System and method for presenting payout ranges and audiovisual clips at a gaming device

• US 8,113,935 B2
• Filed: 03/12/2007
• Issued: 02/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/1997
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Walker, Jay S., Patterson, Michael W., Tedesco, Robert C., Jorasch, James A.
• Primary Examiner(s): D'AGOSTINO, PAUL ANTHONY
• Application Number:
  US11/684,718
• Publication Number:
  US 20070167221A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,800 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 463/16
• 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

Abstract

A gaming device presents a paytable with entries showing a range of outcome values. When the outcome displayed by the gaming device matches an entry on the paytable showing a range of outcome values, an audiovisual clip is played and the player is informed as to which precise value within the range of values is the actual outcome value. The particular audiovisual clip shown may provide an indication of where within the range the precise value lies by virtue of the particular clip'"'"'s importance. The audiovisual clip is repurposed from its original purpose for use in the gaming device, and may be a clip from a movie, motion picture, television show, or the like.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

upon a placement of a wager for a single play of a single game of a gaming device, causing at least one processor to execute a plurality of instructions to randomly determine an outcome for the single play of the single game, said outcome associated with a single award value;

presenting a paytable to a player of the gaming device, said paytable indicative of at least the single award value associated with the randomly determined outcome, wherein the paytable indicates at least a range of award values encompassing the single award value associated with the randomly determined outcome; and

presenting information to the player of the gaming device indicating an exact amount of the single award value associated with the randomly determined outcome, wherein the information comprises an audiovisual clip repurposed from its original use for use on the gaming device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the paytable comprises at least a plurality of symbols indicative of the range of award values.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the paytable comprises at least one symbol indicative of the range of award values.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the gaming device comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of:

a slot machine, a video slot machine, and a video poker machine.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising, upon a placement of a second wager for a second single play of the single game, causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to randomly determine a second outcome for the second single play of the single game, said second outcome associated with a second, single award value.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein presenting the paytable comprises presenting the paytable through a fixed medium.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein presenting the paytable comprises presenting the paytable through a monitor.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the audiovisual clip comprises at least a portion of one selected from the group consisting of:

a movie, a sporting event, an animated television show, and an animated movie.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the audiovisual clip comprises a portion of a television show.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein presenting information comprises presenting the audiovisual clip proximate to a location wherein the paytable was presented.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising explicitly presenting the range of award values to the player after presenting the paytable and before presenting the information.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a benefit corresponding to the exact amount to the player.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein presenting the paytable and presenting the information both occur in association with a primary game of the gaming device.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to determine from which of a plurality of groups of audiovisual clips the audiovisual clip is to be selected based at least in part on the paytable.

15. The method of claim 1, which comprises causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to initially randomly determine a first random number which is used to present the paytable and causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to subsequently randomly determine a second random number which is used to present the information.

16. The method of claim 2, further comprising presenting the paytable correlating the plurality of symbols to the range of award values.

17. The method of claim 3, further comprising presenting the paytable correlating the symbol to the range of award values.

18. The method of claim 5, further comprising providing second information that indicates to the player an exact value for the second, single award value associated with the randomly determined second outcome.

19. The method of claim 6, wherein the fixed medium comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of:

a painted glass, a painted polymer, and a colored polymer.

20. The method of claim 9, wherein the presented paytable comprises at least one symbol thematically tied to the television show.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the presented paytable further indicates at least one character appearing in the audiovisual clip.

22. The method of claim 10, which comprises presenting the paytable on a display screen and presenting the information on the same display screen.

23. A system comprising:

a user interface;

a controller configured to operate with the user interface to;

upon a placement of a wager for a single play of a single game of a gaming device, randomly determine an outcome for the play of the single game, said outcome associated with a single award value;

present a paytable to a player of the gaming device, said paytable indicative of at least the single award value associated with the randomly determined outcome through the user interface, wherein the paytable indicates at least a range of award values encompassing the single award value associated with the randomly determined outcome; and

present information to the player of the gaming device through the user interface, the information indicating an exact amount of the single award value associated with the randomly determined outcome, and wherein the information comprises an audiovisual clip repurposed from its original use for use on the gaming device.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the user interface comprises a mobile terminal.

25. The system of claim 23, wherein the user interface comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of:

a slot machine, a video slot machine, and a video poker machine.

26. The system of claim 23, wherein the controller is proximate the user interface.

27. The system of claim 23, wherein the controller is remotely positioned from the user interface.

28. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising software with instructions to:

upon a placement of a wager for a single play of a single game of a gaming device, randomly determine an outcome for the single play of the single game, said outcome associated with a single award value;

present a paytable to a player of the gaming device, said paytable indicative of at least the single award value associated with the randomly determined outcome, wherein the paytable indicates at least a range of award values encompassing the single award value associated with the randomly determined outcome; and

present information to the player of the gaming device indicating an exact amount of the single award value associated with the randomly determined outcome, wherein the information comprises an audiovisual clip repurposed from its original use for use on the gaming device.

29. A method comprising:

after a placement of a wager, receiving, in association with a primary game available for play, an indication from a player of a gaming device to initiate a single play of a single game;

causing at least one display device to present a paytable to the player, said paytable indicative of a plurality of outcomes, wherein each of the outcomes is associated with a range of award values;

causing at least one processor to execute a plurality of instructions to randomly determine a first random number;

causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to determine first information to provide to the player of the gaming device based on the first random number;

providing the first information to the player such that the player is informed of one of the ranges of award values;

causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to randomly determine a second random number;

causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to determine an award value associated with one of the outcomes for the single play of the single game from within the range of award values based on the second random number; and

providing an indication of the award value associated with the outcome to the player.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the gaming device comprises a mobile terminal.

31. The method of claim 29, wherein providing the indication of the award value associated with the outcome to the player comprises presenting an audiovisual clip to the player, wherein the audiovisual clip has been repurposed from its original purpose for use on the gaming device.

32. The method of claim 31, further comprising storing the audiovisual clip.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein storing the audiovisual clip comprises storing the audiovisual clip in memory associated with the gaming device.

34. The method of claim 32, wherein storing the audiovisual clip comprises storing the audiovisual clip in memory associated with a server positioned remotely from the gaming device.

35. The method of claim 31, wherein the audiovisual clip comprises at least a portion of at least one selected from the group consisting of:

a movie, a television show, and an animated audiovisual clip.

36. The method of claim 31, wherein the first information is thematically tied to the audiovisual clip.

37. A system comprising:

a user interface; and

a controller configured to operate with the user interface to;

after a placement of a wager, receive, in association with a primary game available for play, an indication to initiate a single play of a single game through the user interface from a player of a gaming device;

present a paytable to the player, said paytable indicative of a plurality of outcomes, wherein each of the outcomes is associated with a range of award values;

randomly determine a first random number;

determine first information to provide to the player of the gaming device based on the first random number;

provide the first information to the player such that the player is informed of one of the ranges of award values;

randomly determine a second random number;

determine an award value associated with one of the outcomes for the single play of the single game from within the range of award values based on the second random number; and

provide an indication of the award value associated with the outcome to the player.

38. The system of claim 37, wherein the user interface comprises a mobile terminal.

39. The system of claim 37, wherein the user interface comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of:

a slot machine, a video slot machine, and a video poker machine.

40. The system of claim 37, wherein the controller is proximate the user interface.

41. The system of claim 37, wherein the controller is remotely positioned from the user interface.

42. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising software with instructions to:

after a placement of a wager, receive, in association with a primary game available for play, an indication from a player of a gaming device to initiate a single play of a single game;

present a paytable to the player, said paytable indicative of a plurality of outcomes, wherein each of the outcomes is associated with a range of award values;

randomly determine a first random number;

determine first information to provide to the player of the gaming device based on the first random number;

provide the first information to the player such that the player is informed of one of the ranges of award values;

randomly determine a second random number;

determine an award value associated with one of the outcomes for the single play of the single game from within the range of award values based on the second random number; and

provide an indication to the player of the award value associated with the outcome.

43. A method comprising:

causing at least one display device to present a paytable to a player, said paytable indicative of a plurality of outcomes, wherein each of the outcomes is associated with a range of outcome values;

upon a placement of a wager for a single play of a single game of a gaming device, causing at least one processor to execute a plurality of instructions to randomly determine a single outcome value for the single play of the single game;

causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to determine one of the ranges of outcome values within which the single outcome value lies;

providing an indication of the range of outcome values to the player of the gaming device; and

informing the player of the single outcome value through presentation of an audiovisual clip that has been repurposed from its original purpose for use in the gaming device.

44. The method of claim 43, wherein causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to determine one of the ranges of outcome values within which the single outcome value lies occurs after causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to determine the outcome for the single play of the single game.

45. The method of claim 43, further comprising causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to dynamically update the presented paytable on the gaming device as the range of outcome values is determined.

46. The method of claim 43, wherein the gaming device comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of:

a slot machine, a video slot machine, and a video poker machine.

47. The method of claim 43, wherein the audiovisual clip comprises at least a portion of at least one selected from the group consisting of:

a movie, a television show, and an animated audiovisual clip.