Gaming system with multiple game apparatus and method of use

• US 7,699,316 B2
• Filed: 08/20/2007
• Issued: 04/20/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: Atlantic City Coin & Slot Service Company Incorporated (Atlantic City Coin & Slot Service)
• Inventors: Seelig, Jerald C., Henshaw, Lawrence M.
• Primary Examiner(s): LAYNO, BENJAMIN
• Application Number:
  US11/841,164
• Publication Number:
  US 20090005151A1
• Time in Patent Office: 974 Days
• Field of Search: 273/144.R, 273/144.A, 273/144.B, 273/138.1, 273/138.2, 273/143.R, 273/269, 273/148.R, 463/16, 463/17, 463/18, 463/19, 463/20, 463/22, 463/25, 463/26, 463/27, 463/46
• US Class Current: 273/144.00B
• 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 17/38 Ball games; Shooting apparatus

Abstract

A gaming system having a container configured to hold a plurality of display objects, an agitator for moving the plurality of display objects, at least one prize object holder configured to hold a plurality of prize objects in an individually controlled manner, a plurality of prize object displays located inside of the container and configured to receive at least one prize object from the prize object holder, a plurality of game apparatus associated with the prize object displays, and a controller configured to select a prize object and cause the selected prize object to be displayed in at least one prize object display, is disclosed. In one embodiment, the prize object displays include a tubular exhibition container. In another embodiment, the display object container of the gaming device is configured to provide a jumbled ball display. In addition, a method for operating a multi-apparatus gaming system by providing the prize object displays inside of the display object container of the aforementioned gaming system is disclosed.

Claims

1. A gaming system comprising:

(A) a plurality of display objects;

(B) a container configured to hold the plurality of display objects wherein at least a portion of the container is sufficiently transparent to allow a player to view contents of the container;

(C) an agitator configured to agitate the plurality of display objects;

(D) a plurality of prize objects;

(E) at least one prize object holder configured to hold the prize objects in an individually controlled manner;

(F) a plurality of prize object displays located inside of the container and configured to receive at least one prize object from the at least one prize object holder;

(G) a controller in communication with the at least one prize object holder wherein the controller is configured to select at least one prize object from the plurality of prize objects and cause the selected prize object to be displayed in at least one of the prize object displays; and

(H) a plurality of game apparatus in communication with the controller wherein each game apparatus is associated with at least one prize object display of the plurality of prize object displays.

2. The gaming system of claim 1 wherein the plurality of prize object displays comprise at least one tubular exhibition container.

3. The gaming system of claim 1 further comprising at least one prize object actuator associated with the prize object holder being configured to cause the selected prize object to move into the prize object displays by activation of the prize object actuator.

4. The gaming system of claim 3 further comprising at least one player input device configured to allow the player to select a prize object from the plurality of prize objects in the prize object holder prior to activation of the prize object actuator.

5. The gaming system of claim 3 wherein the prize object actuator is selected from one or more of a spring mechanism, a piston device and a gas injector mechanism.

6. The gaming system of claim 1 wherein the prize object display comprises game-related indicia located thereon and wherein the game-related indicia are used to communicate a game outcome to the player.

7. The gaming system of claim 6 wherein the prize object display further comprises a segmenting mechanism configured to divide the prize object display into a plurality of compartments corresponding to the game-related indicia located thereon, and wherein the segmenting mechanism is in communication with the controller.

8. The gaming system of claim 1 wherein the plurality of prize objects comprise game-related indicia located thereon and wherein the game-related indicia are used to communicate a game outcome to the player.

9. The gaming system of claim 1 wherein the prize object display is selected from the group consisting of an exhibition tube, a multi-segmented exhibition tube, a tube with an attached exhibition chamber, and a tube with an attached multi-segmented exhibition chamber.

10. The gaming system of claim 1 further comprising a sensor associated with each of the prize object displays wherein the sensor is configured to detect presence of the selected prize object in the prize object display.

11. The gaming system of claim 10 wherein the controller is in communication with the agitator and is configured to terminate agitation of the plurality of display objects in the container when the sensor detects presence of the selected prize object in at least one of the prize object displays.

12. The gaming system of claim 1 wherein the container comprises a spherical shape.

13. The gaming system of claim 1 wherein the prize object holder is hidden from view of the player.

14. The gaming system of claim 1 wherein the container and plurality of display objects comprise a jumbled ball display.

15. The gaming system of claim 1 wherein the controller is configured to determine a random game outcome and subsequently select the prize object from the plurality of prize objects and cause the selected prize object to be displayed to communicate the random game outcome to the player.

16. The gaming system of claim 1 wherein the agitator comprises a display object transport device configured to move the plurality of display objects from a first area of the container to a second area of the container.

17. The gaming system of claim 16 wherein the display object transport device is selected from the group consisting of conveyor belts, discs, rollers, wheels, lifts, claws and augers.

18. The gaming system of claim 17 wherein the display object transport device further comprises at least one transport component configured to receive the display objects and wherein the at least one transport component is selected from the group consisting of cups, bowls, scoops, buckets, ledges, shovels and blades.

19. The gaming system of claim 1 wherein the selected prize object and the prize object displays are configured to provide an illusion to the player that the selected prize object originates from the plurality of display objects.

20. The gaming system of claim 1 wherein the prize object displays are positioned in a substantially vertical position within the container.

21. The gaming system of claim 1 further comprising an additional prize object display located inside the container and associated with each of the plurality of game apparatus.

22. The gaming system of claim 1 wherein each game apparatus is associated with a specific prize object display of the plurality of prize object displays.

23. The gaming system of claim 1 comprising a single prize object holder configured to provide a selected prize object for all of the prize object displays and corresponding associated game apparatus.

24. The gaming system of claim 23 wherein the single prize object holder is located above the plurality of prize object displays and is configured to transfer prize objects to the prize object displays through the top ends of the prize object displays.

25. The gaming system of claim 23 wherein the single prize object holder is located below the plurality of prize object displays and is configured to transfer prize objects to the prize object displays through the bottom ends of the prize object displays.

26. The gaming system of claim 1 comprising a plurality of prize object holders wherein each prize object holder is associated with an individual prize object display and corresponding associated game apparatus.

27. The gaming system of claim 1 further comprising at least one cabinet located between adjacent game apparatus of the plurality of game apparatus and configured to house the at least one prize object holder associated with an adjacent game apparatus and associated prize object display.

28. The gaming system of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of cabinets located between adjacent game apparatus of the plurality of game apparatus wherein at least one of the plurality of cabinets is configured to be used as an entry for maintenance of the gaming system and the remaining cabinets of the plurality of cabinets are configured to house the at least one prize object holder associated with an adjacent game apparatus and associated prize object display.

29. A gaming system comprising:

(A) a plurality of display object means for entertaining a player;

(B) container means for holding the plurality of display object means and providing the player with view of contents of the container means;

(C) a plurality of prize object means for at least partially conveying a game outcome to the player;

(D) prize object holding means for storing the plurality of prize object means in an individually controlled manner;

(E) a plurality of prize object display means for receiving and displaying a selected prize object means inside of the container means to convey the game outcome to the player; and

(F) a plurality of game apparatus means for allowing players to play a game.

30. The gaming system of claim 29 wherein the prize object holding means is configured to be hidden from view of the player.

31. The gaming system of claim 29 further comprising agitation means for agitating the display object means within the container means.

32. The gaming system of claim 31 wherein the agitation means comprise transport means for moving the display object means from a first area of the container means to a second area of the container means.

33. The gaming system of claim 29 further comprising controller means for determining the game outcome, selecting the prize object means, and causing the selected prize object means to be displayed in the prize object display means.

34. The gaming system of claim 29 further comprising illusion means for providing an illusion to the player that the selected prize object means originate from the plurality of display object means.

35. The gaming system of claim 29 further comprising prize object actuator means for causing the selected prize object means to move from the prize object holding means to, and be displayed in, the prize object display means.

36. The gaming system of claim 29 further comprising additional prize object display means inside the container means wherein the additional prize object display is associated with each of the plurality of game apparatus means.

37. The gaming system of claim 29 wherein each of the game apparatus means is associated with a specific prize object display means inside the container means.

38. The gaming system of claim 37 further comprising a plurality of cabinet means for housing the prize object holding means.

39. A method of operating a multi-apparatus gaming system comprising, but not all necessarily in order shown:

(A) providing a plurality of game apparatus associated with, and in communication with, a plurality of prize object displays, wherein each game apparatus;

(a) allows a player to place a wager to initiate game play on the game apparatus;

(b) provides a plurality of display objects in a container and agitates the display objects on the game apparatus;

(c) stores a plurality of prize objects in an individually controlled manner;

(d) locates at least one of the plurality of prize object displays inside of the container; and

(e) allows the player to view contents of the container; and

(B) providing a controller configured to;

(a) determine a random game outcome;

(b) communicate the random game outcome to the player by selecting at least one of the plurality of prize objects; and

(c) display the selected prize object to the player in at least one of the prize object displays.

40. The method of claim 39 further comprising hiding the prize objects from view of the player while storing the prize objects.

41. The method of claim 39 wherein the selected prize object appears to originate from the plurality of display objects in the container.

42. The method of claim 39 comprising providing the display objects in the form of display balls and further jumbling the display balls in the container.

43. The method of claim 39 wherein agitating the plurality of display objects comprises activating a display object transport device to move display objects from a first area of the container to a second area of the container to provide an appearance of continuous motion of the plurality of display objects in the container.

44. The method of claim 39 further comprising allowing the player to apparently select the prize object from the plurality of prize objects prior to determining the random game outcome and displaying the selected prize object in the prize object display.

45. The method of claim 39 further comprising providing an additional prize object display inside of the container and associating the additional prize object display with each of the plurality of game apparatus.

46. The method of claim 39 further comprising storing the plurality of prize objects in a plurality of prize object holders and associating each of the prize object holders with an individual prize object display and corresponding associated game apparatus.

47. The method of claim 39 further comprising storing the plurality of prize objects in a single prize object holder and configuring the single prize object holder to provide a selected prize object for all of the prize object displays and corresponding associated game apparatus.