Gaming system and method providing tournament-style free activation feature

• US 10,733,838 B2
• Filed: 11/16/2018
• Issued: 08/04/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Khin, Nicholas
• Primary Examiner(s): Yen, Jason T
• Application Number:
  US16/193,245
• Publication Number:
  US 20200160665A1
• Time in Patent Office: 627 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 17/3244 Payment aspects of a gaming system, e.g. payment schemes, setting payout ratio, bonus or consolation prizes
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3258 Cumulative reward schemes, e.g. jackpots
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/326 Game play aspects of gaming systems
• 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 17/3269 Timing aspects of game play, e.g. blocking/halting the operation of a gaming machine

Abstract

Gaming systems and methods that, upon an occurrence of a designated triggering event, provide a tournament-style free activation feature for rapid play by a player.

Claims

1. A gaming system comprising:

a processor; and

a memory device storing a plurality of instructions, which when executed by the processor, responsive to an occurrence of a designated triggering event, cause the processor to;

cause a display, by a display device, (i) of a countdown of an initial period of time and of any determined additional periods of time, and (ii) of a plurality of free sequential activations of a game during the initial period of time and during any of the determined additional periods of time, the game associated with a plurality of reels comprising a plurality of different symbols comprising a plurality of multi-benefit symbols;

during the countdown;

for each activation of the game, cause a display, by the display device of the plurality of reels spinning, the plurality of reels after the reels have stopped spinning, and an indication of certain displayed symbols on the plurality of reels after the plurality of reels have stopped spinning,

accumulate of any awards associated with any winning symbol or winning symbol combinations indicated on the plurality of reels after the plurality of reels have stopped spinning for each of the activations of the game,

accumulate of any awards associated with any of the multi-benefit symbols indicated on the plurality of reels after the plurality of reels have stopped spinning for each of the activations of the game,

accumulate any points associated with any of the multi-benefit symbols indicated on the plurality of reels after the plurality of reels have stopped spinning for each of the activations of the game,

determine any of the additional periods of time associated with any multi-benefit symbols indicated on the plurality of reels after the plurality of reels have stopped spinning for each the activations of the game,

determine any additional awards associated with the accumulated quantity of points, and

cause a display, by the display device, of a total of any accumulated awards and any determined additional awards.

2. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein one of the multi-benefit symbols is associated with an amount of credits, another one of the multi-benefit symbols is associated with an amount of points, and another one of the multi-benefit symbols is associated with an additional period of time.

3. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein one of the multi-benefit symbols is associated with an amount of credits and associated with an amount of points.

4. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein one of the multi-benefit symbols is associated with an amount of credits and associated with an additional period of time.

5. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein one of the multi-benefit symbols is associated with an amount of points and associated with an additional period of time.

6. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein one of the multi-benefit symbols is associated with an amount of credits, associated with an amount of points, and associated with an additional period of time.

7. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the additional awards comprise a plurality of progressive awards respectively associated with a plurality of different point levels, and wherein the determination of which, if any, of the progressive awards to provide is based on the accumulated quantity of points.

8. The gaming system of claim 1, further comprising an acceptor, wherein when executed by the processor, the plurality of instructions cause the processor to, responsive to a physical item being received via the acceptor, establish a credit balance based 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.

9. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the display device comprises part of a mobile device configured to communicate with the processor via a wireless network.

10. A gaming system comprising:

a processor; and

a memory device storing a plurality of instructions, which when executed by the processor, responsive to an occurrence of a designated triggering event, cause the processor to;

cause a display, by a display device, of a countdown of an initial period of time and any determined additional periods of time, the countdown associated with a plurality of reels, the plurality of reels comprising a plurality of different symbols comprising a plurality of multi-benefit symbols, wherein one of the multi-benefit symbols is associated with an amount of credits, another one of the multi-benefit symbols is associated with an amount of points, and another one of the multi-benefit symbols is associated with an additional period of time;

during the countdown and responsive to each activation of an input device by a player;

cause a display, by the display device, of the plurality of reels spinning, the plurality of reels after the reels have stopped spinning, and an indication of certain displayed symbols on the plurality of reels after the plurality of reels have stopped spinning,

accumulate of any awards associated with any indicated displayed winning symbols or winning symbol combinations on the plurality of reels after the plurality of reels have stopped spinning;

accumulate of any awards associated with any indicated multi-benefit symbols on the plurality of reels after the plurality of reels have stopped spinning;

accumulate any points associated with any indicated multi-benefit symbols on the plurality of reels after the plurality of reels have stopped spinning; and

determine any of the additional periods of time associated with any indicated multi-benefit symbols on the plurality of reels after the plurality of reels have stopped spinning; and

after the countdown;

determine any additional awards associated with the accumulated quantity of points; and

cause a display, by the display device, of a total of any accumulated awards and any determined additional awards.

11. The gaming system of claim 10, wherein one of the multi-benefit symbols is associated with two of an amount of credits, an amount of points, and an additional period of time.

12. The gaming system of claim 10, wherein the additional awards comprise a plurality of progressive awards respectively associated with a plurality of different point levels, and wherein the determination of which, if any, of the progressive awards to provide is based on the accumulated quantity of points.

13. The gaming system of claim 10, further comprising an acceptor, wherein when executed by the processor, the plurality of instructions cause the processor to, responsive to a physical item being received via the acceptor, establish a credit balance based 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.

14. The gaming system of claim 10, wherein the display device comprises part of a mobile device configured to communicate with the processor via a wireless network.

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

displaying, by a display device, a countdown of a period of time associated a plurality of reels comprising a plurality of different symbols comprising a plurality of multi-benefit symbols, wherein one of the multi-benefit symbols is associated with an amount of credits, another one of the multi-benefit symbols is associated with an amount of points, and another one of the multi-benefit symbols is associated with an additional period of time;

during the countdown and responsive to each activation input by a player;

displaying, by the display device, the plurality of reels spinning,

displaying, by the display device, the plurality of reels after the plurality of reels have stopped spinning, and

displaying, by the display device, an indication of certain displayed symbols on the plurality of reels after the plurality of reels have stopped spinning,

accumulating of any awards associated with any indicated displayed symbols on the plurality of reels after the plurality of reels have stopped spinning;

accumulating of any awards associated with any indicated multi-benefit symbols on the plurality of reels after the plurality of reels have stopped spinning;

accumulating any points associated with any indicated multi-benefit symbols on the plurality of reels after the plurality of reels have stopped spinning;

determining any of the additional periods of time associated with any indicated multi-benefit symbols on the reels; and

increasing the period of time of the countdown based on any of the additional periods of time associated with any indicated multi-benefit symbols indicated on the plurality of reels after the plurality of reels have stopped spinning; and

after the countdown;

determining any additional awards associated with the accumulated quantity of points; and

causing a display, by the display device, of a total of any accumulated awards and any determined additional awards.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein one of the multi-benefit symbols is associated with two of an amount of credits, an amount of points, and an additional period of time.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the additional awards comprise a plurality of progressive awards respectively associated with a plurality of different point levels, and wherein determining any of the additional awards associated with the accumulated quantity of points comprises determining which, if any, of the progressive awards to provide is based on the accumulated quantity of points.

18. The method of claim 15, which is provided through a data network.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the display device comprises part of a mobile device.