Gaming device having accumulation game with changing selections

• US 20060073877A1
• Filed: 09/30/2004
• Published: 04/06/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Baerlocher, Anthony J., Rodgers, Paulina
• Granted Patent: US 7,666,089 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/20
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/34 depending on the stopping of moving members in a mechanical slot machine, e.g. "fruit" machines

Abstract

A gaming device having an accumulation game with changing selections. The gaming device generates or picks, one at a time, a plurality of selections. Each generated selection is accumulated or marked and then changed to another selection. The gaming device continues generating selections, accumulating the generated selections and changing the generated selections until at least one selection is generated and accumulated a designated number of times. When at least one selection is generated and accumulated the designated number of times, an award is provided to the player wherein the award is based on the selection which was generated and accumulated the designated number of times.

Claims

1. A gaming device operated under control of a processor, said gaming device comprising:

a game controlled by the processor;

a plurality of awards in said game;

a plurality of selections in said game, each of said selections associated with one of said awards;

a selection generator in the game, said selection generator operable to generate said plurality of selections; and

a display device controlled by the processor and operable to display said game;

wherein the processor is operable with said display device and said selection generator to control a play of said game by;

(a) generating one of said selections;

(b) accumulating said generated selection;

(c) determining if any of said selections have been accumulated a designated number of times, said designated number being at least one;

(d) if none of said selections have been accumulated the designated number of times;

(i) replacing said generated selection with another one of said plurality of selections; and

(ii) repeating (a) to (c) at least once; and

(e) if at least one of said selections has been accumulated the designated number of times, providing a player the award associated with the selection accumulated the designated number of times.

2. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein said processor is operable to control the play of the game by replacing said generated selection with another one of said plurality of selections, unless said generated selection is one of any previously replaced selections.

3. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein said symbol which replaces said generated symbol is a predetermined one of the symbols.

4. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein said symbol which replaces said generated symbol is a randomly determined one of the symbols

5. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein said selection generator includes a wheel with a plurality of sections, wherein each section is associated with one of said selections.

6. The gaming device of claim 5, wherein the processor is operable to control the play of said game by reassociating one of said selections with the section associated with the generated selection if at least one of said selections has not been generated the designated number of times.

7. The gaming device of claim 1, which includes a plurality of accumulation meters, each accumulation meter associated with a different one of said selections and operable to display the accumulation of said associated selection.

8. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein each selection is associated with a displayed characteristic.

9. The gaming device of claim 8, wherein said displayed characteristic includes a color.

10. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein the award associated with at least one of the selections includes a progressive award.

11. A gaming device operated under control of a processor, said gaming device comprising:

a game controlled by the processor;

a plurality of awards in said game;

a plurality of symbols in said game, each of said symbols associated with one of said awards;

a symbol generator in the game, said symbol generator operable to generate said plurality of symbols;

a plurality of accumulation meters in said game, each of said accumulation meters associated with a different one of said symbols; and

a display device controlled by the processor and operable to display said game;

wherein the processor is operable with said display device and said symbol generator to control a play of said game by;

(a) generating one of said symbols;

(b) incrementing the accumulation meter associated with the generated symbol;

(c) determining if any of said accumulation meters have been incremented a predetermined number of times, said predetermined number of times being at least one;

(d) if none of said accumulation meters have been incremented the predetermined number of times;

(i) replacing said generated symbol with another one of said plurality of symbols; and

(ii) repeating (a) to (c) at least once; and

(e) if at least one of said accumulation meters has been incremented the predetermined number of times, providing a player the award associated with the symbol associated with the accumulation meter incremented the predetermined number of times.

12. The gaming device of claim 11, wherein said processor is operable to control the play of the game by replacing said generated selection with another one of said plurality of selections, unless said generated selection is one of any previously replaced selections.

13. The gaming device of claim 11, wherein said symbol which replaces said generated symbol is a predetermined one of the symbols.

14. The gaming device of claim 11, wherein said symbol which replaces said generated symbol is a randomly determined one of the symbols.

15. The gaming device of claim 11, wherein the predetermined number of times a plurality of accumulation meters may be incremented is different for each accumulation meter.

16. The gaming device of claim 11, wherein the predetermined number of times each accumulation meter may be incremented is different for each accumulation meter.

17. The gaming device of claim 11, wherein said symbol generator includes a wheel with a plurality of sections, wherein each section is associated with one of said symbols.

18. The gaming device of claim 17, wherein the processor is operable to control the play of said game by reassociating one of said symbols with the section associated with the generated symbol if at least one of said symbols has not been generated the designated number of times.

19. The gaming device of claim 11, wherein each symbol is associated with a displayed characteristic.

20. The gaming device of claim 19, wherein said displayed characteristic includes a color.

21. The gaming device of claim 11, wherein the award associated with at least one of the symbols includes a progressive award.

22. A gaming device controlled by a processor, said gaming device comprising:

a game controlled by the processor;

a plurality of different selections in said game;

a plurality of outcomes associated with said game, each outcome associated with one of the selections; and

at least one display device controlled by the processor and operable to display a plurality of picks of said selections until one of the selections is picked a designated number times, wherein the designated number is at least two, each picked selection is replaced by another one of said selections and one of the outcomes is provided to the player based on the selection which is picked the designated number of times.

23. The gaming device of claim 22, wherein the selection which replaces said picked selection is a predetermined one of the selections.

24. The gaming device of claim 22, wherein the selection which replaces said picked selection is a randomly determined one of the selections.

25. The gaming device of claim 22, wherein the designated number of times a plurality of said selections may be picked is different for each of said plurality of selections.

26. The gaming device of claim 22, wherein the designated number of times each of said selections may be picked is different for each of said selections.

27. The gaming device of claim 22, wherein each selection is associated with a displayed characteristic.

28. The gaming device of claim 27, wherein said displayed characteristic includes a color.

29. The gaming device of claim 22, wherein the outcome associated with at least one of the selections includes a progressive award.

30. A method of operating a gaming device, said method comprising:

(a) generating and displaying one of a plurality selections, wherein each of said selections is associated with one of a plurality of awards;

(b) accumulating said generated selection;

(c) determining if any of said selections have been accumulated a designated number of times, the designated number being at least one;

(d) if none of said selections have been accumulated the designated number of times;

(i) replacing and displaying said generated selection with another one of said plurality of selections; and

(ii) repeating steps (a) to (c) at least once; and

(e) if at least one of said selections has been accumulated the designated number of times, providing a player the award associated with the selection accumulated the designated number of times.

31. The method of claim 30, which includes replacing said generated selection with another one of said plurality of selections, unless said generated selection is one of any previously replaced selections.

32. The method of claim 30, wherein said selection which replaces said generated selection is a predetermined selection.

33. The method of claim 30, wherein said selection which replaces said generated selection is a randomly determined selection.

34. The method of claim 30, wherein each selection is associated with a displayed characteristic.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein said displayed characteristic includes a color.

36. The method of claim 30, wherein the award associated with at least one of the selections includes a progressive award.

37. The method of claim 30, which is provided through a data network.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein the data network is an Internet.

39. A method of operating a gaming device, said method comprising:

(a) generating and displaying one of a plurality of symbols, wherein each of said symbols is associated with one of a plurality of awards;

(b) incrementing an accumulation meter associated with the generated symbol, said incremented accumulation meter is one of a plurality of accumulation meters, wherein each of said accumulation meters is associated with a different one of said symbols;

(c) determining if any of said accumulation meters have been incremented a predetermined number of times, the predetermined number being at least one;

(d) if none of said accumulation meters have been incremented the predetermined number of times;

(i) replacing and displaying said generated symbol with another one of said plurality of symbols; and

(ii) repeating steps (a) to (c) at least once; and

(e) if at least one of said accumulation meters has been incremented the predetermined number of times, providing a player the award associated with the symbol associated with the accumulation meter incremented the predetermined number of times.

40. The method of claim 39, which includes replacing said generated selection with another one of said plurality of selections, unless said generated selection is one of any previously replaced selections.

41. The method of claim 39, wherein said symbol which replaces said generated symbol is a predetermined symbol.

42. The method of claim 39, wherein said symbol which replaces said generated symbol is a randomly determined symbol.

43. The method of claim 39, wherein the predetermined number of times a plurality of accumulation meters may be incremented is different for each accumulation meter.

44. The method of claim 39, wherein the predetermined number of times each accumulation meter may be incremented is different for each accumulation meter.

45. The method of claim 39, wherein each symbol is associated with a displayed characteristic.

46. The method of claim 45, wherein said displayed characteristic includes a color.

47. The method of claim 39, wherein the award associated with at least one of the symbols includes a progressive award.

48. The method of claim 39, which is provided through a data network.

49. The method of claim 48, wherein the data network is an Internet.

50. A method of operating a gaming device, said method comprising:

(a) displaying a plurality of different selections, wherein each of said selections is associated with one of a plurality of outcomes;

(b) picking one of said plurality of selections, wherein said picked selection is replaced by another one of said selections;

(c) repeating (a) to (b) until one of the selections is picked a designated number times, wherein the designated number is at least two; and

(d) when one of the selections is picked the designated number of times, providing a player the outcome associated with said selection which is picked the designated number of times.

51. The method of claim 50, wherein the selection which replaces said picked selection is a predetermined one of the selections.

52. The method of claim 50, wherein the selection which replaces said picked selection is a randomly determined one of the selections.

53. The method of claim 50, wherein the designated number of times a plurality of said selections may be picked is different for each of said plurality of selections.

54. The method of claim 50, wherein the designated number of times each of said selections may be picked is different for each of said selections.

55. The method of claim 50, wherein each selection is associated with a displayed characteristic.

56. The method of claim 55, wherein said displayed characteristic includes a color.

57. The method of claim 50, wherein the outcome associated with at least one of the selections includes a progressive award.

58. The method of claim 50, which is provided through a data network.

59. The method of claim 58, wherein the data network is an Internet.