ENTERTAINMENT GAME-BASED GAMING DEVICE

• US 20110218028A1
• Filed: 03/05/2010
• Published: 09/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Acres Technology
• Original Assignee: Patent Investment & Licensing Company
• Inventors: Acres, John F.
• Granted Patent: US 9,600,978 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/20
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/2145 the surface being also a display device, e.g. touch screens
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 9/24 Electric games; Games using electronic circuits not otherwise provided for video games A63F13/00; computerized gaming systems G07F17/32
• 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 17/3244 Payment aspects of a gaming system, e.g. payment schemes, setting payout ratio, bonus or consolation prizes
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3295 Games involving skill, e.g. dexterity, memory, thinking
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/34 depending on the stopping of moving members in a mechanical slot machine, e.g. "fruit" machines

Abstract

Embodiments of this concept are direct to a game that includes a combination of an entertainment game and a gambling game. This game combination provides an entertainment game that retains the playability and fun of a skill game or other non-traditional gambling game while allowing for wagers to still be placed and awards won. In some embodiments, the wager-based gambling game is tied directly into the entertainment game, which provides additional entertainment and excitement. Other embodiments separate some of the aspects of the gambling game from the entertainment game to retain the feel of well known gaming devices while still providing an entertainment game to the player.

Claims

1. A method of operating a gaming device comprising:

displaying an entertainment game;

receiving a player input to progress game play of the entertainment game;

triggering a gambling game when the game play resulting from the player input meets a predefined criterion; and

awarding prizes associated with a game outcome of the gambling game.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising incrementing a player score in response to the game play resulting from the player input.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising awarding a prize when the player score meets a predefined criterion.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a wagered amount of credits from a credit meter prior to displaying the entertainment game.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein triggering a gambling game includes deducting a wagered amount of credits from a credit meter.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying an entertainment game includes displaying a grid of symbols.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein receiving a player input to progress game play includes receiving a selection of a symbol in the grid of symbols to switch with an adjacent symbol.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein triggering a gambling game when the game play resulting from the player input meets a predefined criterion includes replacing each symbol of a matching combination of symbols with a reel and spinning each of the reel when the selection of a symbol in the grid of symbols results in the matching combination of symbols.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein triggering a gambling game when the game play resulting from the player input meets a predefined criterion includes replacing each symbol of a matching combination of symbols with a playing card when the selection of a symbol in the grid of symbols results in the matching combination of symbols.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising summing a point value of each playing card and comparing the point value to a prize schedule.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising placing the playing cards in a poker hand and analyzing the poker hand for winning combinations of cards.

12. A gaming device comprising:

a gaming display;

at least one player input mechanism; and

a processor configured to display an entertainment game on the gaming display, receive a player input to progress game play of the entertainment game, and trigger a gambling game when the game play resulting from the player input meets a predefined criterion.

13. The gaming device of claim 12, where the gaming display is a video display having a touchscreen interface.

14. The gaming device of claim 13, wherein the gambling game is displayed on the video display.

15. The gaming device of claim 13, wherein the gambling game includes a plurality of mechanical spinning reels.

16. The gaming device of claim 13, further including a memory to store a plurality of entertainment games, wherein the player input mechanism is used to select one of the entertainment games to play.

17. The gaming device of claim 13, further including a memory to store a plurality of wager-based games, wherein the player input mechanism is used to select one of the wager-based games to play.

18. A gaming system comprising:

a gaming device having a game display and at least one player input device; and

a bonus controller connected to the gaming device through a network, the bonus controller configured to provide a game to the gaming device, wherein the game includes an entertainment game and a gambling game that is triggered in response to game play of the entertainment game.

19. The gaming system of claim 18, wherein the gaming device includes a memory and a processor configured to operate the game provided by the bonus controller.

20. The gaming system of claim 18, wherein the bonus controller includes a processor configured to operate the game on the gaming device through the network.

21. The gaming system of claim 18, further comprising a machine interface device connected between the gaming device and the bonus controller, the machine interface device configured to couple to a serial communication port of the gaming device and to couple to a parallel communication port of the bonus controller.