Method, apparatus, and program product for producing and using game play records in a bingo-type game

• US 8,376,828 B2
• Filed: 05/02/2011
• Issued: 02/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Everi Games Inc. (Everi Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Multimedia Games Incorporated
• Inventors: Lind, Clifton E., Loebig, Gary L., Lind, Jefferson C., Enzminger, Joseph R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Coburn, Corbett B
• Application Number:
  US13/099,060
• Publication Number:
  US 20110207517A1
• Time in Patent Office: 659 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 17/3232 wherein the operator is informed
• 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 17/3286 Type of games
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3288 Betting, e.g. on live events, bookmaking
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/329 Regular and instant lottery, e.g. electronic scratch cards

Abstract

A gaming system utilizes a game designation generating component, a gaming establishment component, and a set of predefined bingo card representations. Each bingo card representation is stored in electronic format as a data structure or data record defining a predefined pattern of game designations chosen from a pool of available designations. The game designation generating component generates sets of game designations from a pool of available designations. The method employed in the gaming system includes pre-matching the bingo card representations to a given set of game designations to produce a matched card set. This pre-matching occurs prior to the sale, distribution, or assignment of card representations to players in the game. The matched card set includes a number of game play records, each corresponding to a different one of the bingo card representations and each being associated with a result indicator which indicates whether the respective bingo card representation is a winning card or losing card for that set of game designations. Data representing these matched card sets are stored and then the individual game play records are assigned to players in response to game play requests initiated by the players.

Claims

1. A method including:

(a) storing a first game play record set at a data storage device, each game play record corresponding to a respective array of card designations and including a result indicator indicating a result of a match between a first set of game designations and the respective array of card designations;

(b) receiving a first game play request in a wagering game, the first game play request entered through a first electronic device; and

(c) assigning a first one of the game play records included in the first game play record set in response to the first game play request, the assigned game play record being assigned in a random order with respect to the other game play records included in the first game play record set, and the result of the match between the first game designation set and the respective array of card designations corresponding to the assigned game play record providing a gaming result for the first game play request.

2. The method of claim 1 further including:

(a) receiving a second game play request in the wagering game, the second game play request entered through a second electronic device; and

(b) assigning a second one of the game play records included in the first game play record set in response to the second game play request, the assigned second one of the game play records being assigned in a random order with respect to the other game play records included in the first game play record set, and the result of the match between the first set of game designations and the respective array of card designations corresponding to the assigned second one of the game play records providing a gaming result for the second game play request.

3. The method of claim 1 further including matching the first set of game designations to each one of a number of different arrays of card designations to produce the first game play record set.

4. The method of claim 3 further including determining if a game ending pattern is produced for a respective one of the arrays of card designations on matching a final game designation of the first set of game designations.

5. The method of claim 1 further including:

(a) storing a second game play record set at the data storage device or an additional data storage device, each game play record of the second game play record set corresponding to a respective array of card designations and including a result indicator indicating a result of a match between a second set of game designations and the respective array of card designations;

(b) receiving a third game play request in the wagering game, the third game play request entered through the first electronic device; and

(c) assigning one of the game play records included in the second game play record set in response to the third game play request, the assigned game play record being assigned in a random order with respect to the other game play records included in the second game play record set, and the result of the match between the second set of game designations and the respective array of card designations corresponding to the game play record assigned from the second game play record set providing a gaming result for the third game play request.

6. The method of claim 5 further including switching from the first game play record set to the second game play record set in response to the assignment of a game play record from the first game play record set which corresponds to an array of card designations which produces a game winning match with the first set of game designations.

7. The method of claim 6 further including discarding any remaining unassigned game play record in the first game play record set remaining upon assignment of the game play record from the first game play record set which corresponds to an array of card designations which produces the game winning match with the first set of game designations.

8. A gaming system including:

(a) a data processing device configured to store a first game play record set in associated data storage, each game play record corresponding to a respective array of card designations and including a result indicator indicating a result of a match between a first set of game designations and the respective array of card designations;

(b) a communications arrangement associated with the data processing device, the communications arrangement configured to receive a first game play request in a wagering game, the first game play request entered through a first electronic device separate from the data processing device; and

(c) wherein the data processing device is also configured to assign a first one of the game play records included in the first game play record set in response to the first game play request, the assigned game play record being assigned in a random order with respect to the other game play records included in the first game play record set, and the result of the match between the first game designation set and the respective array of card designations corresponding to the assigned game play record providing a gaming result for the first game play request.

9. The gaming system of claim 8 wherein:

(a) the communications arrangement is also configured to receive a second game play request in the wagering game, the second game play request entered through a second electronic device; and

(b) the data processing device is also configured to assign a second one of the game play records included in the first game play record set in response to the second game play request, the assigned second one of the game play records being assigned in a random order with respect to the other game play records included in the first game play record set, and the result of the match between the first set of game designations and the respective array of card designations corresponding to the assigned second one of the game play records providing a gaming result for the second game play request.

10. The gaming system of claim 8 wherein the data processing device or a second data processing device is configured to match the first set of game designations to each one of a number of different arrays of card designations to produce the first game play record set.

11. The gaming system of claim 10 wherein the data processing device or the second data processing device is configured to determine if a game ending pattern is produced for a respective one of the arrays of card designations on matching a final game designation of the first set of game designations.

12. The gaming system of claim 9 wherein:

(a) the data processing device is configured to store a second game play record set at the associated data storage, each game play record of the second game play record set corresponding to a respective array of card designations and including a result indicator indicating a result of a match between a second set of game designations and the respective array of card designations;

(b) the communications arrangement is configured to receive a third game play request in the wagering game, the third game play request entered through the first electronic device; and

(c) the data processing device is configured to assign one of the game play records included in the second game play record set in response to the third game play request, the assigned game play record being assigned in a random order with respect to the other game play records included in the second game play record set, and the result of the match between the second set of game designations and the respective array of card designations corresponding to the game play record assigned from the second game play record set providing a gaming result for the third game play request.

13. The gaming system of claim 12 wherein the data processing device is configured to switch from the first game play record set to the second game play record set in response to the assignment of a game play record from the first game play record set which corresponds to an array of card designations which produces a game winning match with the first set of game designations.

14. The gaming system of claim 13 wherein the data processing device is configured to discard any remaining unassigned game play record in the first game play record set remaining upon assignment of the game play record from the first game play record set which corresponds to an array of card designations which produces the game winning match with the first set of game designations.

15. A program product stored on one or more non-transitory computer readable media, the program product including:

(a) game set storage program code executable to store a first game play record set in a data storage system, each game play record corresponding to a respective array of card designations and including a result indicator indicating a result of a match between a first set of game designations and the respective array of card designations;

(b) game play assignment program code executable to (i) receive a first game play request in a wagering game, the first game play request entered through a first electronic device separate from the data processing device, and to (ii) assign a first one of the game play records included in the first game play record set in response to the first game play request, the assigned game play record being assigned in a random order with respect to the other game play records included in the first game play record set, and the result of the match between the first game designation set and the respective array of card designations corresponding to the assigned game play record providing a gaming result for the first game play request.

16. The program product of claim 15 wherein the game play assignment program code is also executable to (i) receive a second game play request in the wagering game, the second game play request entered through a second electronic device, and to (ii) assign a second one of the game play records included in the first game play record set in response to the second game play request, the assigned second one of the game play records being assigned in a random order with respect to the other game play records included in the first game play record set, and the result of the match between the first set of game designations and the respective array of card designations corresponding to the assigned second one of the game play records providing a gaming result for the second game play request.

17. The program product of claim 15 further including matching program code executable to match the first set of game designations to each one of a number of different arrays of card designations to produce the first game play record set.

18. The program product of claim 17 wherein the matching program code is executable to determine if a game ending pattern is produced for a respective one of the arrays of card designations on matching a final game designation of the first set of game designations.

19. The program product of claim 15 wherein:

(a) the game set storage program code is executable to store a second game play record set at the associated data storage, each game play record of the second game play record set corresponding to a respective array of card designations and including a result indicator indicating a result of a match between a second set of game designations and the respective array of card designations; and

(b) the game play assignment program code is executable to (i) receive a third game play request in the wagering game, the third game play request entered through the first electronic device, and (ii) to assign one of the game play records included in the second game play record set in response to the third game play request, the assigned game play record being assigned in a random order with respect to the other game play records included in the second game play record set, and the result of the match between the second set of game designations and the respective array of card designations corresponding to the game play record assigned from the second game play record set providing a gaming result for the third game play request.

20. The program product of claim 15 wherein the game play assignment program code is executable to discard any remaining unassigned game play record in the first game play record set remaining upon assignment of the game play record from the first game play record set which corresponds to an array of card designations which produces the game winning match with the first set of game designations.