System and method for establishing a progressive jackpot award

• US 20060052162A1
• Filed: 02/25/2005
• Published: 03/09/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Konami Gaming Incorporated (Konami Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Konami Gaming Incorporated (Konami Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: George, Jeffrey, Sutherland, Steve, Soukup, Thomas E.
• Granted Patent: US 7,883,410 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/27
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0208 Trade or exchange of goods or services in exchange for incentives or rewards
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0209 Incentive being awarded or redeemed in connection with the playing of a video game
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3258 Cumulative reward schemes, e.g. jackpots

Abstract

System and method establish a progressive jackpot award associated with a machine useable by a user. The user has a user account stored in a computer connected to the machine. The computer includes a database for storing user account data including bonus points associated with the user. The progressive jackpot award has an associated payout value. The user uses the bonus points on the machine and an incremental number is added to the payout value of the progressive jackpot award as a function of the number of bonus points used by the user.

Claims

1. A method for establishing a progressive jackpot award associated with a machine useable by a user, the user having a user account stored in a computer connected to the machine, the computer including a database for storing user account data including bonus points associated with the user, the progressive jackpot award having an associated payout value, including the steps of:

allowing the user to access the bonus points in the user account from the machine;

allowing the user to use a number of the bonus points on the machine; and

,

adding an incremental number to the payout value of the progressive jackpot award as a function of the number of bonus points used by the user.

2. A method, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the payout value is in credits.

3. A method, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the payout value is in cash.

4. A method, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the incremental number is determined as a function of the number of bonus points used by the user and a predetermined ratio.

5. A method, as set forth in claim 1, including the steps:

determining if a trigger event has occurred; and

,

awarding the progressive jackpot award to the user if the trigger event has occurred as a result of the user using the bonus points.

6. A method, as set forth in claim 5, wherein a trigger amount is a randomly determined number.

7. A method, as set forth in claim 6, wherein the trigger event is defined as the progressive jackpot award reaching the trigger amount when the incremental number is added to the progressive jackpot award.

9. A method, as set forth in claim 1, including the step of contributing to the progressive jackpot award by a plurality of machines.

10. A method, as set forth in claim 5, including the step of resetting the progressive jackpot award to an initial value after the progressive jackpot award is paid out.

11. A method, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the bonus points are incentive points.

12. A method, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the bonus points are convertible to credits.

13. A method, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the bonus points are convertible to credits, the method including the step of downloading the bonus points as credits to the machine.

14. A method, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the machine is a gaming device.

15. A method, as set forth in claim 14, wherein the gaming device is a video gaming machine.

16. A method, as set forth in claim 14, wherein bonus points are convertible to credits, and the step of allowing the user to use a number of the bonus points includes the steps of:

converting the number of bonus points to credits; and

allowing the user to wager the credits on the gaming device.

17. A method, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the bonus points may be converted to credits.

18. A method, as set forth in claim 17, wherein the credits are designated as cashable or non-cashable.

19. A method, as set forth in claim 1, wherein using the bonus points includes exchanging the bonus points for gifts and/or services.

8. A method, as set forth in calim 6, wherein the trigger event by the incremental number being equal or substantially equal to the trigger amount.

20. A method for providing a progressive jackpot award to a user of one of a plurality of machines connected to a computer, the user having a user account stored in the computer, the user account having a number of bonus points associated with the user, the progressive jackpot award having an associated payout value, comprising:

allowing the user to access the bonus points in the user account from one of the plurality of machines;

allowing the user to use a number of bonus points on the machine;

adding an incremental number to the payout value of the progressive jackpot award as a function of the number of bonus points used by the user;

determining if a trigger event has occurred; and

,

awarding the progressive jackpot award to the user if the trigger event has occurred as a result of the user using the bonus points.

21. A method, as set forth in claim 20, wherein the payout value is in credits.

22. A method, as set forth in claim 20, wherein the payout value is in cash.

23. A method, as set forth in claim 20, further comprising the steps of:

allowing another user to access bonus points in their user account from another of the plurality of machines;

allowing the another user to use a number of bonus points from their user account on the another of the plurality of machines;

adding another incremental number to the payout value of the progressive jackpot award as a function of the number of bonus points used by the another user.

24. A method, as set forth in claim 23, including the step awarding the progressive jackpot award to the another user if the trigger event has occurred as a result of the another user using their bonus points.

25. A method, as set forth in claim 23, the trigger event being defined by a randomly determined number.

26. A method, as set forth in claim 20, wherein the incremental number is determined as a function of the number of bonus points used by the user and a predetermined ratio.

27. A method, as set forth in claim 20, wherein a trigger amount is a randomly determined number and the trigger event is defined as the progressive jackpot award reaching the trigger amount when the incremental number is added to the progressive jackpot award.

28. A method, as set forth in claim 20, wherein a trigger amount is a randomly determined number and the trigger event is defined as the incremenetal number being equal or substantially equal to the trigger amount.

29. A method, as set forth in claim 20, including the step of resetting the progressive jackpot award to an initial value after the progressive jackpot award is paid out.

30. A method, as set forth in claim 20, wherein the bonus points are incentive points.

31. A method, as set forth in claim 20, wherein the bonus points are convertible to credits.

32. A method, as set forth in claim 20, wherein the bonus points are convertible to credits, the method including the step of downloading the bonus points as credits to the machine.

33. A method, as set forth in claim 20, wherein the machine is a gaming device.

34. A method, as set forth in claim 33, wherein the gaming device is a video gaming machine.

35. A method, as set forth in claim 20, wherein the bonus points are convertible to credits, and the step of allowing the user to use a number of the bonus points includes the steps of:

converting the number of bonus points to credits; and

allowing the user to wager the credits on the machine.

36. A method, as set forth in claim 20, wherein the bonus points may be converted to cashable credits.

37. A method, as set forth in claim 20, wherein the bonus points may be converted to non-cashable credits.

38. A method, as set forth in claim 20, wherein using the bonus points includes exchanging the bonus points for gifts and/or services.

45. A system, as set forth in claim 29, wherein a trigger amount is a randomly determined number and the trigger event is defined as the incremental amount being equal or substantially equal to the trigger amount.

46. A system, as set forth in claim 45, the computer contributing to the progressive jackpot award based on a plurality of machines.

39. A system for establishing a progressive jackpot award, the progressive jackpot award having an associated payout value, comprising:

a machine useable by a user;

a computer coupled to the machine for tracking a user account; and

,

a database, on the computer, for storing user account data in the user account, including bonus points associated with the user, for allowing the user to access the bonus points in the user account from the machine and to use a number of bonus points on the machine, and for adding an incremental number to the payout value of the progressive jackpot award as a function of the number of bonus points used by the user.

40. A system, as set forth in claim 39, wherein the payout value is in credits.

41. A system, as set forth in claim 39, wherein the payout value is in cash.

42. A system, as set forth in claim 39, wherein the incremental number is determined as a function of the number of bonus points used by the user and a predetermined ratio.

43. A system, as set forth in claim 39, the computer for determining if a trigger event has occurred and awarding the progressive jackpot award to the user if the trigger event has occurred as a result of the user using the bonus points.

44. A system, as set forth in claim 39, wherein a trigger amount is a randomly determined number and the trigger event is defined as the progressive jackpot award reaching the trigger amount when the incremental number is added to the progressive jackpot award.

47. A system, as set forth in claim 39, the computer for resetting the progressive jackpot award to an initial value after the progressive jackpot award is paid out.

48. A system, as set forth in claim 39, wherein the bonus points are incentive points.

49. A system, as set forth in claim 39, wherein the bonus points are convertible to credits.

50. A system, as set forth in claim 39, wherein the bonus points are credits, the computer for downloading the bonus points as credits to the machine.

51. A system, as set forth in claim 39, wherein the machine is a gaming device.

52. A method, as set forth in claim 51, wherein the gaming device is a video gaming machine.

53. A system, as set forth in claim 39, wherein the bonus points are convertible to credits, the computer for converting the number of bonus points to credits, allowing the user to wager the credits on the gaming device.

54. A system, as set forth in claim 39, wherein the bonus points may be converted to cashable credits.

55. A system, as set forth in claim 39, wherein the bonus points may be converted to non-cashable credits.

56. A system, as set forth in claim 39, wherein using the bonus points includes exchanging the bonus points for gifts and/or services.

57. A system for providing a progressive jackpot award, the progressive jackpot award having an associated payout value, comprising:

a plurality of machines useable by a user;

a computer coupled to the plurality of machines for tracking a user account; and

,

a database, on the computer, for storing user account data in the user account including bonus points associated with the user, for allowing the user to access the bonus points in the user account from one of the plurality of machines and to use a number of bonus points on the one of the plurality of machines, for adding an incremental number of to the payout value of the progressive jackpot award as a function of the number of bonus points used by the user, and for determining if a trigger event has occurred and responsively awarding the progressive jackpot award to the user if the trigger event has occurred as a result of the user using the bonus points.

58. A system, as set forth in claim 57, wherein the payout value is in credits.

59. A system, as set forth in claim 57, wherein the payout value is in cash.

60. A system, as set forth in claim 57, the computer for allowing another user to access bonus points in their user account from another of the plurality of machines and allowing the another user to use a number of bonus points from their user account on the another of the plurality of machines, and for adding another incremental number to the payout value of the progressive jackpot award as a function of the number of bonus points used by the another user.

61. A system, as set forth in claim 60, the computer for determining if the trigger event has occurred and awarding the progressive jackpot award to the another user if the trigger event has occurred as a result of the another user using their bonus points.

62. A system, as set forth in claim 60, the trigger event being defined by a randomly determined number.

63. A system, as set forth in claim 60, wherein the incremental number is determined as a function of the number of bonus points used by the user and a predetermined ratio.

64. A system, as set forth in claim 60, wherein a trigger amount is a randomly determined number and the trigger event is defined as the payout value reaching the trigger amount when the incremental number is added to the progressive jackpot award.

65. A system, as set forth in claim 57, the computer for resetting the progressive jackpot award to an initial value after the progressive jackpot award is paid out.

66. A system, as set forth in claim 57, wherein the bonus points are incentive points.

67. A system, as set forth in claim 57, wherein the bonus points are convertible to credits.

68. A system, as set forth in claim 57, wherein the bonus points are convertible to credits, the computer for downloading the bonus points as credits to the machine.

69. A system, as set forth in claim 57, wherein the machine is a gaming device.

70. A system, as set forth in claim 57, wherein the gaming device is a video gaming machine.

71. A system, as set forth in claim 57, wherein bonus points are convertible to credits, the computer for converting the number of bonus points to credits and for allowing the user to wager the credits on the machine.

72. A system, as set forth in claim 57, wherein the bonus points may be converted to cashable credits.

73. A system, as set forth in claim 57, wherein the bonus points may be converted to on-cashable credits.

74. A system, as set forth in claim 57, wherein using the bonus points includes exchanging the bonus points for gifts and/or services.