Gaming machine with visual and audio indicia changed over time

• US 20020090990A1
• Filed: 03/08/2002
• Published: 07/11/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sg Gaming, Inc. (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: WMS Gaming Incorporated (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Inventors: Joshi, Shridhar P., Locke, David K., Raneses, Marc A.
• Granted Patent: US 6,960,136 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/20
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3202 Hardware aspects of a gaming system, e.g. components, construction, architecture thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3211 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3213 Details of moving display elements, e.g. spinning reels, tumbling members
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3227 Configuring a gaming machine, e.g. downloading personal settings, selecting working parameters
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/323 wherein the player is informed, e.g. advertisements, odds, instructions
• 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 17/3267 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
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/34 depending on the stopping of moving members in a mechanical slot machine, e.g. "fruit" machines

Abstract

A gaming machine having features for increasing player appeal is set forth. The machine generally includes a processor, a display, and a memory device. The processor randomly selects one of a plurality of outcomes of the gaming machine in response to a wager. The display displays visual elements to be viewed by the player. The memory device is coupled to the processor and stores at least two data sets for producing at least two different types of visual and/or audio elements in the basic game or bonus game, or at least two different types of bonus game formats. The processor selects one of the two data sets in response to the occurrence of a predetermined time, a number of wager inputs by players of the gaming machine, or after determining a favorite play content based on the number of wager inputs by players.

Claims

1. A method of operating a gaming machine, comprising:

monitoring a number of wager inputs from players of said gaming machine; and

altering a play content of a bonus game for said gaming machine in response to said number being a certain value, said bonus game being activated in response to a start-bonus outcome being achieved during a basic game.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of monitoring includes monitoring wager inputs over a period of time and while a variety of play contents are being displayed, and determining which of said variety of different play contents is a favorite play content, said favorite play content having a largest number of wager inputs as compared to other ones of said variety of different play contents, said certain value being said number of wager inputs, said altering includes displaying said favorite play content on said gaming machine.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said certain value is a fixed value such that said step of altering occurs at a constant frequency.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said certain value is every 25 plays of said gaming machine.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said play content includes background visual elements that have no relation to the outcome of said bonus game.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said altering alters said background visual elements to a motif associated with a commonly known societal event.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said play content includes player-selectable visual elements that relate to the outcome of said bonus game.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said altering alters said player-selectable visual elements to a motif associated with a commonly known societal event.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said play content is a bonus game format presenting player-selectable options that randomly determine an outcome of said bonus game, said altering alters said bonus game format so as to present said player with a different type of bonus game.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said altering alters said bonus game format such that no bonus game is available during said basic game.

11. A method of operating a gaming machine, comprising:

monitoring real time; and

altering a play content of a bonus game for said gaming machine in response to said real time being a certain time, said bonus game being activated in response to a start-bonus outcome being achieved during a basic game.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said play content is a bonus game format presenting player-selectable options that randomly determine an outcome of said bonus game, said altering alters said bonus game format so as to present said player with a different type of bonus game.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein said bonus game format includes at least one character confronting decisions in a simulated life event, said decisions being said different player-selectable options that randomly determine said outcome of said bonus game.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein said play content includes background visual elements that have no relation to the outcome of said bonus game.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein said altering alters said background visual elements to a motif associated with a commonly known societal event occurring at said certain time.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein said play content includes player-selectable visual elements that relate to the outcome of said bonus game.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein said altering alters said player-selectable visual elements to a motif associated with a commonly known societal event occurring at said certain time.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein said altering alters said bonus game format such that no bonus game is available during said basic game.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein said bonus games have different formats presenting different player-selectable options.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein said selectively enabling enables none or more of said bonus games at said different times of operation of said basic game.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein said different times of operation include first and second times of operation, and wherein said selectively enabling enables different groups of said bonus games at said respective first and second times of operation.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein said different times of operation are determined by monitoring real time.

24. The method of claim 19, wherein said different times of operation are determined by monitoring a number of wager inputs of players of said gaming machine.

26. The gaming machine of claim 25, wherein a first one of said plurality of data sets includes first background visual elements that have no relation to the outcome of said bonus game, a second one of said plurality of data sets includes second background visual elements that have no relation to the outcome of said bonus game, said second background visual elements include background decorations associated with a commonly known societal event.

27. The gaming machine of claim 25, wherein one of said bonus game formats includes at least one character confronting decisions in a simulated life event, said decisions being player-selectable options that randomly determine said outcome of said bonus game.

28. The gaming machine of claim 25, wherein said processor determines a favorite one of said plurality of bonus game formats based on wager inputs, said processor selecting a data set corresponding to said favorite one for display more frequently than others of said plurality of bonus game formats.

29. The gaming machine of claim 25, wherein said processor monitors real time, said processor selecting one of said plurality of data sets based on said real time being a first time, and selecting another of said plurality of data sets based on said real time being a second time.

30. The gaming machine of claim 25, wherein said processor monitors the number of said wagers, said processor selecting one of said plurality of data sets based on said number being a first value, and selecting another of said plurality of data sets based on said number being a second value.

31. The gaming machine of claim 30, wherein said processor cycles between said one and said another of said plurality of data sets.

19. A method of operating a gaming machine, comprising:

storing a plurality of data sets for producing respective bonus games;

conducting a basic game;

selectively enabling said bonus games at different times of operation of said basic game, each enabled bonus game being activatable in response to an associated start-bonus outcome in the basic game; and

activating one of said enabled bonus games in response to the associated start-bonus outcome in the basic game.

25. A gaming machine, comprising:

a processor for randomly selecting one of a plurality of outcomes in a basic game in response to a wager from a player, at least one of said plurality of outcomes being a start-bonus game outcome for activating a bonus game of said gaming machine; and

a memory device coupled to said processor and storing a plurality of data sets for producing a corresponding plurality of different bonus game formats for said bonus game, a first group having at least one of said plurality of data sets being selected by said processor for activation during a first time of operation of said basic game and a second group having at least one of said plurality of data sets being selected by said processor for activation during a second time of operation of said basic game, said first group being different from said second group such that at least one different bonus game format is activatable during said first time of operation than in said second time of operation.

32. A gaming machine, comprising:

a processor for randomly selecting one of a plurality of outcomes of said gaming machine in response to a wager amount; and

a memory device coupled to said processor and storing at least two data sets for producing at least two different play contents for a bonus game mode, said bonus game mode being activated in response to a start-bonus outcome being achieved in a basic game mode, said processor selecting one of said at least two data sets in response to an occurrence of a commonly known societal event, said selected one of said at least two data sets producing a theme corresponding to said commonly known societal event.

33. The gaming machine of claim 32, wherein said commonly known societal event occurs on a certain day of the year.

34. The gaming machine of claim 33, wherein said certain day of the year is a holiday.

35. The gaming machine of claim 34, wherein said certain day is Valentine'"'"'s Day and said theme of said selected one of said at least two data sets is courting.

36. The gaming machine of claim 32, wherein said commonly known societal event is a TV event.

37. The gaming machine of claim 36, wherein said TV event is a sporting event.

38. The gaming machine of claim 36, wherein said TV event occurs for several weeks.

39. The gaming machine of claim 38, wherein said TV event includes different games of competition for each of said several weeks, said selected one of said at least two data sets providing a bonus game format similar in theme to said games of competition.

40. The gaming machine of claim 32, wherein said at least two different play contents include different background visual elements having no relation to the outcome of said bonus game.

41. The gaming machine of claim 32, wherein said at least two different play contents include different game formats so as to present a game player with at least two types of bonus games.

42. The gaming machine of claim 41, wherein one of said different game formats includes a character confronting player-selectable decisions within a simulated life event.

43. A gaming machine, comprising:

a processor for randomly selecting one of a plurality of outcomes in a basic game in response to a wager from a player, at least one of said plurality of outcomes being capable of triggering a bonus game of said gaming machine, said processor activating said bonus game when said at least one of said plurality of outcomes is achieved during a selected time period such that said bonus game is only available for activation operation during said selected time period.

44. The gaming machine of claim 43, wherein said selected time period includes a certain time period within a day.

45. The gaming machine of claim 43, wherein said selected time period includes one or more days of the week.

46. The gaming machine of claim 43, wherein said selected time period occurs upon receipt of a certain number of wager inputs.

48. The method of claim 47, wherein said processor selectively enables none or more of said bonus games at said different times of operation of said basic game.

49. The method of claim 47, wherein said processor selectively enables different groups of said bonus games at said different times of operation of said basic game.

47. A gaming machine, comprising:

a memory for storing a plurality of data sets for respective bonus games; and

a processor for randomly selecting from a plurality of outcomes during a basic game, said processor selectively enabling said bonus games at different times of operation of said basic game, each enabled bonus game capable of being activated during said basic game, said processor activating one of said enabled bonus games in response to an associated start-bonus outcome in said basic game.