Enhanced process for gaming using multiple random progressive prize opportunities and bingo-type of gaming products thereby

• US 20050192088A1
• Filed: 02/02/2005
• Published: 09/01/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fortunet Incorporated (Yuri Itkis Gaming Trust 1993)
• Original Assignee: Gametech International Incorporated
• Inventors: Hartman, Michael, Kisenwether, Joseph, Nicholson, Calvin
• Granted Patent: US 7,749,066 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/27
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3248 involving non-monetary media of fixed value, e.g. casino chips of fixed value

Abstract

Novel enhanced gaming systems employ unique, specialized, for example, FIRESTAR™ type of indicia disposed upon at least one location of a plurality of pre-mapped locations housed on, for example, a multiplicity of bingo-type of cards. Percentages of indicia arrayed on, for example, card sets are controlled by a gaming proprietor'"'"'s or operator'"'"'s configuration settings as are the respective locations of the subject indicia, for example, by using a random number generator to induce players to participate in multiple opportunities to garner prizes, for example, for achieving a bingo-type of victory concomittant with pre-established winning requirements and a pre-selected occurrence of a unique specialized indicum. Progressive reports serve to keep players, proprietors/operators and gaming authorities apprised of earnings both in terms of amounts, odds and related data on occurrence of the same indicia in real time providing unique inducement and tracking value in both hard copy and electronic form.

Claims

1. In a gaming system having progressive prize opportunities, the improvement comprising:

a plurality of player selectable options, for allowing a player to have at least one option selected from the group of choices consisting of, electing to participate in progressive prize opportunities, and earning the ability to participate in progressive opportunities, whereby once a progressive win occurs a progressive prize report is generated providing real time information to the player as to the progressive contribution.

2. The gaming system of claim 1, whereby the progressive contribution is set through the use of manager functions and not capable of being modified while a game is in progress.

3. The gaming system of claim 2, further comprising a progressive prize amount that can only be increased up to a Maximum Progressive Prize Amount as configured on initial setup of the gaming system.

4. The gaming system of claim 2, further comprising a progressive prize amount that can be increased incrementally as configured on the initial setup by a Maximum Progressive Add setting.

5. The gaming system of claim 3, wherein the game is a bingo-based game.

6. The gaming system of claim 4, wherein the game is a bingo-based game.

7. A process for bingo-type of gaming using at least one progressive prize opportunity, comprising the steps of:

providing a screen capable of displaying game-pieces;

marking at least one location on the game-pieces with a prize denoting indicum;

providing an opportunity for a player to purchase additional game-pieces having opportunities to sport further prize denoting indicia;

running a game whereby at least a winner is selected; and

creating a report of the results.

8. The process of claim 7, the providing step further comprising:

supplying an alternative modality to simulate game-piece display.

9. The process of claim 7, the marking step further comprising:

at lease one prize denoting indicum selected from the unique indicating differentiators of;

symbol-based indicia;

color-based indicia;

font-based indicia and related means for setting the symbol apart from the background features of a game-piece.

10. The process of claim 9, the running step further comprises controlling a percentage of unique indicia present upon said game-pieces.

11. The process of claim 10, said providing step further comprises, allowing a player to purchase better odds defined by a higher frequency of occurrence of said indicia.

12. The process of claim 11, the running step further comprising generating rows of symbols in which at least one of a predetermined pattern and a predesignated type of row of successive numbers are called and winning is defined as garnering the predetermined pattern or predesignated row of completed numbers called consecutively.

13. The process of claim 12, the marking step further comprises player indicia in pre-approved game piece locations using a random number generator.

14. The process of claim 13, the creating step further alerting a player with at least one of an audio and a video stimulus.

15. The process of claim 13, wherein said game-pieces are cards.

16. The process of claim 15, wherein multiple differing specialty prizes may be awarded depending on the pattern hit, the number of calls before the pattern was hit, and the specific card on which the pattern was hit.

17. A product, according to the process of claim 16, which is a bingo-type of game.

18. A product according to the process of claim 17, where each of said indicia is a FIRESTAR™

brand of logo.

19. An enhanced electronic bingo game comprising:

a communications module for transferring information relating to a plurality of card, number and related strings of data between a player to a system;

a display for providing a menu to select different game options;

an authentication module, an input module, and, a control module for setting progressive prize winning opportunities.

20. The enhanced electronic bingo game of claim 19, further comprising a plurality of specialized indicia denoting prizes disposed in association with select numbers and spaces of a plurality of the involved bingo cards.

21. The enhanced bingo game of claim 20, wherein special prizes are awarded to a player who achieves a particular pattern with a last number called corresponding to at least one of a number and a space marked by a specialized indicum.

22. The enhanced bingo game of claim 21, wherein multiple differing specialty prizes may be awarded depending on the pattern hit, the number of calls before the pattern was hit, and the specific card on which the pattern was hit.

23. The enhanced bingo game of claim 22, wherein the odds of the game can be adjusted by a bingo manager by changing the number of specialized indicia per group of cards, which adjusts the frequency with which the specialized indicia appear on the cards.

24. The enhanced bingo game of claim 23, further comprising a function permitting a player to pay extra money to increase the frequency with which the cards in his game receive specialized indicia disposed thereon, thereby increasing the player'"'"'s odds of garnering a special prize.

25. The enhanced bingo game of claim 24, further manually comprising the specialized indicia being at least one of algorithmically, randomly and by player selection disposed on cards indicia impacting the odds based upon the pattern in play.

26. The enhanced bingo game of claim 25, further comprising automatically determining which cards have specialized indicia disposed thereupon.

27. The enhanced electronic bingo game of claim 26, wherein the control module is operable to configure odds of occurrence of a FIRESTAR™

brand of logo during play signaling a progressive prize opportunity, as the specialized indicum.