Method and apparatus for team play of slot machines

• US 7,695,358 B2
• Filed: 05/10/2004
• Issued: 04/13/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Zynga Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Walker Digital LLC (Walker Innovation Inc. (f/k/a Patent Properties, Inc.))
• Inventors: Jorasch, James A., Tedesco, Daniel E., Fincham, Magdalena M., Tulley, Stephen C., Gelman, Geoffrey M., Tedesco, Robert C., Walker, Jay S.
• Primary Examiner(s): SAGER, MARK ALAN
• Application Number:
  US10/842,405
• Publication Number:
  US 20040242297A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,164 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 463/13
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2001/008 adapted for being playable on a screen
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3239 Tracking of individual players
• 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 17/3276 wherein the players compete, e.g. tournament

Abstract

A method of operating slot machines permits a machine to be identified as available for team play. Upon being identified for team play, the machine is grouped with other slot machines and subject to bonus conditions dependent on the team play. Bonus conditions typically including selected bonus outcomes and a bonus time period, during which bonus time period all outcomes of the grouped machines are monitored to determine the total bonus outcomes. If the total bonus outcomes of the team meet the bonus conditions within the bonus time period, then a bonus payout is awarded to all of the players. Players are thus encouraged to participate in a social, team environment with others of the team to win the group bonus. The invention is applicable to all slot machines, including video poker machines wherein the bonus outcomes include selected video poker hand ranks, and reeled slot machines wherein the bonus outcomes include selected reel outcomes.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a first video poker device, an indication of a first card from a first player;

receiving, by a second video poker device, an indication of a second card from a second player, in which the first player and the second player are members of a video poker team;

outputting, by each of the first and second video poker devices, an indication of the membership in the video poker team;

determining, by a video poker controller, a grid of cards, the grid comprising the first and second cards;

determining, by the video poker controller and after the outputting of the indication of the membership in the video poker team, a first hand of poker based on the grid of cards; and

determining, by the video poker controller, a payment for the video poker team based on the first hand of poker.

2. The method of 1, wherein the determining of the grid of cards includes determining the grid of cards to comprise at least two rows of cards and at least two columns of cards.

3. The method of 2, wherein the determining of the first hand of poker includes determining the first hand of poker based only on cards included in a single row of the at least two rows.

4. The method of 2, wherein the determining of the first hand of poker includes determining the first hand of poker based only on cards included in a single column of the at least two columns.

5. The method of 2, wherein the receiving of the first card includes receiving a first plurality of cards from a hand of poker of the first player, and in which a row of the at least two rows consists only of the first plurality of cards.

6. The method of 2, wherein the receiving of the first card includes receiving a first plurality of cards from a hand of poker of the first player, and in which a column of the at least two columns consists only of the first plurality of cards.

7. The method of 2, wherein the determining of the grid of cards includes determining the grid of cards to comprise at least one diagonal of cards, and in which determining the first hand of poker includes determining the first hand of poker based only on cards included in a single diagonal of the grid of cards.

8. The method of 2, wherein the determining of the grid of cards includes determining the grid of cards to consist of five rows of cards and five columns of cards.

9. The method of 1, further including determining a second hand of poker based on the grid of cards;

and

in which determining the payment includes determining the payment for the team based on the first and second hands of poker.

10. The method of 1, in which receiving the first card includes receiving a card that has been discarded from a hand of poker belonging to the first player.

11. The method of 1, in which receiving the first card includes receiving a card from a hand of poker belonging to the first player, and in which the first card has replaced a card previously discarded by the first player.

12. The method of 1, wherein the determining of the first hand of poker includes determining the first hand of poker to comprise the first card and the second card.

13. A system, comprising:

a first video poker device that receives an indication of a first card from a first player of a video poker team and outputs an indication of a membership of the first player in the video poker team;

a second video poker device that receives an indication of a second card from a second player of the video poker team and outputs an indication of a membership of the second player in the video poker team; and

a video poker controller in communication with the first and second video poker devices, wherein the video poker controller determines a grid of cards, the grid comprising the first and second cards and determines, after the outputting of the indications of the memberships of the first and second players in the video poker team by the first and second video poker devices, a first hand of poker based on the grid of cards, and then determines a payment for the video poker team based on the first hand of poker.

14. A computer-readable memory storing instructions that when executed by a processor, cause:

a first video poker device to receive an indication of a first card from a first player

of a video poker team and output an indication of a membership of the first player in the video poker team;

a second video poker device to receive an indication of a second card from a second player of the video poker team and output an indication of a membership of the second player in the video poker team; and

a video poker controller in communication with the first and second video poker devices to determine a grid of cards, the grid comprising the first and second cards and determine, after the outputting of the indications of the memberships of the first and second players in the video poker team by the first and second video poker devices, a first hand of poker based on the grid of cards, and then determine a payment for the video poker team based on the first hand of poker.