Patent Grant
7905772
A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains or may contain material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the photocopy reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure in exactly the form it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.
The present invention relates in general to a gaming device, and more particularly to a gaming device having multiple round bonus scheme with residual awards.
Gaming devices such as slot, poker, blackjack and keno machines having primary games and secondary or bonus games or schemes are well known. One well known bonus game provides a player with a series of different award offers consisting of credits or dollars. The player may accept or reject any individual award offer in the series, however, the player must accept the final award offer if no previous award offer is accepted. If the player accepts an award offer, the player keeps the award and the bonus game terminates. If the player rejects the award offer, the gaming device provides a new award offer for player acceptance. The bonus game continues to provide new award offers until an award offer is accepted or the award offer is the final award offer.
Several implementations of this type of bonus scheme have been employed in gaming machines of various types. While this type of gaming device has achieved significant popularity in the gaming industry, players may lose interest in the game after playing the game repeatedly. Accordingly, there is a need for new gaming devices having improved award offer bonus schemes.
The present invention provides a gaming device having an award offer and termination bonus scheme, wherein the player may improve an award offer during the bonus scheme. The bonus game enables the player to select an initial choice that either is the initial award offer or that the game uses to provide an initial award offer. The gaming device then enables the player to modify the initial award offer, creating a subsequent or modified award offer, which may be more or less than the initial award offer. The game repeats this process a predetermined number of times. In one embodiment, the game sequentially increases the likelihood of decreasing the player's award offer each time the player rejects an award offer.
In one embodiment, to modify the award offer, the player picks a masked selection from a plurality of masked selections. The picked selection yields a modifying value. The gaming device reveals the modifying value and determines a new award offer based on the modifying value.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the gaming device provides a plurality of offers associated with a plurality of positions. The gaming device further provides a plurality of position changes that modify the player's position and offer. Upon the initiation of the bonus scheme, the player obtains a position and an offer. The gaming device randomly selects a position change and the player's position and offer are modified by the selected position change. The selected position change is associated with a terminator. The gaming device enables the player to either accept the provided offer or enable the gaming device to select another position change in an attempt to modify the provided offer. The bonus scheme proceeds until the player accepts the provided offer or the gaming device randomly selects a position change with an associated terminator.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the gaming device further provides a bonus game having a plurality of rounds, each round including a plurality of picks by the player. Upon the initiation of each round, the player obtains a position and an award. Upon an input by the player, the gaming device randomly selects position moves and the player's position and award are modified by the selected position moves. If the player reaches the first or ultimate position associated with a maximum award without using all position move points and/or picks in a round, the gaming device enables the player to carry over any residual position change points and/or residual picks from one round to another round of the bonus game.
It is therefore an advantage of the present invention to provide a gaming device with a bonus game that has a plurality of rounds, wherein residual awards unused during a round can be carried over to another round of the bonus game.
It is a further advantage of the present invention to provide a gaming device with a bonus game that has a plurality of rounds, wherein residual picks unused during a round can be carried over to another round of the bonus game.
Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed disclosure, taken in conjunction with the accompanying sheets of drawings, wherein like numerals refer to like parts, elements, components, steps and processes.
Referring now to the drawings, and in particular to
The base games of the gaming device 10 include slot, poker, blackjack or keno, among others. The gaming device 10 also embodies any bonus triggering events, bonus games as well as any progressive game coordinating with these base games. The symbols and indicia used for any of the base, bonus and progressive games include mechanical, electrical or video symbols and indicia.
In a stand alone or a bonus embodiment, the gaming device 10 includes monetary input devices.
As shown in
Gaming device 10 also includes one or more display devices. The embodiment shown in
The slot machine base game of gaming device 10 preferably displays a plurality of reels 34, preferably three to five reels 34, in mechanical or video form on one or more of the display devices. Each reel 34 displays a plurality of indicia such as bells, hearts, fruits, numbers, letters, bars or other images which preferably correspond to a theme associated with the gaming device 10. If the reels 34 are in video form, the display device displaying the video reels 34 is preferably a video monitor. Each base game, especially in the slot machine base game of the gaming device 10, includes speakers 36 for making sounds or playing music.
Referring now to
As illustrated in
In certain instances, it is preferable to use a touch screen 50 and an associated touch screen controller 52 instead of a conventional video monitor display device. The touch screen enables a player to input decisions into the gaming device 10 by sending a discrete signal based on the area of the touch screen 50 that the player touches or presses. As further illustrated in
It should be appreciated that although a processor 38 and memory device 40 are preferable implementations of the present invention, the present invention also includes being implemented via one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC's), one or more hard-wired devices, or one or more mechanical devices (collectively or alternatively referred to herein as a “processor”). Furthermore, although the processor 38 and memory device 40 preferably reside in each gaming device 10 unit, the present invention includes providing some or all of their functions at a central location such as a network server for communication to a playing station such as over a local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN), Internet connection, microwave link, and the like.
With reference to the slot machine base game of
In addition to winning base game credits, the gaming device 10, including any of the base games disclosed above, also includes bonus games that give players the opportunity to win credits. The gaming device 10 preferably employs a video-based display device 30 or 32 for the bonus games. The bonus games include a program that automatically begins when the player achieves a qualifying condition in the base game.
In the slot machine embodiment, the qualifying condition includes a particular symbol or symbol combination generated on a display device. As illustrated in the five reel slot game shown in
Referring now to
The player picks one of the masked initial award offers or selections 102, 104 or 106, and the game provides or generates an initial award offer 108, 110 or 112, respectively. The gaming device also preferably reveals each of the available initial award offers 108, 110 and 112 associated with selections 102, 104 and 106, respectively, as illustrated in
In one embodiment, the gaming device selects and distributes the plurality of masked initial award offers from a larger pool (not illustrated) of initial award offers available during the bonus game. The pool of initial award offers may, for example, include nine possible initial award offers ranging from +10 to +100 credits, although any size pool is contemplated by the present invention. The pool may alternatively include negative initial award offers. The gaming device preferably randomly selects the plurality of initial award offers from the pool of initial award offers (not illustrated) each time the bonus game is initiated. It is also contemplated that the gaming device may assign a weight factor or probability to each initial award offer in the pool such that award offers having higher weight factors or probabilities have a greater chance of being selected. This weight factor or probability may be consistent throughout the entire bonus game or change from play to play during the bonus game.
The bonus game as described above reveals or unmasks the remaining initial award offers 108 and 112 as illustrated in
After establishing the initial award offer, the gaming device enables the player to modify the initial award offer and form a subsequent or new award offer. The subsequent or new award offer is based on or dependent on the initial award offer. It should be appreciated that the subsequent or new award offer may be of lesser, greater or equal value than the selected award offer, adding an element of risk to the bonus game. It should be appreciated that the initial award offer is preferably positive as discussed above.
Referring now to
The value display 118 includes a plurality of positions or points 126 or a ranking of positions or points and a plurality of associated offer modifiers 128. In this embodiment, the ranking of positions or points and modifiers or offer modifiers are displayed in a tabular format although other suitable displays are contemplated. Each position, point or number of points has an associated offer modifier. The offer modifier in one embodiment is measured in credits. The offer modifiers 128 are not new award offers. Rather, the gaming device uses the offer modifiers 128 to modify the initially selected award offer 114 (and subsequent award offers) to produce a new or modified award offer. The points 126 which the player chooses or obtains as described below, correspond to or determine which offer modifiers 128 the game uses to modify the award offer.
The player picks one of the masked selections 120, 122 or 124. The gaming device reveals and provides a number of points associated with the selection. The gaming device may select the points for this portion of the bonus game from a larger pool of points (not illustrated). The gaming device preferably randomly selects points from the pool and randomly assigns the points to each of the selections 120, 122 and 124. The point pools (not illustrated) may be weighted via a weight factor or probability associated with each point. The weight factor or probability may be consistent throughout the bonus game or vary from play to play in the bonus scheme.
In one example, the player chooses selection 124, which reveals the point 136 having a value of “1” as illustrated in
The gaming device modifies the award offer and specifically adds the designated offer modifier 128 of “25” to the initial or previous offer of “50.” Another embodiment includes multiplying the modifier by the initial or previous offer. Other suitable mathematical operations or calculations may be performed or desired by the implementor. The addition of the modified offer 128 creates a modified or subsequent award offer 138 of 75 credits, which is displayed in the award offer display 113 as illustrated in
The present invention includes enabling the player to accept the modified award offer 138 or reject it and continue to play the bonus game.
If the player accepts the subsequent award offer 138, the gaming device provides the player with the award offer and updates the player's total credits with the accepted or provided award offer. The gaming device preferably does not enable the player to obtain any more award offers and thereby terminates the bonus game. If the player rejects the modified award offer 138, thereby risking it for the chance at receiving a modified award offer of greater value, the gaming device enables the player to obtain a modified or subsequent award offer as illustrated in
Thus, after the player rejects the first subsequent award offer 138, the gaming device enables the player to generate another offer modifier 128 in the same manner as described above. When the player selects a point 132 with a value of “−1”, the game generates the offer modifier 128 of “−25” credits. The gaming device thereby reduces or modifies the player's previous award offer 138, resulting in a third award offer 144 of “50” credits as illustrated in
In one preferred embodiment, the gaming device of the present invention further includes structuring the point pools such that later point distributions yield a greater chance of generating a negative number of points and thus credits for the player and generating a relatively high positive number of points and thus credits for the player. That is, the present invention includes later offers being potentially riskier and potentially yielding higher award offers.
Referring now to
In this embodiment, the display 200 includes the value display 218 and a plurality of masked selections 202, 203, 204, 205 and 206. The value display 218 includes a ranking of positions 226 and associated award offers 228, which differ from the offer modifiers 128 in the previous embodiment, which mathematically modify previous offers. The display 200 enables the player to select an initial number, ranking, point or position 226 which is associated with an initial award offer. The player picks from the five masked selections as illustrated in
In one preferred embodiment, the value display 218 is similar to a chart used to record and display best sellers such as book or record sales. The current number or position 226 represents the rank, place or spot on the chart (i.e., number 1 meaning a number one best selling book or record) and the award offers 228 are the game credits associated with that position on the chart. The object is to move to or as close to the number 1 rank or position as possible and thereby receive the highest number of credits. After establishing the initial rank or position on the chart that the game generates from the player's initial pick, as indicated above, the game enables the player to modify the player's current position on the value display 218. A positive number moves the player's position a number of positions closer to the number 1 position and a negative number moves the player's position 226 a number of positions away from the number 1 position.
After the player picks one of the masked initial positions or selections to generate an initial position such as position 209 of “18”, the gaming device preferably reveals the other possible initial positions 208, 210, 211 and 212 associated with the selections 202, 204, 205 and 206, respectively (best seen in
The value display 218 preferably indicates or designates the initial position as illustrated in
After establishing the initial position, the gaming device provides a second selection display 216 as illustrated in
The player picks one of the masked selections. The gaming device reveals a number, rank or position move or point associated with such selection. In this example, the player chooses selection 224 revealing position move or point of “+3” as illustrated in
In this example, the player selected an initial position of “18”, which has a corresponding award offer of eight as illustrated in
The preferred embodiment includes enabling the player to accept the new award offer or reject the award offer and continue to play the bonus game. The gaming device provides the previously described accept and reject indicators or buttons 240 and 242 respectively labeled “STOP” and “GO”, as illustrated in
If the player accepts the new award offer, the gaming device provides the player with the new award offer and terminates the bonus game. If the player rejects the new award offer, the bonus game continues in like fashion, wherein in this example: (i) the player picks one of the masked selections from the group of selections 219 through 224 as illustrated in
In one embodiment of the present invention, the game automatically rejects the award offer 228 if there is no risk to the player, e.g., when the current award offer is the lowest possible offer illustrated here as one credit in association with the twenty-fifth position. This auto-executing feature occurs only when the current award offer is not the final offer, that is, when the game will provide another award offer to the player.
As illustrated in
It should also be appreciated from previous example that the present invention includes positive position moves, negative position moves and no position moves. The present invention further includes assigning the masked selection values to make advancement more difficult or less difficult or more hazardous or less hazardous as the game advances. That is, the implementor may make advancement more difficult by increasing the number of negative moves and/or lower positive moves. The implementor may make advancement more hazardous by increasingly placing larger positive and negative moves or points in the selection groups, whereby the average value of the points stays the same, but the potential for obtaining high negative position moves as well as high positive position moves increases with each selection. It should also be appreciated that the gaming device may provide the player a replay of the game if the player achieves a certain level such as the first position. In such instance, the player would get the awards achieved in both the initial play and any replays.
In the embodiment of
In the next round of the bonus game illustrated in
A further alternative embodiment is illustrated in
It should be appreciated that the alternative embodiments of the improved award offer bonus scheme of the present invention can be simultaneously implemented in a single bonus round or each implemented individually in different bonus rounds. The determination of when to implement such alternative embodiments could also be randomly determined.
Referring now to
In
In one implementation, the award offer display 518 includes a trail or path that a marker 550, representing the player, moves along as the player generates new award offers. This particular trail includes an upward slope, wherein the marker 550 moves upwardly, and a downward slope, wherein the marker 550 moves downwardly. The slopes are differentiated by different audio, visual or audiovisual messages 520 and 522.
This embodiment may provide messages, such as messages 520 and 522, which describe the different risks of playing while the player's offer exists in a particular range. Alternatively, the game does not provide this information. The message 520, corresponding to the nine positions on the upward slope (not including the top position), informs the player that the player's offer 528 only moves up if the player selects to keep moving while the marker 550 resides in one of the upward slope positions. The message 522, corresponding to the thirteen downward slope positions 526 (including the top position), informs the player that the player's offer 528 can move up or down if the player selects to keep moving while the marker 550 resides on the top position or on one of the downward slope positions 526.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the gaming device includes an area in the memory device 40 that stores one or more tables having position changes 546 one through twelve, move changes 548 that add or subtract moves from the moves remaining indicator 544 and an offer plus/minus indicator 560, which the game generates when the player's current offer resides on the downward slope. When the player picks the keep moving button 542, an input is sent to the processor 38, whereby the processor randomly generates either a position change 546 or a move change 548. If applicable, the processor also generates an offer plus/minus indicator 560.
The display 500 may be adapted to inform the player of the actual values stored in the memory device 40. Either or both the position 546 or move change 548 generation or the plus/minus indicator 560 generation may be weighted so that, e.g., the game generates one of the move changes 548 less than 1/7th of the time, or the game generates an offer increase fifty-five percent of the time, etc.
As illustrated in the display 500 of
In the display 504 of
In the display 506 of
In the display 508 of
Likewise, if the player generates a position change 546 that exceeds the last and most valuable position, e.g., corresponding to the one thousand offer 528, the game in one implementation just provides the last offer. Thus, in the player's current position 526 having an associated offer 528 of five hundred, any positive position change 546 results in the player's achievement of the highest offer 528. The moves remaining display 544 again shows one less move. Since in this implementation, the position 526 associated with the five hundred award 528 is on the downhill side of the display 518, the player again has to weigh the risk of picking the keep moving button 542.
In another implementation, the game may be adapted to weight the position moves 546 as a function of the player's current position 526. That is, the game has, e.g., one weighting system for when the player keeps moving after achieving one of the offers 528 fifteen through fifty and another weighting system for when the player keeps moving after achieving one of the offers 528 one hundred through five hundred. In this implementation, the offer plus/minus indicator 560 can be weighted to generate negative changes 546 more often than positive changes 546, and/or the changes 546 can also be weighted to generate higher numbers so that the game tends to set the player back further to a lesser position 526. In any of these weighting systems, the move changes 548 may be weighted as desired by the implementor.
Although one implementation for providing varying offer ranges has been illustrated, the varying offer ranges may be combined differently than as illustrated in
Referring now to
In
In one embodiment of the current invention, the award offer display 618 includes a trail or path having a marker 650 representing the player. The marker moves along as the player generates modified award offers. The illustrated trial includes an upward slope wherein the marker 650 moves upwardly toward a peak position associated with the maximum award offer 620 and a downward slope wherein the marker 650 moves downwardly. It should be appreciated that the maximum award offer 620 may be associated with any position of the trail, path or sequence. In this embodiment, the award offers associated with the plurality of positions increase up the upward slope and decrease down the downward slope. The slopes may be differentiated by different audio, visual or audiovisual messages.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the gaming device includes an area in the memory device 40 that stores one or more tables having a plurality of position changes 646 which are illustrated on the display 646. Each position change represents the number of positions along the award offer path or sequence 618 that the marker 650 will be moved. It should be appreciated that these position changes may or may not be display. It should also be appreciated that weighted probabilities may be associated with the position changes. At the initiation of the bonus scheme and when the player uses the reject award offer indicator 648, an input is sent to the processor 38, whereby the processor randomly selects one of the position changes 646. In the illustrated embodiment, the gaming device displays the plurality of position changes and indicates to the player the selected position change.
In this embodiment, upon the triggering of the bonus scheme, the gaming device randomly selects a position change from the plurality of position changes 646. The marker 650 is subsequently moved along the path the number of positions corresponding to the selected position change. After the gaming device has moved the marker 650 the number of positions corresponding to the selected position change, the selected position change is associated with a termination symbol or terminator. The player is offered the offer associated with the current position indicated by the marker as the players initial award offer. In one embodiment, the maximum award offer 620 is modified by combining the initial offer with the prior maximum award offer. The player may either accept or reject the initial award offer. If the player accepts the initial award offer, the gaming device provides the player the award offer, the player cannot obtain any more award offers and the bonus game ends. If the player rejects the award offer, the gaming device selects another position change. If the gaming device subsequently selects a position change with an associated termination symbol or terminator, the bonus game ends and the player may receive a consolation award. If the subsequently selected position change is not associated with a termination symbol or terminator, the marker is moved the number of positions corresponding to the selected position change. As described above, after the marker 650 is moved, the randomly selected position change is associated with a termination symbol or terminator. The players award offer is modified by combining the prior award offer with the offer associated with the markers current position. The maximum award offer 620 is further modified by combining the prior modified maximum award offer with the offer associated with the markers current position. The player may accept the modified award offer, thereby ending the bonus game or reject the modified award offer in an attempt to obtain a higher award offer or the maximum award offer. The game proceeds as described above until either the player obtains the maximum award offer or the gaming device selects a position change associated with a termination symbol or terminator. If the marker is moved to the peak position, the gaming device provides the player the maximum award offer, the player cannot obtain any more award offers and the bonus scheme ends.
In one example, as illustrated in the display 600 of
In this embodiment, the player may either accept the initial award offer using the accept indicator 648 or reject the initial award offer using the reject award indictor 642. In an alternative embodiment the player is not able to accept the initial award offer. In this embodiment, the gaming device will automatically select another position change and the game will proceed as described above. In another embodiment, the gaming device automatically rejects any award offer if subsequent or potential award offers are at least of an equal value to the initial award offer.
Referring to the display 604 of
As seen in the display 606 of
As illustrated in the display 608 of
In one embodiment, for completing one cycle of the offer display path the award offers 628 associated with each position on the path are modified. In this embodiment, the award offers associated with the non-peak positions increase by one, and the maximum award offer associated with the peak position increased by five to thirty. It should be appreciated that the award offer associated with each position may be randomly increased or increased according to some pre-determined mathematical formula. In an alternative embodiment, the award offers associated with a plurality of positions may increase. In another embodiment, the offers associated with a plurality of positions may increase, decrease, remain the same or any combination thereof.
As illustrated in
As seen in display 610 of
In an alternative embodiment, when a position change with an associated termination symbol or terminator is selected, the bonus game ends and the player obtains no award. In another embodiment, the player obtains the award offer associated with the marker's 650 last position. In another embodiment, as illustrated in
Referring to
Referring now to
As also illustrated in
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
Referring to
In a further embodiment including marker moves, as illustrated in
In a further alternative embodiment of the present invention, a reverse could be associated with one or more of the positions. If the marker lands on a position having an associated reverse, the direction of the marker movements changes or reverses.
Referring now to
It is contemplated that the gaming device may generate an initial position in each round automatically at random without an input by the player. Gaming device alternatively generates an initial position depending on an input by the player or generates an initial position depending on the outcome of a preceding round. The initial position in a subsequent round can also be effected by an outcome of any one, some or all of the preceding rounds. In an alternative embodiment, the starting position can be fixed or predetermined or otherwise suitably determined. For instance, the starting position could be based on the player's wagers in a primary game.
As illustrated in
In
After the first pick by the player, the gaming device provides a second pick display 916 as illustrated in
In the example illustrated by
A player's third pick during the first round of the bonus game continues in like fashion, as illustrated in
In one embodiment, the gaming device saves the residual +2 position move points as indicated by an additional display 983, as illustrated by
In another embodiment, the gaming device may enable the player to hold the residual points and not automatically apply the residual points to the first pick during the next round, wherein the player selectively uses the residual points in a desired round. The player can thereby command the gaming device to apply the residual points to the final pick of a round instead of to the initial or “come out” position of a round. In yet another embodiment, the gaming device accumulates residual points to be applied in a subsequent round. Here, the gaming device may accumulate residual points over multiple rounds of the bonus game and let the player use the residual points as needed.
For the second pick during the second round of the bonus game as illustrated in
The player proceeds to make the third pick during the second round of the bonus game as illustrated in
In the example illustrated by
It should be appreciated that the gaming device may accumulate residual picks over multiple rounds of the bonus game. It should also be appreciated that the player may receive both residual position move points and residual picks in the same round or in the same game and that each of the various embodiments described above for the residual move points is applicable to the residual picks. It should further be appreciated that the gaming device may provide the player with an additional award based on residual points and/or residual picks or provide an award in lieu of providing the additional move points or additional picks.
In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, credits or awards are not associated with the sequential position numbers. In this embodiment, an award or prize is provided to the player for completing the round and getting to the designated, predetermined or target position. A consolation award may be provided to the player for not obtaining the designated, predetermined or target position. In one embodiment, the award provided to the player associated with the designated, predetermined or target position is determined through another game or event such as the selection of one or more of the plurality of selections or the activation of a mechanical device such as a wheel, reel, die or set of objects such as balls. Thus, in this embodiment, the primary goal of the player is obtain the number one or target selection.
It should be appreciated that in one preferred embodiment of the present invention, each subsequent round includes higher awards or higher average awards. In such embodiment, the probability of reaching subsequent rounds may decrease with each round.
While the present invention is described in connection with what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it should be appreciated that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, and is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the claims. Modifications and variations in the present invention may be made without departing from the novel aspects of the invention as defined in the claims, and this application is limited only by the scope of the claims.
This application is a continuation application of, claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/241,248, filed on Sep. 11, 2002, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/682,428, filed Aug. 31, 2001, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
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