Gaming device with dynamic progressive and bonus architecture

• US 7,914,377 B2
• Filed: 11/07/2006
• Issued: 03/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Cockerille, Warner R., Nelson, Dwayne R., Benbrahim, Jamal
• Primary Examiner(s): Laneau; Ronald
• Application Number:
  US11/557,395
• Publication Number:
  US 20080108423A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,603 Days
• Field of Search: 463 16- 25
• US Class Current: 463/25
• 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 device, a gaming system and a method for operating a gaming device or gaming system with a plurality of bonus and/or progressive outcomes is disclosed. The present disclosure provides a bonus and/or progressive architecture that enables a central controller to add or remove bonusing and/or progressive features from one or more gaming devices in a gaming system. In one embodiment, the central controller designates one or more game outcomes in a paytable as designated game outcomes. If the gaming device generates one of the designated game outcomes, the central controller dynamically determines a bonus award and/or a progressive award in conjunction with a manner of presenting the bonus award and/or the progressive award to the player of the gaming device. If the gaming device does not generate a designated game outcome, the gaming device provides the player an award that is associated with the generated outcome based on the paytable.

Claims

1. A gaming device configured to operate in a gaming system including a central controller, said gaming device comprising:

at least one display device;

at least one input 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 a game, said game associated with a paytable including a plurality of different game outcomes, and a plurality of awards associated with said game outcomes;

(b) if a designated game outcome is generated in the play of the game;

(i) send game information including an average expected value associated with the designated game outcome to the central controller,

(ii) receive a determined game event from the central controller, wherein the game event is determined based on the average expected value associated with the designated game outcome, and

(iii) provide any award associated with the determined game event to the player in place of any award associated with the designated game outcome; and

(c) provide to the player any award associated with the game outcome generated in the play of the game if the generated game outcome is not the designated game outcome.

2. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein the designated game outcome is predetermined.

3. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein when executed by the at least one processor, the plurality of instructions cause the at least one processor to receive a signal including the designated game outcome from the central controller.

4. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein when executed by the at least one processor, the plurality of instructions cause the at least one processor to send information relating to the different game outcomes in the paytable to the central controller.

5. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein the designated game outcome is associated with one of the different game outcomes in the paytable.

6. The gaming device of claim 1, which includes a plurality of designated game outcomes, wherein each designated game outcome is associated with a different one of the game outcomes in the paytable.

7. The gaming device of claim 6, wherein the designated game outcomes are associated with a plurality of game events.

8. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein each designated game outcome is associated with at least one determined game event.

9. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein the determined game event is selected from a plurality of game events.

10. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein the determined game event includes at least one of:

a bonus outcome, a progressive award, a bonus game, a free or discounted game, a free spin, a triggering event and an audio/visual component.

11. The gaming device of claim 1, which includes a plurality of game events, wherein the game events are each associated with a probability of being selected and at least one of the game events is selected based on the probabilities.

12. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein when executed by the at least one processor, the plurality of instructions cause the at least one processor to communicate a signal to the central controller, the signal including at least one of:

an identification of the game, a wager amount placed by the player to play the game, a number of paylines played by the player in the game and the average expected value associated with each different game outcome of the game.

13. The gaming device of claim 12, wherein the game event is determined based on the signal.

14. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein the determined game event is determined from a first set of game events and a second set of game events, the first set of game events including a first type of game event and the second set of game events including a second type of game event.

15. A gaming system comprising:

at least one gaming device, each gaming device including;

at least one display device;

at least one input 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 enable a player to place a wager to play a game, said game associated with a paytable including a plurality of different game outcomes and a plurality of awards associated with said game outcomes; and

a central controller configured to operate with each of the gaming devices, said central controller programmed to;

(a) if a designated game outcome is generated in the play of the game of one of said gaming devices,

(i) determine at least one game event having an average expected value,

(ii) associate the determined game event with the designated game outcome,

(iii) send the determined game event to said gaming device that generated the designated game outcome, and

(iv) cause said gaming device to provide any award associated with the determined game event to the player in place of any award associated with the designated game outcome; and

(b) if the generated game outcome is not the designated game outcome,

cause the gaming device to provide to the player any award associated with the generated game outcome.

16. The gaming system of claim 15, wherein the central controller is programmed to receive information relating to the different game outcomes in the paytable associated with the game of one of the gaming devices.

17. The gaming system of claim 16, wherein the central controller is programmed to designate one of the different game outcomes in the paytable as a designated game outcome.

18. The gaming system of claim 15, wherein the central controller is programmed to communicate a signal including the designated game outcome to at least one of the gaming devices.

19. The gaming system of claim 15, wherein the central controller is programmed to designate a plurality of the game outcomes as designated game outcomes.

20. The gaming system of claim 19, wherein the designated game outcomes are associated with a plurality of game events.

21. The gaming system of claim 15, wherein each designated game outcome is associated with at least one determined game event.

22. The gaming system of claim 15, wherein the central controller is programmed to select the determined game event from a plurality of game events.

23. The gaming system of claim 15, wherein the determined game event includes at least one of:

a bonus outcome, a progressive award, a bonus game, a free or discounted game, a free spin, a triggering event and an audio/visual component.

24. The gaming system of claim 15, which includes a plurality of game events, wherein the game events are each associated with a probability of being selected and the central controller is programmed to select at least one of the game events based on the probabilities.

25. The gaming system of claim 15, wherein when executed by the at least one processor of the earning device that generated the game outcome, the plurality of instructions cause the at least one processor of the gaming device that generated the game outcome communicate a signal to the central controller, the signal including at least one of:

a name of the game, the gaming device that provided the game, a wager amount placed by the player to play the game, a number of paylines played by the player in the game and the average expected value associated with each different game outcome of the game.

26. The gaming system of claim 25, wherein the central controller is programmed to receive the signal and determines the game event based on the signal.

27. The gaming system of claim 15, wherein the determined game event is determined from a first set of game events and a second set of game events, the first set of game events including a first type of game event and the second set of game events including a second type of game event.

28. A method of operating a gaming device in a gaming system, said method comprising:

(a) causing at least one display device to display a play of a game upon a wager placed by a player, said game associated with a paytable including a plurality of different game outcomes and a plurality of awards associated with said game outcomes; and

(b) if a designated game outcome is generated in the play of the game;

(i) sending game information including an average expected value associated with the designated game outcome to a central controller,

(ii) receiving a determined game event from the central controller, wherein the game event is determined based on the average expected value associated with the designated game outcome, and

(iii) providing any award associated with the determined game event to the player in place of any award associated with the designated game outcome; and

(c) if the generated game outcome is not the designated game outcome,

providing to the player any award associated with the generated game outcome.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the designated game outcome is predetermined.

30. The method of claim 28, which includes receiving a signal including the designated game outcome from the central controller.

31. The method of claim 28, which includes sending information relating to the different game outcomes in the paytable associated with the game to the central controller.

32. The method of claim 28, wherein the designated game outcome includes one of the different game outcomes in the paytable.

33. The method of claim 28, wherein each designated game outcome of a plurality of designated game outcomes is associated with a different one of the game outcomes in the paytable.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein the designated game outcomes are associated with a plurality of game events.

35. The method of claim 28, wherein each designated game outcome is associated with at least one determined game event.

36. The method of claim 28, wherein the determined game event is selected from a plurality of game events.

37. The method of claim 28, wherein the determined game event includes at least one of:

a bonus outcome, a progressive award, a bonus game, a free or discounted game, a free spin, a triggering event and an audio/visual component.

38. The method of claim 28, which includes selecting at least one of the game events based on a probability of being selected associated with each game event.

39. The method of claim 28, which includes communicating a signal to the central controller, the signal including at least one of:

an identification of the game, a wager amount placed by the player to play the game, a number of paylines played by the player in the game and the average expected value associated with each different game outcome of the game.

40. The method of claim 39, wherein the game event is determined based on the signal.

41. The method of claim 28, wherein the game event is determined from a first set of game events and a second set of game events, the first set of game events including a first type of game event and the second set of game events including a second type of game event.

42. The method of claim 28, which is provided through a data network.

43. The method of claim 42, wherein the data network is an internet.

44. A method of operating a gaming system including at least one gaming machine, said method comprising:

(a) causing each of the gaming machines to display a play of a game upon a wager placed by a player, the game associated with a paytable including a plurality of different game outcomes and a plurality of awards associated with said game outcomes;

(b) if the designated game outcome is generated in the play of the game;

(i) determining at least one game event,

(ii) associating the determined game event with the designated game outcome, and

(iii) providing to the player any award associated with the determined game event; and

(c) if one of the different game outcomes other than the designated game outcome is generated in the play of the game, providing to the player any award associated with the generated game outcome.

45. The method of claim 44, which includes designating one of the different game outcomes in the paytable as a designated game outcome.

46. The method of claim 45, which includes receiving a signal from the gaming machine whether the designated game outcome is generated in the play of the game.

47. The method of claim 44, which includes communicating the designated game outcome to the gaming machine.

48. The method of claim 44, which includes designating a plurality of the game outcomes as designated game outcomes.

49. The method of claim 44, which includes associating a plurality of the game events with a plurality of designated game outcomes.

50. The method of claim 44, which includes associating each designated game outcome with at least one determined game event.

51. The method of claim 44, wherein the determined game event includes at least one of:

a bonus outcome, a progressive award, a bonus game, a free or discounted game, a free spin, a triggering event and an audio/visual component.

52. The method of claim 44, which includes selecting the determined game event from a plurality of game events.

53. The method of claim 52, which includes associating each game event with a probability of being selected and selecting at least one of the game events based on the probabilities.

54. The method of claim 44, which includes communicating a signal from the gaming machine to a central controller, the signal including at least one of:

a name of the game, the gaming machine that provided the game, a wager amount placed by the player to play the game, a number of paylines played by the player in the game and the average expected value associated with each different game outcome of the game.

55. The method of claim 54, which includes determining the game event based on the signal.

56. The method of claim 44, which includes determining the game event from a first set of game events and a second set of game events, the first set of game events including a first type of game event and the second set of game events including a second type of game event.

57. The method of claim 44, which is provided through a data network.

58. The method of claim 57, wherein the data network is an internet.