Patent Application
20080194312
A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material that is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent files or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to games and methods and, more particularly, to games and methods that have a guaranteed progressive award feature.
2. Description of Related Art
In the prior art, various types of gaming machines have been developed with different features to captivate and maintain player interest. In general, a gaming machine allows a player to play a game in exchange for a wager. Depending on the outcome of the game, the player may be entitled to an award which is paid to the player by the gaming machine, normally in the form of currency or game credits. Gaming machines may include flashing displays, lighted displays, or sound effects to capture a player's interest in a gaming device.
Another method of maintaining player interest in a gaming machine includes providing the player with many opportunities to win awards, such as cash or prizes. For example, in some slot machines, the display windows show more than one adjacent symbol on each reel, thereby allowing for multiple-line betting. Some gaming machines offer a player the opportunity to win millions of dollars by providing progressive jackpots. An example of a progressive jackpot system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,249,800, entitled “Progressive Gaming Control and Communication System,” which is hereby incorporated by reference.
Additionally, feature games of various types have been employed to reward players above the amounts normally awarded on a standard game pay schedule. Generally, such feature games are triggered by predetermined events such as one or more appearances of certain combinations of indicia in a primary game. In order to stimulate interest, feature games are typically set to occur at a gaming machine on a statistical cycle based upon the number of primary game plays.
While gaming machines including progressive and feature games have been very successful, there remains a need for games that provide a player with enhanced excitement and increased opportunities of winning.
In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, a game includes an interface activatable by a player and a primary game having a set of outcomes, at least one of the set of outcomes determined after activation of the interface by the player. The game may further include a feature game played after determination of the primary game outcome, the feature game concluding upon the player winning at least one of a plurality of progressive awards associated with the feature game.
In accordance with a second embodiment of the invention, a game includes an interface activatable by a player and a set of outcomes, at least one of the set of outcomes determined after activation of the interface by the player. In an example aspect, the game concludes only upon the player winning at least one of a plurality of progressive awards associated with the set of outcomes.
In accordance with another embodiment of the invention, a method of operating a game includes the steps determining at least one of a set of outcomes for a primary game and, upon the occurrence of a predefined primary game outcome, determining at least one of a set of outcomes for a feature game. In an example aspect, the method may further include the step of continuing to determine at least one of a set of outcomes for the feature game until the player has won at least one of a plurality of progressive awards associated with the set of feature game outcomes.
In accordance with another embodiment of the invention, a method of operating a game includes the steps of determining at least one of a set of outcomes for the game and continuing play of the game until the player has won at least one of a plurality of progressive awards associated with the set of outcomes.
Other features, aspects, and advantages will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate by way of example, features and aspects of various embodiments.
Various example embodiments of the invention are directed to games, gaming machines, gaming systems, and methods, wherein at least one player is provided with a guaranteed progressive award feature, that is, a feature game which only concludes when the player has won at least one of a plurality of progressive awards. In accordance with example aspects, a progressive award may be associated with a changing award amount associated with a single stand-alone gaming machine, a bank of gaming machines competing for the same award, a plurality of gaming machines within a casino competing for a casino-wide award or a plurality of gaming machines in geographically different locations competing for a wide-area progressive award. A personal progressive award may also be associated with a particular player by way of a system that receives information identifying the particular player and changes one or more award amounts associated with that player over time. In each of the example aspects, the progressive awards may be funded from a portion of wagers placed on selected gaming machines, may be funded by an operator, such as with marketing dollars, or may be funded by other vehicles. Embodiments of the game and method are illustrated and described herein, by way of example only, and not by way of limitation. Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to
In accordance with one embodiment,
The plurality of player-activated buttons 160 may be used for various functions such as, but not limited to, selecting a wager denomination, selecting a game to be played, selecting a wager amount per game, initiating a game, or cashing out money from gaming machine 100. Buttons 160 function as input mechanisms and may include mechanical buttons, electromechanical buttons or touch screen buttons. Optionally, a handle (not shown) may be rotated by a player to initiate a game.
In other embodiments, buttons 160 may be replaced with various other input mechanisms known in the art such as, but not limited to, a touch screen system, touch pad, track ball, mouse, switches, toggle switches, or other input means used to accept player input. For example, one input means is a universal button module as disclosed in U.S. application Ser. No. 11/106,212, entitled “Universal Button Module,” filed on Apr. 14, 2005, which is hereby incorporated by reference. Generally, the universal button module provides a dynamic button system adaptable for use with various games and capable of adjusting to gaming systems having frequent game changes. More particularly, the universal button module may be used in connection with playing a game on a gaming machine and may be used for such functions as selecting the number of credits to bet per hand.
Cabinet housing 120 may optionally include top box 150 which contains “top glass” 152 comprising advertising or payout information related to the game or games available on gaming machine 100. Player tracking panel 136 includes player tracking card reader 134 and player tracking display 132. Voucher printer 138 may be integrated into player tracking panel 136 or installed elsewhere in cabinet housing 120 or top box 150.
Game display 140 presents a game of chance wherein a player receives one or more outcomes from a set of potential outcomes. For example, one such game of chance is a video slot machine game, an example of which is entitled Firebird, further described below. In other aspects of the invention, gaming machine 100 may present a video or mechanical reel slot machine, a video keno game, a lottery game, a bingo game, a Class II bingo game, a roulette game, a craps game, a blackjack game, a mechanical or video representation of a wheel game or the like. In alternative embodiments, it may further be appreciated that games of skill or games of chance involving some player skill may be implemented with gaming machine 100.
Mechanical or video/mechanical embodiments may include game displays in cabinet housing 120 or top box 150 such as mechanical reels, wheels, or dice as required to present the game to the player. In video/mechanical or pure video embodiments, game display 140 is, typically, a CRT or a flat-panel display in the form of, but not limited to, liquid crystal, plasma, electroluminescent, vacuum fluorescent, field emission, or any other type of panel display known or developed in the art. Game display 140 may be mounted in either a “portrait” or “landscape” orientation and be of standard or “widescreen” dimensions (i.e., a ratio of one dimension to another of at least 16×9). For example, a widescreen display may be 32 inches wide by 18 inches tall. A widescreen display in a “portrait” orientation may be 32 inches tall by 18 inches wide. Additionally, game display 140 preferably includes a touch screen or touch glass system (not shown) and presents player interfaces such as, but not limited to, a credit meter (not shown), a win meter (not shown) and touch screen buttons (not shown). An example of a touch glass system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,942,571, entitled “Gaming Device with Direction and Speed Control of Mechanical Reels Using Touch Screen,” which is hereby incorporated by reference.
Game display 140 may also present information such as, but not limited to, player information, advertisements and casino promotions, graphic displays, news and sports updates, or even offer an alternate game. This information may be generated through a host computer networked with gaming machine 100 on its own initiative or it may be obtained by request of the player using either one or more of the plurality of player-activated buttons 160; the game display itself, if game display 140 comprises a touch screen or similar technology; buttons (not shown) mounted about game display 140 which may permit selections such as those found on an ATM machine, where legends on the screen are associated with respective selecting buttons; or any player input device that offers the required functionality.
Cabinet housing 120 incorporates a single game display 140. However, in alternate embodiments, cabinet housing 120 or top box 150 may house one or more additional displays or components used for various purposes including additional game play screens, animated “top glass,” progressive meters or mechanical or electromechanical devices such as, but not limited to, wheels, pointers or reels 180. The additional displays may or may not include a touch screen or touch glass system.
In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention,
When a player has inserted a form of currency such as, for example and without limitation, paper currency, coins or tokens, cashless tickets or vouchers, electronic funds transfers or the like into currency acceptor 210, a signal is sent to CPU 205 which, in turn, assigns an appropriate number of credits for play. The player may further control the operation of gaming machine 100, for example, to select the amount to wager via electromechanical or touchscreen buttons 250. The game starts in response to the player pushing one of buttons 250 or an alternate start mechanism such as a handle or touchscreen icon (not shown). Random number generator 240 responds to instructions from CPU 205 to provide a display of randomly selected indicia on video display screen 230. In some embodiments, random generator 240 may be physically separate from gaming machine 100; for example, it may be part of a central determination host system (not shown) which provides random game outcomes to CPU 205. Thereafter, the player may or may not interact with the game through electromechanical or touchscreen buttons 250 to change the displayed indicia. Finally, CPU 205 under control of game program 220 compares the final display of indicia to a pay table. The set of possible game outcomes may include a subset of outcomes related to the triggering of a feature game. In the event the displayed outcome is a member of this subset, CPU 205, under control of game program 220, may cause feature game play to be presented on at least one of video display screen 230, reels 270 and mechanical pay indicator 280. The feature game is played until a progressive award has been won by the player. In some embodiments, mechanical pay indicator 280 comprises a wheel and a pointer, at least one of which moves.
In other embodiments, the feature game is one of a set of primary games randomly selected for play. For example, one such means is disclosed in U.S. application Ser. No. 11/428,220, entitled “Multiple Primary Games Triggered by Random Number Generator,” filed on Jun. 30, 2006, which is hereby incorporated by reference. A gaming machine has at least two distinct primary games. After receiving a wager, the gaming machine determines which primary game to activate. The selected primary game is activated and a game outcome is presented to the player on at least one game display. A payout may be awarded according to the game outcome. If the selected game is the game with a guaranteed progressive award, the game is played until a progressive award has been won.
Predetermined payout amounts for certain outcomes, including feature game outcomes, are stored as part of game program 220. Such payout amounts are, in response to instructions from CPU 205, provided to the player in the form of coins, credits or currency via payout mechanism 260, which may be one or more of a credit meter, a coin hopper, a voucher printer, an electronic funds transfer protocol or any other payout means known or developed in the art.
In various embodiments of gaming machine 100, game program 220 is stored in a memory device (not shown). By way of example, but not by limitation, such memory devices include external memory devices, hard drives, CD-ROMs, DVDs, and flash memory cards. In an alternative embodiment, the game programs are stored in a remote storage device. In one embodiment, the remote storage device is housed in a remote server. The gaming machine may access the remote storage device via a network connection, including but not limited to, a local area network connection, a TCP/IP connection, a wireless connection, or any other means for operatively networking components together. Optionally, other data including graphics, sound files and other media data for use with gaming machine 100 are stored in the same or a separate memory device (not shown).
Turning now to
Credit meter 315 display the player's current credit balance, while other meters 316 may display, for example, the number of credits or coins wagered and the last amount paid by the payout mechanism 260 (
The player initiates game play by pressing SPIN button 330. In some embodiments, the player may simultaneously select all pay lines at the maximum number of coins or credits allowed per line by pressing a MAX BET touch screen button 335. Corresponding buttons 160 on gaming machine 100 (
Winning outcomes may be indicated on a pay table. The pay table may be accessible through a PAYS help button 325. In alternate embodiments, the pay table may be presented on a second video or printed display attached to the gaming device (i.e. “pay glass” 152,
In various embodiments, winning combinations may be evaluated across adjacent reels from left-to-right, from right-to-left or both. Additional winning combinations may be awarded when certain indicia do not necessarily accumulate adjacently on a pay line, but rather, appear anywhere on the reels (i.e., “scatter pays”). In addition, “wild” indicia may be used to complete winning combinations. Some “wild” indicia may also cause completed winning combinations to be result in pay amounts in excess of the normal winning combination by way of multiplication or addition, for example, a wild doubler symbol may be used.
Various primary game outcomes may be utilized to trigger the play of the feature game, including, but not limited to, awarding bonus play when certain symbols appear on a pay line, when certain symbols are scattered, when no symbols of a certain type appear, when a certain winning combination occurs or, regardless of the visible symbols, at random or fixed intervals. In the Firebird embodiment, appearance of three scattered BONUS symbols on the three center reels trigger the feature game. In some embodiments, the probability of triggering the feature game is based on the size of the player's wager. The number of plays of the feature game may be restricted based on a predefined value, a random value, a fluctuating value, the amount of the player's wager, or the particular triggering event. In the event the player does not win a progressive prize associated with the feature game pay schedule prior to the exhaustion of the allocated number of feature game plays, the player may be awarded a consolation prize in the form of a separate progressive award.
In addition to the primary game awards defined by the pay table, the Firebird game provides a feature game pay table associated with the feature game. For example, progressive meters 360, 365, 370, 375 and 380 are each associated with a different feature game progressive outcome. The progressive awards may be associated with a personal, stand-alone, bank, casino-wide or wide-area progressive game. Other non-progressive awards may be associated with the feature game.
The number of plays of the feature game may be restricted by a predetermined or random number of attempts, which may result in the player winning a consolation award in place of a primary progressive award. The consolation award may also be a progressive.
In other embodiments, the feature game is one of a set of primary games randomly selected for play following initiation of play by the player. After placing a wager, the gaming machine determines which primary game to activate. The selected primary game is activated and a game outcome is presented to the player on at least one game display. A payout may be awarded according to the game outcome. If the selected game is the feature game with a guaranteed progressive award, the feature game is played until a progressive award has been won.
In accordance with one embodiment,
A logical flow diagram generally depicting the steps associated with a method 500 for carrying out a game having a guaranteed progressive award feature, in accordance with one aspect of the invention, is presented in
First, the primary game is initiated by a player at block 510, typically by selecting a wager amount and pressing a start button, pulling a handle or the like. A game outcome is determined and the player is paid for any winning outcomes at block 520.
The primary game outcome and/or any other trigger conditions that might initiate feature game play are considered at decision block 530. For example, the occurrence of a three scattered BONUS symbols appearing anywhere on the three center reels may have been predetermined to be the trigger for the feature game. Any feature game trigger criteria may be used to initiate the feature game.
If the triggering event for the feature game has not occurred, the method proceeds to block 510 in an iterative fashion for play of another primary game. Otherwise, the feature game is played by, for example, spinning reels on feature device 400 (
Once a winning feature game outcome has been achieved, the outcome is further evaluated at decision block 560 to determine whether the outcome corresponds to one of a plurality of progressive awards or not. If not, the player is paid for the non-progressive outcome at block 580 and feature play continues at block 540. In some embodiments, all feature game awards are progressive awards and the steps at blocks 560 and 580 are omitted.
If a progressive award has been achieved, the player is paid the progressive award corresponding to the feature game outcome at block 570 and feature game play terminates. The progressive award paid as a result of the winning outcome may be associated with a stand-alone, bank, casino-wide or wide-area progressive game. Primary game play then resumes at block 510.
Referring to
In various embodiments, any of the gaming machines 650 may be a mechanical reel spinning slot machine, video slot machine, video poker machine, keno machine, video blackjack machine, or a gaming machine offering one or more of the above described primary games including a guaranteed progressive award feature. Alternately, gaming machines 650 may provide a guaranteed progressive award feature as one of a set of multiple primary games selected for play by a random number generator. Networking components (not shown) facilitate communications across network 640 between the system server 610 and game management units 620 and/or gaming display control computers 630 that control displays for carousels of gaming machines. Game management units (GMU's) 620 connect gaming machines to networking components and may be installed in the gaming machine cabinet or external to the gaming machine. The function of the GMU is similar to the function of a network interface card connected to a desktop personal computer (PC). Some GMU's have much greater capability and can perform such tasks as presenting and playing a game having feature games with a guaranteed progressive award using a display 625 operatively connected to GMU 620. Displays related to games offering a guaranteed progressive award feature game on gaming machines 650 or GMU displays 625 may also be presented on gaming display 635 by gaming display control computer 630. In one embodiment, GMU 620 is a separate component located outside the gaming machine. Alternatively, in another embodiment, the GMU 620 is located within the gaming machine. Optionally, in an alternative embodiment, one or more gaming machines 650 connect directly to the network and are not connected to a GMU 620. A gaming system of the type described above also allows a plurality of games in accordance with the various embodiments of the invention to be linked under the control of server 610 for cooperative or competitive play in a particular area, carousel, casino or between casinos located in geographically separate areas.
One will appreciate that a gaming system may also comprise other types of components, and the above illustrations are meant only as examples and not as limitations to the types of components or games having a guaranteed progressive award feature. Additionally, it may further be appreciated that each of the games could be operated on a remote host computer such that a player initiates play with the host computer over a network via the player interface and gaming machine 650 operates the respective gaming and video displays in conjunction with the game whose play is controlled by the remote computer.
The various embodiments described above are provided by way of illustration only and should not be construed to limit the claimed invention. For example, the progressive award may be associated with a personal, stand-alone, bank-wide, casino-wide or wide-area progressive game. Availability of play for the guaranteed progressive may be restricted based on the nature or amount of the player's wager. For example, a minimum wager of five credits per pay line or a total wager size of forty-five credits per game may be required in addition to the achievement of a predetermined trigger. Those skilled in the art will readily recognize various modifications and changes that may be made to the claimed invention without following the example embodiments and applications illustrated and described herein, and without departing from the true spirit and scope of the claimed invention, which is set forth in the following claims.
