Claims
- 1. A gaming system for conducting bingo-type games, the gaming system including:
(a) a player station including a player station display; (b) a user interface device included with the player station for enabling a player using the player station to enter a daub mode selection input; and (c) a daub selection controller for setting a daub mode in response to the daub mode selection input.
- 2. The gaming system of claim 1 wherein the daub selection controller is for setting the daub mode as either a first-type daub mode requiring an independent player input to daub a player card representation or as a second-type daub mode requiring no independent player input to daub the player card representation.
- 3. The gaming system of claim 2 wherein the first-type daub mode includes a manual daub mode in which the player must manually daub one or more bingo card locations of the bingo card representation in the course of play, and a card daub mode in which multiple matched bingo card locations on the bingo card representation are daubed automatically in response to a player daub input entered through the user interface.
- 4. The gaming system of claim 2 further including a game daubing component for daubing all matched player card locations on the player card representation without independent player input, and wherein the second-type daub mode comprises a game daub mode in which the locations on the player card representation are daubed exclusively by the game daubing component.
- 5. The gaming system of claim 1 further including a manual daub interface for enabling the player using the player station to manually daub at least one player bingo card representation.
- 6. The gaming system of claim 5 wherein the player station display includes a touch screen display and the manual daub interface includes the touch screen display.
- 7. The gaming system of claim 2 wherein the user interface device included with the player station includes a daub selection control for initiating a signal resulting in a daub select signal to the daub selection controller.
- 8. A gaming system for conducting bingo-type games, the gaming system including:
(a) a back office system including a data storage device for storing a number of bingo card representations; (b) a number of player stations, each player station in communication with the back office system to receive a respective bingo card representation from the number of bingo card representations; (c) a respective user interface device included with each respective player station for enabling a player using the respective player station to make a daub mode selection to select between a first-type daub mode requiring an independent player input to daub a player card representation or a second-type daub mode requiring no independent player input to daub the player card representation; and (d) a daub selection controller for setting alternatively the first-type daub mode or the second-type daub mode for the respective player in response to the daub mode selection input.
- 9. The gaming system of claim 8 wherein the first-type daub mode includes a manual daub mode in which the player must manually daub one or more bingo card locations of the player card representation in the course of play, and a card daub mode in which multiple matched bingo card locations on the player card representation are daubed automatically in response to a player daub input entered through the respective user interface.
- 10. The gaming system of claim 8 further including a game daubing component for daubing all matched card locations on the player card representation without independent player input, and wherein the second-type daub mode comprises a game daub mode in which the card locations on the player card representation are daubed exclusively by the game daubing component.
- 11. The gaming system of claim 8 further including a respective manual daub interface included with each respective player station for enabling the player using the respective player station to manually daub the player card representation received at the respective player station.
- 12. The gaming system of claim 11 wherein the manual daub interface included with at least one respective player station includes a touch screen display.
- 13. The gaming system of claim 8 wherein each respective user interface device included with a respective player station includes a daub selection control for initiating a signal resulting in a daub select signal to the daub selection controller.
- 14. A method for conducting a bingo-type game, the method including the steps of:
(a) receiving a daub selection input from a player; (b) in response to the daub selection input, setting a daub mode defining the manner in which a bingo card representation assigned to the player will be daubed in the course of play; (c) associating a game play request initiated by the player with a player card representation and with a set of bingo designations to be matched to the player card representation; and (d) daubing the player card representation in the manner defined by the daub mode set in response to the daub selection input.
- 15. The method of claim 14 wherein the step of setting the daub mode includes setting the daub mode as either a first-type daub mode requiring an independent player input to daub the player card representation or as a second-type daub mode requiring no independent player input to daub the player card representation.
- 16. The method of claim 15 further including the step of requiring the player to manually daub each matched card location on the player card representation when the daub mode is set as the first-type daub mode.
- 17. The method of claim 15 further including the steps of requiring the player to enter a card daub input when the daub mode is set in the first-type daub mode, and daubing each matched card location on the player card representation in response to the card daub input.
- 18. The method of claim 15 further including the step daubing each matched card location on the player card without further player input when the daub mode is in the second-type daub mode.
- 19. The method of claim 14 wherein the daub selection input is entered by the player through an input device at a player station through which the player participates in the bingo-type game.
- 20. The method of claim 14 wherein the daub selection input for the player is effective in setting the daub mode for the player at multiple player terminals.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/060,643, filed Jan. 30, 2002, and entitled “Method, Apparatus, and Program Product for Presenting Results in a Bingo-Type Game,” which was a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/028,889, filed Dec. 20, 2001, and entitled “Method and Program Product for Producing and Using Game Play Records in a Bingo-Type Game.” The Applicants hereby claim the benefit of each of these non-provisional patent applications under 35 U.S.C. § 120. The entire content of each of these non-provisional patent applications is also incorporated herein by this reference.
[0002] This application is also related to U.S. provisional patent application No. 60/265,100, filed Jan. 30, 2001, and entitled “Object Draw Gaming System and Program Product.” The Applicants hereby claim the benefit of this provisional patent application under 35 U.S.C. §119(e). The entire content of this provisional application is incorporated herein by this reference.
[0003] This application is also related to U.S. non-provisional patent application No. ______, filed Mar. 25, 2004, and entitled “Automatic Daubing Apparatus and Method for Electronic Bingo Gaming Systems.”
Provisional Applications (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
|
60265100 |
Jan 2001 |
US |
Continuations (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
10028889 |
Dec 2001 |
US |
Child |
10060643 |
Jan 2002 |
US |
Continuation in Parts (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
10060643 |
Jan 2002 |
US |
Child |
10845954 |
May 2004 |
US |