Gaming system and method for providing a progressive award multiple times before resetting the displayed value of the provided progressive award

• US 8,157,646 B2
• Filed: 04/14/2009
• Issued: 04/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Pawloski, Jason P., Decasa, Rogelio S., Hughes, William K., Boese, Eric S., Urmston, Jeffrey D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Richards, N Drew
• Assistant Examiner(s): SUN, YU-HSI DAVID
• Application Number:
  US12/423,489
• Publication Number:
  US 20100261524A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,099 Days
• Field of Search: 463 26- 28
• US Class Current: 463/27
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3209 Input means, e.g. buttons, touch screen
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3225 Data transfer within a gaming system, e.g. data sent between gaming machines and users
• 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

In various embodiments, the gaming system and method disclosed herein maintains a progressive award that is associated with a plurality of different progressive award trigger values or progressive award hit values. In such embodiments, the displayed value of the progressive award does not reset to a reset value or reset amount until the displayed value of that progressive award has incremented to each of the plurality of progressive award hit values associated with that progressive award. In these embodiments, the gaming system provides a plurality of displayed incremented values of a progressive award a plurality of times before the displayed value of that progressive award is reset to the reset value. Such a configuration provides that after the gaming system provides a currently displayed value of a progressive award to a player at least a first time, the displayed value of that progressive award continues incrementing from the provided value.

Claims

1. A gaming system comprising:

a plurality of gaming devices, each gaming device including at least one input device;

at least one display device associated with at least one of said gaming devices; and

at least one controller configured to operate with each of said gaming devices and said at least one display device to;

(a) maintain a progressive award that is associated with a designated quantity of progressive award hit values, said progressive award having a reset value and said quantity of progressive award hit values being greater than one;

(b) randomly determine each of said designated quantity of progressive award hit values;

(c) display a current value of said progressive award;

(d) for each of said gaming devices, enable a player of said gaming device to place a wager to play a primary game;

(e) upon a designated progressive award increase event, increment the displayed value of said progressive award; and

(f) when the value of said progressive award has incremented to one of said randomly determined progressive award hit values;

(i) cause one of the gaming devices to provide a currently displayed value of said progressive award;

(ii) determine if at least one of said progressive award hit values remains;

(iii) if no progressive award hit values remain, reset the displayed value of said progressive award to said reset value; and

(iv) if at least one of said progressive award hit values remain, repeat steps (c) to (f), wherein the displayed value of said progressive award continues to increment from said provided value of said progressive award.

2. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein said progressive award is associated with three progressive award hit values.

3. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein a plurality of the randomly determined progressive award hit values have the same value.

4. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the bonus controller is configured to randomly determine each of said designated quantity of different progressive award hit values from a designated quantity of tables, wherein each of said designated quantity of tables includes a plurality of progressive award hit values and said plurality of progressive award hit values in said designated quantity of tables are associated with a probability of being selected by the gaming system.

5. The gaming system of claim 4, wherein a plurality of the progressive award hit values in said designated quantity of tables are associated with a higher probability of being selected by the gaming system relative to the other progressive award hit values in said designated quantity of tables.

6. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the designated progressive award increase event is based on the wager.

7. A gaming system comprising:

a plurality of gaming devices, each gaming device including at least one input device;

at least one display device associated with at least one of said gaming devices; and

at least one controller configured to operate with each of said gaming devices and said at least one display device to;

(a) maintain a progressive award that is associated with a designated quantity of progressive award hit values, said progressive award having a reset value and said quantity of progressive award hit values being greater than one;

(b) display a current value of said progressive award;

(c) upon an occurrence of the displayed value of the progressive award incrementing to a first one of said designated quantity of progressive award hit values;

(i) cause a first one of the gaming devices to provide a first currently displayed value of said progressive award to a player playing said first one of the gaming devices, wherein at least one of said designated quantity of randomly determined progressive award hit values associated with said progressive award remains; and

(ii) continue to increment the displayed value of said progressive award from said provided first currently displayed value of said progressive award upon a subsequent progressive award increase event; and

(d) upon an occurrence of the displayed value of the progressive award incrementing to a second one of said designated quantity of progressive award hit values, cause a second one of the gaming devices to provide a second currently displayed value of said progressive award to a player playing said second one of the gaming devices.

8. The gaming system of claim 7, wherein the first gaming device and the second gaming device are the same gaming device.

9. The gaming system of claim 7, wherein a plurality of said progressive award hit values are randomly determined.

10. The gaming system of claim 7, wherein a plurality of said progressive award hit values have the same value.

11. The gaming system of claim 7, wherein the displayed value of the progressive award increments based on a wager.