprise various hardware, software, and/or firmware that permits a user (e.g., of the user device 402) to program, edit, manage, and/or otherwise interface with live game elements and/or interfaces (e.g., for troubleshooting, corrective, and/or live environment management purposes). In some embodiments, the PDU devices 452f-1, 452f-2 may generally provide power distribution, supply, management, backup, and/or conditioning services (e.g., to the live server cluster 410f) as is or becomes desired. According to some embodiments, additional switch devices 422f-4, 422f-5 may be utilized to distribute, balance, manage and/or control communications to, from, and/or within the live server cluster 410f. In some embodiments, the TC device 424f may be utilized to manage communications from a variety of data sources such as by providing communication capability between various communications channels (not separately depicted in FIG. 4).

According to some embodiments, the user device 402 in conjunction with the live server cluster 410f (e.g., via the Internet 404a) may conduct (in whole or in part), facilitate, and/or otherwise be associated with execution of one or more stored procedures, applications, processes, and/or methods (e.g., the methods 800 and 900 herein, and/or one or more portions and/or combinations thereof) as described herein.

Turning to FIG. 5, a block diagram of a system 500 according to some embodiments is shown. In some embodiments, the system 500 may comprise and/or define a “back-end” architecture of a gaming platform such as a platform via which social, multiplayer, and/or online games may be played (e.g., one or more slot-style games as described herein). The system 500 may be utilized in conjunction with the systems 300, 400 if FIG. 3 and/or FIG. 4 herein, for example, and/or may be similar in configuration and/or functionality to the backend environment 404h of the system 400 of FIG. 4. In some embodiments, the system 500 may comprise a user device 502, a plurality of networks (and/or environments and/or layers) 504a-i (e.g., the Internet 504a, an ISP 504b, an External Firewall-Router (EXTFW-RTR) Virtual LAN (VLAN) 504c, an Internet VLAN 504d, an Internal-External (INT-EXT) VLAN 504e, a web VLAN 504f, a database VLAN 504g, an application VLAN 504h, and/or an administrator VLAN 504i), an external router cluster 506, a plurality of firewall clusters 508a-b (e.g., an external firewall cluster 508a and/or an internal firewall cluster 508b), a plurality of servers 510a-j (e.g., a server cluster 510a, a first spare server pool 510b, a second spare server pool 510c, database servers 510d, “hydra” servers 510e, game controllers 510f, ruby servers 510g, admin servers 510h, monitoring servers 510i, and/or logging servers 510j), a plurality of switches 522a-d (e.g., content switches 522a, Storage Area Network (SAN) switches 522b, connectivity switches 522c, and/or network switches 522d), a TC device 524, a SAN storage device 540, and/or one or more PDU devices 552.

According to some embodiments, any or all of the components 502, 504a-l, 506, 508a-b, 510a-j, 522a-d, 524, 540, 552 of the system 500 may be similar in configuration and/or functionality to any similarly named and/or numbered components described herein. Fewer or more components 502, 504a-l, 506, 508a-b, 510a-j, 522a-d, 524, 540, 552 (and/or portions thereof) and/or various configurations of the components 502, 504a-l, 506, 508a-b, 510a-j, 522a-d, 524, 540, 552 may be included in the system 500 without deviating from the scope of embodiments described herein. While multiple instances of some components 504a-l, 508a-b, 510a-j, 522a-d are depicted and while single instances of other components 502, 506, 524, 540, 552 are depicted, for example, any component 502, 504a-l, 506, 508a-b, 510a-j, 522a-d, 524, 540, 552 depicted in the system 500 may comprise a single device, a combination of devices and/or components 502, 504a-l, 506, 508a-b, 510a-j, 522a-d, 524, 540, 552, and/or a plurality of devices, as is or becomes desirable and/or practicable. Similarly, in some embodiments, one or more of the various components 502, 504a-l, 506, 508a-b, 510a-j, 522a-d, 524, 540, 552 may not be needed and/or desired in the system 500.

In some embodiments, the user device 502 may be utilized to access and/or interface with one or more of the servers 510a-j via the Internet 504a. In some embodiments, the Internet 502a may be linked to the ISP 504b via multiple (e.g., redundant) connectivity paths 504b-1, 504b-2 (e.g., for load balancing, security, and/or failure recovery). According to some embodiments, the ISP 504b may be in communication with (and/or comprise) the external router cluster 506. The external router cluster 506 may route certain requests, calls, and/or transmissions (and/or users—e.g., based on credentials and/or other information) through the EXTFW-RTR VLAN 504c and/or through the external firewall cluster 508a, for example, and/or may route certain requests, calls, and/or transmissions (and/or users—e.g., based on credentials and/or other information) through the Internet VLAN 504d and/or through the internal firewall cluster 508b.

In the case that a user (not shown) of the user device 502 comprises an online game player, consumer, and/or other member of the public, for example, the external router cluster 506 may direct communications through the EXTFW-RTR VLAN 504c and/or through the external firewall cluster 508a. In the case that the user of the user device 502 comprises a programmer, tester, employee, and/or other agent of an entity that operates the system 500, for example, the external router cluster 506 may direct communications through the Internet VLAN 504d and/or through the internal firewall cluster 508b. In some embodiments, access via either or both of the external firewall cluster 508a and/or the internal firewall cluster 508b may permit the user device 502 to communicate via the INT-EXT VLAN 504e. The INT-EXT VLAN 504e may, for example, provide access to the content switches 522a which may, in some embodiments, serve content from any or all of the servers 510a-j to the user device 502, as is or becomes appropriate or desired. In some embodiments, the content switches 522a may communicate with the first spare server pool 510b via the web LAN 504f.

According to some embodiments, private and/or other specialized access to the system 500 via the internal firewall cluster 508b may permit the user device 502 to communicate via one or more of the database VLAN 504g, the application VLAN 504h, and/or the admin VLAN 504i. The database VLAN 504g may be utilized, for example, to access and/or communicate with the database servers 510d. In some embodiments, the application VLAN 504h may be utilized to access and/or communicate with any or all of the hydra servers 510e, the game controllers 510f, and/or the ruby servers 510g.

The admin VLAN 504i may allow, promote, conduct, facilitate, and/or manage a wide variety of communications within the system 500. The admin VLAN 504i may, for example, communicatively connect and/or couple any or all of the firewalls 508a-b, the servers 510a-j, the switches 522a-d, the TC device 524, the SAN storage 540, and/or the PDU devices 552. The user device 502 may be utilized, in conjunction with the admin servers 510h and/or via the admin VLAN 504i for example, to define, edit, adjust, manage, and/or otherwise access settings (and/or data) of the firewalls 508a-b, any or all of the switches 522a-d, the TC device 524, and/or the PDU devices 552. In some embodiments, the user device 502 (and/or the admin servers 510h) may be utilized to manage and/or access content, rules, settings, and/or performance characteristics or preferences for any or all of the servers 510a-j.

In some embodiments, the server cluster 510a may comprise one or more servers and/or other electronic controller devices (e.g., blade servers) configured to provide online gaming data (e.g., interfaces, outcomes, and/or results) to the user device 502. According to some embodiments, the first spare server pool 510b and/or the second spare server pool 510c may comprise one or more server and/or other electronic controller devices configured to supplement and/or replace the server cluster 510a as needed and/or desired (e.g., to manage load and/or error recovery situations). In some embodiments, the database servers 510c may provide and/or manage access to stored data such as data stored in and/or by the SAN storage device 540. In some embodiments, the hydra servers 510e and/or the game controllers 510f may provide online game information such as interfaces, results, graphics, sounds, and/or other media to the user device 502 (e.g., via the application VLAN 504h). In some embodiments, the ruby servers 510g may comprise one or more processing devices configured to provide access to one or more programming languages (e.g., “Ruby”) and/or Application Programming Interface (API) mechanisms via which the servers 510a-j and/or other portions of the system 500 may be configured to operate (e.g., in accordance with specially and/or pre-programmed instructions written in the programming language and/or developed by the API provided by the ruby servers 510g). According to some embodiments, the admin servers 510h, the monitoring servers 510i, and/or the logging servers 510j may be utilized and/or configured to provide administrative, parameter and/or metric monitoring and/or reporting, and/or data logging and/or audit services, respectively.

According to some embodiments, the user device 502 in conjunction with one or more of the servers 510a-j (e.g., via the Internet 504a) may conduct (in whole or in part), facilitate, and/or otherwise be associated with execution of one or more stored procedures, applications, processes, and/or methods (e.g., the methods 800 and 900 herein, and/or one or more portions and/or combinations thereof) as described herein.

Turning to FIG. 6, a block diagram of an apparatus 600 according to some embodiments is shown. In some embodiments, the apparatus 600 may be similar in configuration and/or functionality to any of the player and/or user devices 62a-n, 202a-n, 302a-b, 402, 502 and/or the servers and/or controller devices 110, 210a-n, 310a-g, 410e-f, 510a-j of FIG. 1, FIG. 2, FIG. 3, FIG. 4, and/or FIG. 5 herein, and/or may otherwise comprise a portion of the systems 60, 200, 300, 400, 500 of FIG. 1, FIG. 2, FIG. 3, FIG. 4, and/or FIG. 5 herein. The apparatus 600 may, for example, execute, process, facilitate, and/or otherwise be associated with the methods 800 (FIG. 8) and 900 (FIG. 9) described in this disclosure. In some embodiments, the apparatus 600 may comprise a processing device 612, an input device 614, an output device 616, a communication device 618, a memory device 640, and/or a cooling device 650. According to some embodiments, any or all of the components 612, 614, 616, 618, 640, 650 of the apparatus 600 may be similar in configuration and/or functionality to any similarly named and/or numbered components described herein. Fewer or more components 612, 614, 616, 618, 640, 650 and/or various configurations of the components 612, 614, 616, 618, 640, 650 be included in the apparatus 600 without deviating from the scope of embodiments described herein.

According to some embodiments, the processing device 612 may be or include any type, quantity, and/or configuration of electronic and/or computerized processor that is or becomes known. The processing device 612 may comprise, for example, an Intel® IXP 2800 network processor or an Intel® XEON™ Processor coupled with an Intel® E7501 chipset. In some embodiments, the processing device 612 may comprise multiple inter-connected processors, microprocessors, and/or micro-engines. According to some embodiments, the processing device 612 (and/or the apparatus 600 and/or portions thereof) may be supplied power via a power supply (not shown) such as a battery, an Alternating Current (AC) source, a Direct Current (DC) source, an AC/DC adapter, solar cells, and/or an inertial generator. In the case that the apparatus 600 comprises a server such as a blade server, necessary power may be supplied via a standard AC outlet, power strip, surge protector, a PDU, and/or Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) device.

In some embodiments, the input device 614 and/or the output device 616 are communicatively coupled to the processing device 612 (e.g., via wired and/or wireless connections and/or pathways) and they may generally comprise any types or configurations of input and output components and/or devices that are or become known, respectively. The input device 614 may comprise, for example, a keyboard that allows an operator of the apparatus 600 to interface with the apparatus 600 (e.g., by a player, such as to participate in an online game session as described herein). In some embodiments, the input device 614 may comprise a sensor configured to provide information such as player relationships to the apparatus 600 and/or the processing device 612. The output device 616 may, according to some embodiments, comprise a display screen and/or other practicable output component and/or device. The output device 616 may, for example, provide a game interface (not explicitly shown in FIG. 6) to a player (e.g., via a website). According to some embodiments, the input device 614 and/or the output device 616 may comprise and/or be embodied in a single device such as a touch-screen monitor.

In some embodiments, the communication device 618 may comprise any type or configuration of communication device that is or becomes known or practicable. The communication device 618 may, for example, comprise a network interface card (NIC), a telephonic device, a cellular network device, a router, a hub, a modem, and/or a communications port or cable. In some embodiments, the communication device 618 may be coupled to provide data to a player device (not shown in FIG. 6), such as in the case that the apparatus 600 is utilized to provide a game interface to a player as described herein. The communication device 618 may, for example, comprise a cellular telephone network transmission device that sends signals indicative of game interface components to customer and/or subscriber handheld, mobile, and/or telephone device. According to some embodiments, the communication device 618 may also or alternatively be coupled to the processing device 612. In some embodiments, the communication device 618 may comprise an IR, RF, Bluetooth™, and/or Wi-Fi® network device coupled to facilitate communications between the processing device 612 and another device (such as a player device and/or a third-party device).

The memory device 640 may comprise any appropriate information storage device that is or becomes known or available, including, but not limited to, units and/or combinations of magnetic storage devices (e.g., a hard disk drive), optical storage devices, and/or semiconductor memory devices such as RAM devices, Read Only Memory (ROM) devices, Single Data Rate Random Access Memory (SDR-RAM), Double Data Rate Random Access Memory (DDR-RAM), and/or Programmable Read Only Memory (PROM). The memory device 640 may, according to some embodiments, store one or more of game instructions 642-1 and/or interface instructions 642-2. In some embodiments, the game instructions 642-1 and/or the interface instructions 642-2 may be utilized by the processing device 612 to provide output information via the output device 616 and/or the communication device 618.

According to some embodiments, the game instructions 642-1 may be operable to cause the processing device 612 to process player data 644-1 and/or game data 644-2. Player data 644-1 and/or game data 644-2 received via the input device 614 and/or the communication device 618 may, for example, be analyzed, sorted, filtered, decoded, decompressed, ranked, scored, plotted, and/or otherwise processed by the processing device 612 in accordance with the game instructions 642-1.

In some embodiments, the interface instructions 642-2 may be operable to cause the processing device 612 to process player data 644-1 and/or game data 644-2. Player data 644-1 and/or game data 644-2 received via the input device 614 and/or the communication device 618 may, for example, be analyzed, sorted, filtered, decoded, decompressed, ranked, scored, plotted, and/or otherwise processed by the processing device 612 in accordance with the interface instructions 642-2. In some embodiments, player data 644-1 and/or game data 644-2 may be fed by the processing device 612 through one or more mathematical and/or statistical formulas and/or models in accordance with the interface instructions 642-2 to provide one or more game interfaces in accordance with embodiments described herein (e.g., displaying or otherwise transmitting information about one or more locking symbols, locked slot reel symbols, and/or winning combinations of symbols).

Any or all of the exemplary instructions and data types described herein and other practicable types of data may be stored in any number, type, and/or configuration of memory devices that is or becomes known. The memory device 640 may, for example, comprise one or more data tables or files, databases, table spaces, registers, and/or other storage structures. In some embodiments, multiple databases and/or storage structures (and/or multiple memory devices 640) may be utilized to store information associated with the apparatus 600. According to some embodiments, the memory device 640 may be incorporated into and/or otherwise coupled to the apparatus 600 (e.g., as shown) or may simply be accessible to the apparatus 600 (e.g., externally located and/or situated).

In some embodiments, the apparatus 600 may comprise a cooling device 650. According to some embodiments, the cooling device 650 may be coupled (physically, thermally, and/or electrically) to the processing device 612 and/or to the memory device 640. The cooling device 650 may, for example, comprise a fan, heat sink, heat pipe, radiator, cold plate, and/or other cooling component or device or combinations thereof, configured to remove heat from portions or components of the apparatus 600.

Referring to FIG. 7A, FIG. 7B, FIG. 7C, FIG. 7D, and FIG. 7E, perspective diagrams of exemplary data storage devices 740a-e according to some embodiments are shown. The data storage devices 740a-d may, for example, be utilized to store instructions and/or data such as the game instructions 642-1 and/or interface instructions 642-2, each of which is described in reference to FIG. 6 herein. In some embodiments, instructions stored on the data storage devices 740a-d may, when executed by a processor (such as the processor device 612 of FIG. 6), cause the implementation of and/or facilitate the method 800, and/or portions or combinations thereof, as described herein.

According to some embodiments, the first data storage device 740a may comprise one or more various types of internal and/or external hard drives. The first data storage device 740a may, for example, comprise a data storage medium 746 that is read, interrogated, and/or otherwise communicatively coupled to and/or via a disk reading device 748. In some embodiments, the first data storage device 740a and/or the data storage medium 746 may be configured to store information utilizing one or more magnetic, inductive, and/or optical means (e.g., magnetic, inductive, and/or optical-encoding). The data storage medium 746, depicted as a first data storage medium 746a for example (e.g., breakout cross-section “A”), may comprise one or more of a polymer layer 746a-1, a magnetic data storage layer 746a-2, a non-magnetic layer 746a-3, a magnetic base layer 746a-4, a contact layer 746a-5, and/or a substrate layer 746a-6. According to some embodiments, a magnetic read head 746a may be coupled and/or disposed to read data from the magnetic data storage layer 746a-2.

In some embodiments, the data storage medium 746, depicted as a second data storage medium 746b for example (e.g., breakout cross-section “B”), may comprise a plurality of data points 746b-2 disposed with the second data storage medium 746b. The data points 746b-2 may, in some embodiments, be read and/or otherwise interfaced with via a laser-enabled read head 748b disposed and/or coupled to direct a laser beam through the second data storage medium 746b.

In some embodiments, the second data storage device 740b may comprise a CD, CD-ROM, DVD, Blu-Ray™ Disc, and/or other type of optically-encoded disk and/or other storage medium that is or becomes know or practicable. In some embodiments, the third data storage device 740c may comprise a USB keyfob, dongle, and/or other type of flash memory data storage device that is or becomes know or practicable. In some embodiments, the fourth data storage device 740d may comprise RAM of any type, quantity, and/or configuration that is or becomes practicable and/or desirable. In some embodiments, the fourth data storage device 740d may comprise an off-chip cache such as a Level 2 (L2) cache memory device. According to some embodiments, the fifth data storage device 740e may comprise an on-chip memory device such as a Level 1 (L1) cache memory device.

The data storage devices 740a-e may generally store program instructions, code, and/or modules that, when executed by a processing device cause a particular machine to function in accordance with one or more embodiments described herein. The data storage devices 740a-e depicted in FIG. 7A, FIG. 7B, FIG. 7C, FIG. 7D, and FIG. 7E are representative of a class and/or subset of computer-readable media that are defined herein as “computer-readable memory” (e.g., non-transitory memory devices as opposed to transmission devices or media).

The terms “computer-readable medium” and “computer-readable memory” refer to any medium that participates in providing data (e.g., instructions) that may be read by a computer and/or a processor. Such a medium may take many forms, including but not limited to non-volatile media, volatile media, and other specific types of transmission media. Non-volatile media include, for example, optical or magnetic disks and other persistent memory. Volatile media include DRAM, which typically constitutes the main memory. Other types of transmission media include coaxial cables, copper wire, and fiber optics, including the wires that comprise a system bus coupled to the processor.

Common forms of computer-readable media include, for example, a floppy disk, a flexible disk, hard disk, magnetic tape, any other magnetic medium, a CD-ROM, Digital Video Disc (DVD), any other optical medium, punch cards, paper tape, any other physical medium with patterns of holes, a RAM, a PROM, an EPROM, a FLASH-EEPROM, a USB memory stick, a dongle, any other memory chip or cartridge, a carrier wave, or any other medium from which a computer can read. The terms “computer-readable medium” and/or “tangible media” specifically exclude signals, waves, and wave forms or other intangible or transitory media that may nevertheless be readable by a computer.

Various forms of computer-readable media may be involved in carrying sequences of instructions to a processor. For example, sequences of instruction (i) may be delivered from RAM to a processor, (ii) may be carried over a wireless transmission medium, and/or (iii) may be formatted according to numerous formats, standards or protocols. For a more exhaustive list of protocols, the term “network” is defined above and includes many exemplary protocols that are also applicable herein.

In some embodiments, one or more specialized machines such as a computerized processing device, a server, a remote terminal, and/or a customer device may implement the various practices described herein. A computer system of an gaming entity may, for example, comprise various specialized computers that interact to provide for online games as described herein.

II. Methods

Referring now to FIG. 8, a flow diagram of a method 800 according to some embodiments is shown. In some embodiments, the method 800 may be performed and/or implemented by and/or otherwise associated with one or more specialized and/or computerized processing devices (e.g., the player and/or user devices 102a-n, 202a-n, 302a-b, 402, 502 and/or the servers and/or controller devices 110, 210a-n, 310a-g, 410e-f, 510a-j of FIG. 1, FIG. 2, FIG. 3, FIG. 4, and/or FIG. 5 herein), specialized computers, computer terminals, computer servers, computer systems and/or networks, and/or any combinations thereof (e.g., by one or more online game providers and/or online gaming player processing devices). In some embodiments, the method 800 may be embodied in, facilitated by, and/or otherwise associated with various input mechanisms and/or interfaces.

The process and/or flow diagrams described herein do not necessarily imply a fixed order to any depicted actions, steps, and/or procedures, and embodiments may generally be performed in any order that is practicable unless otherwise and specifically noted. Any of the processes and/or methods described herein may be performed and/or facilitated by hardware, software (including microcode), firmware, or any combination thereof. For example, a storage medium (e.g., a hard disk, Universal Serial Bus (USB) mass storage device, and/or Digital Video Disk (DVD)) may store thereon instructions that when executed by a machine (such as a computerized processing device) result in performance according to any one or more of the embodiments described herein.

In some embodiments, the method 800 may comprise determining (e.g., by a processing device), for each reel position of a set of reel positions for a slot-style game, a primary reel symbol for the reel position, at 802. In some embodiments, a game area comprises one or more displayed rows or lines of reel positions, such as a matrix comprising one or more slot reels and one or more reel positions of each reel. Various ways of determining outcomes comprising reel symbols in slot-style games are known to those skilled in the art. According to some embodiments, determining a primary reel symbol may comprise causing (e.g., by the processing device) at least a first reel of the slot-style game to rotate. For example, one or more reels associated with and/or comprising the positions may be “spun”, rotated, cycled, and/or otherwise progressed in a manner similar to normal slot-style game play.

In some embodiments, the method 800 may comprise determining (e.g., by the processing device) a subset, comprising one or more reel positions, of the set of reel positions for the slot-style game, at 804. The number and/or positioning of the determined subset, comprising one or more reel positions (e.g., of the game area), may be determined randomly, for example, and/or may be at least partially based on player input and/or earned or purchased capabilities or achievements.

In some embodiments, the method 800 may comprise presenting (e.g., by the processing device) for each reel position of the determined subset, an indication that the reel position has been determined, selected, and/or associated with a secondary symbol or subsymbol, at 806. In some embodiments, an indication of one or more of the reel positions of the determined subset may be provided to a player via an output device and/or interface. In some embodiments, each position of the determined subset of reel positions may be graphically altered or otherwise configured (e.g., on a user interface) to indicate to a player which reel positions have been determined and/or selected. In accordance with some embodiments, an indication to a player of one or more of the reel positions of the subset may be provided prior to, during, and/or after a reel spin (e.g., of a primary slot-game).

In some embodiments, a subsymbol or other type of secondary indicator (such as a graphical feature) may be represented at the determined reel positions of the subset. In one example, a locking subsymbol indicates that a reel symbol at and/or that will be at a reel position (e.g., in a subsequent spin) is locked and/or will be locked for one or more reel spins. In one example, a secondary symbol (e.g., a padlock subsymbol) may be displayed at a determined reel position to indicate that the reel position and/or a reel symbol at the position or that may subsequently appear at the position is locked.

In accordance with some embodiments, the presented indication of a reel position of the subset may be provided before, during, and/or after primary reel symbols are determined and/or displayed for the reel positions of the game area. In some embodiments, a locking subsymbol may be displayed overlaying an image of a primary reel symbol at a reel position to indicate that the primary reel symbol has been selected and could potentially be locked.

In some embodiments, the method 800 may comprise causing (e.g., by the processing device) based on the one or more primary reel symbols associated with the determined subset of reel positions, at least one primary reel symbol and/or reel position to be locked, at 808. In one embodiment, if any of the primary reel symbols associated with the determined subset of reel positions comprises a winning outcome or winning combination of symbols, those symbols may be locked (e.g., by the processing device) for one or more subsequent reel spins, plays, and/or sessions of the slot-style game.

In some embodiments, the method 800 may comprise determining (e.g., by the processing device), for each unlocked reel position of the set of reel positions for the slot-style game, a next primary reel symbol for the reel position, at 810. According to some embodiments, determining a primary reel symbol may comprise causing (e.g., by the processing device) at least a first reel of the slot-style game to rotate while also maintaining any locked primary reel symbols.

According to some embodiments, a method may comprise one or more of the following: (i) determining (e.g., by a processing device), a matrix of game positions for a game (e.g., reel positions for a slot-style game), each game position comprising a primary symbol (e.g., a primary slot symbol); (ii) determining a subset of the matrix of game positions, the subset comprising a first game position comprising a first primary symbol and a first secondary symbol and a second reel position comprising a second primary symbol and a second secondary symbol; (iii) determining to maintain the first game position in the matrix based on the first primary symbol, the first secondary symbol and the second secondary symbol; and (iv) causing (e.g., based on the determination to maintain the first reel position in the matrix) the first reel position to be locked in the matrix (e.g., for at least one subsequent determination of game positions for the game).

Referring now to FIG. 9, a flow diagram of a method 900 according to some embodiments is shown. In some embodiments, the method 900 may be performed and/or implemented by and/or otherwise associated with one or more specialized and/or computerized processing devices (e.g., the player and/or user devices 102a-n, 202a-n, 302a-b, 402, 502 and/or the servers and/or controller devices 110, 210a-n, 310a-g, 410e-f, 510a-j of FIG. 1, FIG. 2, FIG. 3, FIG. 4, and/or FIG. 5 herein), specialized computers, computer terminals, computer servers, computer systems and/or networks, and/or any combinations thereof (e.g., by one or more online game providers and/or online gaming player processing devices). In some embodiments, the method 900 may be embodied in, facilitated by, and/or otherwise associated with various input mechanisms and/or interfaces.

In some embodiments, the method 900 may comprise determining (e.g., by a processing device) a matrix of reel symbols for a slot-style game, each reel symbol comprising a primary state, at 902. In some embodiments, each state may be represented visually by different graphical elements of a symbol. A primary symbol type (e.g., “cherry”) may represent the primary state utilized to determine outcomes in a primary game, for example.

According to some embodiments, the method 900 may comprise determining (e.g., by the processing device) a subset of the matrix of reel symbols that have secondary states, at 904. A secondary symbol or subsymbol (e.g., a “lock” symbol) attached or superimposed to or on a primary symbol (e.g., to or on a “cherry” symbol), for example, may represent the secondary state and/or may be utilized to determine outcomes in a secondary game. According to some embodiments, the secondary states may be hidden from players (e.g., even after determined). The secondary states (or a portion thereof) may be revealed to a player, for example, after a determination of a primary outcome (and/or result) based on the primary states. According to some embodiments, any secondary states of reel positions may be revealed to a player, for example, prior to determination and/or prior to revealing a primary outcome (and/or result) to a player (e.g., via a user interface).

In some embodiments, the method 900 may comprise determining (e.g., by the processing device), based on the secondary states, a first reel symbol of the subset to lock or otherwise maintain in the matrix, at 906. According to some embodiments, the secondary states may be utilized to determine which symbols to maintain on the matrix (e.g., in one or more subsequent plays of the slot-style game). In some embodiments, maintaining one or more symbols may occur prior to any primary outcome resolution—i.e., the maintaining may effect primary game outcomes and/or results. In one example, one or more symbols may be maintained from a first reel spin and utilized in determining a primary game outcome and/or result following a second, subsequent reel spin (e.g., for any unlocked symbols).

According to some embodiments, the method 900 may comprise causing (e.g., by the processing device), based on the determination of the first reel symbol to maintain in the matrix, maintaining the first reel symbol in the matrix during one or more subsequent determinations of the matrix of reel symbols for a slot-style game, at 908.

The following descriptions disclose some example implementations and scenarios in accordance with one or more embodiments. Referring to FIG. 10A, an example matrix 1000a of reel positions for a slot-style game is shown. As depicted in the example matrix, a set of reel positions is displayed, with each reel position having an associated primary reel symbol (e.g., ““A”, “B”, “C”, “E”). Some of the reel positions, such as reel position 1001, include a primary reel symbol 1002 (“A”) and an example “padlock” secondary subsymbol 1004, indicating that the reel symbol potentially could be locked for one or more subsequent plays. According to this example scenario, however, no combination of the primary reel symbols establishes a winning combination of symbols (e.g., according to rules of the primary slot-style game). Accordingly, as depicted, in the example matrix 1000b of FIG. 10B, no reel symbols are locked, for example, prior to or during any subsequent reel spins.

According to another example scenario, as depicted in the example matrix 1100a of FIG. 11A, the example locking symbols 1104 coincide with an example winning combination, in line 1102, of four “A” symbols in a row, including the three primary “A” symbols having the example locking symbols 1104. Accordingly, as depicted in the example matrix 1100b of FIG. 11B, only the three “A” symbols are locked, and the remaining (unlocked) reel positions may be determined again, for example, to determine next symbols for any unlocked reel positions (e.g., by an actual or simulated reel spin to generate the next matrix of reel positions). Even though the example winning combination comprised four “A” symbols in a row, as shown in the example matrix 1100b of FIG. 11B, the fourth “A” symbol (in the second position from the right in line 1102) does not lock for the next spin because it does not have a locking subsymbol. As also depicted in FIG. 11A, a “B” symbol in the matrix 1100a also has a locking subsymbol 1106 initially, but the “B” symbol does not lock for the next spin because (according to the example), the “B” symbol is not part of a winning combination.

Advantageously for a player, the locked “A” symbols 1104 may increase the likelihood that a player may receive a second winning combination and/or a higher winning combination (and corresponding second payout). For example, if during a second spin a fourth “A” symbol appears next to the three locked “A” symbols in line 1102, the player may receive a second winning outcome and payout. Of course, it will be readily understood that locking certain reel positions means that fewer total positions are available for any given symbol to land, which may decrease the likelihood that some types of symbols, and/or winning outcomes comprising such symbols, may be achieved.

According to some embodiments, as described in this disclosure, any locking subsymbols may remain on the associated reels and may be associated with corresponding symbols on the reels permanently and/or for one or more reel spins, game plays, game sessions, and/or players. For example, the subsymbols 1104 on the “A” symbols in FIG. 11A may be represented to a player as spinning past on the reels (e.g., with the corresponding “A” symbols) during a reel spin.

According to some embodiments, it may be desirable to vary the number of locking subsymbols active on the reels at any given time. For example, after a player commits a wager and presses a “Spin” button a gaming device may indicate to the player (e.g., via a visual interface) how many locking subsymbols have been applied to the reels. In another example, a number of locking subsymbols may be offered to a player as part of an additional bet feature (e.g., the more you bet the more locking symbols are created).

According to some embodiments, one or more locking subsymbols may be in place on the game area (e.g., a matrix of reel positions) before the reels stop and/or after the reels stop. In the example embodiment depicted in FIG. 12A, one or more of the depicted locking subsymbols may be presented on an example matrix 1200a, prior to and/or upon pressing a “Spin” button (or otherwise initiating a reel spin). According to one or more embodiments, after the locking subsymbols are indicated, one or more reels may spin and stop to reveal a reel spin outcome (and, potentially, any winning combinations of primary symbols), as shown in example matrix 1200b of FIG. 12B. The player then can see if the locking subsymbols coincide with any winning combinations.

According to other embodiments, one or more locking subsymbols may be indicated to a player after at least one of the reels stops and/or after at least one of the determined primary symbols is revealed. In the example embodiment depicted in FIG. 13A and FIG. 13B, in response to a player pressing a “Spin” button (or otherwise initiating a reel spin), one or more reels are spun (e.g., by the processing device) and reveal a primary reel spin outcome (and, potentially, one or more winning combinations of primary symbols), as shown in example matrix 1300a. Following the reveal of the primary reel symbols, one or more locking subsymbols may be presented, as depicted in the example matrix 1300b of FIG. 13B. After the locking subsymbols are indicated, the player then can see if the locking subsymbols coincide with any winning combinations.

Rules of Interpretation

Numerous embodiments are described in this patent application, and are presented for illustrative purposes only. The described embodiments are not, and are not intended to be, limiting. The presently disclosed invention(s) are widely applicable to numerous embodiments, as is readily apparent from the disclosure. One of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the disclosed invention(s) may be practiced with various modifications and alterations, such as structural, logical, software, and electrical modifications. Although particular features of the disclosed invention(s) may be described with reference to one or more particular embodiments and/or drawings, it should be understood that such features are not limited to usage in the one or more particular embodiments or drawings with reference to which they are described, unless expressly specified otherwise.

The present disclosure is neither a literal description of all embodiments of the invention nor a listing of features of the invention that must be present in all embodiments. It is contemplated, however, that while some embodiment are not limited by the examples provided herein, some embodiments may be specifically bounded or limited by provided examples, structures, method steps, and/or sequences. Embodiments having scopes limited by provided examples may also specifically exclude features not explicitly described or contemplated.

Neither the Title (set forth at the beginning of the first page of this patent application) nor the Abstract (set forth at the end of this patent application) is to be taken as limiting in any way the scope of the disclosed invention(s).

The term “product” means any machine, manufacture and/or composition of matter as contemplated by 35 U.S.C. § 101, unless expressly specified otherwise.

The terms “an embodiment”, “embodiment”, “embodiments”, “the embodiment”, “the embodiments”, “one or more embodiments”, “some embodiments”, “one embodiment” and the like mean “one or more (but not all) disclosed embodiments”, unless expressly specified otherwise.

A reference to “another embodiment” in describing an embodiment does not imply that the referenced embodiment is mutually exclusive with another embodiment (e.g., an embodiment described before the referenced embodiment), unless expressly specified otherwise. Similarly, any reference to an “alternate”, “alternative”, and/or “alternate embodiment” is intended to connote one or more possible variations—not mutual exclusivity. In other words, it is expressly contemplated that “alternatives” described herein may be utilized and/or implemented together, unless they inherently are incapable of being utilized together.

The terms “including”, “comprising” and variations thereof mean “including but not limited to”, unless expressly specified otherwise.

The terms “a”, “an” and “the” mean “one or more”, unless expressly specified otherwise.

The term “plurality” means “two or more”, unless expressly specified otherwise.

The term “herein” means “in the present application, including the specification, its claims and figures, and anything which may be incorporated by reference, unless expressly specified otherwise.

The phrase “at least one of”, when such phrase modifies a plurality of things (such as an enumerated list of things) means any combination of one or more of those things, unless expressly specified otherwise. For example, the phrase at least one of a widget, a car and a wheel means (i) a widget, (ii) a car, (iii) a wheel, (iv) a widget and a car, (v) a widget and a wheel, (vi) a car and a wheel, or (vii) a widget, a car and a wheel.

The phrase “based on” does not mean “based only on”, unless expressly specified otherwise. In other words, the phrase “based on” describes both “based only on” and “based at least on”. In some embodiments, a first thing being “based on” a second thing refers specifically to the first thing taking into account the second thing in an explicit manner. In such embodiments, for example, a processing step based on the local weather, which itself is in some manner based on or affected by (for example) human activity in the rainforests, is not “based on” such human activities because it is not those activities that being explicitly analyzed, included, taken into account, and/or processed.

The term “whereby” is used herein only to precede a clause or other set of words that express only the intended result, objective or consequence of something that is previously and explicitly recited. Thus, when the term “whereby” is used in a claim, the clause or other words that the term “whereby” modifies do not establish specific further limitations of the claim or otherwise restricts the meaning or scope of the claim.

The term “wherein”, as utilized herein, does not evidence intended use. The term “wherein” expressly refers to one or more features inclusive in a particular embodiment and does not imply or include an optional or conditional limitation.

Where a limitation of a first claim would cover one of a feature as well as more than one of a feature (e.g., a limitation such as “at least one widget” covers one widget as well as more than one widget), and where in a second claim that depends on the first claim, the second claim uses a definite article “the” to refer to the limitation (e.g., “the widget”), this does not imply that the first claim covers only one of the feature, and this does not imply that the second claim covers only one of the feature (e.g., “the widget” can cover both one widget and more than one widget).

When an ordinal number (such as “first”, “second”, “third” and so on) is used as an adjective before a term, that ordinal number is used (unless expressly specified otherwise) merely to indicate a particular feature, such as to allow for distinguishing that particular referenced feature from another feature that is described by the same term or by a similar term. For example, a “first widget” may be so named merely to allow for distinguishing it in one or more claims from a “second widget”, so as to encompass embodiments in which (1) the “first widget” is or is the same as the “second widget” and (2) the “first widget” is different than or is not identical to the “second widget”. Thus, the mere usage of the ordinal numbers “first” and “second” before the term “widget” does not indicate any other relationship between the two widgets, and likewise does not indicate any other characteristics of either or both widgets. For example, the mere usage of the ordinal numbers “first” and “second” before the term “widget” (1) does not indicate that either widget comes before or after any other in order or location; (2) does not indicate that either widget occurs or acts before or after any other in time; (3) does not indicate that either widget ranks above or below any other, as in importance or quality; and (4) does not indicate that the two referenced widgets are not identical or the same widget. In addition, the mere usage of ordinal numbers does not define a numerical limit to the features identified with the ordinal numbers. For example, the mere usage of the ordinal numbers “first” and “second” before the term “widget” does not indicate that there must be no more than two widgets.

When a single device or article is described herein, more than one device or article (whether or not they cooperate) may alternatively be used in place of the single device or article that is described. Accordingly, the functionality that is described as being possessed by a device may alternatively be possessed by more than one device or article (whether or not they cooperate).

Similarly, where more than one device or article is described herein (whether or not they cooperate), a single device or article may alternatively be used in place of the more than one device or article that is described. For example, a plurality of computer-based devices may be substituted with a single computer-based device. Accordingly, the various functionality that is described as being possessed by more than one device or article may alternatively be possessed by a single device or article.

The functionality and/or the features of a single device that is described may be alternatively embodied by one or more other devices which are described but are not explicitly described as having such functionality and/or features. Thus, other embodiments need not include the described device itself, but rather can include the one or more other devices which would, in those other embodiments, have such functionality/features.

Devices that are in communication with each other need not be in continuous communication with each other, unless expressly specified otherwise. On the contrary, such devices need only transmit to each other as necessary or desirable, and may actually refrain from exchanging data most of the time. For example, a machine in communication with another machine via the Internet may not transmit data to the other machine for weeks at a time. In addition, devices that are in communication with each other may communicate directly or indirectly through one or more intermediaries.

A description of an embodiment with several components or features does not imply that all or even any of such components and/or features are required. On the contrary, a variety of optional components are described to illustrate the wide variety of possible embodiments of the present invention(s). Unless otherwise specified explicitly, no component and/or feature is essential or required.

Further, although process steps, algorithms or the like may be described in a sequential order, such processes may be configured to work in different orders. In other words, any sequence or order of steps that may be explicitly described does not necessarily indicate a requirement that the steps be performed in that order. The steps of processes described herein may be performed in any order practical. Further, some steps may be performed simultaneously despite being described or implied as occurring non-simultaneously (e.g., because one step is described after the other step). Moreover, the illustration of a process by its depiction in a drawing does not imply that the illustrated process is exclusive of other variations and modifications thereto, does not imply that the illustrated process or any of its steps are necessary to the invention, and does not imply that the illustrated process is preferred.

Although a process may be described as including a plurality of steps, that does not indicate that all or even any of the steps are essential or required. Various other embodiments within the scope of the described invention(s) include other processes that omit some or all of the described steps. Unless otherwise specified explicitly, no step is essential or required.

Although a product may be described as including a plurality of components, aspects, qualities, characteristics and/or features, that does not indicate that all of the plurality are essential or required. Various other embodiments within the scope of the described invention(s) include other products that omit some or all of the described plurality.

An enumerated list of items (which may or may not be numbered) does not imply that any or all of the items are mutually exclusive, unless expressly specified otherwise. Likewise, an enumerated list of items (which may or may not be numbered) does not imply that any or all of the items are comprehensive of any category, unless expressly specified otherwise. For example, the enumerated list “a computer, a laptop, a FDA” does not imply that any or all of the three items of that list are mutually exclusive and does not imply that any or all of the three items of that list are comprehensive of any category.

Headings of sections provided in this patent application and the title of this patent application are for convenience only, and are not to be taken as limiting the disclosure in any way.

“Determining” something can be performed in a variety of manners and therefore the term “determining” (and like terms) includes calculating, computing, deriving, looking up (e.g., in a table, database or data structure), ascertaining and the like.

It will be readily apparent that the various methods and algorithms described herein may be implemented by, e.g., appropriately and/or specially-programmed general purpose computers and/or computing devices. Typically a processor (e.g., one or more microprocessors) will receive instructions from a memory or like device, and execute those instructions, thereby performing one or more processes defined by those instructions. Further, programs that implement such methods and algorithms may be stored and transmitted using a variety of media (e.g., computer readable media) in a number of manners. In some embodiments, hard-wired circuitry or custom hardware may be used in place of, or in combination with, software instructions for implementation of the processes of various embodiments. Thus, embodiments are not limited to any specific combination of hardware and software

A “processor” generally means any one or more microprocessors, CPU devices, computing devices, microcontrollers, digital signal processors, or like devices, as further described herein. According to some embodiments, a “processor” may primarily comprise and/or be limited to a specific class of processors referred to herein as “processing devices”. “Processing devices” are a subset of processors limited to physical devices such as CPU devices, Printed Circuit Board (PCB) devices, transistors, capacitors, logic gates, etc. “Processing devices”, for example, explicitly exclude biological, software-only, and/or biological or software-centric physical devices. While processing devices may include some degree of soft logic and/or programming, for example, such devices must include a predominant degree of physical structure in accordance with 35 U.S.C. § 101.

The term “computer-readable medium” refers to any medium that participates in providing data (e.g., instructions or other information) that may be read by a computer, a processor or a like device. Such a medium may take many forms, including but not limited to, non-volatile media, volatile media, and transmission media. Non-volatile media include, for example, optical or magnetic disks and other persistent memory. Volatile media include DRAM, which typically constitutes the main memory. Transmission media include coaxial cables, copper wire and fiber optics, including the wires that comprise a system bus coupled to the processor. Transmission media may include or convey acoustic waves, light waves and electromagnetic emissions, such as those generated during RF and IR data communications. Common forms of computer-readable media include, for example, a floppy disk, a flexible disk, hard disk, magnetic tape, any other magnetic medium, a CD-ROM, DVD, any other optical medium, punch cards, paper tape, any other physical medium with patterns of holes, a RAM, a PROM, an EPROM, a FLASH-EEPROM, any other memory chip or cartridge, a carrier wave, or any other medium from which a computer can read.

The term “computer-readable memory” may generally refer to a subset and/or class of computer-readable medium that does not include transmission media such as waveforms, carrier waves, electromagnetic emissions, etc. Computer-readable memory may typically include physical media upon which data (e.g., instructions or other information) are stored, such as optical or magnetic disks and other persistent memory, DRAM, a floppy disk, a flexible disk, hard disk, magnetic tape, any other magnetic medium, a CD-ROM, DVD, any other optical medium, punch cards, paper tape, any other physical medium with patterns of holes, a RAM, a PROM, an EPROM, a FLASH-EEPROM, any other memory chip or cartridge, computer hard drives, backup tapes, Universal Serial Bus (USB) memory devices, and the like.

Various forms of computer readable media may be involved in carrying data, including sequences of instructions, to a processor. For example, sequences of instruction (i) may be delivered from RAM to a processor, (ii) may be carried over a wireless transmission medium, and/or (iii) may be formatted according to numerous formats, standards or protocols, such as Bluetooth™, TDMA, CDMA, 3G.

Where databases are described, it will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that (i) alternative database structures to those described may be readily employed, and (ii) other memory structures besides databases may be readily employed. Any illustrations or descriptions of any sample databases presented herein are illustrative arrangements for stored representations of information. Any number of other arrangements may be employed besides those suggested by, e.g., tables illustrated in drawings or elsewhere. Similarly, any illustrated entries of the databases represent exemplary information only; one of ordinary skill in the art will understand that the number and content of the entries can be different from those described herein. Further, despite any depiction of the databases as tables, other formats (including relational databases, object-based models and/or distributed databases) could be used to store and manipulate the data types described herein. Likewise, object methods or behaviors of a database can be used to implement various processes, such as the described herein. In addition, the databases may, in a known manner, be stored locally or remotely from a device that accesses data in such a database.

The present invention can be configured to work in a network environment including a computer that is in communication, via a communications network, with one or more devices. The computer may communicate with the devices directly or indirectly, via a wired or wireless medium such as the Internet, LAN, WAN or Ethernet, Token Ring, or via any appropriate communications means or combination of communications means. Each of the devices may comprise computers, such as those based on the Intel® Pentium® or Centrino™ processor, that are adapted to communicate with the computer. Any number and type of machines may be in communication with the computer.

The present disclosure provides, to one of ordinary skill in the art, an enabling description of several embodiments and/or inventions. Some of these embodiments and/or inventions may not be claimed in the present application, but may nevertheless be claimed in one or more continuing applications that claim the benefit of priority of the present application. Additional applications are contemplated to pursue patents for subject matter that has been disclosed and enabled but not claimed in the present application.

Claims

1. An online gaming system configured to lock elements of a player interface, the online gaming comprising: a player interface having an input device and an output device;a load balancer configured to route communications from the player interface to one or more game application servers of the game server cluster;a game server cluster comprising a plurality of game application servers configured to provide programming routines of a game play engine;a game broadcaster server configured to transmit a broadcast feed of graphical game elements for a slot-style game;a processing device of an application delivery controller in communication with the player interface, the game broadcaster server, and the game server cluster; anda memory device storing instructions which, when executed by the processing device of the application delivery controller, direct the processing device to: receive a call from the player interface for play of the slot-style game;transmit a call to a game application server of the game server cluster, in accordance with the load balancer, to access programming routines of the game play engine;receive, from the broadcast server, a plurality of graphical game elements for the slot-style game;determine, based on the plurality of graphical game elements received from the broadcast server, a first matrix of reel positions for the slot-style game, each reel position comprising a primary symbol;determine a subset of the first matrix of reel positions, the subset comprising at least a first reel position comprising a first primary symbol and a first secondary symbol, and a second reel position comprising a second primary symbol and a second secondary symbol;determine, based on the game play engine, a winning outcome for the slot-style game comprising the first primary symbol and the second primary symbol;determine, based on the game play engine, to maintain the first reel position having the first primary symbol and the second reel position having the second primary symbol based on the first secondary symbol, the second secondary symbol, and the winning outcome comprising the first primary symbol and the second primary symbol;cause, based on the determination to maintain the first reel position having the first primary symbol and the second reel position having the second primary symbol, the first reel position and the second reel position to be locked for at least one subsequent determination of reel positions for the slot-style game;determine, based on the game play engine, a second matrix of reel positions comprising (i) the locked first reel position comprising the first primary symbol and (ii) the locked second reel position comprising the second primary symbol;determine, based on the game play engine, a second winning outcome for the slot-style game comprising at least one of the first primary symbol at the locked first reel position and the second primary symbol at the locked second reel position; andprovide, at the player interface, a payout based on the second winning outcome for the slot-style game.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the instructions to determine to maintain the first reel position and the second reel position direct the processing device to: determine that the first secondary symbol matches the second secondary symbol.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the first secondary symbol and the second secondary symbol are depicted as locking subsymbols.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the instructions to determine the winning outcome for the slot-style game direct the processing device to: determine that the first primary symbol matches the second primary symbol.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the instructions to determine the winning outcome for the slot-style game direct the processing device to determine the winning outcome for the slot-style game prior to causing the first reel position and the second reel position to be locked for at least one subsequent determination of reel positions for the slot-style game.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the instructions further direct the processing device to: reveal, via the player interface, respective locations of the first secondary symbol and the second secondary symbol before determining the first matrix of reel positions for the slot-style game.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the instructions further direct the processing device to: reveal, via the player interface, the first secondary symbol and the second secondary symbol before revealing the first primary symbol and the second primary symbol of the first matrix of reel positions for the slot-style game.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the instructions further direct the processing device to: reveal, via the player interface, the first secondary symbol and the second secondary symbol after determining the first matrix of reel positions for the slot-style game.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the instructions further direct the processing device to: reveal, via the player interface, the first secondary symbol and the second secondary symbol after revealing the first primary symbol and the second primary symbol of the first matrix of reel positions for the slot-style game.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the instructions further direct the processing device to: reveal, via the player interface, the first secondary symbol and the second secondary symbol after determining the winning outcome for the slot-style game.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the instructions further direct the processing device to: reveal, via the player interface, the first secondary symbol and the second secondary symbol before determining to maintain the first reel position and the second reel position.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the instructions further direct the processing device to: reveal, via the player interface, the first secondary symbol and the second secondary symbol after causing the first reel position and the second reel position to be locked for at least one subsequent determination of reel positions for the slot-style game.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the instructions further direct the processing device to: reveal, via the player interface, the first secondary symbol and the second secondary symbol after determining the winning outcome for the slot-style game.

14. A method for locking elements of a player interface, the online gaming comprising: receiving, by an application delivery controller, a call from a player interface for play of the slot-style game, the player interface having an input device and an output device, and wherein the application delivery controller further is in communication with: a game server cluster comprising a plurality of game application servers configured to provide programming routines of a game play engine, anda game broadcaster server configured to transmit a broadcast feed of graphical game elements for a slot-style game;transmitting a call to a game application server of the game server cluster, in accordance with a load balancer configured to route communications from the player interface to one or more game application servers of the game server cluster, to access programming routines of the game play engine;receiving, from the broadcast server, a plurality of graphical game elements for the slot-style game;determining, based on the plurality of graphical game elements received from the broadcast server, a first matrix of reel positions for the slot-style game, each reel position comprising a primary symbol;determining a subset of the first matrix of reel positions, the subset comprising at least a first reel position comprising a first primary symbol and a first secondary symbol, and a second reel position comprising a second primary symbol and a second secondary symbol;determining, based on the game play engine, a winning outcome for the slot-style game comprising the first primary symbol and the second primary symbol;determining, based on the game play engine, to maintain the first reel position having the first primary symbol and the second reel position having the second primary symbol based on the first secondary symbol, the second secondary symbol, and the winning outcome comprising the first primary symbol and the second primary symbol;causing, based on the determination to maintain the first reel position and the second reel position, the first reel position having the first primary symbol and the second reel position having the second primary symbol to be locked for at least one subsequent determination of reel positions for the slot-style game;determining, based on the game play engine, a second matrix of reel positions comprising (i) the locked first reel position comprising the first primary symbol and (ii) the locked second reel position comprising the second primary symbol;determining, based on the game play engine, a second winning outcome for the slot-style game comprising at least one of the first primary symbol at the locked first reel position and the second primary symbol at the locked second reel position; andproviding, at the player interface, a payout based on the second winning outcome for the slot-style game.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein determining to maintain the first reel position and the second reel position comprises: determining that the first secondary symbol matches the second secondary symbol.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the first secondary symbol and the second secondary symbol are depicted as locking subsymbols.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein determining the winning outcome for the slot-style game comprises: determining that the first primary symbol matches the second primary symbol.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein determining the winning outcome for the slot-style game is conducted prior to causing the first reel position and the second reel position to be locked for at least one subsequent determination of reel positions for the slot-style game.

19. The method of claim 14, further comprising: revealing, by the processing device via the player interface, respective locations of the first secondary symbol and the second secondary symbol before determining the first matrix of reel positions for the slot-style game.

20. The method of claim 14, further comprising: revealing, by the processing device via the player interface, the first secondary symbol and the second secondary symbol before revealing the first primary symbol and the second primary symbol of the first matrix of reel positions for the slot-style game.