METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR FACILITATING ENTRY INTO BONUS ROUNDS

• US 20060035696A1
• Filed: 06/10/2005
• Published: 02/16/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: Walker Digital LLC (Walker Innovation Inc. (f/k/a Patent Properties, Inc.))
• Inventors: Jorasch, James A., Gelman, Geoffrey M., Walker, Jay S.
• Granted Patent: US 8,142,272 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/16
• 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 17/3262 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
• 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 17/34 depending on the stopping of moving members in a mechanical slot machine, e.g. "fruit" machines

Abstract

The present invention allows gaming devices to set or modify game parameters through the use of random events such as spinning slot machine reels and/or random number generators. In one embodiment, a player may purchase an entry into a bonus round of a bonus game, without first having to qualify for the entry by obtaining a qualifying outcome of a base game. In one embodiment, a player may provide payment for an entry into one or more bonus rounds to establish an initial credit meter balance, wherein the initial credit meter balance is set to a number of credits based on the results of the one or more bonus rounds and not to an amount of credits corresponding to the payment provided by the player, wherein the player can pay for the entry without first having to qualify for the entry via a qualifying outcome of the base game.

Claims

1. A method for facilitating play of a gaming device, comprising:

receiving a request from a player to purchase an entry into at least one first bonus round of a bonus game available at a gaming device;

receiving payment for the entry; and

initiating the at least one first bonus round in exchange for the payment and not in response to an outcome of a base game that supports the bonus game.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a result of each respective first bonus round of the at least one first bonus round;

determining, for each result, a corresponding payout;

determining a sum of the payouts; and

causing a sum of the payouts to be provided to a player associated with the at least one first bonus round.

3. The method of claim 2., wherein causing the sum of the payouts to be provided comprises:

adding an amount of credits to a credit meter balance of the gaming device, wherein the amount is proportional to the sum of the payouts and further wherein the credit meter balance comprises an amount of credits available for wagering at the gaming device.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, based on an outcome of a game play of a base game available at the gaming device, that an entry into a second bonus round of the secondary game has been won; and

initiating the second bonus round based on the determination that the entry has been won.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein a value of a parameter associated with the at least one first bonus round is different from a value of the parameter associated with the second bonus round.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether a purchase of an entry into the at least one first bonus round has been qualified for.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

outputting, in response to determining that the purchase of the entry has been qualified for, an indication that an entry into the at least one first bonus round is available for purchase.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

allowing the purchase if the purchase of the entry has been qualified for; and

outputting a message indicating an inability to allow the purchase if the purchase of the entry has not been qualified for.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein determining whether the purchase of the entry has been qualified for comprises:

determining, based on gambling activity of a player currently playing the gaming device, whether the player has qualified to purchase an entry into the at least one first bonus round.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a payment required for the entry; and

outputting a request for the payment.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein determining a payment required for the entry comprises determining an expected payout amount associated with the at least one first bonus round, and basing the payment on the expected payout amount.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the payment is determined to be an amount greater than the expected payout amount.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the payment is determined to be an amount less than the expected payout amount.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the gaming device comprises a reel slot machine.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the reel slot machine comprises one of a mechanical reel slot machine and a video reel slot machine.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein an animation of graphics corresponding to the at least one first bonus round is depicted on a secondary game screen that is distinct from a primary game screen via which an outcome of the base game is output.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

accessing a first probability table to determine an outcome for the at least one first bonus round, wherein the first probability table is different from a second probability table associated with the base game.

18. A method for facilitating play of a gaming device, comprising:

receiving, at a gaming device, a payment that is proportional to a first number of electronic credits;

initiating, in response to the payment, at least one bonus round;

determining, based on a random event and for each bonus round of the at least one bonus round, a result;

determining, for each result, a number of electronic credits that corresponds to the result;

increasing a credit meter balance of the gaming device by a number of electronic credits that comprises a sum of the number of electronic credits that correspond to each bonus round of the at least one bonus round, thereby establishing an initial credit meter balance for a play session at the gaming device.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

determining, after receiving the payment and before initiating the at least one bonus round, that the credit meter balance is set to zero, such that the payment is received prior to an initiation of play of a base game at the gaming device.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

determining that the payment has been received in exchange for an initiation of the at least bonus round rather than for purposes of adding an amount of credits proportional to the payment to the credit meter balance; and

preventing an increase in the credit meter balance in response to the receipt of the payment.

21. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

receiving, along with the payment, a commitment from a player to participate in a specified number of game plays of a base game upon a completion of the at least one bonus round.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

determining that the commitment has been satisfied; and

allowing a cash out of the credit meter balance in response to the determination that the commitment has been satisfied.

23. A gaming device, comprising:

a processor;

a memory operable to communicate with the processor, the memory being further operable to store a program for causing the processor to perform one or more functions;

a base game available for play via the gaming device;

a bonus game supported by the base game and available for play via the gaming device; and

a credit meter balance,

wherein the processor in conjunction with the program is operable to

set the credit meter balance, in a first mode of operating the gaming device, to a number of electronic credits that is based on a random event rather than to a number of electronic credits that is proportional to an amount of funds received by the gaming device in exchange for the random event,

the processor thereby being operable to set the credit meter balance to a number of credits resulting from the random event.

24. The gaming device of claim 23, wherein the gaming device comprises at least one of a mechanical reel slot machine and a video reel slot machine.

25. The gaming device of claim 23, wherein the processor is further operable to:

receive from a player an indication of a commitment to complete a specified number of game plays of the base game using the electronic credits resulting from the random event.

26. The gaming device of claim 25, wherein the processor is further operable to:

prevent any of the credits resulting from the random event from being cashed out by the player prior to a satisfaction of the commitment.

27. The gaming device of claim 23, wherein the processor is further operable to:

store an indication of the amount of funds in memory without increasing the credit meter balance in response to receiving the amount of funds.

28. The gaming device of claim 23, wherein the processor is further operable to:

cause the gaming device to display, via an output device, an indication of the amount of funds received, wherein the output device is not a display of a credit meter balance.

29. The gaming device of claim 23, wherein the random event is an outcome of a bonus round of the bonus game, the outcome being determined based on a random number.