Gaming system and method for providing a bonus event triggered by a continuous communal game

• US 10,147,262 B2
• Filed: 11/13/2015
• Issued: 12/04/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Hoffman, Benjamin C., Rodgers, Paulina, Parker, Christmas C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Deodhar, Omkar
• Assistant Examiner(s): WILLIAMS, ROSS A
• Application Number:
  US14/940,697
• Publication Number:
  US 20160071357A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,117 Days
• Field of Search: 463 16- 20, 463 42
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• 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 17/3244 Payment aspects of a gaming system, e.g. payment schemes, setting payout ratio, bonus or consolation prizes
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3246 involving coins and/or banknotes
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3248 involving non-monetary media of fixed value, e.g. casino chips of fixed value
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3255 Incentive, loyalty and/or promotion schemes, e.g. comps, gaming associated with a purchase, gaming funded by advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3267 Game outcomes which determine the course of the subsequent game, e.g. double or quits, free games, higher payouts, different new games
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/34 depending on the stopping of moving members in a mechanical slot machine, e.g. "fruit" machines

Abstract

A communal game is displayed by a gaming system. A plurality of gaming devices each enable a player to wager on plays of a primary game and determine an eligibility status. The communal game repeatedly generates at least one communal game symbol from a plurality of communal game symbols regardless of whether any player is wagering on plays of a primary game. The communal game triggers a bonus event based on the generated symbols. Any eligible gaming devices may participate in the bonus event. For each eligible gaming device, the gaming system applies at least one symbol or gaming element from the communal game to the primary game of the eligible gaming device. Each eligible gaming device provides an award based on any winning symbol combinations generated by application of the communal game symbol or gaming element.

Claims

1. A gaming system comprising:

a housing,

an acceptor supported by the housing,

at least one display device supported by the housing,

at least one processor, and

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

receive a wager on a play of a primary game, wherein the credit balance is decreasable based on the received wager on the play of the game,

at each of a plurality of primary game symbol display positions associated with the wagered on play of the primary game;

determine a primary game symbol selected from a plurality of primary game symbols, and

cause the at least one display device to display the determined primary game symbol,

responsive to a triggering event occurring independent of any play of any primary game and in association with a play of a concurrently displayed communal game;

cause the at least one display device to display a transfer of at least one communal game symbol from at least one communal game symbol display position to at least one of the primary game symbol display positions, wherein said at least one transferred communal game symbol replaces the primary game symbol previously displayed at said at least one of said primary game symbol display positions,

determine if any displayed primary game symbols and any displayed transferred communal game symbols form any winning symbol combinations, and

responsive to any displayed primary game symbols and any displayed transferred communal game symbols forming at least one winning symbol combination, for each formed winning symbol combination;

determine an award associated with the formed winning symbol combination, and

cause the at least one display device to display the determined award associated with the formed winning symbol combination, wherein the credit balance is increasable based on the determined award associated with the formed winning symbol combination,

responsive to no triggering event occurring in association with the play of the concurrently displayed communal game;

determine if any displayed primary game symbols form any winning symbol combinations, and

responsive to any displayed primary game symbols forming at least one winning symbol combination, for each formed winning symbol combination;

determine an award associated with the formed winning symbol combination, and

cause the at least one display device to display the determined award associated with the formed winning symbol combination, wherein the credit balance is increasable based on the determined award associated with the formed winning symbol combination, and

responsive to a cashout input being received, cause an initiation of any payout associated with the credit balance.

2. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the play of the concurrently displayed communal game occurs regardless of any placement of any wagers on any plays of any primary games, and regardless of any plays of any primary games.

3. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein when executed by the at least one processor responsive to the triggering event occurring in association with the play of the concurrently displayed communal game, the plurality of instructions cause the at least one processor to cause the at least one display device to display a transfer of a plurality of communal game symbols from a plurality of communal game symbol display positions to a plurality of the primary game symbol display positions.

4. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the triggering event occurs in association with the play of the concurrently displayed communal game responsive to a designated communal game symbol being displayed in association with the play of the concurrently displayed communal game.

5. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein at least one of any wagers and any awards are selected from the group consisting of:

a quantity of monetary credits, a quantity of non-monetary credits, a quantity of promotional credits, and a quantity of player tracking points.

6. A gaming system server comprising:

at least one processor, and

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

receive data associated with a wager placed on a play of a primary game, wherein a credit balance is decreasable based on the wager placed on the play of the primary game, the credit balance being increasable via an acceptor of a physical item associated with a monetary value, and the credit balance being decreasable via receipt of an input to cause an initiation of a payout associated with the credit balance,

at each of a plurality of primary game symbol display positions associated with the wagered on play of the primary game;

determine a primary game symbol selected from a plurality of primary game symbols, and

communicate data which results in at least one display device displaying the determined primary game symbol,

responsive to a triggering event occurring independent of any play of any primary game and in association with a play of a concurrently displayed communal game;

communicate data which results in the at least one display device displaying a transfer of at least one communal game symbol from at least one communal game symbol display position to at least one of the primary game symbol display positions, wherein said at least one transferred communal game symbol replaces the primary game symbol previously displayed at said at least one of said primary game symbol display positions,

determine if any displayed primary game symbols and any displayed transferred communal game symbols form any winning symbol combinations, and

responsive to any displayed primary game symbols and any displayed transferred communal game symbols forming at least one winning symbol combination, for each formed winning symbol combination;

determine an award associated with the formed winning symbol combination, wherein the credit balance is increasable based on any determined award associated with the formed winning symbol combination, and

communicate data which results in the at least one display device displaying the determined award associated with the formed winning symbol combination, and

responsive to no triggering event occurring in association with the play of the concurrently displayed communal game;

determine if any displayed primary game symbols form any winning symbol combinations, and

responsive to any displayed primary game symbols forming at least one winning symbol combination, for each formed winning symbol combination;

determine an award associated with the formed winning symbol combination, and

communicate data which results in the at least one display device displaying the determined award associated with the formed winning symbol combination, wherein the credit balance is increasable based on the determined award associated with the formed winning symbol combination.

7. The gaming system server of claim 6, wherein the play of the concurrently displayed communal game occurs regardless of any placement of any wagers on any plays of any primary games, and regardless of any plays of any primary games.

8. The gaming system server of claim 6, wherein when executed by the at least one processor responsive to the triggering event occurring in association with the play of the concurrently displayed communal game, the plurality of instructions cause the at least one processor to communicate data which results in the at least one display device displaying a transfer of a plurality of communal game symbols from a plurality of communal game symbol display positions to a plurality of the primary game symbol display positions.

9. The gaming system server of claim 6, wherein the triggering event occurs in association with the play of the concurrently displayed communal game responsive to a designated communal game symbol being displayed in association with the play of the concurrently displayed communal game.

10. The gaming system server of claim 6, wherein at least one of any wagers and any awards are selected from the group consisting of:

a quantity of monetary credits, a quantity of non-monetary credits, a quantity of promotional credits, and a quantity of player tracking points.

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

receiving data associated with a wager placed on a play of a primary game, wherein a credit balance is decreasable based on the wager placed on the play of the primary game, the credit balance being increasable via an acceptor of a physical item associated with a monetary value, and the credit balance being decreasable via receipt of an input to cause an initiation of a payout associated with the credit balance,

at each of a plurality of primary game symbol display positions associated with the wagered on play of the primary game;

determining, by at least one processor, a primary game symbol selected from a plurality of primary game symbols, and

displaying, by at least one display device, the determined primary game symbol,

responsive to a triggering event occurring independent of any play of any primary game and in association with a play of a concurrently displayed communal game;

displaying, by the at least one display device, a transfer of at least one communal game symbol from at least one communal game symbol display position to at least one of the primary game symbol display positions, wherein said at least one transferred communal game symbol replaces the primary game symbol previously displayed at said at least one of said primary game symbol display positions,

determining, by the at least one processor, if any displayed primary game symbols and any displayed transferred communal game symbols form any winning symbol combinations, and

responsive to any displayed primary game symbols and any displayed transferred communal game symbols forming at least one winning symbol combination, for each formed winning symbol combination;

determining, by the at least one processor, an award associated with the formed winning symbol combination, and

displaying, by the at least one display device, the determined award associated with the formed winning symbol combination, wherein the credit balance is increasable based on any determined award associated with the formed winning symbol combination, and

responsive to no triggering event occurring in association with the play of the concurrently displayed communal game;

determining, by the at least one processor, if any displayed primary game symbols form any winning symbol combinations, and

responsive to any displayed primary game symbols forming at least one winning symbol combination, for each formed winning symbol combination;

determining, by the at least one processor, an award associated with the formed winning symbol combination, and

displaying, by the at least one display device, the determined award associated with the formed winning symbol combination, wherein the credit balance is increasable based on any determined award associated with the formed winning symbol combination.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the play of the concurrently displayed communal game occurs regardless of any placement of any wagers on any plays of any primary games, and regardless of any plays of any primary games.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising, responsive to the triggering event occurring in association with the play of the concurrently displayed communal game, displaying, by the at least one display device, a transfer of a plurality of communal game symbols from a plurality of communal game symbol display positions to a plurality of the primary game symbol display positions.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the triggering event occurs in association with the play of the concurrently displayed communal game responsive to a designated communal game symbol being displayed in association with the play of the concurrently displayed communal game.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein at least one of any wagers and any awards are selected from the group consisting of:

a quantity of monetary credits, a quantity of non-monetary credits, a quantity of promotional credits, and a quantity of player tracking points.

16. The method of claim 11, which is executed through a data network.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the data network is an internet.