Method, apparatus, and program product for producing and using game play records in a bingo-type game

• US 7,934,987 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2007
• Issued: 05/03/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Everi Games Inc. (Everi Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Multimedia Games Incorporated
• Inventors: Enzminger, Joseph R., Loebig, Gary L., Lind, Clifton E., Lind, Jefferson C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Coburn; Corbett B
• Application Number:
  US11/932,322
• Publication Number:
  US 20080096669A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,280 Days
• Field of Search: 463/19
• US Class Current: 463/19
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/323 wherein the player is informed, e.g. advertisements, odds, instructions
• 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 17/3251 involving media of variable value, e.g. programmable cards, programmable tokens
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3258 Cumulative reward schemes, e.g. jackpots
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3286 Type of games
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3288 Betting, e.g. on live events, bookmaking
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/329 Regular and instant lottery, e.g. electronic scratch cards

Abstract

A gaming system utilizes a game designation generating component, a gaming establishment component, and a set of predefined bingo card representations. Each bingo card representation is stored in electronic format as a data structure or data record defining a predefined pattern of game designations chosen from a pool of available designations. The game designation generating component generates sets of game designations from a pool of available designations. The method employed in the gaming system includes pre-matching the bingo card representations to a given set of game designations to produce a matched card set. This pre-matching occurs prior to the sale, distribution, or assignment of card representations to players in the game. The matched card set includes a number of game play records, each corresponding to a different one of the bingo card representations and each being associated with a result indicator which indicates whether the respective bingo card representation is a winning card or losing card for that set of game designations. Data representing these matched card sets are stored and then the individual game play records are assigned to players in response to game play requests initiated by the players.

Claims

1. A method, executable by one or more electronic processors, the method including:

(a) matching each of a number of bingo card representations with a first set of game designations to produce a matched card set, the matched card set including a number of game play records with each game play record corresponding to a different one of the bingo card representations and including a result indicator indicating a result of the match between the first set of game designations and the respective bingo card representation to which the respective game play record corresponds;

(b) determining if a game ending pattern for a particular bingo game is produced for a respective one of the bingo card representations on matching a final game designation in the first set of game designations to that respective bingo card representation;

(c) in the event the game ending pattern for the particular bingo game is produced for a respective one of the bingo card representations on matching the final game designation in the first set of game designations to that respective bingo card representation, storing data representing the matched card set in a data storage device;

(d) assigning game play records from the matched card set in a random order, each game play record assigned to a respective player in response to a game play request initiated by the respective player; and

(e) causing a first result representation to be displayed at an electronic player station for a player associated with at least one of the assigned game play records.

2. The method of claim 1 further including deleting the matched card set in the event the game ending pattern occurs before matching the final designation in the first set of game designations.

3. The method of claim 1 further including deleting the matched card set in the event the game ending pattern is not produced upon matching the final designation in the first set of game designations.

4. The method of claim 1 further including switching to a new matched card set upon assigning to a respective player the game play record corresponding to the bingo card representation producing the game ending pattern.

5. The method of claim 1 further including the step of truncating the matched card set to remove all game play records which are ordered in the matched card set after the game play record corresponding to the bingo card representation producing the game ending pattern.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of assigning the game play records in the random order is accomplished by randomizing an order of the bingo card representations in the set of bingo card representations prior to the step of matching the first set of game designations with the respective bingo card representations to produce the matched card set.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of assigning the game play records in the random order is accomplished by randomizing an order of the game play records in the matched card set.

8. The method of claim 1 further including the step of matching an additional game designation set with the respective bingo card representations to produce an additional matched card set, the additional matched card set including a number of respective additional game play records with each additional game play record corresponding to a different one of the bingo card representations and including a card identifier for the respective bingo card representation with which the game play record corresponds and a result indicator indicating a result of the match between the additional set of game designations and the respective card representation.

9. The method of claim 8 further including the steps of:

(a) storing data representing the additional matched card set in the data storage device; and

(b) assigning game play records from the additional matched card set in response to a game play request submitted after a game winning game play record has been assigned from the first matched card set.

10. A program product stored on a non-transitory computer readable medium, the program product including:

(a) matching program code executable for (i) matching each of a number of bingo card representations with a first set of game designations to produce a matched card set, the matched card set including a number of game play records with each game play record corresponding to a different one of the bingo card representations and including a result indicator indicating a result of the match between the first set of game designations and the respective bingo card representation to which the respective game play record corresponds, and for (ii) determining if a game ending pattern for a particular bingo game is produced for a respective one of the bingo card representations on matching a final game designation in the first set of game designations to that respective bingo card representation;

(b) game set storage program code executable for storing data representing the matched card set in a data storage device in the event the game ending pattern for the particular bingo game is produced for a respective one of the bingo card representations on matching the final game designation in the first set of game designations to that respective bingo card representation; and

(c) game play assignment program executable code for assigning game play records from the matched card set in a random order, each game play record being assigned to a respective player in response to a game play request initiated by the respective player.

11. The program product of claim 10 further including matched card set rejection program code executable for deleting the matched card set in the event the game ending pattern occurs before matching the final designation in the first set of game designations and in the event the game ending pattern is not produced upon matching the final designation in the first set of game designations.

12. The program product of claim 10 further including:

(a) winning play monitoring program code for detecting when a player holds a game play record corresponding to the bingo card representation which produced the game ending pattern; and

(b) matched card set switching program code for switching to a different matched card set when the winning play monitoring program code detects that the player holds the game play record corresponding to the bingo card representation which produced the game ending pattern.

13. The program product of claim 11 further including game set truncation program code for truncating the matched card set to remove all game play records which are ordered in the matched card set after a game play record corresponding to the bingo card representation which produced the game ending pattern.

14. The program product of claim 10 further including randomization program code for randomizing an order of the bingo card representations in the set of bingo card representations prior to the step of matching the first set of game designations with the respective bingo card representations to produce the matched card set.

15. The program product of claim 10 further including randomization program code for randomizing an order of the game play records in the matched card set.

16. The program product of claim 10 wherein the matching program code matches an additional game designation set with the respective bingo card representations to produce an additional matched card set, each additional matched card set including a number of respective additional game play records with each additional game play record corresponding to a different one of the bingo card representations and including a card identifier for the respective bingo card representation with which the game play record corresponds and a result indicator indicating a result of the match between the additional set of game designations and that respective card representation.

17. The program product of claim 16 wherein:

(a) the game set storage program code is executable to store data representing the additional matched card set in the data storage device; and

(b) the game play assignment program code is executable to assign game play records from the additional matched card set in response to a game play request submitted after a game winning game play record has been assigned from the first matched card set.

18. An apparatus including:

(a) a number of player stations, each player station for enabling a player to initiate a game play request and for displaying results of a game play upon the assignment of a respective game play record for the respective player station;

(b) a central processing system for (i) matching each of a number of bingo card representations with a first set of game designations to produce a matched card set, the matched card set including a number of game play records with each game play record corresponding to a different one of the bingo card representations and including a result indicator indicating a result of the match between the first set of game designations and the respective bingo card representation to which the respective game play record corresponds, for determining if a game ending pattern for a particular bingo game is produced for a respective one of the bingo card representations on matching a final game designation in the first set of game designations to that respective bingo card representation, for (iii) in the event the game ending pattern for the particular bingo game is produced for a respective one of the bingo card representations on matching the final game designation in the first set of game designations to that respective bingo card representation, storing data representing the matched card set in a data storage device, and for (iv) assigning game play records from the matched card set in a random order, each game play record assigned for a respective one of the player stations player in response to a respective game play request initiated through the respective player station; and

(c) a communications system operatively connected to the central processing system and to each of the player stations for facilitating communications between the central processing system and each player station.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein:

(a) the central processing system stores an additional set of game play records, each game play record in the additional set of game play records corresponding to a respective one of the bingo card representations which has been pre-matched to an additional set of game designations; and

(b) the central processing system also assigns a respective game play record from the additional set of game play records for a player station in response to a game play request initiated through the respective player station after a winning game play record has been assigned from the first set of game play records.