GAMING METHOD AND DEVICE INVOLVING PROGRESSIVE WAGERS

• US 20100197386A1
• Filed: 01/08/2010
• Published: 08/05/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/03/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Nicely, Mark C., Lafky, Ernie M.
• Granted Patent: US 8,408,993 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 17/3213 Details of moving display elements, e.g. spinning reels, tumbling members
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3239 Tracking of individual players
• 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 17/3246 involving coins and/or banknotes
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3248 involving non-monetary media of fixed value, e.g. casino chips of fixed value
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3258 Cumulative reward schemes, e.g. jackpots
• 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 method of gaming is disclosed wherein progressive award values may be increased in response to certain pre-established game outcomes, wager amounts or random events. The increased progressive award values may be based on a primary game or secondary game outcome. Another innovation is the resetting of progressive awards upon completion of a bonus event whether or not award actually won in said bonus event. Player tracking systems permit progressive award values to be linked to a particular player such that the progressive award values remain personal to the player. Re-setting increased progressive award values is also disclosed.

Claims

1. A gaming system comprising:

at least one input device;

at least one display device;

at least one processor; and

at least one memory device which stores a plurality of instructions, which when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to operate with said at least one display device, and said at least one input device to;

(a) enable a player to place a wager on a play of a primary game;

(b) randomly generate a primary game outcome from a plurality of different primary game outcomes, at least one of the primary game outcomes associated with at least one bonus trigger condition and at least one, but not all, of the primary game outcomes associated with at least one progressive award increase condition for a progressive award;

(c) automatically increase a value of the progressive award if the randomly generated primary game outcome corresponds to the at least one progressive award increase condition, an amount of said increase based on said randomly generated primary game outcome;

(d) if the randomly generated primary game outcome corresponds to one of a plurality of different winning primary game outcomes;

(i) provide the player an award associated with the randomly generated primary game outcome, and

(ii) if the provided award associated with the randomly generated primary game outcome is the progressive award, reset the progressive award to an initial value; and

(e) if the randomly generated primary game outcome corresponds to the at least one bonus trigger condition, for a play of a bonus game;

(i) randomly generate a bonus game outcome from a plurality of different bonus game outcomes, at least one of the bonus game outcomes associated with the at least one progressive award increase condition for the progressive award,

(ii) automatically increase the value of the progressive award if the randomly generated bonus game outcome corresponds to the at least one progressive award increase condition, the amount of said increase based on the randomly generated bonus game outcome,

(iii) provide the player any award associated with the randomly generated bonus game outcome, and

(iv) reset the progressive award to the initial value upon concluding play of the bonus game.

2. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein when executed by the at least one processor, the plurality of instructions cause the at least one processor to reset the progressive award to the initial value if, prior to concluding play of the bonus game, the provided award associated with the randomly generated bonus game outcome is the progressive award.

3. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein when executed by the at least one processor, the plurality of instructions cause the at least one processor to increase the value of the progressive award by an amount based, at least in part, on an amount of the placed wager.

4. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein when executed by the at least one processor, the plurality of instructions cause the at least one processor to increase the value of the progressive award based on a plurality of plays of a plurality of primary games.

5. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein when executed by the at least one processor, the plurality of instructions cause the at least one processor to cause a plurality of reels to display the randomly generated primary game outcome.

6. A gaming system comprising:

at least one input device;

at least one display device;

at least one processor; and

at least one memory device which stores a plurality of instructions, which when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to operate with said at least one display device, and said at least one input device to;

(a) maintain a plurality of progressive awards, each of said progressive awards having an initial progressive award value;

(b) enable a player to place a wager on a play of a primary game;

(c) if the placed wager is at least a designated wager level, increase a progressive award value of at least one of said progressive awards;

(d) cause a plurality of reels to display a randomly generated primary game outcome;

(e) automatically increase the progressive award value of at least one of said progressive awards if the displayed randomly generated primary game outcome corresponds to an award increase condition for said at least one progressive award, an amount of said increase is based on the randomly generated primary game outcome;

(f) if the displayed randomly generated primary game outcome corresponds to one of a plurality of different winning primary game outcomes, provide an award associated with the displayed generated primary game outcome;

(g) if any of the progressive awards are provided to the player, reset said progressive award value of said provided progressive award to said initial progressive award value associated with said provided progressive award; and

(h) in response to the randomly generated primary game outcome corresponding to a bonus event triggering game outcome;

(i) initiate a bonus round,

(ii) provide any award associated with a bonus round outcome; and

(iii) upon concluding play of the initiated bonus round, for each of the progressive awards, reset the progressive award value of said progressive award to the initial progressive award value associated with said progressive award.

7. The gaming system of claim 6, wherein the primary game outcome includes a plurality of symbols.

8. The gaming system of claim 7, wherein when executed by the at least one processor, the plurality of instructions cause the at least one processor to automatically increase the progressive award value of one of the progressive awards if a designated one of the symbols is displayed in association with the randomly generated game outcome, an amount of said increase is based on the displayed designated symbol.

9. The gaming system of claim 6, wherein when executed by the at least one processor, the plurality of instructions cause the at least one processor to increase the progressive award value of at least one of the progressive awards based, at least in part, on an amount of the wager.

10. The gaming system of claim 6, wherein when executed by the at least one processor, the plurality of instructions cause the at least one processor to increase at least one of progressive award values of at least one of the progressive awards when the bonus round is triggered but before the bonus round is played.

11. A method of operating a gaming system, said method comprising:

(a) enable a player to place a wager on a play of a primary game;

(b) causing at least one processor to execute a plurality of instructions to randomly generate a primary game outcome from a plurality of different primary game outcomes, at least one of the primary game outcomes associated with at least one bonus trigger condition and at least one, but not all, of the primary game outcomes associated with at least one progressive award increase condition for a progressive award;

(c) causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to automatically increase a value of the progressive award if the randomly generated primary game outcome corresponds to the at least one progressive award increase condition, an amount of said increase based on said randomly generated primary game outcome;

(d) if the randomly generated primary game outcome corresponds to one of a plurality of different winning primary game outcomes;

(i) providing the player an award associated with the randomly generated primary game outcome, and

(ii) if the provided award associated with the randomly generated primary game outcome is the progressive award, causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to reset the progressive award to an initial value; and

(e) if the randomly generated primary game outcome corresponds to the at least one bonus trigger condition, for a play of a bonus game;

(i) causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to randomly generate a bonus game outcome from a plurality of different bonus game outcomes, at least one of the bonus game outcomes associated with the at least one progressive award increase condition for the progressive award,

(ii) causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to automatically increase the value of the progressive award if the randomly generated bonus game outcome corresponds to the at least one progressive award increase condition, the amount of said increase based on the randomly generated bonus game outcome,

(iii) providing the player any award associated with the randomly generated bonus game outcome, and

(iv) causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to reset the progressive award to the initial value upon concluding play of the bonus game.

12. The method of claim 11, which includes causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to reset the progressive award to the initial value if, prior to concluding play of the bonus game, the provided award associated with the randomly generated bonus game outcome is the progressive award.

13. The method of claim 11, which includes causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to increase the value of the progressive award by an amount based, at least in part, on amount of the placed wager.

14. The method of claim 11, which includes causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to increase the value of the progressive award based on a plurality of plays of a plurality of primary games.

15. The method of claim 11, which includes causing a plurality of reels to display the randomly generated primary game outcome.

16. The method of claim 11, which is provided through a data network.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the data network is an internet.

18. A method of operating a gaming system, said method comprising:

(a) maintaining a plurality of progressive awards, each of said progressive awards associated with an initial progressive award value;

(b) enabling a player to place a wager on a play of a primary game;

(c) if the placed wager is at least a designated wager level, causing at least one processor to execute a plurality of instructions to increase a progressive award value of at least one of said progressive awards;

(d) causing a plurality of reels to display a randomly generated primary game outcome;

(e) causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to automatically increase the progressive award value of at least one of said progressive awards if the displayed randomly generated primary game outcome corresponds to an award increase condition for said at least one progressive award, an amount of said increase is based on the randomly generated primary game outcome;

(f) if the displayed randomly generated primary game outcome corresponds to one of a plurality of different winning primary game outcomes, providing an award associated with the displayed generated primary game outcome;

(g) if any of the progressive awards are provided to the player, causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to reset said progressive award value of said provided progressive award to said initial progressive award value associated with said provided progressive award; and

(h) in response to the displayed randomly generated primary game outcome corresponding to a bonus event triggering game outcome;

(i) causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to initiate a bonus round,

(ii) providing any award associated with a bonus round outcome; and

(iii) upon concluding play of the initiated bonus round, for each of the progressive awards, causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to reset the progressive award value of said progressive award to the initial progressive award value associated with said progressive award.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the primary game outcome includes a plurality of symbols.

20. The method of claim 19, which includes causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to automatically increase the progressive award value of one of the progressive awards if a designated one of the symbols is displayed in association with the randomly generated game outcome, an amount of said increase is based on the displayed designated symbol.

21. The method of claim 18, which includes causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to increase the progressive award value of at least one of the progressive awards based, at least in part, on an amount of the wager.

22. The method of claim 18, which includes causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to increase at least one of progressive award values of at least one of the progressive awards when the bonus round is triggered but before the bonus round is played.

23. The method of claim 18, which is provided through a data network.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the data network is an internet.