Patent Application
20150317866
The present disclosure is generally related to electronic gaming systems and, more particularly, casino-type electronic gaming systems.
Casino-type electronic gaming systems encompass a variety of gaming markets, including U.S. tribal gaming, licensed gaming, charitable gaming, and video lottery and electronic pull-tab applications. Symbol or pattern matching games, such as Keno or Bingo, are popular games because of they are easy to learn and involve little in the way of strategy. In Keno, for instance, a player is provided with a display screen of a card or field comprising a plurality of numbers (e.g., 1-80) that correspond to numbered balls graphically presented on the display screen. A player selects (or a game processor selects for the player, such as a quick pick) a defined quantity of numbers (e.g., generally 1-10) from the numbers on the card and provides his or her wager. A random number generator or pseudo random number generator generates winning numbers (e.g., a quantity of twenty (20), analogous to drawing winning-numbered balls in conventional machines). A defined match between the generated (drawn) numbers and the user-inputted numbers results in a monetary award as set forth according to pay tables in the system, with progressive awards also available to the player based on the wager.
Many aspects of the disclosure can be better understood with reference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present disclosure. Moreover, in the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views.
In one embodiment, a method comprising executing a symbol matching game; electronically providing during the execution a first monetary award responsive to a defined quantity of matches between user-inputted symbol selections and a first plurality of symbols; and electronically providing during the execution an award of one or more free plays.
Certain embodiments of a symbol matching game system and method are disclosed that provides players of symbol matching games with one or more free plays in addition to monetary awards (e.g., game outcome awards, jackpot or progressive awards). In one embodiment, the symbol matching game system provides a display of two visually distinguishable and demarcated fields of symbols (e.g., numbers, letters, graphic icons that are numbered, lettered, or otherwise distinguished, or other symbols or patterns) and receives user-inputted symbol selections (e.g., user-selected, or automatically generated such as via selection of a quick pick button or button icon). The symbol matching game system then presents adjacent the fields random or pseudo random generated winning symbols, and further provides for monetary awards based on a defined match (e.g., 10 matches, 9 matches, etc.) between the user-inputted symbol selections and machine-generated (e.g., random or pseudo-random number generator of a gaming machine or game server) symbols, as is conventionally done, as well as one or more free play awards based on a defined quantity of matches between the machine generated symbols and symbols of either one of the plural (e.g., two) fields.
Digressing briefly, conventional symbol matching games provide for monetary awards based on the aforementioned defined matches between the user-inputted symbol selections and the machine-generated symbols, but do not offer a free play option as an award. In certain embodiments, the symbol matching game system provides the additional one or more free play awards, resulting in increased interest in these types of games and potentially more revenue for the host facilities.
Having summarized certain features of one or more symbol matching game systems of the present disclosure, reference will now be made in detail to the description of the disclosure as illustrated in the drawings. While the disclosure will be described in connection with these drawings, there is no intent to limit it to the embodiment or embodiments disclosed herein. For instance, although Keno-type games are described and illustrated in the present disclosure, other types of symbol matching games (e.g., Bingo, Lotto, Roulette, etc.) also benefit from certain embodiments of symbol matching game systems, and hence are contemplated to be within the scope of the disclosure. Also, although a mechanism for determining free play awards is described herein as based on top or bottom field counts, as described further below, it should be appreciated in the context of the present disclosure that other mechanisms may be used to award free play awards. For instance, the free play award may be based on matching predesignated spots on a field (e.g., a Keno field), matching randomly selected spots on the field, having the awards randomly awarded (e.g., based on some predetermined probability or based on some external event). Further, although the description identifies or describes specifics of one or more embodiments, such specifics are not necessarily part of every embodiment, nor are all of any various stated advantages necessarily associated with a single embodiment. On the contrary, the intent is to cover all alternatives, modifications and equivalents included within the spirit and scope of the disclosure as defined by the appended claims. Further, it should be appreciated in the context of the present disclosure that the claims are not necessarily limited to the particular embodiments set out in the description.
In the examples depicted in
Referring again to
Referring to
In general, the player picks 2-10 numbers (e.g., 10 in this case) and how much he or she wants to bet via manipulation of the bet icon 24. When the player presses the play button icon 26, the game commences and a defined quantity of numbers (e.g., twenty (20) are generated by the machine, with the resulting display screens 10A shown in
In one example operation, and referring to
It is noted that variations of the awards or other display screen features may be used in some embodiments. In some embodiments, for an additional wager (e.g., if the player gets only fourteen (14) matches in one of the fields 18 or 20), the player may earn a free play. In another embodiment, no matches at all may earn a free play.
Attention is now directed to
In one embodiment, the game server 36 can implement gaming software 50. The gaming software 50 can be implemented in software, as an executable program, and can be executed by a special or general purpose digital computer, such as a personal computer (PC, IBM-compatible, Apple-compatible, or otherwise), workstation, minicomputer, or mainframe computer. The gaming software 50 includes a graphical user-interface (GUI) module 52 that, through execution by the processor 42, provides the display screens described above. Web-page or display screen generation and formatting mechanisms involved in generating the various displays are known in the art and, therefore are not discussed here. The gaming software 50 also includes one or more data structures, such as one or more pay table(s) 54. The gaming software 50 enables, through the use of the GUI 52, the pay table(s) 54, among other data structures, and execution by the processor 42, the provision of top and bottom field outcomes according to one or more additional entries in the pay table 54.
In some embodiments, the gaming software 50 may be located wholly or partially in the gaming machine 38 or may be split between the game server 36 and the gaming machine 38. Often the RNG 53 resides in the game server 36 while the remainder of the gaming software 50 resides in the gaming machine 38.
The pay table 54 includes some conventional features well-known in the art. For instance, the pay table defines all possible outcomes of one play of a game that can result in awarding a prize to a player. Each entry in the pay table may correspond to the amount of money required to be played, the criteria that defines a win (e.g., symbols of symbols), the odds of the win criteria resulting from one play of the game, and the amount of money (e.g., a list of payouts) returned by the gaming machine to the player when the win is registered, in addition to the top and bottom field matching outcomes. The underlying mechanisms for determining how many of the machine generated numbers are to match the numbers in the top and bottom fields 18 and 20 (and how many of the machine generated numbers are to match the player selected picks) may be implemented in different ways depending on the jurisdiction hosting the game. For instance, in one embodiment, a random number generator (RNG) 53 truly picks a defined quantity of balls at random. Random number generation may be achieved through hardware, or a combination of hardware and software. Alternatively, an outcome may be selected from a random process, where the outcome may be that there are fifteen (15) matches in the top or bottom fields 18 or 20, which in turn awards the player three (3) free plays. In this implementation, the machine generated numbers are not randomly selected, but rather, the machine generated numbers are created to provide the outcome the pay table entry designates (e.g., three (3) free plays, six (6) matches on the ten-pick, etc.). In other words, in some jurisdictions, such as tribal markets, there is an underlying bingo game that has a pay table, and one of the outcomes in the pay table is a ten pick that provides for six (6) matches and three (3) free plays. In some implementations, there is no explicit random generation, but rather, a pool of outcomes as stored in a data structure. In one embodiment, the outcomes are randomized, arranged in the data structure, and read sequentially from the data structure. Such an outcome (e.g., analogous to an electronic pulltab or lottery ticket) may be designated as winning six (6) out of ten (10) and the provision of three (3) free plays.
Additional software modules (integrated with the gaming software 50 or separate in some embodiments) are also included in the memory 44. Although shown integral to the gaming software 50, one having ordinary skill in the art should understand in the context of this disclosure that the GUI module 52, the pay table 54, the RNG 53, and/or any other data structures may be separate modules or structures distributed among various components or devices, and that each module may be further configured using a plurality of submodules. In some embodiments, all or a portion of the aforementioned functionality associated with the gaming software 50 may be distributed among a plurality of devices of the symbol matching game system 34, or performed in each device of the system 34. For instance, in some embodiments, the gaming software 50 (and accompanying modules) may be located in each gaming machine 38, in addition to or in lieu of being located in game server(s) 36.
The data bus 48 may be, for example, one or more buses or other wired or wireless connections, and may have additional elements (not shown) to enable communications, such as controllers, buffers (caches), drivers, repeaters, and receivers. Further, the data bus 48 may include address, control, and/or data connections to enable appropriate communications among the aforementioned components. The game server 36 and/or gaming machines 38 may also communicate with a database 56 via the network 40. The database 56 may be external to or integral to game server 36.
The processor 42 is a hardware device capable of executing software, particularly that stored in memory 44. The processor 42 can be any custom made or commercially available processor, a central processing unit (CPU), an auxiliary processor among several processors associated with the game server 36, a semiconductor based microprocessor (in the form of a microchip or chip set), a macroprocessor, or generally any device for executing software instructions.
The memory 44 comprises a non-transitory, computer-readable medium, and may include any one or combination of volatile memory elements (i.e., random access memory) such as DRAM, SRAM or SDRAM and non-volatile memory elements such as ROM, hard drive, tape or CDROM. Moreover, the memory 44 may incorporate electronic, magnetic, optical, and/or other types of storage media. Note that memory 44 can have a distributed architecture where various components are situated remote from one another but can be accessed by the processor 42.
The software in memory 44 may include one or more separate programs, each of which comprises an ordered listing of executable instructions for implementing logical functions. In one embodiment of the game server 36, the software in the memory 44 includes the gaming software 50 and a suitable operating system (O/S) 58. The operating system 58 controls the execution of other computer programs, such as the gaming software 50, and provides scheduling, input-output control, file and data management, memory management, and communication control and related services, as is known.
The gaming software 50 may be a source program, executable program (object code), script, and/or any other entity comprising a set of instructions to be performed. When a source program, the program may be translated via a compiler, assembler, interpreter, or the like, which may or may not be included within memory 44, so as to operate properly in connection with the operating system 58. Furthermore, the gaming software 50 can be written as (a) an object oriented programming language, which has classes of data and methods, or (b) a procedure programming language.
The gaming software 50 may be stored on any non-transitory, computer readable medium for use by or in connection with any computer related system or method. In the context of this document, a computer readable medium is an electronic, magnetic, optical, or other physical device or means that can contain or store a computer program for use by or in connection with a computer related system or method. The gaming software 50 can be embodied in any non-transitory, computer-readable medium for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device, such as a computer-based system, processor-containing system, or other system that can fetch the instructions from the instruction execution system, apparatus, or device and execute the instructions.
The I/O interfaces or devices 46 may include input devices such as a keyboard, mouse, scanner, grid from a touch-display screen, electromechanical buttons, microphone, etc., as well as interfaces to various devices (e.g., an interface to one or more gaming machines 38 as shown in
When the game server 36 is in operation, the processor 42 is configured to execute software stored within memory 44, to communicate data to and from memory 44, and to generally control operations of game server 36 pursuant to the software. The gaming software 50 and the operating system 58, in whole or in part, but typically the latter, are read by the processor 42, perhaps buffered within the processor 42, and then executed.
To the extent certain components of the game server 36 are implemented at least in hardware, such functionality may be implemented with any or a combination of the following technologies, which are all well-known in the art: a discrete logic circuit(s) having logic gates for implementing logic functions upon data signals, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) having appropriate combinational logic gates, a programmable gate array(s) (PGA), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), etc.
Having described an example embodiment of a symbol matching game system 34, and in view of the above description, it should be appreciated that one embodiment of a symbol matching game method, as depicted in
Any process descriptions or blocks in flow diagrams should be understood as representing modules, segments, or portions of code which include one or more executable instructions for implementing specific logical functions or steps in the process, and alternate implementations are included within the scope of the embodiments in which functions may be executed out of order from that shown or discussed, including substantially concurrently or in reverse order, depending on the functionality involved, as would be understood by those reasonably skilled in the art of the present disclosure.
It should be emphasized that the above-described embodiments of the present disclosure are merely possible examples of implementations, merely set forth for a clear understanding of the principles of the disclosure. Many variations and modifications may be made to the above-described embodiment(s) of the disclosure without departing substantially from the spirit and principles of the disclosure. All such modifications and variations are intended to be included herein within the scope of this disclosure and protected by the following claims.
