Wagering Game With Multi-Level Progressive Jackpot With Partial Reset

• US 20110092277A1
• Filed: 10/15/2010
• Published: 04/21/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LNW Gaming Incorporated (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: WMS Gaming Incorporated (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Inventors: Jaffe, Joel R., Mastropietro, Michael W.
• Granted Patent: US 8,506,391 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/27
• 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

Abstract

A gaming system and method for conducting a wagering game includes a bonus feature that awards percentages of a progressive jackpot award without resetting the progressive jackpot award. A wager input receives a wager from a player to play a single play of a wagering game. The wagering increases the progressive jackpot award. A bonus feature is triggered that includes awarding a first award that has an amount that is a percentage less than 100% of the progressive jackpot award. The bonus feature may also award a second award that is at least the entire progressive jackpot award. If the first award is awarded, the progressive jackpot award remains at the same level. If the second award is awarded, the progressive jackpot award is reset to a predetermined minimum value.

Claims

1. A gaming system comprising:

a wager input for receiving a wager from a player to play a wagering game;

at least one display to display a randomly selected outcome of the wagering game; and

at least one controller operative to;

contribute at least a portion of the wager to a progressive jackpot award; and

conduct a feature including (i) awarding a first award without resetting the progressive jackpot award, the first award being less than 100% of the progressive jackpot award or (ii) awarding at least the entire progressive jackpot award and resetting the progressive jackpot award to a predetermined minimum value.

2. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the progressive jackpot award includes a strike price and the expected value of the first award is a function of the strike price.

3. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the first award is one of a plurality of awards each having a value that is a different percentage less than 100% of the progressive jackpot award, and wherein the feature includes awarding any of the plurality of awards without resetting the progressive jackpot award.

4. The gaming system of claim 3, wherein the awarding at least the entire progressive jackpot award includes awarding greater than 100% of the progressive jackpot award.

5. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the feature is triggered independent of any outcome in the wagering game.

6. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the feature is triggered in response to a triggering outcome in the wagering game.

7. A method of conducting a wagering game on a gaming system, comprising:

accepting, at a user interface device, a player input indicative of a wager to play the wagering game;

contributing at least a portion of the wager to a progressive jackpot award;

displaying a randomly generated outcome of the wagering game on a display device; and

in response to a triggering event, using at least one gaming apparatus controller to conduct a bonus feature including (i) awarding a first award that is less than 100% of the progressive jackpot award and keeping the progressive jackpot award at the same level or (ii) awarding a second award that is at least the entire progressive jackpot award and resetting the progressive jackpot award to a predetermined minimum value.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the progressive jackpot award includes a strike price and the expected value of the first award is a function of the strike price.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the bonus feature includes awarding any of a plurality of awards and keeping the progressive jackpot award at the same level, the plurality of awards including the first award and each having a value that is a different percentage less than 100% of the progressive jackpot award.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the second award is greater than 100% of the progressive jackpot award.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the bonus feature is triggered independent of any outcome in the wagering game.

12. The method system of claim 7, wherein the bonus feature is triggered in response to a triggering outcome in the wagering game.

13. A method of conducting a wagering game on a gaming system, comprising:

accepting a player input at a user interface device indicative of a wager to play the wagering game;

contributing at least a portion of the wager to a jackpot award; and

using at least one controller to conduct a feature including (i) awarding one of a plurality of awards without resetting the progressive jackpot award, each of the plurality of awards being less than 100% of the progressive jackpot award or (ii) awarding at least the entire progressive jackpot award and resetting the progressive jackpot award to a predetermined minimum value.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the progressive jackpot award includes a strike price and the expected value of the plurality of awards is a function of the strike price.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the feature is triggered independent of any outcome in the wagering game.

16. The method system of claim 13, wherein the feature is triggered in response to a triggering outcome in the wagering game.

17. A machine readable medium having stored thereon instructions for award different percentage amounts of a progressive award jackpot, comprising machine executable code which when executed by at least one machine, causes the machine to:

receive a wager from a player to play a wagering game;

display a randomly selected outcome of the wagering game;

contribute at least a portion of the wager to a progressive jackpot award; and

conduct a feature including (i) awarding a first award without resetting the progressive jackpot award, the first award being less than 100% of the progressive jackpot award or (ii) awarding at least the entire progressive jackpot award and resetting the progressive jackpot award to a predetermined minimum value.

18. A progressive gaming method, comprising:

displaying a progressive jackpot award on a display device;

using at least one controller to increment the progressive jackpot award in response to play of wagering games at one or more gaming devices; and

in response to a triggering event, using at least one controller to (i) award less than 100% of the progressive jackpot award without resetting the progressive jackpot award to a reset value, or (ii) award at least the entire progressive jackpot award and resetting the progressive jackpot award to the reset value.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the triggering event is independent of any outcome in the wagering game.

20. The method system of claim 18, wherein the triggered event is an outcome in a wagering game.