Gaming Machine Having A Community Game With Side Wagering

• US 20110201410A1
• Filed: 02/11/2011
• Published: 08/18/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: WMS Gaming Incorporated (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Original Assignee: WMS Gaming Incorporated (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Inventors: Anderson, Peter A., Hornik, Jeremy M., Englman, Allon G., Pacey, Larry J.
• Granted Patent: US 9,466,180 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/25
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/45 Controlling the progress of the video game
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/34 Betting or bookmaking, e.g. Internet betting
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3209 Input means, e.g. buttons, touch screen
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3211 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3213 Details of moving display elements, e.g. spinning reels, tumbling members
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3225 Data transfer within a gaming system, e.g. data sent between gaming machines and users
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3227 Configuring a gaming machine, e.g. downloading personal settings, selecting working parameters
• 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 17/3272 Games involving multiple players
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3276 wherein the players compete, e.g. tournament
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3286 Type of games
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/34 depending on the stopping of moving members in a mechanical slot machine, e.g. "fruit" machines

Abstract

According to one embodiment of the present invention, a system and method for conducting a wagering game on a plurality of gaming machines is disclosed. The method comprises the act of triggering a community event while conducting the wagering game on the plurality of gaming machines. Two or more gaming machines are selected to participate in the community event. The community event is selected from a plurality of independent community events. The gaming system comprises a plurality of gaming machines, at least one community display, and at least one controller. The controller is operative to select the two or more gaming machines to participate in the community event, and select the community event from the plurality of independent community events to display on the at least one community display.

Claims

1-20. -20. (canceled)

21. A computer-implemented method for conducting a wagering game, the method comprising:

receiving wagers, via an input device, from a player to play a plurality of successive plays of the wagering game;

displaying the plays of the wagering game on at least one display device;

based on the player'"'"'s game play activity over the plurality of successive plays, determining by one or more processors, a value-enhancement parameter for the player; and

awarding, by one or more of the processors, an award from a game event subsequent to the plurality of successive plays, the award being determined in part by the value-enhancement parameter.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the award is determined by applying the value-enhancement parameter to a base award won by the player in the game event.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein the value-enhancement parameter varies with the player'"'"'s game play activity over the plurality of successive plays.

25. The method of claim 21, wherein the game event is a communal game in which the player and other players participate.

26. The method of claim 21, wherein the receiving includes receiving a wager, via the input device, prior to each play of the plurality of successive plays.

23. The method of clam 22, wherein the value-enhancement parameter is a multiplier for multiplying the base award.

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

receive wagers from a player to play a plurality of successive plays of a wagering game,

display the plays of the wagering game on the at least one display device;

based on the player'"'"'s game play activity over the plurality of successive plays, determine a value-enhancement parameter for the player, and

award an award from a game event subsequent to the plurality of successive plays, the award being determined in part by the value-enhancement parameter.

28. The gaming system of claim 27, wherein the award is determined by applying the value-enhancement parameter to a base award won by the player in the game event.

30. The gaming system of claim 27, wherein the value-enhancement parameter varies with the player'"'"'s game play activity over the plurality of successive plays.

31. The gaming system of claim 27, wherein the game event is a communal game in which the player and other players participate.

32. The gaming system of claim 27, wherein the wagers include a wager received via the input device prior to each play of the plurality of successive plays.

29. The gaming system of clam 28, wherein the value-enhancement parameter is a multiplier for multiplying the base award.

33. 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 wagers, via an input device, from a player to play a plurality of successive plays of the wagering game;

displaying the plays of the wagering game on at least one display device;

based on the player'"'"'s game play activity over the plurality of successive plays, determining by one or more processors, a value-enhancement parameter for the player; and

awarding, by one or more of the processors, an award from a game event subsequent to the plurality of successive plays, the award being determined in part by the value-enhancement parameter.

34. The computer program product of claim 33, wherein the award is determined by applying the value-enhancement parameter to a base award won by the player in the game event.

36. The computer program product of claim 33, wherein the value-enhancement parameter varies with the player'"'"'s game play activity over the plurality of successive plays.

37. The computer program product of claim 33, wherein the game event is a communal game in which the player and other players participate.

38. The computer program product of claim 33, wherein the receiving includes receiving a wager, via the input device, prior to each play of the plurality of successive plays.

35. The computer program product of clam 34, wherein the value-enhancement parameter is a multiplier for multiplying the base award.

39. A gaming device, comprising:

an input device configured to receive one or more wagers from a player for playing a plurality of successive plays of a wagering game;

at least one display device configured to display a plurality of randomly selected symbols associated with each play of the plurality of successive plays; and

one or more processors communicatively coupled to the display device, at least one of the processors being operative to

execute the plurality of successive plays of the wagering game,

based on the player'"'"'s game play activity over the plurality of successive plays, determine a value-enhancement parameter for the player, and

award an award from a game event subsequent to the plurality of successive plays, the award being determined in part by the value-enhancement parameter.

40. The gaming device of claim 39, wherein the award is determined by applying the value-enhancement parameter to a base award won by the player in the game event.

41. The gaming device of claim 39, wherein the value-enhancement parameter varies with the player'"'"'s game play activity over the plurality of successive plays.

42. The gaming device of claim 39, wherein the game event is a communal game in which the player and other players participate.

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

(a) 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 wagering game;

(b) 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;

(c) using at least one of the processors to initiate the play of the wagering game in response to receiving the wager;

(d) determining an outcome of the play;

(e) using at least one of the processors to cause at least one of the display devices to display the outcome of the play;

(f) repeating steps (a)-(e) to play a plurality of successive plays of the wagering game;

(g) based on the player'"'"'s game play activity over the plurality of successive plays, using at least one of the processors to determine a value-enhancement parameter for the player; and

(h) using at least one of the processors to provide an award from a game event subsequent to the plurality of successive plays, the award being determined in part by the value-enhancement parameter.

44. The method of claim 43, wherein the value-enhancement parameter varies with the player'"'"'s game play activity over the plurality of successive plays.

45. The method of claim 43, wherein the game event is a communal game in which the player and other players participate.