GAMING SYSTEM, GAMING DEVICE, AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING A GAME IN WHICH PLAYERS POSITION SELECTORS WITHIN A FIELD OF SELECTIONS BASED ON VALUES MASKED BY THE SELECTIONS

• US 20110111827A1
• Filed: 11/11/2009
• Published: 05/12/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/11/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Caputo, Scott A., Nicely, Mark C.
• Granted Patent: US 9,495,826 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/20
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3213 Details of moving display elements, e.g. spinning reels, tumbling members
• 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 17/3267 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 gaming system displays a plurality of spaced-apart selections each associated with a masked award. One or more selectors are each associated with one or more players, and are visible to each player. The selectors are moveable amongst the spaced-apart selections based on a plurality of player inputs. For a play of the game, the players provide inputs to move the selectors amongst the spaced-apart selections. During such movement, the gaming system temporarily reveals the award associated with any spaced-apart selection in the vicinity of any selector to at least one player, such as the player whose selector is near the selection. After the play of the game has ended (e.g., based on an amount of elapsed time), the gaming system provides awards to the players based on the ending positions of the one or more selectors with respect to the plurality of spaced-apart selections.

Claims

1. A gaming system comprising:

at least one display device;

at least one input 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 the at least one display device and the at least one input device to;

(a) display a plurality of spaced-apart selections in a predefined field to a player, each spaced-apart selection associated with one of a plurality of masked values;

(b) display at least two selectors in the predefined field, a first selector associated with said player; and

(c) for a play of a game;

(i) until a game expiration event occurs for said play of the game;

(A) enable said player to provide an input indicative of a desired movement of the first selector,

(B) display the first selector as moving according to the received input indicative of the desired movement,

(C) if the first selector has a designated spatial relationship with any one of the selections during the displayed moving, temporarily reveal the masked value associated with said spatially related selection according to a predefined rule, and

(D) display an indication of a position of a second selector within the predefined field to the player without displaying any indication of any masked value of any selection in the designated spatial relationship with the second selector,

(ii) determine if the first selector has the designated spatial relationship with any of the selections, and

(iii) if the first selector has the designated spatial relationship with any one of the selections, cause an award to be provided to the player, said award based on the value associated with that spatially related selection.

2. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the game expiration event occurs after an expiration of a designated period of time following a start of the play of the game.

3. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the game expiration event occurs based after a designated quantity of inputs are made by the player during the play of the game.

4. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the input indicative of the desired movement includes an input indicative of a desired position of the first selector in the field.

5. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the input indicative of the desired movement is an input indicative of a desired direction of movement of the first selector within the field.

6. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the designated spatial relationship exists for any selector that is within a designated distance of any selection.

7. The gaming system of claim 6, wherein the designated spatial relationship exists for any selector if that selector is displayed as overlapping a designated portion of any one of the selections.

8. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to operate with the at least one display device and the at least one input device to cause the selector associated with the player to move according to a first speed of movement during a first portion of the play of the game and according to a second speed of movement during a second portion of the play of the game.

9. The gaming system of claim 8, wherein the first speed of movement is based on at least one selected from the group consisting of:

a wager on the play of the game, an award won during a play of a primary game preceding the play of the game, and information about the player stored in a player tracking system.

10. The gaming system of claim 8, wherein the second speed of movement is based on at least one selected from the group consisting of:

a wager on the play of the game, an award won during a play of a primary game preceding the play of the game, and information about the player stored in a player tracking system.

11. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to operate with the at least one display device to temporarily reveal the masked value associated with said spatially related selection by displaying the masked value to the player while the first selector is in the designated spatial relationship with the selection.

12. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to operate with the at least one display device to temporarily reveal the masked value associated with said spatially related selection by displaying the masked value to the player for a designated period of time.

13. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the first selector is associated with the player and wherein the second selector is associated with an opponent.

14. The gaming system of claim 13, wherein the predefined rule includes temporarily revealing the masked value associated with the spatially related selection to the player and not the opponent.

15. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the player provides the input indicative of the desired movement over a network.

16. The gaming system of claim 15, wherein the network is an internet.

17. A gaming system comprising:

a controller programmed to operate with a first gaming device and a second gaming device to;

(a) associate a first selector with the first gaming device and a second selector with the second gaming device;

(b) cause a display of a field including a plurality of spaced-apart selections, and

(c) for a play of a game in which a first player at the first gaming device and a second player at the second gaming device are participating;

(i) until a game expiration event for the play of the game occurs for the first gaming device;

(A) receive data indicative of a first device game input from said first gaming device,

(B) cause the first selector to be displayed at the first gaming device and the second gaming device as moving within the field of selections based on the first device game input, and

(C) if the first selector has a designated spatial relationship with any selection, cause the first gaming device but not the second gaming device to temporarily reveal the value associated with said spatially related selection,

(ii) until the game expiration event for the play of the game occurs for the second gaming device;

(A) receive data indicative of a second device game input from said second gaming device,

(B) cause the second selector to be displayed at the first gaming device and the second gaming device as moving within the field of selections based on the second device game input, and

(C) if the second selector has the designated spatial relationship with any selection, cause the second gaming device but not the first gaming device to temporarily reveal the value associated with said spatially related selection,

(iii) when the game expiration event for the play of the game occurs for said first gaming device;

(A) determine if the first selector has the designated spatial relationship with any selection, and

(B) if the first selector has the designated spatial relationship with any selection, cause a first award to be provided to the first player, and

(iv) when the game expiration event for the play of the game occurs for said second gaming device;

(A) determine if the second selector has the designated spatial relationship with any selection, and

(B) if the second selector has the designated spatial relationship with any selection, cause a second award to be provided to the second player.

18. The gaming system of claim 17, wherein the controller is programmed to determine whether the game expiration event occurs for either the first gaming device or the second gaming device based on a passage of a designated amount of time.

19. The gaming system of claim 17, wherein the controller is programmed to determine whether the game expiration event occurs for either the first gaming device or the second gaming device based on an occurrence of a quantity of try cycles.

20. The gaming system of claim 19, wherein each try cycle spans a designated amount of time.

21. The gaming system of claim 19, wherein when each of the quantity of try cycles has ended for one of the gaming devices, the bonus game expiration event occurs for that gaming device.

22. The gaming system of claim 19, wherein for each try cycle for the first gaming device, the first gaming device enables the first player to provide at least one input indicative of a desired movement of the first selector and to provide an input indicative of redeeming a selection.

23. The gaming system of claim 22, wherein if the first player provides the input indicative of redeeming the selection for one of the try cycles, the try cycle ends.

24. The gaming system of claim 22, wherein if a designated amount of time passes prior to the first player providing the input indicative of redeeming the selection for one of the try cycles, that try cycle ends.

25. The gaming system of claim 22, wherein if the first selector is in the designated spatial relationship with any selection and if the first player provides the input indicative of redeeming the selection, the controller is programmed to operate with the first gaming device and the second gaming device to cause a display of an indication that said selection was redeemed at both the first gaming device and the second gaming device.

26. The gaming system of claim 17, wherein the controller is programmed to operate with the first gaming device and the second gaming device to change a value masked by one of the plurality of spaced-apart selections if an award has not been provided based on the spaced-apart selection being in the designated relationship with any selector for a designated regeneration time period.

27. The gaming system of claim 17, wherein the first gaming device and the second gaming device are located in a same gaming establishment.

28. The gaming system of claim 17, wherein the first gaming device and the second gaming device are located physically remotely from each other.

29. The gaming system of claim 28, wherein at least one of the first gaming device and the second gaming device is located physically remotely from the controller.

30. The gaming system of claim 17, wherein if a first award is provided because the first selector is in the designated spatial relationship with a first selection, the controller is programmed to operate with the first gaming device and the second gaming device to provides a subsequent second award to the second player based on the second selector thereafter having the designated spatial relationship with the first selection, the subsequent second award being smaller than the first award.

31. The gaming system of claim 17, wherein the data indicative of the first input and the data indicative of the second input is provided over a network.

32. The gaming system of claim 31, wherein the network is an internet.

33. A gaming system comprising:

at least one processor programmed to operate with at least one display device and at least one input device, for a play of a game, to;

(a) display a plurality of spaced-apart selections in a predefined field, the plurality of spaced-apart selections masking a plurality of awards, at least one of the spaced-apart selections associated with one of a plurality of collectable items;

(b) enable each of a plurality of players to provide a plurality of inputs indicative of a plurality of desired positions of a plurality of selectors within the predefined field, each of the selectors associated with one of the players;

(c) for each of the plurality of inputs, determine whether any of said selections is in the designated spatial relationship with any of the selectors;

(d) for each selection which is in the designated spatial relationship with any of the selectors, display an indication that any collectable item associated with said selection as accumulated by the player whose selector is in the designated spatial relationship with said selection, and

(e) if a game expiration event occurs;

(i) provide an award to any player whose selector is in the designated spatial relationship with any of the spaced-apart selections when the game expiration event occurs, and

(ii) provide an additional award to any player who has accumulated a designated quantity of collectable items for the play of the game.

34. The gaming system of claim 33, wherein the at least one processor is programmed to modify any award provided to any player whose selector is in the designated spatial relationship with any of the spaced-apart selections when the game expiration event occurs, said modification based on any collectable items displayed as accumulated by that player.

35. The gaming system of claim 34, wherein at least one of the plurality of spaced-apart selections is associated with a same collectable item for a first play of the game and for a subsequent second play of the game.

36. The gaming system of claim 34, wherein the at least one processor is programmed, for a play of the game, to display an indication that a collectable item is accumulated by only to one of the players whose selector is first to have the designated spatial relationship with the selection associated with that associated collectable item.

37. The gaming system of claim 36, wherein, after providing the collectable item to the player whose selector is first to have the designated spatial relationship with the selection associated with the collectable item, the at least one processor is programmed to remove the associated collectable item from the selection.

38. The gaming system of claim 33, wherein at least one of the plurality of players provides the plurality of inputs over a network.

39. The gaming system of claim 38, wherein the network is an internet.

40. A gaming system comprising:

at least one display device;

at least one input 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 the at least one display device and the at least one input device to;

(a) display a plurality of spaced-apart selections in a predefined field to a player, each spaced-apart selection associated with one of a plurality of masked values;

(b) display a selector associated with the player in the predefined field; and

(c) for a play of a game;

(i) until a game expiration event occurs for said play of the game;

(A) enable said player to provide an input indicative of a desired movement of the selector,

(B) display the selector as moving according to the received input indicative of the desired movement,

(C) if the selector has a designated spatial relationship with any one of the selections during the displayed moving, temporarily reveal the masked value associated with said spatially related selection according to a predefined rule, and

(D) display an indication of when said game expiration event will occur,

(ii) determine if the selector has the designated spatial relationship with any of the selections, and

(iii) if the selector has the designated spatial relationship with any one of the selections, cause an award to be provided to the player, said award based on the value associated with that spatially related selection.

41. The gaming system of claim 40, wherein the indication of when the game expiration event will occur includes at least one selected from the group consisting of:

an indication of an amount of time, an indication of a quantity of inputs indicative of the desired movement of the selector, and an indication of a quantity indicative of an amount of displayed moving of the selector.

42. The gaming system of claim 40, wherein the award is a first award and at least one of the plurality of selections is associated with at least one collectible, and which includes providing a second award to the player based on whether the selection having the designated spatial relationship with the selector is associated with the at least one collectible.

43. The gaming system of claim 40, wherein the player provides the input indicative of the desired movement of the selector over a network.

44. The gaming system of claim 43, wherein the network is an internet.