GAMING SYSTEM, MACHINE AND METHOD WITH USER SELECTABLE GAME INTERACTIVE MODE

• US 20100210363A1
• Filed: 04/27/2010
• Published: 08/19/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Everi Games Inc. (Everi Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Multimedia Games Incorporated
• Inventors: Lind, Jefferson C., Enzminger, Joseph R., Loebig, Gary L., Graves, Gordon T., Lind, Clifton, Lannert, Robert, Willyard, Rodney L.
• Granted Patent: US 8,262,454 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/42
• 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 17/3244 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 17/3288 Betting, e.g. on live events, bookmaking

Abstract

A gaming system, apparatus, and method are disclosed which provide a player selectable option to manually interact by selecting game elements or initiate an automated mode whereby the gaming apparatus selects game elements in accordance with the rules of the game being played. An example disclosed embodiment includes a player being assigned a bingo card representation and a game designation set is associated with the bingo card representation, such that daubing the bingo card representation may be performed manually by the player at the player'"'"'s respective player station using a suitable interface at the player station. Alternatively to manual daubing, the present invention includes automatically daubing one or more bingo card representations in response to an automatic daub input made by the player at the player station using a suitable input device.

Claims

1. A gaming apparatus including

a user interface configured to enable a player to place a wager and initiate play of a game,

the game including a player interactive feature, wherein the player interacts with the game to select one or more game elements in order to achieve a game outcome,

during execution of the player interactive feature, the user interface including a selectable option enabling the player to automate selection of the game elements by the gaming machine in order to achieve the game outcome.

3. The gaming system of claim 1, the server configured to transmit one or more aspects of the game to the gaming machine during play of the game;

the game comprising a community game whereby the player competes with other players to obtain awards or prizes.

2. A gaming system comprising

a server;

and

a plurality of gaming machines network-connected to the server;

each gaming machine including

a user interface configured to enable a player to place a wager and initiate play of a game, and

a network interface to transmit and receive game information to and from the server;

the game including a player interactive feature, wherein the player interacts with the game to select one or more game elements in order to achieve a game outcome,

during execution of the player interactive feature, the user interface including a selectable option enabling the player to automate selection of the game elements by the gaming machine in order to achieve the game outcome.

4. A gaming system for conducting wagering games, the gaming system including:

a player station with a user interface, the user interface (i) enabling a player using the player station to enter a game play request for a play in a wagering game, and (ii) enabling the player to enter an automatic game interaction input for the play in the wagering game as a separate input after entry of the game play request;

a result generating arrangement adapted to provide an outcome in the wagering game in response to the game play request; and

an automatic game interaction control included with the player station, the automatic game interaction control being activated in response to the automatic game interaction input to perform a predefined game interaction at the player station for the outcome provided in response to the game play request.

5. A method for conducting a wagering game, the method including:

(a) receiving a game play request from a player in the wagering game;

(b) assigning an outcome to the player in response to receiving the game play request;

(c) receiving an automatic game interaction input from the player in the wagering game, the automatic game interaction input being a separate input after entry of the game play request; and

(d) in response to the automatic game interaction input, performing a predefined game interaction for the outcome assigned in response to receiving the game play request.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the game interaction input is entered by the player through a user interface at a player station through which the player participates in the wagering game.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein the automatic game interaction input is a prize claiming input.