Multi-level lottery-type gaming system with player-selected second level game

• US 6,524,184 B1
• Filed: 01/10/2000
• Issued: 02/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 01/10/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Everi Games Inc. (Everi Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Multimedia Games Incorporated
• Inventors: Shapiro, David, Lind, Jefferson C., Enzminger, Joseph R., Lind, Clifton
• Primary Examiner(s): O'Neill, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): BROCKETTI, JULIE K
• Application Number:
  US09/479,975
• Time in Patent Office: 1,142 Days
• Field of Search: 463/16, 463/13, 463/17, 463/18, 463/20, 273/269, 273/138.1, 273/138.2, 273/139
• US Class Current: 463/13
• 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

Abstract

A gaming method according to the invention utilizes a first level game and a plurality of second level or daughter games. Each game at a particular level comprises a separate lottery-type game having a number or plurality of game records. Each game record includes a predetermined result. According to the invention, each first level game result is associated with a single value common to the result in each other first level game record. However, the result associated with each second level game record varies between various predetermined prize values.

Claims

1. A gaming method comprising the steps of:

(a) developing a plurality of first level game records for a first level game, each first level game record including a first level game result which defines a particular first level game representation, each first level game record being associated with a respective first level game record value, each respective first level game record value comprising the same value;

(b) developing a plurality of second level game records for each of a plurality of second level games, each second level game record for a particular second level game including a second level game result, and each second level game corresponding to a different one of a plurality of first level permissible player responses which may be entered by a game player;

(c) enabling a game player to view a first level game representation defined by a particular one of the first level game records; and

(d) in response to the entry of one of the permissible player responses by a game player, displaying a second level game representation defined by a game record from a particular one of the second level games, the particular one of the second level games corresponding to the respective permissible player response entered by the game player.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein:

(a) the steps of developing a plurality of first level game records and developing a plurality of second level game records are performed at a game manufacturing processor; and

(b) the step of displaying the second level game representation comprises displaying the second level game representation at a player terminal remote from the game manufacturing processor.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the game player makes the entry of the permissible player response at the player terminal.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the first level game representation is a representation of a casino-type game.

5. A gaming method utilizing a plurality of first level game records for a first level game, and further utilizing a plurality of second level games, each second level game having a plurality of second level game records and corresponding to a different one of a plurality of first level permissible player responses, wherein the plurality of first level game records and the plurality of second level game records for each second level game are predetermined and stored prior to game play in the first level game, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) enabling a game player to view a first level game representation defined by a particular one of the first level game records, each first level game record being associated with a common first level game record value; and

(b) in response to one of the permissible player responses, displaying a second level game representation defined by a game record from a particular one of the second level games, the particular one of the second level games corresponding respective permissible player response entered by the game player.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein:

(a) the step of displaying the second level game representation comprises displaying the second level game representation at a player terminal.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the game player makes the permissible player response at the player terminal.

8. A gaming apparatus comprising:

(a) a game record storage device for (i) storing a plurality of first level game records for a first level game, each first level game record including a first level game result and being associated with a common first level game record value, and for (ii) storing a plurality of second level game records for each of a plurality of second level games, each second level game record including a second level game result, each second level game corresponding to a different permissible player response;

(b) a player terminal having a player input arrangement;

(c) a communication arrangement for facilitating communications between the game record storage device and the player terminal; and

(d) a play control arrangement for (i) causing the player terminal to display a first level game representation associated with a particular one of the first level game records, the first level game representation being displayed in response to a first level play request initiated at the player terminal and being defined by the particular one of the first level game records, and for (ii) causing the player terminal to respond to a permissible player response at the player terminal by displaying a particular one of the second level game representations defined by a particular second level game record which is associated with a particular second level game corresponding to the respective permissible player response.

9. A program product adapted to be executed by a processor associated with a game player terminal, the program product being stored on a computer readable medium and comprising:

(a) first game level program code for responding to a first level play request by causing the player terminal to display a first level game representation defined by a particular one of a plurality of first level game records for a first level game, each first level game record being associated with a respective first level record value, each respective first level record value comprising the same value; and

(b) second game level program code for responding to a permissible player response by causing the player terminal to display a second level game representation defined by a particular one of a plurality of second level game records, the particular one of the second level game records being included in a particular second level game corresponding to the permissible player response.

10. The program product of claim 9 wherein:

(a) each second level game record is included in one of a plurality of second level games;

(b) the permissible player response is included in a plurality of permissible player responses; and

(c) each different second level game corresponds to a different one of the plurality of permissible player responses.