Enhanced gaming system

• US 7,294,056 B2
• Filed: 12/23/2003
• Issued: 11/13/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fortunet Incorporated (Yuri Itkis Gaming Trust 1993)
• Original Assignee: Gametech International Incorporated
• Inventors: Kisenwether, Joseph, Patton, Stephen E., Lowell, Mark, Hartman, Michael W., Nicholson, Calvin, Kim, Hong J.
• Primary Examiner(s): PEZZUTO, ROBERT ERIC
• Application Number:
  US10/743,350
• Publication Number:
  US 20040185931A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,421 Days
• Field of Search: 463/17, 463/20, 463/40, 463/42
• US Class Current: 463/17
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/329 Regular and instant lottery, e.g. electronic scratch cards

Abstract

An enhanced gaming system through which a variety of games of chance and/or games of skill can be made available to players. The gaming system separates game outcomes from game themes and game payout/buy-in information, thereby enhancing game flexibility. The gaming system also allows different games of chance and/or games of skill to be available to different subsets of player units, and gives a gaming hall operator the ability to dynamically control the size and distribution of such subsets. An “apparently random” permutation production technique is disclosed for use in certain games and regulatory environments. A PKI-based architecture is also disclosed.

Claims

1. A method for generating an electronic pull tab game, comprising:

generating a deck of pull tab tickets that specifies for each of the pull tab tickets, a game theme specifying game outcome display indicia, a number of pull tab lines played, and a ticket index that specifies a game outcome;

generating a deal of the pull tab tickets within the deck, wherein the deal specifies a monetary denomination and a sequential order of one or more of the pull tab tickets within the deck; and

responsive to a purchase transaction for a pull tab ticket within said deck;

shuffling the deck of pull tab tickets using a linear congruential algorithm to select a pull tab ticket index from the pull tab ticket indices, said linear congruential algorithm comprising the formula;

NextTicketIndex=(Multiplier*PreviousTicketIndex+Increment)/Modulus,

wherein NextTicketIndex represents the selected pull tab ticket index, Modulus represents a specified modulus value, Multiplier represents a constant associated with the specified modulus value, wherein the specified modulus value is a power of two and is at least five times greater than the number of the pull tab tickets in said deck, PreviousTicketIndex represents the previously issued pull tab ticket index, and Increment represents an odd integer that is uniquely associated to said deal from among other deals within said deck and is less than the value for Modulus; and

,

assigning the selected pull tab ticket index specified by NextTicketIndex.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the linear congruential algorithm is designed not to repeat until all of the pull tabs in the deck have been selected.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the pull tab tickets is designated as a winning tab in accordance with its pull tab ticket index, said method further comprising dividing the set of winning pull tabs into a plurality of subsets.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein each of the plurality of subsets has a different number of winning pull tabs.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising assigning at least one win amount to the subsets.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting a plurality of outcome display indicia to be associated with the deal, wherein at least one combination of indicia serves as a winning combination.

7. The method of claim 3, further comprising selecting a plurality of outcome display indicia to be associated with the deal, wherein at least one combination of indicia serves as a winning combination.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising assigning at least one winning indicia combination to each of the plurality of subsets.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising selecting a price players should be charged for a pull tab ticket, and associating a win value with each of the plurality of subsets.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising making at least the pull tab ticket price and win values known to players.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein said ticket index is specified as a serial number, said method further comprising printing a game card specifying the serial number in a machine readable fonnat.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein Decksize is the number of pull tab tickets in said deck, and wherein said ticket indices of the pull tab tickets in said deck are numeric values ranging between 0 and (Decksize −

1), said method further comprising applying said linear congruential algorithm iteratively until a generated NextTicketIndex value is greater than or equal to 0 and less than Decksize.

13. A system for generating an electronic pull tab game, comprising:

means for generating a deck of pull tab tickets that specifies for each of the pull tab tickets, a game theme specifying game outcome display indicia, a number of pull tab lines played, and a ticket index that specifies a game outcome;

means for generating a deal of the pull tab tickets within the deck, wherein the deal specifies a monetary denomination and a sequential order of one or more of the pull tab tickets within the deck; and

means responsive to a purchase transaction for a pull tab ticket within said deck for;

shuffling the deck of pull tab tickets using a linear congruential algorithm to select from the pull tab ticket indices, said linear congruential algorithm comprising the formula;

NextTicketIndex=(Multzplier*PreviousTicketIndex+Increment)/Modulus,

wherein NextTicketIndex represents the selected pull tab ticket index, Modulus represents a specified modulus value, Multiplier represents a constant associated with the specified modulus value, wherein the specified modulus value is a power of two and is at least five times greater than the number of the pull tab tickets in said deck, PreviousTicketIndex represents the previously issued pull tab ticket index, and Increment represents an odd integer that is uniquely associated to said deal from among other deals within said deck and is less than the value for Modulus; and

,

assigning the selected pull tab ticket index specified by NextTicketIndex.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the linear congruential algorithm is designed not to repeat until all of the pull tabs in the deck have been selected.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein at least one of the pull tab tickets is designated as a winning tab in accordance with its pull tab ticket index, said system further comprising means for dividing the set of winning pull tabs into a plurality of subsets.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein each of the plurality of subsets has a different number of winning pull tabs.

17. The system of claim 16, further comprising means for assigning at least one win amount to the subsets.

18. The system of claim 13, further comprising means for selecting a plurality of outcome display indicia to be associated with the deal, wherein at least one combination of indicia serves as a winning combination.

19. The system of claim 15, further comprising means for selecting a plurality of outcome display indicia to be associated with the deal, wherein at least one combination of indicia serves as a winning combination.

20. The system of claim 19, further comprising means for assigning at least one winning indicia combination to each of the plurality of subsets.