Method, apparatus and gaming set for use in a progressive game

• US 6,309,298 B1
• Filed: 08/05/1999
• Issued: 10/30/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 07/22/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: ZDI Gaming, Inc.
• Original Assignee: ZDI Gaming, Inc.
• Inventors: Gerow, Jay E.
• Primary Examiner(s): LAYNO, BENJAMIN
• Application Number:
  US09/369,678
• Time in Patent Office: 817 Days
• Field of Search: 273/138.1, 273/138.2, 273/143.R, 273/139, 463/16, 463/17, 463/18, 463/20, 463/26-28, 463/42
• US Class Current: 463/20
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2009/242 Bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 3/069 having a message becoming legible by tearing-off non-adhesive parts
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3258 Cumulative reward schemes, e.g. jackpots
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/329 Regular and instant lottery, e.g. electronic scratch cards

Abstract

A pull-tab gaming set, a progressive pull-tab gaming system and a method of operating a progressive pull-tab game. The gaming set includes a plurality of pull-tab cards, each card having a front portion, a back portion and a selectively revealable gaming section. The gaming section contains indicia of a redemption value of the card which is unascertainable until the gaming section is revealed. There are preferably at least three classes of pull-tab cards in the gaming set in the form of winners having indicia of a fixed non-zero value, losers having indicia of a zero value and at least one jackpot card with indicia of an undetermined total value. The progressive pull-tab card game system includes a pull-tab dispensing unit, configured to dispense pull-tab cards, a jackpot display, and a control system operatively connected to the dispensing unit to monitor the quantity of pull-tab cards dispensed. The control system is configured to compute a jackpot value dependent on that quantity and operatively connected to the jackpot display to cause it to display the computed jackpot value as pull-tab cards are dispensed.

Claims

1. A progressive pull-tab card game system comprising:

a pull-tab dispenser, adapted to dispense pull-tab cards including indicia of redemption value, wherein the pull-tab cards include at least one jackpot card, wherein said at least one jackpot card is designated as a jackpot card by indicia on the jackpot card prior to the play of the progressive pull-tab game, and further wherein said indicia on the jackpot card have an undetermined total value;

a jackpot display;

a control system operatively connected to the dispenser to monitor the dispensing of pull-tab cards and configured to compute a jackpot value dependent on the dispensing of pull-tab cards, the control system further being operatively connected to the jackpot display to cause it to display the computed jackpot value as pull-tab cards are dispensed; and

an electronic display screen associated with the control system and configured to present a display of the indicia of redemption value on the pull-tab cards.

2. The system of claim 1, further including a reader to read dispensed pull-tab cards, where the display of indicia is based upon information from the reader.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the pull-tab cards are stored electronically.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the pull-tab cards are pre-printed.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the displayed indicia of redemption value mimics the appearance of a slot machine.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the control system is configured to compute the jackpot value by periodically incrementing a selectable initial value by a predetermined value every time a predetermined number of pull-tab cards is dispensed.

7. The system of claim 1, further including a plurality of pull-tab dispensers, where the control system is operatively connected to each dispenser to monitor the quantity of pull-tab cards dispensed.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the control system computes the jackpot value dependent on the quantity of pull-tab cards dispensed from all of the dispensers.

9. A method of operating a progressive pull-tab game, comprising:

providing a set of pull-tab cards which includes at least one jackpot card without a predetermined total value and a plurality of non-jackpot cards having predetermined values wherein said at least one jackpot card is designated as a jackpot card by indicia on the jackpot card prior to the play of the progressive pull-tab game, and further wherein said indicia on the jackpot card have an undetermined total value;

setting a progressive jackpot to a predetermined value;

displaying the progressive jackpot;

selling one of the pull-tab cards to a player;

selectively increasing the value of the progressive jackpot;

presenting to the player, by way of an electronic display, an image indicative of the value of the pull-tab card;

repeating the steps of displaying, selling, selectively increasing and presenting until the at least one jackpot card is sold; and

then

awarding the progressive jackpot.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the selling step is preceded by the step of allowing a player to choose a particular pull-tab dispensing unit from a plurality of pull-tab dispensing units.

11. The method of claim 10, further including the steps of distributing the set of pull-tab cards among the plurality pull-tab dispensing units and operatively connecting the plurality of pull-tab dispensing units to a single progressive jackpot.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the step of providing includes the step of selecting a set of pull-tab cards in which each pull-tab card has a front portion, a back portion and a selectively revealable gaming section which contains indicia of a redemption value of the pull-tab card, the redemption value being unascertainable until the gaming section is revealed and where the set includes at least two classes of pull-tab cards in the form of winners having indicia of a fixed non-zero value and the at least one jackpot card.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the step of selectively increasing is repeated every time a pull-tab card is sold in the step of selling.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the step of displaying is repeated every time a pull-tab card is sold.

15. A method of conducting a pull-tab game comprising:

providing a set of pull-tab cards including at least one jackpot card of undetermined value and a multiplicity of non-jackpot cards with predetermined values, wherein said at least one jackpot card is designated as a jackpot card by indicia on the jackpot card prior to the play of the pull-tab game, and further wherein at least prior to being distributed said indicia on the jackpot card have an undetermined total value;

distributing the pull-tab cards from the set of pull-tab cards sequentially to multiple players in a fashion so that the players do not know when the at least one jackpot card will be distributed;

for at least some of the distributed pull-tab cards, presenting an electronic display to a player indicative of the value of the card; and

when the at least one jackpot card is distributed, awarding a jackpot to the player to whom the at least one jackpot card was distributed, where the value of the jackpot awarded is dependent on when, in the sequence of distributing the pull-tab cards, the at least one jackpot card is distributed.

16. The method of claim 15, further including the steps of setting a progressive jackpot to a predetermined initial value and selectively increasing the value of the progressive jackpot for each pull-tab card distributed prior to awarding the progressive jackpot.

17. A method of conducting a pull-tab game comprising:

providing a set of pull-tab cards including at least one jackpot card of undetermined value and a multiplicity of non-jackpot cards with predetermined values, wherein said at least one jackpot card is designated as a jackpot card by indicia on the jackpot card prior to the play of the pull-tab game, and further wherein at least prior to being distributed said indicia on the jackpot card have an undetermined total value;

distributing the pull-tab cards from the set of pull-tab cards sequentially to multiple players in a fashion so that the players do not know when the at least one jackpot card will be distributed;

configuring an electronic display screen to display a representation of the pull-tab cards to the players as the pull-tab cards are distributed so that the players can determine the value of the pull-tab card; and

when the at least one jackpot card is distributed, awarding a jackpot to the player to whom the at least one jackpot card was distributed, where the value of the jackpot awarded is dependent on when, in the sequence of distributing the pull-tab cards, the at least one jackpot card is distributed.

18. A method of conducting a progressive game, comprising:

providing a set of plays including at least one jackpot play of undetermined value mixed in with a multiplicity of non-jackpot plays with predetermined values, wherein said at least one jackpot play is designated as a jackpot play by indicia on the jackpot play prior to the play of the progressive game, and further wherein at least prior to be distributed said indicia on the jackpot play have an undetermined total value;

distributing the plays from the set of plays sequentially to multiple players in a fashion so that the players do not know when the at least one jackpot play will be distributed, where the step of distributing includes displaying on an electronic display screen information relating to the play from which the player can determine the value of the play; and

when the at least one jackpot play is distributed, awarding a jackpot to the player to whom the at least one jackpot play was distributed, where the value of the jackpot awarded is dependent on when, in the sequence of distributing the plays, the at least one jackpot play is distributed.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the step of providing includes printing a set of plays in the form of pull-tab cards.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the step of providing includes generating an electronic set of plays.