Gaming system and method providing a keno game including an object removal feature that may trigger a secondary award

• US 10,002,496 B2
• Filed: 03/13/2015
• Issued: 06/19/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Humphrey, Thomas J., Selegue, Dylan B., Wenker, Ross D., Allen, II, Thomas W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Liddle, Jay
• Application Number:
  US14/657,847
• Publication Number:
  US 20160267741A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,194 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/326 Game play aspects of gaming systems
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/329 Regular and instant lottery, e.g. electronic scratch cards

Abstract

The present disclosure is directed to a gaming system and method providing a keno game including an object removal feature that may trigger a secondary award. In one embodiment, the keno game is associated with a plurality of keno numbers and a plurality of sets of objects. Each object is associated with one of the keno numbers. The gaming system displays the sets of objects in different layers stacked one atop the other. If an object removal event occurs during play of the keno game, the gaming system removes (at least) one of the displayed objects such that the object is no longer displayed, and determines if a secondary award triggering event occurred based on the removal of the object. If so, the gaming system determines and provides a secondary award. The occurrence of the object removal event thus provides an opportunity for the secondary award triggering event to occur.

Claims

1. A gaming system comprising:

a housing;

at least one processor;

at least one display device supported by the housing;

a plurality of input devices supported by the housing, the plurality of input devices including an acceptor; and

at least one memory device that stores a plurality of instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to;

responsive to receipt, by the acceptor, of a physical item associated with a monetary value, establish a credit balance based at least in part on the monetary value associated with the physical item;

cause the at least one display device to display an object display area including a displayed first set of multiple objects and a second set of multiple objects, wherein, for each of the first and second sets of objects, each object of that set is associated with a different keno number of a set of different keno numbers, wherein a first object of the first set and a first object of the second set are both associated with a first one of the keno numbers;

form a player keno number set including one or more keno numbers of the set of different keno numbers;

place a wager responsive to receipt, by a first one of the input devices, of a wager input, the credit balance being decreasable by the wager;

select one of the keno numbers from the set of different keno numbers;

add the selected keno number to a gaming system keno number set;

responsive to an occurrence of an object removal event;

cause the at least one display device to display a removal of one of the displayed objects such that said object is no longer displayed in the object display area;

responsive to an occurrence of a secondary award triggering event that is based on the removal of at least two of said objects associated with a same one of the keno numbers and that is different from the object removal event, determine a secondary award; and

cause the at least one display device to display the determined secondary award;

finalize the gaming system keno number set such that the gaming system keno number set includes a designated quantity of keno numbers;

determine any primary award based on the wager and a comparison of the one or more keno numbers of the player keno number set with the selected keno numbers of the gaming system keno number set, the credit balance being increasable by any primary award;

cause the at least one display device to display any primary award; and

responsive to receipt, by a second one of the input devices, of a cashout input, initiate a payout associated with the credit balance.

2. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the object removal event occurs when said keno number is selected and at least one object associated with said selected keno number is displayed in the object display area.

3. The gaming system of claim 2, wherein the plurality of instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to, responsive to the occurrence of the object removal event, cause the at least one display device to display a removal of a displayed object associated with said selected keno number such that said selected keno number is no longer displayed in the object display area.

4. The gaming system of claim 3, wherein the secondary award triggering event occurs when no more objects associated with said selected keno number are displayed as a result of the removal of said object.

5. The gaming system of claim 3, wherein the secondary award triggering event occurs when a designated quantity of objects associated with said selected keno number have been removed, the designated quantity being at least two.

6. The gaming system of claim 3, wherein the second set of objects is initially hidden behind the displayed first set of objects, and wherein the plurality of instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to, responsive to the occurrence of the object removal event, cause the at least one display device to display a removal of the displayed object associated with said selected keno number such that said object is no longer displayed in the object display area and such that one of the objects of the second set of objects also associated with said selected keno number is revealed.

7. The gaming system of claim 2, wherein the plurality of instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to, responsive to the occurrence of the object removal event, cause the at least one display device to display a removal of a plurality of displayed objects such that said plurality of objects are no longer displayed in the object display area.

8. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the first one of the input devices includes one of a first physical button and a touch screen and wherein the second one of the input devices includes one of a second physical button and the touch screen.

9. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the second set of objects is initially hidden behind the displayed first set of objects, and wherein the plurality of instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to, responsive to the occurrence of the object removal event, cause the at least one display device to display a removal of one of the displayed objects of the first set of objects such that said object is no longer displayed in the object display area and such that one of the objects of the second set of objects is revealed.

10. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to finalize the gaming system keno number set at least in part by selecting another one of the keno numbers from the set of different keno numbers, adding the selected keno number to a gaming system keno number set, and responsive to a second occurrence of the object removal event:

cause the at least one display device to display a removal of a second one of the displayed objects such that said second object is no longer displayed in the object display area; and

responsive to a second occurrence of the secondary award triggering event based on the removal of said second object, determine a second secondary award and cause the at least one display device to display the second secondary award.

11. A method of operating a gaming system, said method comprising:

responsive to receipt, by an acceptor, of a physical item associated with a monetary value, establishing, by at least one processor, a credit balance based at least in part on the monetary value associated with the physical item;

causing, by the at least one processor, at least one display device to display an object display area including a displayed first set of multiple objects and a second set of multiple objects, wherein, for each of the first and second sets of objects, each object of that set is associated with a different keno number of a set of different keno numbers, wherein a first object of the first set and a first object of the second set are both associated with a first one of the keno numbers;

forming, by the at least one processor, a player keno number set including one or more keno numbers of the set of different keno numbers;

placing, by the at least one processor, a wager responsive to receipt, by a first input device, of a wager input, the credit balance being decreasable by the wager;

selecting, by the at least one processor, one of the keno numbers from the set of different keno numbers;

adding, by the at least one processor, the selected keno number to a gaming system keno number set;

responsive to an occurrence of an object removal event;

causing, by the at least one processor, the at least one display device to display a removal of one of the displayed objects such that said object is no longer displayed in the object display area;

responsive to an occurrence of a secondary award triggering event based on the removal of at least two of said objects associated with a same one of the keno numbers and that is different from the object removal event, determining, by the at least one processor, a secondary award; and

causing, by the at least one processor, the at least one display device to display the determined secondary award;

finalizing, by the at least one processor, the gaming system keno number set such that the gaming system keno number set includes a designated quantity of keno numbers;

determining, by the at least one processor, any primary award based on the wager and a comparison of the one or more keno numbers of the player keno number set with the selected keno numbers of the gaming system keno number set, the credit balance being increasable by any primary award;

causing, by the at least one processor, the at least one display device to display any primary award; and

responsive to receipt, by a second input device, of a cashout input, initiating, by the at least one processor, a payout associated with the credit balance.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the object removal event occurs when said keno number is selected and at least one object associated with said selected keno number is displayed in the object display area.

13. The method of claim 12, which includes causing, by the at least one processor, the at least one display device to, responsive to the occurrence of the object removal event, display a removal of a displayed object associated with said selected keno number such that said selected keno number is no longer displayed in the object display area.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the secondary award triggering event occurs when no more objects associated with said selected keno number are displayed as a result of the removal of said object.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the secondary award triggering event occurs when a designated quantity of objects associated with said selected keno number have been removed, the designated quantity being at least two.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the second set of objects is initially hidden behind the displayed first set of objects, and which includes causing, by the at least one processor, the at least one display device to, responsive to the occurrence of the object removal event, display a removal of the displayed object associated with said selected keno number such that said object is no longer displayed in the object display area and such that one of the objects of the second set of objects also associated with said selected keno number is revealed.

17. The method of claim 12, which includes causing, by the at least one processor, the at least one display device to, responsive to the occurrence of the object removal event, display a removal of a plurality of displayed objects such that said plurality of objects are no longer displayed in the object display area.

18. The method of claim 11, which is at least partially provided through a data network.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the data network is an internet.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein the first input device includes one of a first physical button and a touch screen and wherein the second input device includes one of a second physical button and the touch screen.

21. The method of claim 11, wherein the second set of objects is initially hidden behind the displayed first set of objects, and which includes causing, by the at least one processor, the at least one display device to, responsive to the occurrence of the object removal event, display a removal of one of the displayed objects of the first set of objects such that said object is no longer displayed in the object display area and such that one of the objects of the second set of objects is revealed.

22. The method of claim 11, wherein finalizing the gaming system keno number set includes selecting, by the at least one processor, another one of the keno numbers from the set of different keno numbers;

adding, by the at least one processor, the selected keno number to a gaming system keno number set; and

responsive to a second occurrence of the object removal event;

causing, by the at least one processor, the at least one display device to display a removal of a second one of the displayed objects such that said second object is no longer displayed in the object display area; and

responsive to a second occurrence of the secondary award triggering event based on the removal of said second object, determining, by the at least one processor, a second secondary award and causing, by the at least one processor, the at least one display device to display the second secondary award.