Gaming system, machine and method with user selectable game interactive mode

• US 8,262,454 B2
• Filed: 04/27/2010
• Issued: 09/11/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Everi Games Inc. (Everi Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Multimedia Games Incorporated
• Inventors: Lind, Clifton, Graves, Gordon T., Loebig, Gary L., Lind, Jefferson C., Enzminger, Joseph R., Willyard, Rodney L., Lannert, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Coburn, Corbett B
• Application Number:
  US12/768,056
• Publication Number:
  US 20100210363A1
• Time in Patent Office: 868 Days
• Field of Search: 463/19
• US Class Current: 463/19
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/323 wherein the player is informed, e.g. advertisements, odds, instructions
• 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 17/3251 involving media of variable value, e.g. programmable cards, programmable tokens
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3258 Cumulative reward schemes, e.g. jackpots
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3262 Player actions which determine the course of the game, e.g. selecting a prize to be won, outcome to be achieved, game to be played
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3288 Betting, e.g. on live events, bookmaking

Abstract

A gaming system, apparatus, and method are disclosed which provide a player selectable option to manually interact by selecting game elements or initiate an automated mode whereby the gaming apparatus selects game elements in accordance with the rules of the game being played. An example disclosed embodiment includes a player being assigned a bingo card representation and a game designation set is associated with the bingo card representation, such that daubing the bingo card representation may be performed manually by the player at the player'"'"'s respective player station using a suitable interface at the player station. Alternatively to manual daubing, the present invention includes automatically daubing one or more bingo card representations in response to an automatic daub input made by the player at the player station using a suitable input device.

Claims

1. A gaming apparatus including

a user interface configured to enable a player to place a wager and initiate play of a game,

the game including a player interactive feature, wherein the player interacts with the game to select one or more game elements in order to achieve a game outcome,

during execution of the player interactive feature, the user interface including a selectable option enabling the player to automate selection of the game elements by the gaming machine in order to achieve the game outcome.

2. The gaming apparatus of claim 1, wherein the player interactive feature includes a prize claiming input.

3. The gaming apparatus of claim 1, wherein the user interface includes a touch screen display.

4. The gaming apparatus of claim 1, wherein the automatic selection of the game elements is made for more than one game play entry for the player.

5. The gaming apparatus of claim 1, wherein the automatic selection of the game elements is not displayed on the player interactive feature.

6. The gaming apparatus of claim 1, wherein the automatic selection of the game elements is displayed on the player interactive feature.

7. A gaming system comprising

a server;

and

a plurality of gaming machines network-connected to the server;

each gaming machine including

a user interface configured to enable a player to place a wager and initiate play of a game, and

a network interface to transmit and receive game information to and from the server;

the game including a player interactive feature, wherein the player interacts with the game to select one or more game elements in order to achieve a game outcome,

during execution of the player interactive feature, the user interface including a selectable option enabling the player to automate selection of the game elements by the gaming machine in order to achieve the game outcome.

8. The gaming system of claim 7, the server configured to transmit one or more aspects of the game to the gaming machine during play of the game;

the game comprising a community game whereby the player competes with other players to obtain awards or prizes.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the player interactive feature includes a prize claiming input.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the user interface includes a touch screen display.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the automatic selection of the game elements is made for more than one game play entry for the player.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein the automatic selection of the game elements is not displayed on the player interactive feature.

13. The system of claim 7, wherein the automatic selection of the game elements is displayed on the player interactive feature.