Gaming system and method having progressive awards with meter increase events

• US 8,096,874 B2
• Filed: 09/27/2007
• Issued: 01/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Nicely, Mark C., Miltenberger, Paul D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Coburn, Corbett B
• Application Number:
  US11/862,843
• Publication Number:
  US 20090088244A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,573 Days
• Field of Search: 463/26, 463/27
• US Class Current: 463/27
• 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 17/3258 Cumulative reward schemes, e.g. jackpots

Abstract

A gaming system including a central server linked to a plurality of gaming machines. The gaming system includes at least one and preferably a plurality of progressive awards which are each associated with a supplemental fund or pool. If the gaming system determines that the progressive award is not growing at a designated incremental rate (due to a lack of wagers placed on gaming devices associated with the progressive award), the gaming system utilizes part or all of the amount in the supplemental fund to make up for this lack of wager based growth. Such a configuration provides that even if players are not actively playing gaming devices associated with the progressive award, the progressive award will still increment at a designated rate to at least a desirable value.

Claims

1. A gaming system comprising:

a plurality of gaming devices, each gaming device including;

(i) at least one display device operable to display a primary game, said primary game operable upon a wager, and

(ii) at least one input device;

at least one controller configured to communicate with said gaming devices, said at least one controller programmed to;

(a) maintain at least one progressive award;

(b) cause the maintained at least one progressive award to be displayed;

(c) increment said at least one displayed progressive award based on the wagers placed on the plays of the primary games at said gaming devices;

(d) determine if a designated progressive award increase event occurs, said determination based, at least in part, on the wagers placed on the plays of the primary games at said gaming devices;

(e) if said designated progressive award increase event occurs, increment, independent of any wagers placed on the plays of the primary games at said gaming devices, said at least one displayed progressive award by a supplemental amount; and

(f) if a progressive award triggering event occurs, provide at least said at least one displayed progressive award to at least one of a plurality of players of the gaming devices.

2. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein said supplemental amount is from a supplemental fund associated with said at least one progressive award.

3. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the progressive award increase event occurs if said at least one displayed progressive award is incrementing below a designated incremental rate during a designated time period.

4. The gaming system of claim 3, which includes a plurality of designated incremental rates, wherein the at least one controller is programmed to select one of said designated incremental rates based on time.

5. The gaming system of claim 3, wherein said designated incremental rate is based on an amount said at least one progressive award increments based on the wagers placed on the plays of the primary games at said gaming devices for a designated period of time.

6. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein upon an occurrence of each of a plurality of determined different time increments, said at least one controller is programmed to increment said at least one displayed progressive award by a designated amount.

7. The gaming system of claim 6, wherein said designated amount is based on a designated incremental rate associated with said determined time increment and at least two different time increments are associated with different incremental rates.

8. A gaming system comprising:

at least one input device;

at least one display device operable to display a primary game, said primary game operable upon a wager;

at least one processor; and

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

(a) maintain at least one progressive award;

(b) display the maintained at least one progressive award;

(c) increment said at least one displayed progressive award based on the wagers placed on the plays of the primary game;

(d) determine if a designated progressive award increase event occurs, said determination based, at least in part, on the wagers placed on the plays of the primary game;

(e) if said designated progressive award increase event occurs, increment, independent of any wagers placed on the plays of the primary game, said at least one displayed progressive award by a supplemental amount; and

(f) if a progressive award triggering event occurs, provide at least said at least one displayed progressive award to a player.

9. The gaming system of claim 8, wherein said supplemental amount is from a supplemental fund associated with said at least one progressive award.

10. The gaming system of claim 8, wherein the progressive award increase event occurs if said at least one displayed progressive award is incrementing below a designated incremental rate during a designated time period.

11. The gaming system of claim 10, which includes a plurality of designated incremental rates, wherein the at least one processor is programmed to select one of said designated incremental rates based on time.

12. The gaming system of claim 10, wherein said designated incremental rate is based on an amount said at least one progressive award increments based on the wagers placed on the plays of the primary game for a designated period of time.

13. The gaming system of claim 8, wherein upon an occurrence of each of a plurality of determined different time increments, said at least one processor is programmed to increment said at least one displayed progressive award by a designated amount.

14. The gaming system of claim 13, wherein said designated amount is based on a designated incremental rate associated with said determined time increment and at least two different time increments are associated with different incremental rates.

15. The gaming system of claim 8, wherein the at least one processor resides remote from a housing which supports said at least one display device and said at least one input device.

16. A gaming system comprising:

a plurality of gaming devices, each gaming device including;

(i) at least one display device operable to display a primary game, said primary game operable upon a wager, and

(iii) at least one input device;

at least one controller configured to communicate with said gaming devices, said at least one controller programmed to;

(a) maintain at least one progressive award;

(b) cause the maintained at least one progressive award to be displayed;

(c) increment said at least one displayed progressive award based on the wagers placed on the plays of the primary games at said gaming devices;

(d) determine if a designated progressive award increase event occurs, said determination based, at least in part, on the wagers placed on the plays of the primary games at said gaming devices;

(e) if said designated progressive award increase event occurs, increment, independent of any wagers placed on the plays of the primary games at said gaming devices, said at least one displayed progressive award by a supplemental amount, wherein said supplemental amount is from a supplemental fund associated with said at least one progressive award; and

(f) if a progressive award triggering event occurs, provide at least said at least one displayed progressive award to at least one of a plurality of players of the gaming devices, wherein the progressive award increase event occurs if said at least one displayed progressive award is incrementing below a designated incremental rate during a designated time period.

17. A method of operating a gaming system, said method comprising:

(a) maintaining at least one progressive award;

(b) causing the maintained at least one progressive award to be displayed;

(c) incrementing said at least one displayed progressive award based on any wagers placed on plays of primary games at a plurality of gaming devices;

(d) determining if a designated progressive award increase event occurs, said determination based, at least in part, on the wagers placed on the plays of the primary games at said gaming devices;

(e) if said designated progressive award increase event occurs, incrementing, independent of any wagers placed on the plays of the primary games at said gaming devices, said at least one displayed progressive award by a supplemental amount; and

(f) if a progressive award triggering event occurs, providing at least said at least one displayed progressive award to at least one of a plurality players.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein said supplemental amount is from a supplemental fund associated with said at least one progressive award.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the progressive award increase event occurs if said at least one displayed progressive award is incrementing below a designated incremental rate during a designated time period.

20. The method of claim 19, which includes selecting one of a plurality of designated incremental rates based on time.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein said designated incremental rate is based on an amount said at least one progressive award increments based on the wagers placed on the plays of the primary games at said gaming devices for a designated period of time.

22. The method of claim 17, which includes incrementing said at least one displayed progressive award by a designated amount upon an occurrence of each of a plurality of determined different time increments.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein said designated amount is based on a designated incremental rate associated with said determined time increment and at least two different time increments are associated with different incremental rates.

24. The method of claim 17, which is provided via a data network.

25. A method of operating a gaming system, said method comprising:

(a) causing at least one progressive award to be maintained;

(b) sending data, via a data network, which causes the maintained at least one progressive award to be displayed;

(c) causing said at least one progressive award to be incremented based on any wagers placed on any plays of any primary games;

(d) sending data, via the data network, which causes said at least one incremented progressive award to be displayed;

(e) causing a determination of if a designated progressive award increase event occurs, said determination based, at least in part, on the wagers placed on the plays of the primary games;

(f) if said designated progressive award increase event occurs;

(i) causing said at least one progressive award to be incremented, independent of any wagers placed on any plays of any primary games, by a supplemental amount, and

(ii) sending data, via the data network, which causes said at least one incremented progressive award to be displayed; and

(g) if a progressive award triggering event occurs, sending data, via the data network, which causes at least said at least one displayed progressive award to be provided.