Apparatus providing payouts proportional to wagers and methods for operating same

• US 7,905,774 B2
• Filed: 06/11/2003
• Issued: 03/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Jorasch, James A., Walker, Jay S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bumgarner; Melba
• Assistant Examiner(s): HARPER, TRAMAR YONG
• Application Number:
  US10/459,678
• Publication Number:
  US 20030216170A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,834 Days
• Field of Search: 463 16- 23, 463 25- 31, 463/46
• US Class Current: 463/25
• 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 17/3262 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

Abstract

A gaming device such as a slot machine is provided having a payout proportional to a wager value. In accordance with one or more embodiments, the gaming machine provides a player with the ability to flexibly and automatically increase and decrease wagers, thereby allowing the player to press his bets when he feels lucky, and to decrease his bets when he feels unlucky. Different proportional payout tables are provided for different levels of wagers.

Claims

1. A gaming device comprising:

an input device;

a processor;

a display device; and

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

(a) display a credit meter balance of zero;

(b) receive an amount of credit of a plurality of different credit amounts from a player;

(c) update the displayed credit meter balance based on the received amount of credit;

(d) in response to a request to initiate a play of a game;

(i) deduct a wager amount from the credit meter balance, the deducted wager amount being the entirety of the amount of credit displayed in the credit meter balance, wherein a wager amount that is different from the entirety of the amount of credit displayed in the credit meter balance is an unacceptable wager amount;

(ii) in response to deducting the wager amount from the credit meter balance, initiate the play of the game; and

(iii) determine an outcome for the initiated play of the game;

(e) if the determined outcome is associated with an award of zero, do not add any credit to the credit meter balance; and

(f) if the determined outcome is associated with an award greater than zero, update the amount of credit displayed in the credit meter balance based on said award and enable the player to request to initiate another play of the game, wherein;

(i) if the player does not request to initiate another play of the game and elects to cash-out of the gaming device, cause the amount of credit displayed in the credit meter balance to be provided to the player; and

(ii) if the player requests to initiate another play of the game and does not elect to cash-out of the gaming device, repeat (d) to (f).

2. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein the memory device stores a plurality of achievable combinations of symbols, at least one of said plurality of achievable combinations of symbols corresponding to a first respective proportional payout multiplier based on a first wagered amount and said at least one of said plurality of achievable combinations of symbols corresponding to a second, different respective proportional payout multiplier based on a second, different wagered amount.

3. The gaming device of claim 2,

wherein the processor includes a random number generator, and wherein

the memory device further stores a respective at least one random number corresponding to each achievable combination of symbols.

4. The gaming device of claim 3, wherein when executed by the processor, the plurality of instructions cause the processor to update the amount of credit displayed in the credit meter balance in response to an initiated play of a game by:

obtaining a random number;

determining which achievable combination of symbols corresponds to the obtained random number;

determining the proportional payout multiplier based on the determined achievable combination of symbols and the amount wagered on the play of the game; and

determining an award based on a product of the amount wagered on the play of the game and the determined proportional payout multiplier.

5. A computer program product, comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium having a computer readable program code embodied therein, said computer readable program code adapted to be executed by a processor of a gaming device to:

(a) cause a display device to display a credit balance of zero in an electronic credit meter balance of the gaming device;

(b) cause the display device to update the displayed electronic credit meter balance of the gaming device in response to receiving an amount of credit of a plurality of different credit amounts from a player;

(c) in response to a request to initiate a play of a game;

(i) deduct a wager amount from the electronic credit meter balance of the gaming device, the deducted wager amount being the entirety of the amount of credit displayed in the electronic credit meter balance of the gaming device, wherein a wager amount that is different than the entirety of the amount of credit displayed in the electronic credit balance of the gaming device is an unacceptable wager amount;

(ii) in response to deducting the wager amount from the electronic credit meter balance of the gaming device, initiate the play of the game; and

(iii) determine an outcome for the initiated play of the game;

(d) if the determined outcome is associated with an award of zero, do not cause any credit to be added to the electronic credit meter balance; and

(e) if the determined outcome is associated with an award greater than zero, cause the display device to update the amount of credit displayed in the electronic credit meter balance based on said award and enable the player to request to initiate another play of the game, wherein;

(i) if the player does not request to initiate another play of the game and elects to cash-out of the gaming device, cause the amount of credit displayed in the electronic credit meter balance to be provided to the player; and

(ii) if the player requests to initiate another play of the game and does not cash-out of the gaming device, repeat (c) to (e).