Gaming device having an indicator selection with probability-based outcome

• US 6,676,516 B2
• Filed: 11/09/2001
• Issued: 01/13/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Blomquist, Cari L., Baerlocher, Anthony J., Peterson, Lance R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hughes, S. Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): RADA, ALEX P
• Application Number:
  US09/990,693
• Publication Number:
  US 20020072403A1
• Time in Patent Office: 795 Days
• Field of Search: 463/1, 463/16-20, 463/25, 273/138.1, 273/138.2, 273/143.R
• US Class Current: 463/25
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• 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 17/34 depending on the stopping of moving members in a mechanical slot machine, e.g. "fruit" machines

Abstract

A gaming device which presents a plurality of indicators to the player. Each indicator may be a success indicator or a failure indicator based on a pre-determined probability. Upon or prior to the selection of the indicator, the processor in the gaming device determines, based on that probability, if the indicator is a success indicator or a failure indicator. When a player selects an indicator, the gaming device displays if the selected indicator is a failure indicator or a success indicator and a value associated with the success indicator. In one embodiment, the player selects indicators until the player selects all of the success indicators or the player selects a failure indicator. Accordingly, based on chance and the pre-determined probability, a game may include all success indicators and no failure indicators to increase player excitement and enjoyment.

Claims

1. A gaming device comprising:

a primary game including a plurality of selectable indicators, and an independent award probability associated with each of said selectable indicators;

a display device which displays the selectable indicators; and

a processor for communicating with said display device, activating a plurality of said indicators for selection when a player makes a wager, independently determining if an award is associated with each selected indicator after said selected indicator is selected and based on the independent award probability associated with said selected indicator, and providing a player any award associated with each selected indicator.

2. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein the primary game ends if the processor determines that an award is not associated with a selected indicator based on the independent award probability associated with said selected indicator.

3. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein the independent award probability associated with each of said selectable indicators is the same.

4. The gaming device of claim 1, which includes a plurality of different independent award probabilities associated with different selectable indicators.

5. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein the selectable indicators are player selectable.

6. The gaming device of claim 5, wherein the display device includes a touch screen which enables the player to select the selectable indicators.

7. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein the independent award probabilities for the selectable indicators are randomly determined.

8. The gaming device of claim 1, which includes different awards associated with different selectable indicators.

9. A gaming device comprising:

primary game including a plurality of selectable indicators and an independent award probability associated with each of said selectable indicators;

a display device which displays the selectable indicators; and

a processor for communicating with said display device, activating a plurality of said indicators for selection when a player makes a wager, independently determining if an award is associated with a plurality of the selectable indicators before the selectable indicators are selected and based on the independent award probabilities associated with said selectable indicators, and providing a player any award associated with each selectable indicator after said selectable indicator is selected.

10. The gaming device of claim 9, wherein the primary game ends if the processor has determined that an award is not associated with a selectable indicator based on the independent award probability associated with said selectable indicator and said selectable indicator is selected.

11. The gaming device of claim 9, wherein the independent award probability associated with each selectable indicator is the same.

12. The gaming device of claim 9, which includes a plurality of different independent award probabilities associated with said selectable indicators.

13. The gaming device of claim 9, wherein the selectable indicators are player selectable.

14. The gaming device of claim 13, wherein the display device includes a touch screen which enables the player to select the selectable indicators.

15. The gaming device of claim 9, wherein the independent award probabilities for the selectable indicators are randomly determined.

16. The gaming device of claim 9, which includes a plurality of different awards associated with said selectable indicators.

17. A gaming device comprising:

primary game including a plurality of player selectable indicators, each of said selectable indicators being a success indicator or a failure indicator, and an independent probability of success associated with each of said selectable indicators;

a display device for displaying said selectable indicators;

a selector for enabling a player to select said selectable indicators; and

a processor for communicating with said display device and said selector, independently determining if each selected indicator is a success indicator or a failure indicator after a player selects said selected indicator and based on the independent probability of success associated with said selected indicator, and providing an award, if any, to said player for based on the number of selected indicators which are success indicators.

18. The gaming device of claim 17, wherein the primary game ends if, after said player selects one of the selectable indicators, the processor determines that said selected indicator is a failure indicator based on the independent probability of success associated with said selected indicator.

19. The gaming device of claim 17, which includes an additional award provided to the player if a plurality of the selected indicators are success indicators.

20. The gaming device of claim 17, which includes an additional award provided to the player if all of the selected indicators are success indicators.

21. The gaming device of claim 17, which includes a plurality of different awards provided to the player based on different numbers of selected indicators which are success indicators.

22. A gaming device comprising:

a primary game including a plurality of player selectable indicators, each said selectable indicator being a success indicator or a failure indicator, and an independent probability of success associated with each of said selectable indicators;

a display device for displaying said selectable indicators;

a selector for enabling a player to select said selectable indicators; and

a processor for communicating with said display device and said selector, independently determining if each selectable indicator is a success indicator or a failure indicator before a player selects said selectable indicators and based on the independent probabilities of success associated with said selectable indicators and providing an said award, if any, to said player based on the number of selected indicators which are selected by the player and are success indicators.

23. The gaming device of claim 22, wherein the primary game ends if a selected indicator is a failure indicator based on the independent probability of success associated with said selected indicator as determined by the processor.

24. The gaming device of claim 22, which includes an additional award provided to the player if a plurality of the selected indicators are success indicators.

25. The gaming device of claim 22, which includes an additional award provided to the player if all of the selected indicators are success indicators.

26. The gaming device of claim 22, which includes a plurality of different awards provided to the player based on different numbers of selected indicators being success indicators.

27. A gaming device comprising:

at least one memory device;

a display device;

a processor connected to the memory device and the display device;

a plurality of instructions stored in the memory device, said instructions for causing the processor and display device to;

(a) initiate a primary game upon a wager by the player on the primary game;

(b) display a plurality of player selectable indicators;

(c) enable a player to select one of said selectable indicators;

(d) independently determine if an award is associated with the selected indicator based on an independent award probability associated with said selected indicator;

(e) display the award, if any, associated with said selected indicator;

(f) repeat steps (c) to (e) until an award is not associated with one of the selected indicators or until the player has selected all of the selectable indicators; and

(g) end the primary game.

28. The gaming device of claim 27, wherein the instructions cause the processor to determine any awards which are associated with the selectable indicators prior to enabling the player to select said selectable indicators.

29. The gaming device of claim 27, wherein the instructions cause the processor to determine any award which is associated with a selected indicator following the player'"'"'s selection of said selected indicator.

30. A method for providing a primary game in a gaming device, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) displaying a plurality of selectable indicators to a player upon a wager by the player, each said selectable indicator having a pre-determined probability of being a success indicator or a failure indicator;

(b) enabling the player to select one of said selectable indicators;

(c) independently determining if said selected indicator is a success indicator or failure indicator based on the pre-determined probability associated with said selected indicator after the player selects said selected indicator;

(d) displaying if the selected indicator is a success indicator or failure indicator;

(e) repeating steps (b) to (d) until the player selects all of the selectable indicators or the player selects a selectable indicator which is a failure indicator; and

(f) providing the player with an award selected indicators which are success indicators.

31. A method for providing a primary game in a gaming device, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) displaying a plurality of selectable indicators to a player upon a wager by the player, each said selectable indicator having a pre-determined probability of being a success indicator or a failure indicator;

(b) enabling the player to select one of said selectable indicators;

(c) independently determining if said selected indicator is a success indicator or failure indicator based on the pre-determined probability associated with said selected indicator after the player selects said selected indicator;

(d) displaying if the selected indicator is a success indicator or failure indicator;

(e) repeating steps (b) to (d) until the player selects all of the selectable indicators or the player selects an indicator which is a failure indicator; and

(f) providing the player with an award if the player selects at least a predetermined number of indicators which are success indicators.

32. A method for providing a primary game in a gaming device, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) displaying a plurality of selectable indicators to a player upon a wager by a player, each said selectable indicator having a pre-determined probability of being a success indicator or a failure indicator;

(b) independently determining if each said selectable indicator is a success indicator or failure indicator based on the pre-determined probability associated with said selectable indicators before the player selects said selectable indicators;

(c) enabling the player to select one of said selectable indicators;

(d) displaying if the selected indicator is a success indicator or failure indicator;

(e) repeating steps (c) to (d) until the player selects all of the selectable indicators; and

(f) providing the player with any awards associated with the selected indicators which are success indicators.

33. A method for providing a primary game in a gaming device, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) displaying a plurality of selectable indicators to a player upon a wager by the player, each said selectable indicator having a pre-determined probability of being a success indicator or a failure indicator;

(b) independently determining if each said selectable indicator is a success indicator or failure indicator based on the pre-determined probability associated with said selectable indicators before the player selects said selectable indicators;

(c) enabling the player to select one of said selectable indicators;

(d) displaying if the selected indicator is a success indicator or failure indicator;

(e) repeating steps (c) to (d) until the player selects all of the selectable indicators; and

(f) providing the player with an award if the player selects at least a predetermined number of selectable indicators which are success indicators.