Method, apparatus and gaming set for use in a progressive game

• US 20040116180A1
• Filed: 07/24/2003
• Published: 06/17/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/22/1997
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ZDI Gaming, Inc.
• Original Assignee: ZDI Gaming, Inc.
• Inventors: Gerow, Jay E.
• Granted Patent: US 7,033,271 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/27
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2009/242 Bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 3/069 having a message becoming legible by tearing-off non-adhesive parts
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3258 Cumulative reward schemes, e.g. jackpots
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/329 Regular and instant lottery, e.g. electronic scratch cards

Abstract

Systems, methods and gaming sets for progressive games, including progressive pull-tab games. The gaming sets include a plurality of plays, which in some embodiments take the form of pull-tab cards, and in some embodiments are electronic plays. The plays are associated with indicia of redemption value, with the set of plays including at least one jackpot play of underdetermined total value prior to dispensing of the play, and at least one set of plays with a predetermined value.

Claims

1. A progressive pull-tab card game system, comprising:

a pull-tab dispenser adapted to dispense pull-tab cards including indicia of redemption value, wherein the pull-tab cards include at least one jackpot card, wherein said at least one jackpot card is designated as a jackpot card by indicia on the jackpot card prior to the play of the progressive pull-tab game, wherein said indicia on the jackpot card have an undetermined total value, and further wherein each of the pull-tab cards includes a code corresponding to the indicia of redemption value of the pull-tab card;

a control system operatively connected to the dispenser to monitor the dispensing of pull-tab cards and configured to compute a jackpot value dependent on the dispensing of pull-tab cards; and

an electronic display associated with the control system and configured to present a display of the indicia of redemption value on the pull-tab cards, wherein the electronic display includes a reader adapted to read the code of a pull-tab card and to present the display of the indicia of redemption value based at least partially thereupon.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the reader is adapted to automatically read the code of a pull-tab card upon dispensing of the pull-tab card.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the reader is adapted to read the code of a pull-tab card that is manually inserted into the reader.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the electronic display is further configured to present a display of the jackpot value.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the pull-tab cards are pre-printed.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the displayed indicia of redemption value mimics the appearance of a slot machine.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the control system is configured to compute the jackpot value by periodically incrementing a selectable initial value by a predetermined value every time a predetermined number of pull-tab cards is dispensed.

8. The system of claim 1, further including a plurality of pull-tab dispensers, where the control system is operatively connected to each dispenser to monitor the quantity of pull-tab cards dispensed.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the control system computes the jackpot value dependent on the quantity of pull-tab cards dispensed from all of the dispensers.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the pull-tab cards include a plurality of jackpot cards.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the pull-tab cards further include non-jackpot cards having a predetermined value, and further wherein the non-jackpot cards are designated as non-jackpot cards by indicia of redemption on the cards prior to the play of the progressive pull-tab game.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the non-jackpot cards include a plurality of winner cards having predetermined non-zero values, and further wherein the winner cards are designated as winner cards by indicia of redemption on the cards prior to the play of the progressive pull-tab game.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the non-jackpot cards include a plurality of loser cards having a predetermined zero value, and further wherein the loser cards are designated as loser cards by indicia of redemption on the cards prior to the play of the progressive pull-tab game.

14. A method of operating a progressive pull-tab game, comprising:

providing a set of pull-tab plays having indicia of redemption value, wherein the set of pull-tab plays includes at least one jackpot play without a predetermined total value and a plurality of non-jackpot plays having predetermined values, wherein said at least one jackpot play is designated as a jackpot play prior to the play of the progressive pull-tab game, and further wherein said the jackpot play has an undetermined total value prior to dispensing of the jackpot play to a player;

setting a progressive jackpot to a predetermined value;

selling one of the pull-tab cards to a player;

selectively increasing the value of the progressive jackpot; and

presenting to the player, by way of an electronic display, an image indicative of the value of the pull-tab card.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the method includes displaying the progressive jackpot.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the selling step includes manually dispensing the play to a player.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the selling step includes dispensing the play from a dispensing machine.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the set of pull-tab plays takes the form of a set of pull-tab cards, wherein each pull-tab card has a selectively revealable gaming section, and further wherein the dispensing machine includes a plurality of racks containing pull-tab cards and from which a player may select a pull-tab card to be dispensed.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the selling step is preceded by the step of allowing a player to choose a particular pull-tab dispensing unit from a plurality of pull-tab dispensing units.

20. The method of claim 19, further including the steps of distributing the set of pull-tab cards among the plurality of pull-tab dispensing units and operatively connecting the plurality of pull-tab dispensing units to a single progressive jackpot.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein each pull-tab card has a front portion, a back portion and the selectively revealable gaming section which contains indicia of a redemption value of the pull-tab card, the redemption value being unascertainable until the gaming section is revealed.

22. The method of claim 14, wherein the step of selectively increasing is repeated every time a pull-tab card is sold in the step of selling.

23. The method of claim 15, wherein the step of displaying is repeated every time a pull-tab play is sold.

24. A method of conducting a progressive game, comprising:

providing a set of plays including at least one jackpot play of undetermined value and a multiplicity of non-jackpot plays with predetermined values, wherein said at least one jackpot play is designated as a jackpot play prior to the play of the progressive game, and further wherein at least prior to being distributed, the jackpot play has an undetermined total value;

distributing electronically the plays from the set of plays, where the step of distributing includes displaying on an electronic display screen information relating to the play from which the value of the play can be determined; and

when the at least one jackpot play is distributed, awarding a jackpot, wherein the value of the jackpot awarded is dependent on when, in the sequence of distributing the plays, the at least one jackpot play is distributed.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the providing step includes printing a set of plays in the form of pull-tab cards.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein the providing step includes generating an electronic set of plays.

27. The method of claim 24, wherein the providing step includes providing an electronic set of plays.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the distributing step includes displaying indicia associated with the play in a manner that mimics the appearance of a slot machine.

29. The method of claim 24, wherein the distributing step includes displaying indicia associated with the play in a manner that mimics the appearance of a slot machine.

30. The method of claim 24, wherein the distributing step includes incrementally increasing the value of the jackpot responsive to the sequential distribution of the set of plays.

31. A progressive game system comprising:

a dispenser adapted to dispense electronically plays associated with indicia of redemption value, wherein the plays include at least one jackpot play, wherein said at least one jackpot play is designated as a jackpot play prior to the play of the progressive game, and further wherein said jackpot play has an undetermined total value prior to dispensing of the jackpot play;

a jackpot display;

a control system operatively connected to the dispenser to monitor the dispensing of plays and configured to compute a jackpot value dependent on the dispensing of plays, the control system further being operatively connected to the jackpot display to cause it to display the computed jackpot value as plays are dispensed; and

an electronic display screen associated with the control system and configured to present a display of the indicia of redemption value associated with the plays.

32. The system of claim 31, further including a reader to read dispensed plays, where the display of indicia is associated with information from the reader.

33. The system of claim 31, wherein the plays ate pre-printed.

34. The system of claim 31, wherein the plays are stored electronically.

35. The system of claim 31, wherein the displayed indicia of redemption value mimic the appearance of pull-tab cards.

36. The system of claim 35, wherein the electronic display screen is adapted to receive user inputs and further wherein the control system is adapted to selectively display the indicia responsive at least in part to the user inputs.

37. The system of claim 31, wherein the displayed indicia of redemption value mimic the appearance of a slot machine.

38. The system of claim 31, wherein the control system is configured to compute the jackpot value by periodically incrementing a selectable initial value by a predetermined value every time a predetermined number of plays is dispensed.

39. The system of claim 31, further including a plurality of play dispensers, where the control system is operatively connected to each dispenser to monitor the quantity of plays dispensed.

40. The system of claim 39, wherein the control system computes the jackpot value dependent on the quantity of plays dispensed from all of the dispensers.