Wagering game with randomly funded progressive amounts

• US 8,353,753 B2
• Filed: 07/21/2005
• Issued: 01/15/2013
• 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
• Primary Examiner(s): Suhol, Dmitry
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hsu, Ryan
• Application Number:
  US11/632,916
• Publication Number:
  US 20070259711A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,735 Days
• Field of Search: 463/16, 463/20, 463/25, 463/29, 463/42, 2731381- 2, 273/143.R
• US Class Current: 463/20
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3258 Cumulative reward schemes, e.g. jackpots

Abstract

A gaming system that includes a gaming terminal with a wagering game. The wagering game includes a plurality of symbols that indicate a randomly selected outcome. The wagering game allows the player to be eligible for a plurality of progressive jackpots. A controller is operative to randomly increase the amount of one or more of the plurality of progressive jackpots by at least a portion of the wager input. Further, the percentages of the portion that are allocated to each progressive jackpot can be randomly selected as well. Thus, the progressive jackpots are randomly funded, instead of being funded by a predetermined percentage of each wager input.

Claims

1. A gaming system operable to conduct a wagering game including one or more symbol combinations randomly selected from a plurality of symbols, at least one symbol combination of the symbols of the plurality being a progressive jackpot indicator combination, the system comprising:

at least one input device;

one or more display devices;

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 at least one input device and the one or more display devices to;

receive a wager from a player to initiate the wagering game;

display the one or more symbol combinations to indicate a wagering game outcome;

in response to the displayed one or more symbol combinations indicating a payout outcome including the progressive jackpot indicator combination, award the player one of a plurality of progressive jackpots;

in response to the displayed one or more symbol combinations indicating a pay-in outcome including at least one but not all of the symbols of the progressive jackpot indicator combination, wherein all pay-in outcomes are non-winning progressive outcomes, increase an award value of one or more of the plurality of progressive jackpots.

2. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the pay-out outcome includes three designated symbols plus a “

Pay Out”

symbol.

3. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the pay-in outcome includes three or less designated symbols plus a “

Pay In”

symbol.

4. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the pay-out outcome includes a plurality of progressive jackpot triggering symbols, and wherein the pay-in outcome includes at least one but less than all of the plurality of progressing jackpot triggering symbols.

5. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the pay-out outcome includes the designated symbols occurring anywhere in the displayed array.

6. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the pay-out outcome includes the designated symbols occurring on an active payline.

7. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the pay-in outcome increases the award values of all of the plurality of progressive jackpots.

8. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the pay-in outcome increases the award values of only one progressive jackpot.

9. A computer-implemented method of randomly funding a plurality of progressive jackpots, the method comprising:

receiving, via at least one input device, a wager from a player initiating a wagering game;

randomly selecting, via one or more processors, one or more symbol combinations from a plurality of symbol combinations, wherein the plurality of symbol combinations includes at least one progressive jackpot indicator combination;

displaying the one or more symbol combinations to indicate a wagering game outcome;

in response to the displayed one or more symbol combinations indicating a pay-out outcome including the progressive jackpot indicator combination, awarding the player one of the plurality of progressive jackpots; and

in response to the displayed one or more symbol combinations indicating a pay-in outcome including at least one but not all of the symbols of the progressive jackpot indicator combination, wherein all pay-in outcomes are non-winning progressive outcomes, increasing an award value of one or more of the plurality of progressive jackpots.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the pay-in outcome increases the award values of the one or more of the plurality of progressive jackpots by either a set percentage of a wager amount or a set credit amount.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the pay-in outcome increases the award values of the one or more of the plurality of progressive jackpots by a randomly selected amount.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the pay-out outcome includes a designated symbol on an extra reel.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the pay-in outcome includes a designated symbol on an extra reel.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the pay-in outcome includes a multiplier that applies to an increase amount.

15. The method of claim 9, the pay-in outcome includes a symbol that designates a certain progressive jackpot to be increased.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein the pay-in outcome is weighted such that a probability of increasing the award value of a certain progressive jackpot of the plurality of progressive jackpots is greater that a probability of increasing the award value of another progressive jackpot of the plurality of progressive jackpots.

17. A computer-readable, non-transitory medium including computer-readable instructions that, when executed by a gaming system, cause the gaming system to perform the method comprising:

receiving, via at least one input device, a wager from a player initiating a wagering game;

randomly selecting, via one or more processors, an array of symbol combinations from a plurality of symbol combinations, wherein the plurality of symbol combinations includes at least one progressive jackpot indicator combination;

displaying the array of symbol combinations to indicate a wagering game outcome;

in response to the displayed array indicating a pay-out outcome including the progressive jackpot indicator combination, awarding the player one of the plurality of progressive jackpots; and

in response to the displayed array indicating a pay-in outcome including at least one but not all of the symbols of the progressive jackpot indicator combination, wherein all pay-in outcomes are non-winning progressive outcomes, increasing an award value of one or more of the plurality of progressive jackpots.

18. The medium of claim 17, wherein gaming system is connected for communication over a communications network, and wherein the medium resides on a game server on the communications network.

19. The medium of claim 17, wherein the pay-out outcome awards the player every progressive jackpot of the plurality of progressive jackpots.