Wagering game having progressive amounts displayed in a matrix

• US 8,137,180 B2
• Filed: 07/27/2005
• Issued: 03/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LNW Gaming Incorporated (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: WMS Gaming Incorporated (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Inventors: Thomas, Alfred, Joshi, Shridhar P., Anderson, Peter R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lewis, David L
• Assistant Examiner(s): TORIMIRO, ADETOKUNBO OLUSEGUN
• Application Number:
  US11/632,917
• Publication Number:
  US 20110003636A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,428 Days
• Field of Search: 273/138, 463 18- 20, 463 26- 28, 463 40- 42
• US Class Current: 463/20
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3258 Cumulative reward schemes, e.g. jackpots
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/34 depending on the stopping of moving members in a mechanical slot machine, e.g. "fruit" machines

Abstract

A method for playing a wagering game on a gaming terminal. The wagering game allows a player to be eligible to win a plurality of progressive jackpots. The plurality of progressive jackpots can be arranged in columns and rows of a matrix, or can be displayed with other characteristics for identification, such as color, shapes, or alpha-numeric characters. The method includes conducting a wagering game having a randomly selected outcome. The player can be awarded two progressive jackpots in response to the randomly selected outcome being a single multiple-jackpot winning outcome. Further, the progressive jackpots that are achieved can be identified by their associated characteristics, which are displayed to the player.

Claims

1. A method for conducting a progressive wagering game on a gaming machine including a display device and one or more processors, the progressive wagering game including a basic game and a plurality of progressive jackpots, the method comprising:

conducting, via the display device, the basic game including displaying a randomly selected basic game outcome and a matrix containing the plurality of progressive jackpots;

in response to the randomly selected basic game outcome being one of a plurality of basic game winning outcomes, awarding a player, via the one or more processors, a basic game payout amount; and

in response to the randomly selected basic game outcome being one of a plurality of progressive-jackpot outcomes, awarding the player, via the one or more processors, at least two of the plurality of progressive jackpots, wherein the at least two of the plurality of progressive jackpots define a first group of progressive jackpots.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the matrix of displayed progressive jackpots includes multiple rows and columns.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein one of the plurality of progressive jackpot outcomes is a row-winning outcome and the method further comprises awarding the player all of the progressive jackpots in an entire row of the matrix in response to the randomly selected basic game outcome being the row-winning outcome.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein one of the plurality of progressive jackpot outcomes is a column-winning outcome, and the method further comprise awarding the player all of the progressive jackpots in an entire column of the matrix in response to the randomly selected basic game outcome being the column-winning outcome.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the plurality of progressive jackpot outcomes is a win-all outcome, and the method further comprise awarding the player all of the progressive jackpots in response to the randomly selected basic game outcome being the win-all outcome.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the matrix comprises a plurality of rows and columns, wherein at least one of the rows and columns is color-coded.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising lighting the progressive jackpots displayed in the matrix during the wagering game in response to corresponding progressive-jackpot outcomes moving across an active payline that indicates a combination of symbols associated with the randomly selected basic game outcome.

8. A gaming system configured to conduct a progressive wagering game including a basic game and a plurality of progressive jackpots, the system comprising:

at least one display device;

one or more processors;

at least one memory device storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to operate with the display device to conduct the basic game including displaying a randomly selected basic game outcome selected from a plurality of outcomes and a matrix containing the plurality of progressive jackpots;

in response to the randomly selected basic game outcome being one of a plurality of basic game winning outcomes, award a player a basic game payout amount; and

in response to the randomly selected basic game outcome being one of a plurality of progressive-jackpot outcomes, award the player at least two of the plurality of progressive jackpots.

9. The gaming system of claim 8, wherein the at least one display device includes a first display device to display the basic game and a second display device to display the plurality of progressive jackpots in the matrix.

10. The gaming system of claim 9, wherein the first display comprises a first set of mechanical reels.

11. The gaming system of claim 8, wherein the single event is the randomly selected outcome being a win-progressive award outcome and wherein the plurality of progressive awards are displayed in a matrix, and the randomly selected outcome indicates a row characteristic and a column characteristic for each of the at least two progressive jackpots that are awarded.

12. The gaming system of claim 8, wherein each of the plurality of progressive jackpots includes at least two characteristics associated therewith, the at least two characteristics allowing for an identification as a winning progressive jackpot.

13. The gaming system terminal of claim 12, wherein at least one of the characteristics is selected from the group consisting of orientation within a defined pattern, odd or even numbers, a plurality of colors, a plurality of shapes, and a plurality of alphanumeric.

14. The gaming terminal of claim 12, wherein the at least two characteristics of each of the plurality of progressive jackpots include a row characteristic and a column characteristic within the matrix in which the plurality of progressive jackpots are displayed.

15. The gaming terminal of claim 14, wherein the randomly selected basic game outcome indicates the at least two characteristics identifying the at least two progressive jackpots that are awarded to the player.

16. A gaming system for conducting a progressive wagering game including a basic game and a plurality of progressive jackpots, the plurality of progressive jackpots being displayed in a matrix, the system comprising:

a first reel set having a plurality of symbols that indicate a randomly selected basic game outcome of the wagering game;

a second reel set for displaying symbols corresponding to one or more of the plurality of progressive jackpots; and

one or more processors executing instructions that cause the one or more processors to operate with the first and second reel sets to in response to the randomly selected basic game outcome being one of a plurality of basic game winning outcomes, award a player a basic game payout amount; and

in response to the randomly selected basic game outcome being one of a plurality of progressive-jackpot outcomes, the second reel set is activated to indicate at least two of the plurality of progressive jackpots to be awarded to the player.

17. The gaming terminal of claim 16, wherein the plurality of progressive jackpots are color-coded and the second reel set includes color codes that indicate the at least two progressive jackpots to be awarded to the player.

18. The gaming terminal of claim 16, wherein the second reel set is one reel and the symbols on the second reel set include symbols corresponding to at least two characteristics for identifying the at least two progressive jackpots to be awarded to the player.

19. The gaming terminal of claim 16, further comprising a secondary display displaying the plurality of progressive jackpots in the matrix.

20. The gaming terminal of claim 19 wherein the second reel set includes a plurality of pay lines, each of the pay lines corresponding to at least one of a row or a column}n the matrix.