GAMING SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING TEAM PROGRESSIVE AWARDS

• US 20090124363A1
• Filed: 11/08/2007
• Published: 05/14/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: DeWaal, Daniel J., Baerlocher, Anthony J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,500,548 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 17/3244 Payment aspects of a gaming system, e.g. payment schemes, setting payout ratio, bonus or consolation prizes
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3258 Cumulative reward schemes, e.g. jackpots
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3274 wherein the players cooperate, e.g. team-play

Abstract

A gaming system and method which forms, tracks and maintains one or more groups or teams. The gaming system and method also maintains at least one team progressive award. At any designated point in time, each group or team includes one or more players, wherein as a player plays one or more games at one or more gaming devices, the player accumulates or builds up equity in their current team or group. Upon a determination to provide a team progressive award to a player of a designated team, each eligible player actively associated with the designated team (i.e., each player actively belonging to the team) is provided a portion of the team progressive award. Each player'"'"'s provided portion of the team progressive award is based on that player'"'"'s relative accumulated equity in the designated team compared to each other eligible player'"'"'s accumulated equity in the designated team.

Claims

1. A gaming system comprising:

a plurality of gaming devices, each gaming device including at least one input device;

at least one display device associated with at least one of said gaming devices; and

at least one controller configured to operate with each of said gaming devices and said at least one display device to;

(a) maintain and cause a display of a team award;

(b) after an occurrence of an equity accumulation event, accumulate equity in a team for a player at one of said gaming devices; and

(c) after an occurrence of a team award triggering event;

(i) determine if any players at any of said gaming devices are actively associated with the team within a designated time period after the occurrence of the team award triggering event, and

(ii) for each of any players actively associated with the team within the designated time period after the occurrence of the team award triggering event, determine and display a portion of the team award, wherein said determined and displayed portion of the team award is based on that player'"'"'s accumulated equity in the team relative to a total equity in the team accumulated for the players actively associated with the team within the designated time period after the occurrence of the team award triggering event.

2. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the team award is a progressive award.

3. A gaming system comprising:

a plurality of gaming devices, each gaming device including at least one input device;

at least one display device associated with at least one of said gaming devices; and

at least one controller configured to operate with each of said gaming devices and said at least one display device to;

(a) maintain a plurality of teams of a plurality of players of said gaming devices;

(b) maintain a plurality of team awards, each team award associated one of the teams, and each team having an associated team award;

(c) receive signals from the input devices activated by the players to select which teams to be initially actively associated with and which teams to be subsequently actively associated with;

(d) for each player actively associated with one of said teams, if an equity accumulation event occurs, accumulate a quantity of team equity accumulation units for said player in said team; and

(f) for each team, if a team award triggering event occurs, for each of any players actively associated with said team and with a designated level of accumulated team equity accumulation units, determine and display a portion of the team award for said player associated with said team, wherein said portion is based on said player'"'"'s accumulated team equity accumulation units relative to the total quantity of team equity accumulation units accumulated for all players actively associated with the team.

4. The gaming system of claim 3, wherein for each team, if a team award triggering event occurs, for each player actively associated with said team and with a designated level of accumulated team equity accumulation units after a first redemption period, the at least one controller is configured to determine and display a portion of the team award for said player actively associated with said team, wherein said portion is based on said player'"'"'s accumulated team equity accumulation units relative to the total quantity of team equity accumulation units accumulated for all players actively associated with the team after the first redemption period.

5. The gaming system of claim 3, wherein said equity accumulation event occurs based on at least one displayed event occurring in at least one play of at least one displayed game of at least one of said gaming devices.

6. The gaming system of claim 3, wherein said equity accumulation event occurs independent of any displayed events in any plays of any displayed games of any of the gaming devices.

7. The gaming system of claim 3, wherein said team award triggering event occurs based on at least one displayed event occurring in at least one play of at least one displayed game of at least one of said gaming devices.

8. The gaming system of claim 3, wherein said team award event occurs independent of any displayed events in any plays of any displayed games of any of the gaming devices.

9. The gaming system of claim 3, wherein the team award is a progressive award.

10. A gaming system comprising:

a plurality of gaming devices, each gaming device including at least one input device;

at least one display device associated with at least one of said gaming devices; and

at least one controller configured to operate with each of said gaming devices and said at least one display device to;

(a) maintain and cause a display of a team progressive award;

(b) enable a player at one of said gaming devices to make an input to select to be actively associated with one of a first team and a second team, wherein said team progressive award is associated with the first team;

(c) if the player selects to be actively associated with the first team, after an occurrence of a first team equity accumulation event, provide the player at least one equity accumulation unit associated with the first team;

(d) enable the player to make an input to select to switch to being actively associated with the second team; and

(e) after an occurrence of a team progressive award triggering event for the first team, if the player made said input to switch to being actively associated with the second team;

(i) enable the player to make an input to switch back to being actively associated with the first team, and

(ii) if the player made said input to switch back to being actively associated with the first team, determine and display a portion of the team progressive award, wherein said determined and displayed portion of the team progressive award is based on the player'"'"'s provided equity accumulation units associated with the first team relative to the total quantity of team equity accumulation units associated with the first team provided to all of the players actively associated with the first team.

11. The gaming system of claim 10, wherein if the player did not make said input to switch back to being actively associated with the first team, the at least one controller is configured to cause a forfeiture of the player'"'"'s provided equity accumulated units associated with the first team.

12. The gaming system of claim 10, wherein the team award is a progressive award.

13. The gaming system of claim 10, wherein said team progressive award is associated with the second team.

14. The gaming system of claim 10, wherein if the player switches to being actively associated with the second team, after an occurrence of a second team equity accumulation event, provide the player at least one equity accumulation unit associated with the second team.

15. The gaming system of claim 10, wherein after the occurrence of the team progressive award triggering event, said at least one controller is configured to enable the player to switch back to being actively associated with the first team for a designated redemption period.

16. The gaming system of claim 10, wherein said equity accumulation event occurs based on at least one displayed event occurring in at least one play of at least one displayed game of at least one of said gaming devices.

17. The gaming system of claim 10, wherein said equity accumulation event occurs independent of any displayed events in any plays of any displayed games of any of the gaming devices.

18. The gaming system of claim 10, wherein said team progressive award triggering event occurs based on at least one displayed event occurring in at least one play of at least one displayed game of at least one of said gaming devices.

19. The gaming system of claim 10, wherein said team progressive award event occurs independent of any displayed events in any plays of any displayed games of any of the gaming devices.

20. A gaming system comprising:

a plurality of gaming devices, each gaming device including at least one input device;

at least one display device associated with at least one of said gaming devices; and

at least one controller configured to operate with each of said gaming devices and said at least one display device to;

(a) maintain a plurality of teams including at least a first team and a second different team;

(b) maintain and cause a display of at least a first team progressive award associated with the first team and a second team progressive award associated with the second team;

(c) enable a player at one of said gaming devices to make an input to select to be actively associated with one of the first team and the second team;

(d) if said player is actively associated with the first team and a first equity accumulation event occurs, cause said player to accumulate at least one first team equity accumulation unit;

(e) if said player is actively associated with the second team and a second equity accumulation event occurs, cause said player to accumulate at least one second team equity accumulation unit; and

(f) repeat (c) to (f) until a team progressive award triggering event occurs, wherein;

(i) said player is enabled to switch (A) from being actively associated with the first team to being actively associated with the second team, and (B) from being actively associated with the second team to being actively associated with the first team, and

(ii) if the team progressive award triggering event occurs for the first team, any second team equity accumulation units accumulated are retained for said player.

21. The gaming system of claim 20, wherein at least one of the team awards is a progressive award.

22. The gaming system of claim 20, wherein if the team progressive award triggering event occurs for the second team, the at least one controller is configured to retain any first team equity accumulation units accumulated for said player.

23. A gaming system comprising:

a plurality of gaming devices, each gaming device including at least one input device;

at least one display device associated with at least one of said gaming devices; and

at least one controller configured to operate with each of said gaming devices and said at least one display device to;

(a) maintain a plurality of teams including at least a first team and a second different team;

(b) maintain and cause a display of at least a first team progressive award associated with the first team and a second team progressive award associated with the second team;

(c) enable a player at one of said gaming devices to make an input to select to be actively associated with one of the first team and the second team;

(d) if the player is actively associated with the first team and a first equity accumulation event occurs, provide the player at least one first team equity accumulation unit;

(e) if the player is actively associated with the second team and a second equity accumulation event occurs, provide the player at least one second team equity accumulation unit;

(f) if a team progressive award triggering event occurs for the first team, for each player with at least one provided first team equity accumulation unit that is actively associated with the first team after a first redemption period, determine and display a portion of the first team progressive award, wherein said determined and displayed portion of the first team progressive award is based on that player'"'"'s provided first team equity accumulation units relative to the total quantity of first team equity accumulation units provided to the players actively associated with the first team after the first redemption period, and

(g) if a team progressive award triggering event occurs for the second team, for each player with at least one provided second team equity accumulation unit that is actively associated with the second team after a second redemption period, determine and display a portion of the second team progressive award, wherein said determined and displayed portion of the second team progressive award is based on that player'"'"'s provided second team equity accumulation units relative to the total quantity of second team equity accumulation units provided to the players actively associated with the second team after the second redemption period.

24. The gaming system of claim 23, wherein at least one of the team awards is a progressive award.

25. The gaming system of claim 23, wherein said equity accumulation event occurs based on at least one displayed event occurring in at least one play of at least one displayed game of at least one of said gaming devices.

26. The gaming system of claim 23, wherein said equity accumulation event occurs independent of any displayed events in any plays of any displayed games of any of the gaming devices.

27. The gaming system of claim 23, wherein said team progressive award triggering event occurs based on at least one displayed event occurring in at least one play of at least one displayed game of at least one of said gaming devices.

28. The gaming system of claim 23, wherein said team progressive award event occurs independent of any displayed events in any plays of any displayed games of any of the gaming devices.