Gaming device and method for activating multiple paylines upon the wager of a single credit

• US 7,351,146 B2
• Filed: 10/05/2001
• Issued: 04/01/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Kaminkow, Joseph E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pezzuto; Robert E.
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, BINH AN DUC
• Application Number:
  US09/972,616
• Publication Number:
  US 20030069068A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,370 Days
• Field of Search: 463/25, 463/1, 463 10- 13, 463 16- 30, 463 40- 43, 463 46- 47, 700/90, 700/91, 273/138.1, 273/139, 273/142.R, 273/142.B, 273/138.2, 273/148.R, 273/148.B
• US Class Current: 463/25
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/34 depending on the stopping of moving members in a mechanical slot machine, e.g. "fruit" machines

Abstract

The present invention includes an apparatus and method for operating a gaming device that enables or activates one or more paylines upon the receipt or wager of a single credit from the player. The gaming device of the present invention maintains and displays a plurality of paylines and an input device that enables a player to bet one or more credits. When the player wagers a credit, the processor of the gaming device activates a number of the paylines, the number pre-selected or player selected to be one or more and preferably each of the paylines maintained by the gaming device.

Claims

1. A gaming device comprising:

a processor;

a plurality of reels controlled by the processor, said reels having a plurality of symbols;

a plurality of different paylines associated with said reels, each payline associated with each of the reels; and

at least one input device operable by a player on one or more occasions,

wherein the processor is programmed to;

(a) receive a single wager input as a result of a single one of the operations of the input device, the single wager input corresponding to a value of at least one whole credit;

(b) activate a quantity of more than one of the paylines in response to the single wager input;

(c) automatically apportion the value across the quantity of the paylines in response to the single wager input, the apportionment being performed by at least determining;

(i) a first fraction of said value to be wagered on a first one of the activated paylines; and

(ii) a second fraction of said value to be wagered on a second one of the activated paylines, the first fraction being different than the second fraction if the value wagered divided by the quantity of activated paylines results in a remainder as determined by the processor;

(d) if any winning symbol combination occurs on the first activated payline, provide an award to the player based on a multiple of the first fraction of said value, and

(e) if any winning symbol combination occurs on the second activated payline, provide an award to the player based on a multiple of the second fraction of said value.

2. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein the number of paylines are selected from the group consisting of:

two, three, four, five, nine, ten, twelve, fifteen, twenty, twenty-five, thirty, forty and fifty.

3. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein said at least one input device includes a bet one credit button.

4. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein the at least one input device is configured to enable the player to select said paylines for each fraction wagered.

5. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein the single wager input corresponds to a value of a plurality of whole credits, the whole credits being apportioned, at least in part, to different ones of the activated paylines.

6. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein the processor is programmed to cause an indication of a total wagered on each activated payline.

7. The gaming device of claim 6, wherein said number of paylines is selected from the group consisting of:

two, three, four, five, nine, ten, twelve, fifteen, twenty, twenty-five, thirty, forty and fifty.

8. The gaming device of claim 7, wherein the at least one input device is configured to enable the player to wager a plurality of credits.

9. The gaming device of claim 7, wherein at least one of the first fraction and the second fraction is equal to the value wagered divided by the number of activated paylines.

10. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein said processor is programmed to decrease the fraction of the value wagered on each payline as the number of activated paylines increases.

11. The gaming device of claim 1, which includes means controlled by the processor for issuing a redeemable ticket which includes credits and fractions of credits.

12. The gaming device of claim 1, which includes means controlled by the processor for crediting a card with credits and fractions of credits.

13. The gaming device of claim 1, which includes means controlled by the processor for displaying each of the winning outcomes.

14. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein the processor is programmed to activate all the paylines for each play activation of the reels.

15. A gaming device comprising:

a processor;

a plurality of reels controlled by the processor, said reels including a plurality of symbols;

a plurality of paylines associated with said reels, each payline associated with each of the reels; and

at least one input device operable by a player on one or more occasions,

wherein the processor is programmed to;

(a) receive a single wager input as a result of a single one of the operations of the input device, the single wager input corresponding to a value of one or more whole credits;

(b) activate a quantity of more than one of the paylines in response to the single wager input;

(c) automatically apportion the value across the quantity of the paylines in response to the single wager input, the apportionment being performed by at least determining;

(i) a first fraction of the value to be wagered on a first activated payline; and

(ii) a second fraction of the value to be wagered on a second activated payline, the first fraction being different than the second fraction if the value wagered divided by the quantity of activated paylines results in a remainder;

(d) if any winning symbol combination occurs on the first activated payline, provide an award to the player based on a multiple of the first fraction of said value, and

(e) if any winning symbol combination occurs on the second activated payline, provide an award to the player based on a multiple of the second fraction of said value.

16. The gaming device of claim 15, wherein the at least one input device is configured to enable the player to select said paylines for each fraction wagered.

17. The gaming device of claim 15, wherein the single wager input corresponds to a value of a plurality of whole credits, the whole credits being apportioned, at least in part, to different ones of the activated paylines.

18. The gaming device of claim 15, wherein the processor is programmed to cause an indication of a total wagered on each activated payline.

19. The gaming device of claim 15, which includes means controlled by the processor for issuing a redeemable ticket which includes credits and fractions of credits.

20. The gaming device of claim 15, which includes means controlled by the processor for crediting a card with credits and fractions of credits.

21. A gaming system comprising:

a processor; and

at least one data storage device operatively coupled to the processor, the data storage device storing a plurality of instructions associated with at least one gaming device which includes;

(a) plurality of reels, each one of said reels displaying a plurality of symbols;

(b) a plurality of paylines associated with said reels, each payline associated with each of the reels; and

(c) at least one input device operable by a player on one or more occasions, the instructions being executable to cause the processor to;

(i) receive a single wager input as a result of a single one of the operations of the input device, the single wager input corresponding to a value of at least one whole credit;

(ii) activate one of the quantities of the paylines in response to the single wager input;

(iii) automatically apportion the value on the activated quantity of paylines in response to the single wager input, the apportionment being performed by at least determining a fraction of said value to be wagered on each activated payline, at least two of the fractions being different if the value wagered divided by the activated paylines results in a remainder, and

(iv) for each winning symbol combination that occurs on each activated payline, provide an award to the player based on a multiple of the fraction of the value wagered on said activated payline.

22. The gaming system of claim 21, wherein said at least one input device is operable to enable the player to wager a fraction of the value of the at least one credit.

23. The gaming system of claim 21, wherein the at least one input device is operable to enable the player to select said paylines for each fraction wagered.

24. The gaming system of claim 21, wherein the single wager input corresponds to a value of a plurality of whole credits, the whole credits being apportioned, at least in part, to different ones of the activated paylines.

25. The gaming system of claim 21, which includes means controlled by the processor for issuing a redeemable ticket which includes credits and fractions of credits.

26. The gaming system of claim 21, which includes means controlled by the processor for crediting a card with credits and fractions of credits.

27. A gaming device comprising:

a processor; and

at least one data storage device operatively coupled to the processor, the data storage device storing a plurality of instructions associated with at least one gaming device, the gaming device including;

(a) a plurality of reels, each one of said reels displaying a plurality of symbols;

(b) a plurality of paylines associated with said reels, each payline associated with each of said reels; and

(c) at least one input device operable by a player on one or more occasions;

the instructions being executable to cause the a processor to;

(i) receive a single wager input as a result of a single one of the operations of the input device, the single wager input corresponding to a value of a plurality of whole credits;

(ii) activate a quantity of more than one of the paylines in response to the single wager input;

(iii) apportion the value across the quantity of the paylines in response to the single wager input, the apportionment being performed by at least determining a fraction of said value to be wagered on each activated payline for each one of the whole credits wagered, at least two of the fractions being different if the value wagered divided by the activated paylines results in a remainder, and

(iv) for each winning symbol combination that occurs on each activated payline, provide an award to the player based on a multiple of the fraction of the values wagered on said activated payline.

28. The gaming device of claim 27, wherein the at least one input device operable to enable the player to select the activated paylines.

29. A gaming device operable under control of at least one processor, said gaming device comprising:

a plurality of reels, said reels having a plurality of symbols;

a plurality of paylines associated with said reels, each payline associated with each of said reels;

at least one input device operable by a player on one or more occasions; and

said processor programmed to

(i) receive a single wager input as a result of a single one of the operations of the input device, the single wager input corresponding to a value of at least one whole credit;

(ii) activate a quantity of more than one of the paylines in response to the single wager input;

(iii) apportion the value across the quantity of the paylines in response to the single wager input, the apportionment being performed by at least determining a first fraction of the value to be wagered on a first payline and a second fraction of the value to be wagered on a second payline, the first fraction being different than the second fraction if the value divided by the quantity of activated paylines results in a remainder, and said first fraction and said second fraction decrease as the quantity of activated paylines increases, and

(iv) for each winning symbol combination that occurs on each activated payline, provide an award to the player based on a multiple of the fraction of the value wagered on said activated payline.

30. The gaming device of claim 29, wherein the single wager input corresponds to a value of a plurality of whole credits, the whole credits being apportioned, at least in part, to different ones of the activated paylines.

31. A gaming device operable under control of at least one processor, said gaming device comprising:

a plurality of reels, said reels having a plurality of symbols;

a plurality of paylines associated with said reels, each payline associated with each of said reels;

at least one input device operable by a player on one or more occasions;

said at least one processor operable to

(a) control the reels;

(b) receive a single wager input as a result of a single one of the operations of the input device, the single wager input corresponding to a value of a plurality of whole credits;

(c) activate a quantity of more than one of the paylines in response to the single wager input;

(d) apportion the value across a quantity of the paylines in response to the single wager input, the apportionment being performed by at least determining;

(i) a first fraction of the value to be wagered on a first payline; and

(ii) a second fraction of the value to be wagered on a second payline, the first fraction being different than the second fraction if the value divided by the quantity of activated paylines results in a remainder; and

(e) provide the player a multiple of the apportionment on each activated payline which has a winning outcome.

32. A method for operating a gaming device, said method comprising:

(a) receiving a single wager input as a result of a single operation of an input device, the single wager input corresponding to a value of at least one whole credit;

(b) activating a quantity of a plurality of paylines associated with a plurality of reels, each payline associated with each of said reels;

(c) automatically apportioning the value across the quantity of the paylines in response to the single wager input, wherein the apportionment is performed by at least determining;

(i) a first fraction of the value for a first payline and a second fraction of the value for a second payline, the first fraction being different than the second fraction if the value divided by the quantity of activated paylines results in a remainder; and

(d) providing a payout to the player for each activated payline which has a winning outcome, the payout being a multiple of at least one of the first fraction of the value and the second fraction of the value.