Wagering game providing a progressive award having a numerical unit value and a non-numerical fraction

• US 8,210,936 B2
• Filed: 06/09/2009
• Issued: 07/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sg Gaming, Inc. (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Original Assignee: WMS Gaming Incorporated (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Inventors: Caspers, Christopher J., Hopkins, Peter R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Laneau, Ronald
• Assistant Examiner(s): WILLIAMS, ROSS A
• Application Number:
  US12/481,177
• Publication Number:
  US 20090247292A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,120 Days
• Field of Search: 463/16, 463/20, 463/31, 463/25, 463 40- 42
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/34 depending on the stopping of moving members in a mechanical slot machine, e.g. "fruit" machines

Abstract

A gaming system includes an input device configured to receive a wager input from a player at a gaming terminal to be eligible to win a progressive award, which is displayed on a display device. A controller is operative to cause the display device to display a numerical unit value of the progressive award and a non-numerical fraction of the numerical unit value. In response to the wager input received from the player and other wager inputs received from players at other gaming terminals, the controller is further operative to cause the display device to display changes to the non-numerical fraction as the numerical unit value progresses from a current unit value to a next unit value.

Claims

1. A gaming system, comprising:

an input device configured to receive a wager input from a player at a gaming terminal to be eligible to win a progressive award;

a display device for displaying the progressive award; and

a controller operative to

cause the display device to display

(i) a numerical value of the progressive award, the numerical value being a multiple of a unit value, and

(ii) a non-numerical fraction of the unit value, the non-numerical fraction representing a percentage of the unit value, and

in response to the wager input received from the player and other wager inputs received from players at other gaming terminals, cause the display device to display changes to the non-numerical fraction as the numerical value progresses from a current numerical value to a next numerical value;

wherein the progressive award includes a plurality of award levels, each of the award levels including a respective one of the numerical value and the non-numerical fraction, wherein each of the award levels progresses at a different pace than other ones of the award levels.

2. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the non-numerical fraction includes a shaded area that increases in size in response to the wager input and the other wager inputs.

3. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the numerical value indicates one or more of a free spin value and a multiplier value.

4. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the controller is external to the gaming terminal.

5. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the display device is external to the gaming terminal.

6. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the progressive award includes game play that is initially awarded to the player in response to a progressive triggering event, the progressive award further including an actual value that is initially lacking when the game play is initially awarded, the actual value being determined after conducting the game play based on a variable element in its current state, the variable element being indicated by the numerical value.

7. The gaming system of claim 6, wherein the game play is a plurality of free plays, randomly selected outcomes of the free plays resulting in one or more of a monetary value and a non-monetary value.

8. The gaming system of claim 6, wherein the game play is a plurality of options selectable by the player from a player-selectable grid of options, any values associated with selected ones of the plurality of options being revealed upon selection by the player, the values determining the actual value of the progressive award.

9. The gaming system of claim 6, wherein the progressive award includes at least a first award level and a second award level, the first award level including the game play and the actual value, the second award level including only another actual value that is awarded in response to the progressive triggering event or another progressive triggering event.

10. A method of presenting a progressive award, the method comprising:

receiving wager inputs at wager input devices of a plurality of gaming terminals;

using one or more controllers to cause a display device to display a progressive award including (i) a numerical value of the progressive award that is a multiple of a unit value and (ii) a non-numerical fraction of the unit value, the non-numerical fraction representing a percentage of the unit value; and

in response to the wager inputs, using at least one of the controllers to cause the display device to display changes to the non-numerical fraction as the numerical value progresses from a current numerical value to a next numerical value;

wherein the progressive award includes a plurality of award levels, each of the award levels including a respective one of the numerical value and the non-numerical fraction, wherein each of the award levels progresses at a different pace than other ones of the award levels.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising using at least one of the controllers to cause the display device to display the non-numerical fraction as a shaded area that increases in size in accordance with the wager inputs.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the numerical value is representative of free plays integer value.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the numerical value is representative of a multiplier integer value.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising using at least one of the controllers to cause the display device to display a plurality of award levels of the progressive award, each of the award levels including a respective one of the numerical value and the non-numerical fraction.

15. A gaming system comprising:

wager input devices for accepting wager inputs from players at a plurality of gaming terminals to participate in a progressive wagering game having a progressive award; and

one or more controllers operative to

present on a display device a numerical value of the progressive award, and

based on the wager inputs, present on the display device changes in a non-numerical fraction of the unit value, the non-numerical fraction representing a percentage of the unit value, wherein changes in the non-numerical fraction occur before the numerical value changes from a current numerical value to a next numerical value;

wherein the progressive award includes a plurality of award levels, each of the award levels including a respective one of the numerical value and the non-numerical fraction, wherein each of the award levels progresses at a different pace than other ones of the award levels.

16. The gaming system of claim 15, wherein the progressive award includes a plurality of award levels, each of the award levels including a respective one of the numerical value and the non-numerical fraction.

17. The gaming system of claim 15, wherein the non-numerical fraction includes a shaded area that increases in size based on the wager inputs.

18. The gaming system of claim 15, wherein the progressive award includes one or more of a plurality of free spins and multiplier values.

19. The gaming system of claim 15, wherein the progressive award includes game play that is initially awarded to the player in response to a progressive triggering event, the progressive award further including an actual value that is initially lacking when the game play is initially awarded, the actual value being determined after conducting the game play based on a variable element in its current state, the variable element being indicated by the numerical value.

20. A gaming system comprising a display device for displaying a progressive award, the progressive award being displayed with (i) numerical values that are a multiple of a unit value and (ii) a non-numerical incremental value between the numerical values, the non-numerical incremental value being a fraction between a current numerical value and a next numerical value, the non-numerical incremental value representing a percentage of the unit value, wherein in response to wager inputs from players at gaming terminals, the non-numerical incremental value increases from the current numerical value to the next numerical value and then resets;

wherein the progressive award includes a plurality of award levels, each of the award levels including a respective one of the numerical value and the non-numerical fraction, wherein each of the award levels progresses at a different pace than other ones of the award levels.

21. The gaming system of claim 20, wherein the numerical values are integers.

22. The gaming system of claim 20, wherein the non-numerical incremental value includes a shaded area that increases in size based on the wager inputs.