Gaming device having a bonus award wheel with a terminator

• US 20040002372A1
• Filed: 06/27/2002
• Published: 01/01/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Baerlocher, Anthony J., Rodgers, Paulina
• Granted Patent: US 7,198,570 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 17/3244 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

Abstract

A gaming device including an award wheel having multiple sections including a plurality of award symbols and at least one terminator symbol, a section indicator, a spin initiator and a processor connected to the award wheel and the spin initiator. The player, or the gaming device, spins the award wheel using a spin initiator. The gaming device provides an award to the player, if the section indicator indicates that the player obtained an award. The player continues to spin the award wheel until the section indicator indicates that the player obtained a terminator, which ends the bonus game and the player receives the total accumulated award.

Claims

1. A gaming device having a bonus game comprising:

a wheel having a plurality of sections;

a plurality of award symbols on a plurality of said sections of said wheel;

a plurality of awards associated with said award symbols;

a terminator symbol on one of said sections of said wheel;

a section indicator; and

a processor for causing one of said wheel and said section indicator to repeatedly move to indicate sections on the wheel until the section indicated includes said terminator symbol, and for providing a player any award associated with said award symbol on each section indicated until the section indicated includes said terminator symbol.

2. The gaming device of claim 1, which include a probability of being indicated associated with each section, wherein the processor determines the section indicated based on said probabilities.

3. The gaming device of claim 2, wherein a plurality of said probabilities are the same.

4. The gaming device of claim 2, wherein all of said probabilities are the same.

5. The gaming device of claim 2, wherein the probability associated with the section which includes said terminator symbol is higher than the probability associated with at least one section which includes an award symbol.

6. The gaming device of claim 2, wherein the probability associated with the section which includes said terminator symbol is higher than the probabilities associated with a plurality of sections which include an award symbol.

7. The gaming device of claim 2, wherein the probability associated with the section which includes said terminator symbol is higher than the probabilities associated with all of the sections which include award symbols.

8. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein said awards have probabilities of being provided to said player, wherein the processor determines the section indicated based on said probabilities.

9. The gaming device of claim 8, wherein a plurality of said probabilities are different.

10. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein at least one of said award symbols and said terminator symbol have different probabilities of being provided to said player.

11. The gaming device of claim 1, which includes probabilities associated with said terminator symbol and said awards symbols such that the terminator symbol has a greater probability of being indicated by said selection indicator than at least one of said award symbols.

12. The gaming device of claim 1, which includes a plurality of potential total awards, whereby said processor picks one of said total awards and repeatedly indicates sections on the wheel having award symbols until said awards associated with said award symbols on said sections indicated accumulate to said total award.

13. The gaming device of claim 12, wherein said total awards are associated with probabilities such that one of said total awards has a higher probability of being selected by said processor than another of said total awards.

14. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein said section indicator is an illumination device that lights up or highlights an award symbol or terminator symbol on said sections of said wheel.

15. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein a plurality of said sections include a terminator symbol.

16. The gaming device of claim 15, which includes probabilities associated with said terminator symbols and said award symbols such that at least one of the sections having the terminator symbols has a greater probability of being indicated by said section indicator than at least one of said sections having award symbols.

17. The gaming device of Clam 1, which includes a spin initiator connected to said processor for enabling the player to cause the processor to initiate each movement of one of said wheel and said section indicator.

18. A gaming device having a bonus game comprising:

a wheel having a plurality of sections;

a plurality of award symbols on a plurality of said sections of said wheel;

a plurality of awards associated with said award symbols;

a terminator symbol on one of said sections of said wheel;

a section indicator;

a probability associated with each of said sections, wherein one of said sections has a greater probability of being indicated by said section indicator than another of said sections; and

a processor for causing one of said wheel and said section indicator to repeatedly move to indicate a section on the wheel based on said probabilities until the section indicated includes said terminator symbol, and for providing a player any award associated with said award symbol on each section indicated until the section indicated includes said terminator symbol.

19. The gaming device of claim 18, wherein the probability associated with the section which includes said terminator symbol is higher than the probability associated with at least one section which includes an award symbol.

20. The gaming device of claim 18, wherein the probability associated with the section which includes said terminator symbol is higher than the probabilities associated with a plurality of sections which include an award symbol.

21. The gaming device of claim 18, wherein the probability associated with the section which includes said terminator symbol is higher than the probabilities associated with all of the sections which include award symbols.

22. A gaming device having a bonus game comprising:

a wheel having a plurality of sections;

a plurality of award symbols on a plurality of said sections of said wheel;

a plurality of low value awards and at least one large value award associated with said award symbols;

a probability associated with each said low value award and large value award, wherein said probability associated with said large value award is lower than the probabilities associated with said low value awards;

a terminator symbol on one of said sections of said wheel;

a section indicator; and

a processor for causing one of said wheel and said section indicator to repeatedly move to indicate a section on the wheel based on said probabilities until the section indicated includes said terminator symbol, and for providing a player any award associated with said award symbol on each section indicated until the section indicated includes said terminator symbol.

23. A method for operating a gaming device, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) enabling a player to spin an award wheel including award symbols and at least one terminator symbol;

(b) providing an award to the player if an award symbol is indicated;

(c) repeating (a) and (b) until a terminator symbol on the award wheel is indicated.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein said award symbols and at least one terminator symbol are associated with probabilities of being indicated such that each of said award symbols have a lower probability of being indicated than said terminator symbol.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein said award symbols and at least one terminator symbol are associated with probabilities such that said terminator has a greater probability than each of said award symbols.

26. The method of claim 23, wherein said award is bonus values, credits, modifiers or free spins.

27. The method of claim 23, which includes a probability of indicating the terminator, wherein the probability changes after at least one spin.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the probability changes after each spin.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein the probability changes after a predetermined number spins.

30. The method of claims 23, which is operated through a data network.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the data network is an internet.