Wagering game having progressive amounts represented in various ways

• US 7,988,552 B2
• Filed: 02/13/2009
• Issued: 08/02/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sg Gaming, Inc. (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: WMS Gaming Incorporated (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Inventors: Thomas, Alfred
• Primary Examiner(s): Ahmed; Masud
• Application Number:
  US12/371,057
• Publication Number:
  US 20090149241A1
• Time in Patent Office: 900 Days
• Field of Search: 463/20, 463/25, 463/31, 273/139
• US Class Current: 463/25
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3258 Cumulative reward schemes, e.g. jackpots

Abstract

A method of conducting a wagering game on a gaming machine includes receiving a credit value from a player via an input device. At least a portion of the credit value is a wager input for playing a wagering game. The method further includes programming a controller to select a randomly-selected outcome from a plurality of outcomes in response to receiving the wager input. The credit value is represented on a display as a dynamic element having an original size, the dynamic element being able to change between the original size and another size. The original size of the dynamic element is modified in accordance with changes in the credit value received via the input device to visually represent the changes in the credit value as the changes are occurring.

Claims

1. A method of conducting a wagering game on a gaming machine, comprising:

receiving a wager from a player via an input device, at least a portion of the wager being allocated for playing a wagering game;

programming a controller to select at least one randomly-selected outcome from a plurality of outcomes in response to the receiving step for playing the wagering game, at least two of the plurality of outcomes being associated with different credit values awarded to the player;

representing the credit values on a display as a non-numeric dynamic element, the non-numeric dynamic element having an original size and being able to change between the original size and another size;

increasing the original size of the non-numeric dynamic element on the display to the another size in accordance with increases in the credit values received from the randomly-selected outcomes to visually represent the increases in the credit values as the increases are occurring; and

decreasing said another size of the non-numeric dynamic element on the display in response to the wager being greater than the increases in the credit values received from the randomly-selected outcomes.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the increasing step includes linearly increasing the original size of the dynamic element in response to an increase in the received credit values.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the representing step includes selecting the non-numeric dynamic element from a group consisting of a mechanical device, a video image, and a combination of a mechanical device and a video image.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the increasing step includes displaying in a video mode the non-numeric dynamic element bursting into a plurality of pieces when the credit values are values.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the representing step includes texture-mapping one or more symbols on the non-numeric dynamic element.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the texture-mapping includes displaying a three-dimensional symbol.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the representing step includes displaying the non-numeric dynamic element as a first symbol and a second symbol, at least one of the increasing and the decreasing steps including modifying only one of the first symbol and the second symbol.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the representing step includes displaying the non-numeric dynamic element as a first symbol and a second symbol, at least one of the increasing and the decreasing steps including changing a size of the first symbol in accordance to changes in a first progressive jackpot and a size of the second symbol in accordance to changes in a second progressive jackpot.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the non-numeric dynamic element is a money bag, the money bag increasing in size when additional credits are added to the credit value, the money bag decreasing in size when credits from the credit values are applied as wagers.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the increasing and the decreasing steps including modifying the size of the non-numeric dynamic element according to the probability of winning a progressive jackpot.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the representing step includes displaying the non-numeric dynamic element as a first symbol and a second symbol, at least one of the increasing and the decreasing steps including modifying a size of the second symbol in real-time in accordance with changes in the probability of winning a progressive jackpot.

12. A method for playing a wagering game on a gaming machine, comprising:

(a) receiving via a wager input device a wager, at least a portion of the wager being allocated for playing a wagering game;

(b) in response to the wager, displaying on a display a randomly-selected outcome from a plurality of outcomes of the wagering game, at least two of the plurality of outcomes being associated with different credit values awarded to the player;

(c) programming a controller to present on the display a physical representation of the credit values using a dynamic representation, the dynamic representation including a non-numeric element having an original size, the non-numeric element being able to change between the original size and another size; and

(d) programming the controller to increase on the display the original size of the element to said another size in real-time according to increases in the credit values to visually represent the increases in the credit values as the increases are occurring; and

(e) programming the controller to decrease said another size of the non-numeric element on the display in response to the wager being greater than the increases in the credit values.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the programming of the controller further includes texture-mapping another element on the non-numeric element.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the texture-mapping includes displaying said another non-numeric element as a three-dimensional symbol.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising changing the size of the dynamic representation in real-time according to changes in the probability of winning a progressive jackpot.

16. A method of conducting a wagering game on a gaming machine, comprising:

receiving via a wager input device a wager, at least a portion of the wager being allocated for playing a wagering game;

programming a controller to select at least one randomly-selected outcome from a plurality of outcomes in response to receiving the wager, at least two of the plurality of outcomes being associated with a different credit values awarded to a player;

representing on a display a value of the credit value as a non-numeric dynamic element in the form of at least one symbol having an original size, the non-numeric dynamic element being able to increase between the original size and another size in accordance with increases in the value of the credit values, the non-numeric dynamic element being able to decrease in accordance with the wager being greater than the increases in the credit values; and

texture-mapping a symbol on the dynamic element.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the texture-mapping includes displaying a three-dimensional symbol.

18. A gaming machine for conducting a wagering game, comprising:

an input for receiving a wager from a player, at least a portion of the wager being allocated for playing a wagering game;

awarding a credit value to the player;

a display for representing the credit value as a non-numeric dynamic element having an original size,

the non-numeric dynamic element being able to change between the original size and another size; and

a controller coupled to the input and the display, the controller being programmed to

select at least one randomly-selected outcome from a plurality of outcomes in response to the receiving of the wager,

provide a credit award associated with the randomly-selected outcome, and

modify the original size of the dynamic element (i) to visually represent the provided credit award increasing the credit value as the changes are occurring and (ii) to visually represent decreasing the credit value in response to the wager being greater than the awarded credit value.

19. The gaming machine of claim 18, wherein the modifying of the non-numeric dynamic element includes a linear increase of the original size of the non-numeric dynamic element in response to an increase in the credit value.

20. The gaming machine of claim 18, wherein the display is selected from a group consisting of a mechanical display, a video display, and a combination of a mechanical display and a video display.

21. The gaming machine of claim 18, wherein the modifying of the non-numeric dynamic element includes displaying in a video mode the non-numeric dynamic element bursting into a plurality of pieces when the credit value is a predetermined value.

22. The gaming machine of claim 18, wherein the non-numeric dynamic element further includes a texture-mapped three-dimensional symbol.

23. The gaming machine of claim 18, wherein the non-numeric dynamic element is represented as a first symbol and a second symbol, the controller being further programmed to change a size of the first symbol in accordance to changes in a first progressive jackpot and a size of the second symbol in accordance to changes in a second progressive jackpot.

24. The gaming machine of claim 18, wherein the non-numeric dynamic element is a money bag, the money bag increasing in size when additional credit awards are added to the credit values, the money bag decreasing in size when credit awards from the credit value are applied as wagers.

25. The gaming machine of claim 18, wherein the size of the non-numeric dynamic element is modified according to the probability of winning a progressive jackpot.