Telephone gaming device

• US 20030062680A1
• Filed: 10/01/2001
• Published: 04/03/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Atlantic City Coin & Slot Service Company Incorporated (Atlantic City Coin & Slot Service)
• Original Assignee: Atlantic City Coin & Slot Service Company Incorporated (Atlantic City Coin & Slot Service)
• Inventors: Seelig, Jerald C., Henshaw, Lawrence M.
• Granted Patent: US 6,899,329 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 273/292
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• 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 17/3262 Player actions which determine the course of the game, e.g. selecting a prize to be won, outcome to be achieved, game to be played

Abstract

A gaming device for playing a game by a game player. The gaming device allows the game player to place a telephone call. A controller generates a prize. Several images of persons who may receive the telephone call are displayed to the game player. The telephone call is placed to one of the images. The prize is announced by the selected image to the game player. A second telephone call is placed to a telephone number in order to select a multiplier. The controller generates the multiplier. The multiplier is the last digit of the telephone number. The prize is multiplied by the multiplier to obtain a total prize.

Claims

1. A gaming device allowing game play by a game player, the gaming device comprising:

(A) a controller adapted to award a base prize, the controller being adapted to initiate a game sequence by placing a telephone call and to announce the base prize to the game player;

(B) a multiplier generator in communication with the controller, the multiplier generator being adapted to generate a multiplier and to calculate a total prize, the total prize being the base prize multiplied by the multiplier; and

(C) a display in communication with the multiplier generator for displaying the base prize, the multiplier and the total prize.

2. The gaming device according to claim 1, wherein the multiplier generator dials a phone number, the multiplier being equal to the last digit of the phone number.

3. The gaming device according to claim 1, wherein the controller controls a plurality of spinning reels.

4. The gaming device according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of possible telephone call recipients are displayed to the game player.

5. The gaming device according to claim 4, wherein the game player is allowed to choose the telephone call recipient.

6. The gaming device according to claim 1, wherein the game sequence is initiated by the game player depressing a button.

7. The gaming device according to claim 1, wherein the gaming device is used as a bonus game in conjunction with a primary game.

8. A gaming device allowing game play by a game player, the gaming device comprising:

(A) a telephone adapted to allow the game player to initiate a game sequence by placing a telephone call; and

(B) a controller in communication with the telephone, the controller generating a base prize in response to receiving the telephone call.

9. The gaming device according to claim 8, wherein the controller generates a multiplier the controller being adapted to multiply the base prize by the multiplier to obtain a total prize.

10. The gaming device according to claim 9, wherein the base prize, the multiplier and the total prize are shown to the game player on a display.

11. The gaming device according to claim 8, wherein the controller dials a phone number, the multiplier being equal to the last digit of the phone number.

12. The gaming device according to claim 8, wherein a plurality of telephone call recipients are displayed to the game player.

13. The gaming device according to claim 12, wherein the controller drives a plurality of spinning reels to display a selected telephone call recipient.

14. The gaming device according to claim 12, wherein the game player is allowed to choose the telephone call recipient.

15. The gaming device according to claim 13, wherein the controller chooses the telephone call recipient.

16. The gaming device according to claim 11, wherein a telephone keypad is displayed to the game player, the keypad indicating the multiplier.

17. A method of playing a game by a game player comprising:

(A) placing a telephone call;

(B) generating a base award; and

(C) announcing to the game player the base award during the telephone call.

18. The method according to claim 17, further comprising:

(A) placing a second telephone call;

(B) generating a multiplier; and

(C) showing the game player the multiplier.

19. The method according to claim 18, further comprising:

(A) displaying the multiplier on a telephone keypad.

20. The method according to claim 18, further comprising:

(A) calculating a total award, the total award being the base award multiplied by the multiplier.

21. The method according to claim 20, further comprising:

(A) awarding the game player the total award.

22. The method according to claim 17, further comprising:

(A) displaying a plurality of telephone call recipients to the game player.

23. The method according to claim 22, wherein the game player is allowed to choose the telephone call recipient.

24. The method according to claim 22, wherein the gaming device chooses the telephone call recipient.

25. A method of playing a game by a game player comprising:

(A) initiating a first telephone call;

(B) selecting one of a plurality of telephone call recipients;

(C) calling the selected telephone call recipient;

(D) generating a base award; and

(E) announcing to the game player the base award by the telephone call recipient.

26. The method according to claim 25, further comprising:

(A) initiating a second telephone call;

(B) generating a multiplier;

(C) generating a phone number, the last digit of the phone number being equal to the multiplier;

(D) dialing the phone number; and

(E) showing the game player the multiplier.

27. The method according to claim 26, wherein the multiplier is shown on a telephone keypad.

28. The method according to claim 26, further comprising:

(A) calculating a total award, the total award being the base award multiplied by the multiplier.

29. The method according to claim 28, further comprising:

(A) awarding the game player the total award.

30. The method according to claim 25, wherein the game player is allowed to choose the telephone call recipient.

31. The method according to claim 25, wherein the gaming device chooses the telephone call recipient.

32. A method of playing a game, comprising:

(A) selecting a prize;

(B) allowing a game player to place a telephone call on a gaming device;

(C) selecting a telephone call recipient; and

(D) announcing the prize to the game player by the telephone call recipient.

33. The method according to claim 32, further comprising:

(A) selecting a phone number, the last digit of the phone number being equal to a multiplier;

(B) placing a second phone call to the second phone number; and

(C) showing the game player the multiplier.

34. The method according to claim 33, wherein the multiplier is shown on a telephone keypad.

35. The method according to claim 33, further comprising:

(A) calculating a total prize, the total prize being the prize multiplied by the multiplier.

36. The method according to claim 35, further comprising:

(A) displaying the prize, the multiplier and the total prize; and

(B) awarding the game player the total prize.

37. The method according to claim 32, wherein the game player is allowed to choose the telephone call recipient.

38. The method according to claim 32, wherein the gaming device chooses the telephone call recipient.

39. A bonus game for use by a game player, comprising:

(A) a primary game, the primary game adapted to generate a bonus qualifying event;

(B) a bonus gaming device, the bonus gaming device in communication with the primary game, the bonus gaming device adapted to detect the bonus qualifying event and to activate the bonus gaming device, the bonus gaming device including;

(B1) a telephone adapted to allow the game player to place a telephone call; and

(B2) a controller in communication with the telephone, the controller generating a prize in response to receiving the telephone call.

40. The bonus game according to claim 39, wherein a plurality of images of persons who may receive the telephone call are displayed to the game player.

41. The bonus game according to claim 40, wherein the game player is allowed to choose one of the images.

42. The bonus game according to claim 39, wherein the controller places a second telephone call, the second telephone chooses one of the images.

43. The bonus game according to claim 42, wherein the controller drives a plurality of spinning reels to display the chosen image.

44. The bonus game according to claim 39 wherein the prize is announced over the telephone to the game player.

45. The bonus game according to claim 39 wherein the controller places a second telephone call to a telephone number.

46. The bonus game according to claim 45 wherein one of the digits of the telephone number is selected to be a multiplier.

47. The bonus game according to claim 46 wherein the last digit of the telephone number is selected to be the multiplier.

48. The bonus game according to claim 47, wherein the controller calculates a total prize, the total prize being the prize multiplied by the multiplier.

49. The bonus game according to claim 48, wherein the prize, the multiplier and the total prize are shown to the game player on a display.

50. The bonus game according to claim 49, wherein the display is a video display.

51. The bonus game according to claim 47, wherein the multiplier is shown on a telephone keypad.

52. A method of playing a bonus game by a game player comprising:

(A) allowing the game player to play a primary game, the primary game adapted to generate a bonus qualifying event;

(B) activating a bonus gaming device in response to detecting the bonus qualifying event;

(C) displaying a plurality of images of telephone call recipients;

(D) selecting one of the images;

(E) placing a telephone call to the selected image;

(F) generating an award; and

(G) announcing during the telephone call, the award to the game player.

53. The method according to claim 52, further comprising:

(A) generating a phone number;

(B) generating a multiplier, the multiplier being one of the digits of the phone number; and

(C) displaying the multiplier.

54. The method according to claim 53, further comprising:

(A) dialing the phone number.

55. The method according to claim 53, wherein the multiplier is shown on a telephone keypad.

56. The method according to claim 54, further comprising:

(A) calculating a total award, the total award being the award multiplied by the multiplier.

57. The method according to claim 56, further comprising:

(A) awarding the game player the total award.

58. The method according to claim 52, wherein the game player is allowed to select the image.

59. The method according to claim 52, wherein the bonus gaming device selects the image.

60. The method according to claim 52, wherein the images are displayed on a plurality of spinning reels.

61. The method according to claim 52, wherein the images are displayed on a video display.

62. A method of playing a game by a game player comprising:

(A) providing a video display device, the video display device being adapted to display an image of the game;

(B) determining a prize;

(C) providing a telephone;

(D) allowing the game player to make a telephone call; and

(E) announcing to the game player the prize over the telephone.

63. The method of playing a game according to claim 62, wherein the video display shows a plurality of recipients of the telephone call.

64. The method of playing a game according to claim 63, wherein the game player is allowed to select the telephone call recipient.

65. The method of playing a game according to claim 63, wherein a gaming device is allowed to select the telephone call recipient.

66. The method of playing a game according to claim 65, wherein the telephone call recipient has a plurality of possible responses.

67. The method of playing a game according to claim 62, further comprising:

(A) generating a multiplier;

(B) calculating a total prize, the total prize being the prize multiplied by the multiplier; and

(C) displaying the prize, the multiplier and the total prize on the video display.