METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR GAMING AND BRAND ASSOCIATION

• US 20110281646A1
• Filed: 07/06/2011
• Published: 11/17/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Nguyen, Binh T., Paulsen, Craig A.
• Granted Patent: US 9,105,150 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/31
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3227 Configuring a gaming machine, e.g. downloading personal settings, selecting working parameters
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3239 Tracking of individual players
• 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

Abstract

A gaming system includes: (i) a base wagering game requiring a wager to made by a player; (ii) at least one winning outcome for the base wagering game; (iii) a paytable for the at least one winning outcome; a secondary award provided randomly to the player, the secondary party award provided by a secondary award provider and kept separate and apart from the paytable; and (iv) advertising for secondary award provider, the advertising provided in exchange for the provision of the secondary award.

Claims

1. A gaming system comprising:

at least one display device;

at least one input device;

at lease one processor; and

at least one memory device storing 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) determine whether a player'"'"'s player profile is available;

(b) if the player'"'"'s player profile is available;

(i) receive information stored in the player'"'"'s player profile, and

(ii) use said information to determine at least one of a plurality of different brands to associate with a play of a game;

(c) after determining at least one of the brands to associate with said play of the game, receive a wager from a player for said play of the game; and

(d) for said play of the game, for at least one determined brand;

(i) retrieve brand material associated with said determined brand to associate with said play of the game; and

(ii) modify at least one feature of said play of the game using the retrieved brand material such that brand information associated with the determined brand is displayed to the player during said play of the game.

2. The gaming system of claim 1, which includes an identifier assigned to the player'"'"'s player profile, the identifier being unique to the player and configured to differentiate the player from all other players.

3. The gaming system of claim 1, which includes an identifier assigned to the player'"'"'s player profile, the identifier being unique to a group of players and configured to differentiate the group of players from all other groups of players.

4. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the information stored in the player'"'"'s player profile includes data regarding the characteristics, habits, and/or preferences of the player and the plurality of instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to use the data regarding the characteristics, habits, and/or preferences of the player to determine the at least one brand to associate with said play of the game.

5. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the information stored in the player'"'"'s player profile includes a preference of the player regarding at least one of the brands and the plurality of instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to use the preference of the player regarding the at least one of the brands to determine the at least one brand to associate with said play of the game.

6. The gaming system of claim 5, wherein the player'"'"'s preference regarding the at least one of the brands includes:

(a) an indication that the player is willing to receive information associated with the at least one of the brands; and

(b) an indication that the player is not willing to receive information associated with the at least one of the brands.

7. The gaming system of claim 5, wherein the player'"'"'s preference regarding the at least one of the brands is input by the player.

8. The gaming system of claim 5, wherein the player'"'"'s preference regarding the at least one of the brands is generated by the at least one processor based on the player'"'"'s game play.

9. The gaming system of claim 1, which includes a plurality of event criteria, and wherein the plurality of instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to use the information stored in the player'"'"'s player profile to determine the at least one of the brands to associate with said play of the game by comparing said information with the event criteria and determining the at least one of the brands based on the comparison.

10. The gaming system of claim 1, which includes a plurality of brand criteria, each the brands being associated with at least one of the brand criteria, and wherein the plurality of instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to use the information stored in the player'"'"'s player profile to determine the at least one of the brands to associate with the game by comparing said information with the brand criteria and determining the at least one of the brands based on the comparison.

11. A method of operating a gaming system, said method comprising:

causing at least one processor to execute a plurality of instructions stored in at least one memory device to determine whether a player'"'"'s player profile is available;

if the player'"'"'s player profile is available, causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to;

(a) receive information stored in the player'"'"'s player profile, and

(b) use said information to determine at least one of a plurality of different brands to associate with a play of a game;

causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to operate with at least one input device to, after determining at least one of the brands to associate with said play of the game, receive a wager from a player for said play of the game; and

causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to, for said play of the game, for at least one determined brand;

(a) retrieve brand material associated with said determined brand to associate with said play of the game; and

(b) operate with at least one display device to modify at least one feature of said play of the game using the retrieved brand material such that brand information associated with the determined brand is displayed to the player during said play of the game.

12. The method of claim 11, which includes causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to assign an identifier to the player'"'"'s player profile, the identifier being unique to the player and configured to differentiate the player from all other players.

13. The method of claim 11, which includes causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to assign an identifier to the player'"'"'s player profile, the identifier being unique to a group of players and configured to differentiate the group of players from all other groups of players.

14. The method of claim 11, which includes causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to operate with the at least one input device to enable the player to input the player'"'"'s preference regarding at least one of the brands.

15. The method of claim 14, which includes causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to use the player'"'"'s preference to determine the at least one of the brands to associate with said play of the game.

16. The method of claim 11, which includes causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to generate the player'"'"'s preference regarding at least one of the brands based on the player'"'"'s game play.

17. The method of claim 11, which includes causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to use the information stored in the player'"'"'s player profile to determine the at least one of the brands to associate with the game by comparing said information with a plurality of event criteria and determining the at least one of the brands based on the comparison.

18. The method of claim 11, which includes causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to use the information stored in the player'"'"'s player profile to determine the at least one of the brands to associate with the game by comparing said information with a plurality of brand criteria and determining the at least one of the brands based on the comparison, wherein each of the brands is associated with at least one of the brand criteria.

19. The method of claim 11, which is provided through a data network.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the data network is the internet.