Gaming system and method providing a community selection game providing bonus game selection

• US 10,096,199 B2
• Filed: 06/17/2015
• Issued: 10/09/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Caputo, Scott A., Nicely, Mark C., Wolf, Bryan D., Grace, Kelsy J., Baerlocher, Anthony J.
• Primary Examiner(s): LIM, SENG HENG
• Application Number:
  US14/742,118
• Publication Number:
  US 20150287270A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,210 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3213 Details of moving display elements, e.g. spinning reels, tumbling members
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3223 Architectural aspects of a gaming system, e.g. internal configuration, master/slave, wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3237 about the players, e.g. profiling, responsible gaming, strategy/behavior of players, location of players
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3244 Payment aspects of a gaming system, e.g. payment schemes, setting payout ratio, bonus or consolation prizes
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3272 Games involving multiple players
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/34 depending on the stopping of moving members in a mechanical slot machine, e.g. "fruit" machines

Abstract

Gaming systems and methods providing a community selection game providing bonus game selection. In one embodiment, for each gaming device in the gaming system, when a triggering event occurs, the gaming system provides a player of that gaming device with a player identifier that uniquely identifies that player. The community selection game includes a plurality of bonus game identifiers each identifying a bonus game. The bonus game identifiers each include a limited quantity of bonus game player identifier display areas. The gaming system enables the players to place earned or received player identifiers at the bonus game player identifier display areas. When each bonus game player identifier display area of one of the displayed bonus game identifiers displays a player identifier, the players associated with those player identifiers are provided with one or more plays of the bonus game identified by that bonus game identifier.

Claims

1. A gaming system comprising:

a controller configured to operate with a plurality of gaming devices to;

cause a display, by a display device, of a plurality of bonus game identifiers, each of the bonus game identifiers identifying a bonus game;

for each of the gaming devices, upon an occurrence of a triggering event;

cause said gaming device to provide a player with one or more player identifiers associated with the player, and

cause said gaming device to enable the player to associate one or more of the player identifiers with one or more of the bonus game identifiers; and

for each of the bonus game identifiers, when a designated period of time associated with said bonus game identifier expires;

determine which of the players placed a largest quantity of player identifiers in association with said bonus game identifier,

cause the player who placed the largest quantity of player identifiers in association with said bonus game identifier to be provided with a premium outcome, and

cause each other player who placed a player identifier in association with said bonus game identifier to be provided with a common outcome.

2. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of bonus game identifiers identifies a different bonus game.

3. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the premium outcome is more advantageous than the common outcome.

4. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to operate with the gaming devices to:

cause a display, by the display device, of a plurality of upgrade identifiers, each of the upgrade identifiers identifying an upgrade;

cause each of the gaming devices to enable the player of said gaming device to associate one or more player identifiers provided to the player with one or more of the upgrade identifiers; and

for each of the upgrade identifiers, when the player associates a player identifier with said upgrade identifier, cause the upgrade associated with said upgrade identifier to be provided to the player.

5. The gaming system of claim 4, wherein the upgrade provides an advantage to the player.

6. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the designated quantity of player identifiers is different for at least two of the bonus identifiers.

7. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein, for each player, the player identifier provided to said player uniquely identifies said player.

8. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the game is a spinning reel game including a plurality of reels having a plurality of symbols, and the triggering event occurs when a designated symbol combination is generated and displayed on the reels.

9. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to operate with the gaming devices to cause each of the gaming devices to enable one or more wagers to be placed for one or more plays of one or more games.

21. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the gaming devices comprises an acceptor, wherein when executed by a processor, a plurality of instructions cause the processor to, responsive to a physical item being received via the acceptor, establish a credit balance based, at least in part, on a monetary value associated with the received physical item, and responsive to a cashout input being received, cause an initiation of any payout associated with the credit balance.

22. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the gaming devices comprises a mobile device.

23. The gaming system of claim 22, wherein the controller is configured to operate with the mobile device via a wireless network.

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

causing at least one processor to execute a plurality of instructions stored in at least one memory device to cause a display, by a display device, of a plurality of bonus game identifiers, each of the bonus game identifiers identifying a bonus game;

b) upon an occurrence of a triggering event, providing a player of one of a plurality of gaming devices with one or more player identifiers associated with the player and enabling the player to associate one or more of the player identifiers with one or more of the bonus game identifiers; and

c) for each of the bonus game identifiers, when a designated period of time associated with said bonus game identifier expires;

causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to determine which of the players placed a largest quantity of player identifiers in association with said bonus game identifier,

providing the player who placed the largest quantity of player identifiers in association with said bonus game identifier with a premium outcome, and

providing each other player who placed a player identifier in association with said bonus game identifier with a common outcome.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein each of the plurality of bonus game identifiers identifies a different bonus game.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the premium outcome is more advantageous than the common outcome.

13. The method of claim 10, which includes:

causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to cause a display, by the display device, of a plurality of upgrade identifiers, each of the upgrade identifiers identifying an upgrade;

for each of the gaming devices, enabling the player of said gaming device to associate one or more player identifiers provided to the player with one or more of the upgrade identifiers; and

for each of the upgrade identifiers, when the player associates a player identifier with said upgrade identifier, providing the upgrade associated with said upgrade identifier to the player.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the upgrade provides an advantage to the player.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the designated quantity of player identifiers is different for at least two of the bonus identifiers.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein, for each player, the player identifier provided to said player uniquely identifies said player.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein the game is a spinning reel game including a plurality of reels having a plurality of symbols, and the triggering event occurs when a designated symbol combination is generated and displayed on the reels.

18. The method of claim 10, which includes enabling one or more wagers to be placed for one or more plays of one or more games.

19. The method of claim 10, which is provided through a data network.

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

24. The method of claim 18, wherein a credit balance of one of the gaming devices is decreasable based on any wagers placed on any plays of any games, said credit balance being increasable via an acceptor of a physical item associated with a monetary value, and said credit balance being decreasable responsive to a cashout input.

25. The method of claim 10, wherein at least one of the gaming devices comprises a mobile device.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to communicate with the mobile device via a wireless network.