BONUS TRIGGER SOUNDS BUILDING INTO A SONG

• US 20110111850A1
• Filed: 11/12/2009
• Published: 05/12/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LNW Gaming Incorporated (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: WMS Gaming Incorporated (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Inventors: Beerhorst, Ralph, Gomez, Benjamin T.
• Granted Patent: US 8,439,752 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/35
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3227 Configuring a gaming machine, e.g. downloading personal settings, selecting working parameters
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3244 Payment aspects of a gaming system, e.g. payment schemes, setting payout ratio, bonus or consolation prizes

Abstract

A system and method of playing a multi-track musical composition during a wagering game in which musical tracks are successively added as bonus triggers occur, starting from an introduction portion of the musical composition and culminating in a main theme or chorus of the musical composition. Upon receipt of a wager input at a gaming terminal, a base wagering game is initiated during which several bonus triggers can occur, satisfying eligibility to conduct a bonus game. As each bonus trigger occurs, the musical composition adds a musical track to the introduction being played through audio speakers of the gaming terminal, increasing its instrumentation density to create a richer and denser sound. When the last bonus trigger occurs during the base wagering game, the music launches seamlessly from the introduction that has just been built up into the main theme or chorus of the music, which serves as the accompaniment music for the bonus game.

Claims

1. A method of playing a multi-track musical composition during a wagering game that successively adds musical tracks that form an introduction portion of music that leads into a main theme or chorus of the musical composition, comprising:

receiving an input indicative of a wager at a gaming terminal;

responsive to receiving the input, conducting a base wagering game at the gaming terminal;

providing at least two bonus triggers in the base wagering game such that responsive to all of the bonus triggers occurring during the base wagering game, a bonus game is initiated;

responsive to a first bonus trigger occurring during the base wagering game, playing through an audio speaker system a first track of the musical composition to initiate an introduction portion of the musical composition;

responsive to a second bonus trigger occurring during the base wagering game, playing a second track of the musical composition through the audio speaker system such that both the first and the second tracks are played through the audio speaker system simultaneously; and

following occurrence of a last one of the bonus triggers during the base wagering game, playing through the audio speaker system the main theme or chorus of the musical composition that includes the first and second tracks, and initiating the bonus game.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising continuing to play the main theme or chorus of the musical composition during the bonus game.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising ceasing playing the musical composition through the audio speaker system responsive to not all of the bonus triggers occurring during the base wagering game.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising mixing the second track of the musical composition with the first track.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the base wagering game is a game of slots, and the at least two bonus triggers includes a third bonus trigger, the method further comprising responsive to the third bonus trigger occurring during the base wagering game, playing a third track of the musical composition through the audio speaker such that the first, second, and third tracks are played through the audio speaker simultaneously.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising mixing the third track with the first and second tracks.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first track and the second track are each produced by a distinct solo iteration or combination of a percussion, stringed, electronic, wind, brass, or vocal instrument, and wherein the musical composition is a song or an orchestral composition.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing the first and the second tracks as separate audio files in a memory accessible by the gaming terminal.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the second track is pre-mixed with the first track and stored as an audio file in a memory accessible by the gaming terminal.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the audio speaker system comprises a plurality of audio speakers each associated with an audio channel, the audio speakers being positioned on opposite sides of a player at the gaming terminal, wherein the playing the first track includes playing the first track through at least one of the audio channels, the method further comprising:

responsive to the second bonus trigger occurring, changing the directionality of the sound produced during play of the musical composition by playing the second track through at least another one of the audio channels.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the audio speaker system comprises a plurality of audio speakers, the method further comprising changing a percentage of sound played during play of the first track through the plurality of audio speakers responsive to the second track being played.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the audio speaker system comprises a plurality of audio speakers each associated with an audio channel, wherein the playing the second track is played through more audio channels compared to the first track.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the playing the main theme or chorus is played through the plurality of audio speakers in full surround utilizing all of the audio channels associated with the plurality of audio speakers.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the audio speaker system comprises a front set of audio speakers in the gaming terminal and a plurality of auxiliary audio speakers surrounding a player at the gaming terminal, the method further comprising playing the base wagering game through the front set of audio speakers only, wherein the playing the first track is played through a first number of the auxiliary audio speakers, and wherein the playing the second track is played through a second number of the auxiliary audio speakers, the second number being greater than the first.

15. A method of conducting a base wagering game for a human player, the wagering game including a game sequence in which a player provides an input and a wagering game outcome is determined, the method comprising:

using a user interface device to accept the player input, and transforming the player input to electronic data signals indicative of a wager to play the base wagering game;

using one or more processors to interpret the wager from the data signals and to cause the recording of a digital representation of the wager in one or more storage devices;

using at least one of the processors to initiate the game sequence of the base wagering game on the gaming apparatus, the game sequence including at least two bonus triggers;

responsive to a first bonus trigger occurring during the game sequence, playing a first track of the musical composition to initiate an introduction portion of the musical composition;

responsive to a second bonus trigger occurring during the game sequence, adding a second track of the musical composition to the first track and playing the first and the second tracks simultaneously; and

following occurrence of a last one of the bonus triggers during the game sequence, playing the main theme or chorus of the musical composition including the first and second tracks;

using at least one of the processors to cause an audio device to play the musical composition; and

initiate the bonus game while playing the main theme or chorus.

16. A method of playing a musical composition that employs instrumentation during a base wagering game, comprising:

receiving an input indicative of a wager at a gaming terminal;

responsive to receiving the input, conducting a base wagering game at the gaming terminal, the base wagering game including a plurality of bonus triggers including a first bonus trigger and a final bonus trigger;

responsive to an occurrence of the first bonus trigger during the base wagering game, playing through an audio speaker an introduction portion of the musical composition;

responsive to an occurrence of each subsequent one of the bonus triggers during the base wagering game, successively, with each such occurrence, increasing a density of the instrumentation of the musical composition played through the audio speaker until the final bonus trigger occurs; and

responsive to the occurrence of the final bonus trigger, initiating the bonus game while playing a main theme or chorus of the musical composition.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the bonus triggers includes an intermediate bonus trigger, wherein the density of the instrumentation has an initial density in response to the occurrence of the first bonus trigger, wherein the density is increased relative to the initial density to an intermediate density in response to the occurrence of the intermediate bonus trigger, and wherein the density is further increased relative to the intermediate density to a full density in response to the occurrence of the final bonus trigger.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the musical composition also employs voice.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the introduction portion transitions to the main theme or chorus of the musical composition responsive to the occurrence of the final bonus trigger such that the introduction portion and the main theme or chorus are audibly contiguous.

20. A method of playing a musical composition that employs instrumentation during a base wagering game, comprising:

receiving an input indicative of a wager at a gaming terminal;

responsive to receiving the input, conducting a base wagering game at the gaming terminal, the base wagering game including a plurality of bonus triggers including a first bonus trigger and a final bonus trigger;

responsive to an occurrence of the first bonus trigger during the base wagering game, playing through an audio speaker system an introduction portion of the musical composition having an initial layer of instrumentation;

responsive to an occurrence of each subsequent one of the bonus triggers during the base wagering game, successively, with each such occurrence, adding a further layer of instrumentation to the musical composition played through the audio speaker system until the final bonus trigger occurs; and

responsive to the occurrence of the final bonus trigger, initiating the bonus game while playing a main theme or chorus of the musical composition.

21. A computer program product comprising a computer readable medium having an instruction set borne thereby, the instruction set being configured to cause, upon execution by a controller, the acts of:

receiving an input indicative of a wager at a gaming terminal;

responsive to receiving the input, conducting a base wagering game at the gaming terminal;

providing at least two bonus triggers in the base wagering game such that responsive to all of the bonus triggers occurring during the base wagering game, a bonus game is initiated;

responsive to a first bonus trigger occurring during the base wagering game, playing through an audio speaker of a gaming terminal a first track of the musical composition to initiate an introduction portion of the musical composition;

responsive to a second bonus trigger occurring during the base wagering game, playing through the audio speaker a second track of the musical composition such that both the first and the second tracks are played through the audio speaker simultaneously; and

following occurrence of a last one of the bonus triggers during the base wagering game, playing through the audio speaker the main theme or chorus of the musical composition that includes the first and second tracks, and initiating the bonus game.

22. A method of playing a multi-track musical composition during a wagering game that successively adds musical tracks from an introduction portion of music that leads into a main theme or chorus of the musical composition, comprising:

receiving an input indicative of a wager at a gaming terminal;

responsive to receiving the input, conducting a base wagering game at the gaming terminal;

providing a bonus trigger in the base wagering game such that responsive to the bonus trigger occurring during the base wagering game, a bonus game is initiated;

responsive to a first event occurring during the base wagering game, playing through an audio speaker system of a gaming terminal a first track of the musical composition to initiate an introduction portion of the musical composition;

responsive to a second event occurring during the base wagering game, playing a second track of the musical composition through the audio speaker system such that both the first and the second tracks are played through the audio speaker system simultaneously; and

following occurrence of the bonus trigger during the base wagering game, playing through the audio speaker system the main theme or chorus of the musical composition that includes the first and second tracks, and initiating the bonus game.

23. A method of playing a musical composition during a wagering game through one or more audio speakers, comprising:

receiving an input indicative of a wager at a gaming terminal;

responsive to receiving the input, conducting a base wagering game at the gaming terminal;

providing a bonus trigger in the base wagering game such that responsive to the bonus trigger occurring during the base wagering game, a bonus game is initiated;

mapping a plurality of audio channels to corresponding ones of a plurality of audio speakers of an audio speaker system coupled to the gaming terminal;

responsive to a first event occurring during the base wagering game, playing the first audio channel of the musical composition through a first of the audio speakers but not a second of the audio speakers;

responsive to a second event occurring during the base wagering game, continuing to play the first audio channel through the first audio speaker and playing the second audio channel of the musical composition through the second of the audio speakers such that some but not all of the audio channels of the musical composition are being played; and

following occurrence of the bonus trigger during the base wagering game, playing all of the audio channels of the musical composition through all of the audio speakers, and initiating the bonus game.