Method, Apparatus, and Program Product for Presenting Results in a Bingo-Type Game

• US 20080207302A1
• Filed: 10/30/2007
• Published: 08/28/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Everi Games Inc. (Everi Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Clifton Lind, Gary Loebig, Gordon T. Graves, Jefferson C. Lind, Joseph R. Enzminger, Robert Lannert, Rodney L. Willyard
• Inventors: Lind, Jefferson C., Enzminger, Joseph R., Loebig, Gary L., Graves, Gordon T., Lind, Clifton, Lannert, Robert, Willyard, Rodney L.
• Granted Patent: US 8,147,314 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/19
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/323 wherein the player is informed, e.g. advertisements, odds, instructions
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3232 wherein the operator is informed
• 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 17/3251 involving media of variable value, e.g. programmable cards, programmable tokens
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3258 Cumulative reward schemes, e.g. jackpots
• 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 17/3286 Type of games
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3288 Betting, e.g. on live events, bookmaking
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/329 Regular and instant lottery, e.g. electronic scratch cards

Abstract

Each bingo card representation matched with a game designation draw in a given bingo game (a “matched bingo card representation”) represents a respective game play record providing a result in the bingo game. The result represented by a matched bingo card representation is displayed to a player in the bingo-type game through a result representation provided at a suitable player station. Each result representation is correlated to one or more game results in the bingo-type game so that each game result in the bingo-type game is associated with a result representation. Each result representation includes a graphical representation unrelated to the bingo-type game. That is, although the game results are simply bingo game results defined by predetermined patterns of matches between the various card designations and the designation set produced or called for a particular bingo-type game, the game results are displayed to the players with a graphical display including a graphic that is not merely a graphical representation or reproduction of a bingo card. Displaying the result of the bingo-type game to the player thus involves displaying the result representation associated with the particular game result in lieu of or at least in addition to, the representation of the matched bingo-type game card.

Claims

1. A gaming method including:

(a) identifying a game ending result for a first bingo card representation included in a group of bingo card representations, the game ending result being defined by a predetermined game ending pattern of card locations produced upon matching the first bingo card representation with a game ending number of game designations from a designation draw for the bingo game;

(b) identifying a bingo game result for each other bingo card representation in the group of bingo card representations, the bingo game result for a second one of the other bingo card representations comprising an additional winning result defined by a predetermined additional winning pattern of card locations matched to the game ending number of game designations from the designation draw for the bingo game, the additional winning pattern of card locations being dissimilar to the game ending pattern of card locations;

(c) displaying a game ending result representation at an electronic player station for a player associated with the first bingo card representation, the game ending result representation being correlated to the game ending pattern of card locations and including a graphical representation imitating a result in a game other than bingo; and

(d) displaying an additional result representation at an electronic player station for a player associated with the second one of the other bingo card representations, the additional result representation being correlated to the additional winning pattern of card locations and including a graphical representation imitating an additional result in the game other than bingo, wherein the game other than bingo includes a reel-type game in which a respective result is shown by a number of spinning reels which come to rest to display an array of indicia.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein identifying the game ending result for the first bingo card representation and identifying the bingo result for each other bingo card representation in the group of bingo card representations are performed prior to an assignment of bingo card representations from the group of bingo card representations to players in the bingo game.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the game other than bingo is a reel-type game including three reels.

4. A gaming method including:

(a) identifying a game ending result for a first bingo card representation included in a group of bingo card representations, the game ending result including a predetermined game ending pattern of card locations produced upon matching the first bingo card representation with a game ending number of game designations from a designation draw for the bingo game;

(b) identifying a bingo game result for each other bingo card representation in the group of bingo card representations, the bingo game result for a second one of the other bingo card representations comprising an additional winning result defined by a predetermined additional winning pattern of card locations matched to the game ending number of game designations from the designation draw for the bingo game, the additional winning pattern of card locations being dissimilar to the game ending pattern of card locations;

(c) displaying a game ending result representation at an electronic player station for a player associated with the first bingo card representation, the game ending result representation being correlated to the game ending pattern of card locations and including a graphical representation imitating a result in a game other than bingo; and

(d) displaying an additional result representation at an electronic player station for a player associated with the second one of the other bingo card representations, the additional result representation being correlated to the additional winning pattern of card locations and including a graphical representation imitating an additional result in the game other than bingo, wherein the game other than bingo includes a playing card game in which a respective result is portrayed by one or more playing card representations.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein identifying the game ending result for the first bingo card representation and identifying the bingo result for each other bingo card representation in the group of bingo card representations are performed prior to an assignment of bingo card representations from the group of bingo card representations to players in the bingo game.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein the game other than bingo is a poker game.

7. A gaming apparatus including:

(a) a back office component for matching a group of bingo card representations with a game designation draw for a bingo game to identify a game ending pattern for a first bingo card representation included in the set of bingo card representations and to identify an additional winning pattern for an additional bingo card representation included in the group of bingo card representations, the game ending pattern including a predetermined game ending pattern of card locations produced upon matching the first bingo card representation with a game ending number of game designations from the game designation draw for the bingo game, and the additional winning pattern including a predetermined additional winning pattern of card locations matched to the game ending number of game designations from the game designation draw, the additional winning pattern of card locations being dissimilar to the game ending pattern of card locations;

(b) a first player station connected for communication with the back office component;

(c) a first display device associated with the first player station, the first display device for displaying a game ending result representation which is correlated to the game ending pattern and which includes a graphical representation imitating a result in a game other than bingo;

(d) an additional player station connected for communication with the back office component; and

(e) an additional display device associated with the additional player station, the additional display device for displaying an additional result representation which is correlated to the additional winning pattern and which includes a graphical representation imitating an additional result in the game other than bingo, wherein the game other than bingo includes (i) a reel-type game in which a respective result is shown by a number of spinning reels which come to rest to display an array of indicia or (ii) a playing card game in which a respective result is shown by a number of playing card representations.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the back office component matches the group of bingo card representations with the game designation draw prior to an assignment of bingo card representations from the group of bingo card representations to players in the bingo game.

9. The program product of claim 7 wherein the game other than bingo is a reel-type game having three reels.

10. The program product of claim 7 wherein the game other than bingo is a poker game.