Gaming system having multiple gaming machines which provide bonus awards

• US 7,854,654 B2
• Filed: 08/15/2005
• Issued: 12/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Baerlocher, Anthony J., Vasquez, James A., Ching, Erick T., Peterson, Tonja M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Vo; Peter DungBa
• Assistant Examiner(s): DUFFY, DAVID W
• Application Number:
  US11/204,101
• Publication Number:
  US 20060040732A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,954 Days
• Field of Search: 463 16- 20, 463 25- 27
• US Class Current: 463/27
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3216 Construction aspects of a gaming system, e.g. housing, seats, ergonomic aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3232 wherein the operator is informed
• 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 17/3258 Cumulative reward schemes, e.g. jackpots
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3269 Timing aspects of game play, e.g. blocking/halting the operation of a gaming machine
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3276 wherein the players compete, e.g. tournament
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3283 wherein the number of active machines is limited
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3286 Type of games
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/34 depending on the stopping of moving members in a mechanical slot machine, e.g. "fruit" machines

Abstract

A gaming system including a central server linked to a plurality of gaming machines and a plurality of bonus awards. The central server monitors wagers on the gaming machines. Based at least in part on the wagers the central server determines when bonus events will occur and which gaming machine(s) will provide the bonus awards. In one embodiment, the central server determines which gaming machine will provide a primary bonus award and any secondary bonus awards. In one embodiment, the number of secondary bonus awards is determined based on the number of active gaming machines. The selected gaming machine then determines a component of or the amount of the bonus award to be provided to the gaming machine selected by the central server.

Claims

1. A gaming system comprising

a plurality of gaming machines, each gaming machine including:

at least one input device;

at least one display device;

at least one processor; and

at least one memory device which stores a plurality of instructions, which when executed by the at least one processor cause the at least one processor to operate with the at least one display device and the at least one input device to;

(a) enable a player to place a wager to play wagering game, and

(b) for the play of the wagering game;

(i) randomly generate a wagering game outcome,

(ii) determine any wagering game award associated with the randomly generated wagering game outcome,

(iii) display any determined wagering game award, and

(iv) provide any determined wagering game award;

a controller configured to communicate with the plurality of gaming machines, the controller programmed to;

(a) maintain an accumulated wager pool, the accumulated wager pool based at least in part on any of the wagers placed on any of the plays of the wagering games of the gaming machines; and

(b) determine that a bonus event will occur;

wherein after the controller determines that the bonus event will occur, the controller and the plurality of gaming machines are programmed to display and provide a bonus award to the player of a selected one of the gaming machines, said bonus award determined based on;

(i) a value component determined by the selected gaming machine wherein said value component is independent of the accumulated wager pool and independent of any of the wagering game outcomes generated in any of the plays of any of the wagering games of any of the gaming machines, and

(ii) one of a plurality of different possible multiplier components determined by the controller, said determination based in part on an accumulated amount in the accumulated wager pool.

2. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the determination by the controller that the bonus event will occur is independent of any event in any of the plays of any of the wagering games or of any plays of any non-wagering games of the gaming machines.

3. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein if the bonus event is determined to occur, the controller is programmed to:

(a) determine which of the gaming machines were in an active state during a bonus event qualification period for said bonus event; and

(b) select at least one of the gaming machines in the active state.

4. The gaming system of claim 3, wherein the controller is programmed to:

(a) for each gaming machine, maintain a total of the wagers placed on the plays of the wagering games of said gaming machine during a bonus event accumulation period;

(b) maintain the accumulated wager pool including a total of the wagers placed on the plays of the wagering games of all of gaming machines during the bonus event accumulation period; and

(c) determine, at designated intervals during the bonus event accumulation period, if the bonus event will occur.

5. The gaming system of claim 4, wherein if the bonus event is determined to occur, the controller is programmed to select at least one of the gaming machines in the active state to provide said bonus award, wherein said selection is determined based on the total wagers placed during the bonus event accumulation period for each gaming machine in the active state relative to a total of the wagers placed for all of said gaming machines in the active state during the bonus event accumulation period.

6. The gaming system of claim 5, wherein if at least two of the gaming machines are each in the active state, the controller is programmed to select at least one of said gaming machines in the active state to provide a secondary bonus award, wherein said selection excludes the gaming machine selected to provide the bonus award and a number of secondary bonus awards provided is less than a total number of gaming machines in the active state.

7. The gaming system of claim 5, wherein if at least two gaming machines are each in the active state, the controller is programmed to determine a number of secondary bonus awards based on the number of active gaming machines, said determined number being less than the number of active gaming machines.

8. The gaming system of claim 4, wherein the controller is programmed to determine which of the gaming machines were in the active state during the bonus event qualification period by determining for each gaming machine if any wagers were placed on any of the plays of any of the wagering games of that gaming machine during the bonus event qualification period.

9. The gaming system of claim 4, wherein the controller is programmed to determine which of the gaming machines were in the active state during the bonus event qualification period by determining for each gaming machine if any wagers of a designated wager level were placed on any of the plays of any of the wagering games of that gaming machine during the bonus event qualification period.

10. The gaming system of claim 4, wherein the controller is programmed to determine which of the gaming machines were in the active state during the bonus event qualification period by determining for each gaming machine if a designated number of wagers were placed on the plays of the wagering games of that gaming machine during the bonus event qualification period.

11. The gaming system of claim 4, wherein the designated intervals are time based.

12. The gaming system of claim 4, wherein the designated intervals are based on the accumulated wager pool.

13. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the accumulated wager pool includes any remainder from a previous bonus event accumulated wager pool.

14. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor of one of the gaming machines functions as the controller.

15. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein at least two of said wagering games of at least two of the plurality of gaming machines are different.

16. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein said controller and at least one of said gaming machines are at different remote locations.