Gaming device having a primary game outcome employed in a bonus game

• US 6,793,578 B2
• Filed: 08/31/2001
• Issued: 09/21/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Palchetti, Johnny L., Gilliland, John G., Luccesi, Matthew, Baerlocher, Anthony J., Webb, Bayard S., Mead, Randall D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sager, Mark
• Assistant Examiner(s): ASHBURN, STEVEN L
• Application Number:
  US09/943,976
• Publication Number:
  US 20030045343A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,117 Days
• Field of Search: 463/16-22, 273/143.2
• US Class Current: 463/20
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• 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

The present invention is a gaming device having a primary game with a bonus triggering event that affects the outcome of a secondary or bonus game. The number of symbols in the bonus game is dependant on the number of bonus triggering symbols in the bonus triggering event. After generating a number of bonus triggering symbols in the base or primary game, the gaming device animates the bonus triggering symbols and generates a related number of bonus symbols. The gaming device provides an award based on the combination of the bonus symbols.

Claims

1. A gaming device comprising:

a plurality of reels including at least two bonus triggering symbols;

a set of bonus symbols;

at least one award associated with a predefined combination of bonus symbols;

a display device; and

a processor which controls the display device and the reels, and upon a generation and display of at least a number of the bonus triggering symbols on the reels, the processor;

(i) generates a number of bonus symbols randomly from the set, wherein the number of bonus symbols is based on the number of bonus triggering symbols which appear on the reels wherein each said bonus triggering symbol causes at least one of said bonus symbols to be generated,

(ii) causes the display device to display the generated bonus symbols, and

(iii) provides the player the award associated with the predefined combination if the predefined combination of bonus symbols is formed by the generated bonus symbols.

2. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein the reels and bonus symbols appear on the same display device.

3. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein each bonus triggering symbol randomly changes to one of the set of bonus symbols upon the generation of the predefined number of bonus triggering symbols.

4. The gaming device of claim 3, which includes a visual sequence by the display device associated with the change of the bonus triggering symbols to the bonus symbols.

5. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein the predefined number of the bonus triggering symbols must be on an active payline associated with the reels to cause the processor to generate bonus symbols.

6. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein the predefined number of the bonus triggering symbols on the reels must be on adjacent reels.

7. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein the number of generated bonus symbols is different than the number of bonus triggering symbols that appear on the reels.

8. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein the set includes an amount of different bonus symbols equal to an amount of the bonus triggering symbols required to generate the bonus symbols.

9. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein the set includes an amount of different bonus symbols that differs from an amount of the bonus triggering symbols required to generate the bonus symbols.

10. The gaming device of claim 1, which includes a plurality of predefined combinations of bonus symbols including no like bonus symbols, two like bonus symbols, two pairs of like bonus symbols, three like bonus symbols, three like first bonus symbols and two like second bonus symbols, four like bonus symbols and five like bonus symbols.

11. The gaming device of claim 10, which includes an award associated with each said predefined combination.

12. A gaming device comprising:

a plurality of reels including at least two bonus triggering symbols;

a set of bonus symbols;

at least one award associated with a predefined combination of bonus symbols;

a display device; and

a processor which controls the display device and the reels, wherein the processor;

(i) generates a number of bonus symbols randomly from the set, said number based on the number of bonus triggering symbols which appear on the reels wherein each said bonus triggering symbol causes at least one of said bonus symbols to be generated,

(ii) causes the display device to display the generated bonus symbols, and

(iii) provides the player any award associated with the predefined combination formed by the generated bonus symbols.

13. The gaming device of claim 12, which includes an animated sequence on the display device in which at least one bonus triggering symbol is visually modified to display at least one bonus symbol.

14. The gaming device of claim 13, wherein the display device visually modifies at least one bonus triggering symbol to display at least one different bonus symbol.

15. A gaming device comprising:

a first random generation by a processor that generates at least one bonus triggering symbol and at least one non-bonus triggering symbol;

a second random generation by the processor which occurs if at least a predefined number of the bonus triggering symbols are generated by the first random generation, wherein the second random generation generates a number of bonus symbols from a set of bonus symbols, the number being dependent upon the number of bonus triggering symbols generated in the first random generation wherein each said bonus triggering symbol causes a random generation of at least one of said bonus symbols;

an award provided to a player depending upon whether a predefined combination of bonus symbols is generated in the second random generation; and

a display device controlled by the processor for displaying the bonus triggering symbols, the non-bonus triggering symbols, bonus symbols, and the award.

16. The gaming device of claim 15, wherein the at least one bonus triggering symbol, the at least one non-bonus triggering symbol and the number of bonus symbols appear on the same display device.

17. The gaming device of claim 15, wherein each bonus triggering symbol randomly changes to one of the set of different bonus symbols upon the generation of the predefined number of bonus triggering symbols.

18. The gaming device of claim 15, wherein the number of generated bonus symbols differs from an amount of bonus triggering symbols generated by the first random generation.

19. The gaming device of claim 15, wherein the set includes an amount of different bonus symbols that equals the predefined number of the bonus triggering symbols required to generate the bonus symbols.

20. The gaming device of claim 15, wherein the set includes an amount of different bonus symbols that differs from the predefined number of the bonus triggering symbols required to generate the bonus symbols.

21. The gaming device of claim 15, wherein the award is provided when the second random generation generates at least one of a plurality of predefined combinations of bonus symbols including no like bonus symbols, two like bonus symbols, two pairs of like bonus symbols, three like bonus symbols, three like first bonus symbols and two like second bonus symbols, four like bonus symbols and five like bonus symbols.

22. The gaming device of claim 21, which includes an award associated with each said combination of bonus symbols.

23. A gaming device comprising:

a primary game;

a plurality of primary game symbols in said primary game, said primary game symbols including a plurality of bonus triggering symbols and a plurality of non-bonus triggering symbols;

a plurality of secondary game symbols;

at least one award associated with at least one combination of said secondary game symbols;

a display device; and

a processor which controls the display device and controls said primary game, whereupon a generation of a minimum number of the bonus triggering symbols in said primary game, said processor randomly generates a plurality of said secondary game symbols based on the number of bonus triggering symbols generated in the primary game wherein each said bonus triggering symbol causes at least one of said secondary game symbols to be generated, and causes the display device to display the generated secondary game symbols, and provides the player any of said awards associated with the combination of the secondary symbols if formed by the generated secondary game symbols.

24. The gaming device of claim 23, which includes an award associated with each combination of secondary symbols.

25. A gaming device comprising:

a plurality of reels including at least two bonus triggering symbols;

a set of bonus symbols;

at least one award associated with a predefined combination of bonus symbols;

a plurality of selections;

a selector for enabling the player to pick a plurality of said selections;

a display device; and

a processor which controls the display device, the selector, and the reels, and upon a generation and display of at least a number of the bonus triggering symbols on the reels, the processor;

(i) generates a number of bonus symbols randomly from the set, the number of bonus symbols based on the number of bonus triggering symbols which appear on the reels wherein each said bonus triggering symbol causes at least one of said bonus symbols to be generated,

(ii) associates the generated bonus symbols with said selections and causes the display device to display said selections,

(iii) enables the player to select a plurality of said displayed selections,

(iv) causes the display device to display the generated bonus symbols associated with the selected selections, and

(v) provides the player the award associated with the predefined combination if the predefined combination of bonus symbols is formed by the generated bonus symbols.

26. The gaming device of claim 25, wherein the reels and bonus symbols appear on the same display device.

27. The gaming device of claim 25, which includes a visual sequence on the display device associated with the change of the bonus triggering symbols to the selections associated with the bonus symbols generated by said bonus triggering symbols.

28. The gaming device of claim 25, wherein the predefined number of the bonus triggering symbols must be on an active payline associated with the reels to cause the processor to generate bonus symbols.

29. The gaming device of claim 25, wherein the predefined number of the bonus triggering symbols on the reels must be on adjacent reels.

30. The gaming device of claim 25, which includes a plurality of predefined combinations of bonus symbols including no like bonus symbols, two like bonus symbols, two pairs of like bonus symbols, three like bonus symbols, three like first bonus symbols and two like second bonus symbols, four like bonus symbols and five like bonus symbols.

31. The gaming device of claim 30, which includes an award associated with each said predefined combination.

32. A gaming device comprising:

a plurality of reels including at least two bonus triggering symbols;

a set of bonus symbols;

at least one award associated with a predefined combination of bonus symbols;

a plurality of selections;

a selector for enabling a player to pick said selections;

a display device; and

a processor which communicates with the display device, the selector, and the reels, wherein the processor;

(i) randomly generates a plurality of bonus symbols from the set, the number of bonus symbols based on the number of bonus triggering symbols which appear on the reels,

(ii) associates the generated bonus symbols with the selections,

(iii) causes the display device to display the selections,

(iv) enables the player to select the selections using the selector,

(v) causes the display device to display the bonus symbols associated with the selected selections, and

(vi) provides the player any award associated with the combination of the selected bonus symbols.

33. A gaming device comprising:

a primary game;

a plurality of primary game symbols in said primary game, said primary game symbols including a plurality of bonus triggering symbols and a plurality of non-bonus triggering symbols;

a plurality of secondary game symbols;

at least one award associated with at least one combination of said secondary game symbols;

a plurality of selections;

a selector for enabling a player to select said selections;

a display device; and

a processor which controls the display device and the selector and controls said primary game, and upon a generation of a minimum number of the bonus triggering symbols in said primary game, said processor randomly generates a plurality of said secondary game symbols based on the number of bonus triggering symbols generated in the primary game wherein each said bonus triggering symbol causes at least one of said secondary game symbols to be generated, associates the generated secondary game symbols with the selections, enables the player to select at least one selection using the selector, causes the display device to display the selected secondary game symbols, and provides the player said award associated with said combination if provided by the selected secondary game symbols.

34. The gaming device of claim 33, which includes an award associated with each combination of secondary symbols.

35. A gaming device comprising:

a plurality of reels including a set of symbols, wherein said set of symbols include at least two bonus triggering symbols and a plurality of non-bonus triggering symbols;

a set of different bonus symbols;

at least one award associated with a predefined combination of said bonus symbols;

a display device; and

a processor which controls the display device and the reels, and upon a generation and display of at least one of the bonus triggering symbols on the reels, the processor;

(i) randomly generates a number of bonus symbols from the set of different bonus symbols, wherein the number of bonus symbols generated is based on the number of bonus triggering symbols which appear on the reels wherein each said bonus triggering symbol causes at least one of said bonus symbols to be generated,

(ii) causes the display device to display the generated bonus symbols, and

(iii) provides the player any of said awards associated with the predefined combination of bonus symbols formed by the generated bonus symbols.

36. The gaming device of claim 35, wherein the predetermined combination of symbols is selected from a plurality of the following poker hands:

one pair, two pair, three-of a-kind, full house, four-of a-kind, straight, straight flush, and royal flush.

37. The gaming device of claim 35, wherein the number of bonus symbols generated is greater than the number of bonus triggering symbols which appear on the reels.

38. The gaming device of claim 35, wherein the number of bonus symbols generated is less than the number of bonus triggering symbols which appear on the reels.

39. The gaming device of claim 35, which includes a different paytable associated with the different sets of symbols.

40. A gaming device comprising:

a plurality of reels including a plurality of bonus triggering symbols;

a set of bonus symbols;

at least one award associated with a predefined combination of bonus symbols;

a display device; and

a processor which controls the display device and the reels, and upon a generation and display of a plurality of the bonus triggering symbols on the reels, the processor;

(i) randomly generates a number of bonus symbols from the set of bonus symbols wherein the number of bonus symbols is based on the number of bonus triggering symbols which appear on the reels wherein each of a plurality of said plurality of bonus triggering symbols causes at least one bonus symbol to be generated,

(ii) causes the display device to display the generated bonus symbols, and

(iii) provides the player the award associated with the predefined combination if the predefined combination of bonus symbols is formed by the generated bonus symbols.

41. A gaming device comprising:

a plurality of reels

a plurality of at least two different bonus triggering symbols;

a set of bonus symbols;

at least one award associated with a predefined combination of bonus symbols;

a display device; and

a processor which controls the display device and the reels, and, upon a generation and display of a predetermined plurality of the bonus triggering symbols on the reels, the processor;

(i) randomly generates a plurality of bonus symbols from the set of bonus symbols wherein the number of bonus symbols is based on the number of bonus triggering symbols which appear on the reels and wherein each of said different bonus-triggering symbols causes at least one of said bonus symbols to be generated,

(ii) causes the display device to display the generated bonus symbols, and

(iii) provides the player the award associated with the predefined combination if the predefined combination of bonus symbols is formed by the generated bonus symbols.