Gaming system and method for providing team progressive awards

• US 8,500,548 B2
• Filed: 11/08/2007
• Issued: 08/06/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Baerlocher, Anthony J., DeWaal, Daniel J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lewis, David L
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hoel, Matthew D.
• Application Number:
  US11/937,353
• Publication Number:
  US 20090124363A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,098 Days
• Field of Search: 463/16, 463/20, 463/25, 463 26- 29, 463/30, 463/31, 463 40- 42, 463 11- 13, 463 17- 19, 463/43
• US Class Current: 463/25
• 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 17/3274 wherein the players cooperate, e.g. team-play

Abstract

A gaming system and method which forms, tracks and maintains one or more groups or teams. The gaming system and method also maintains at least one team progressive award. At any designated point in time, each group or team includes one or more players, wherein as a player plays one or more games at one or more gaming devices, the player accumulates or builds up equity in their current team or group. Upon a determination to provide a team progressive award to a player of a designated team, each eligible player actively associated with the designated team (i.e., each player actively belonging to the team) is provided a portion of the team progressive award. Each player'"'"'s provided portion of the team progressive award is based on that player'"'"'s relative accumulated equity in the designated team compared to each other eligible player'"'"'s accumulated equity in the designated team.

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 and cause a display of a team award;

(b) after an occurrence of an equity accumulation event, accumulate an amount of equity associated with a team for a player at one of said gaming devices, wherein the accumulated amount of equity is independent from any amounts of any wagers placed on any plays of any displayed games; and

(c) after an occurrence of a team award triggering event;

(i) determine if any players at any of said gaming devices are actively associated with the team within a designated time period after the occurrence of the team award triggering event, and

(ii) for each of any players actively associated with the team within the designated time period after the occurrence of the team award triggering event, determine and display a portion of the team award, wherein said determined and displayed portion of the team award is based on that player'"'"'s accumulated amount of equity associated with the team relative to a total amount of equity associated with the team accumulated for each of the players actively associated with the team within the designated time period after the occurrence of the team award triggering event and if a first player has a first accumulated amount of equity associated with the team and a second, different player has a second, different accumulated amount of equity associated with the team, a first portion of the team award is determined for the first player and a second, different portion of the team award is determined for the second player.

2. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the team award is a progressive award.

3. 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 plurality of teams of a plurality of players of said gaming devices;

(b) maintain a plurality of team awards, each team award associated one of the teams, and each team having an associated team award;

(c) receive signals from the input devices activated by the players to select which teams to be initially actively associated with and which teams to be subsequently actively associated with;

(d) for each player actively associated with one of said teams, if an equity accumulation event occurs, accumulate a quantity of team equity accumulation units for said player associated with said team, wherein the accumulated quantity of team equity accumulation units is independent from any amounts of any wagers placed on any plays of any displayed games; and

(e) for each team, if a team award triggering event occurs, for each of any players actively associated with said team and with a designated level of accumulated team equity accumulation units, determine and display a portion of the team award for said player associated with said team, wherein said portion is based on said player'"'"'s accumulated quantity of team equity accumulation units relative to the total quantity of team equity accumulation units accumulated for all of the players actively associated with the team and if a first player has a first quantity of accumulated team equity accumulation units and a second, different player has a second, different quantity of accumulated team equity accumulation units, a first portion of the team award is determined for the first player and a second, different portion of the team award is determined for the second player.

4. The gaming system of claim 3, wherein for each team, if a team award triggering event occurs, for each player actively associated with said team and with a designated level of accumulated team equity accumulation units after a first redemption period, the at least one controller is configured to determine and display a portion of the team award for said player actively associated with said team, wherein said portion is based on said player'"'"'s quantity of accumulated team equity accumulation units relative to the total quantity of team equity accumulation units accumulated for all players actively associated with the team after the first redemption period.

5. The gaming system of claim 3, wherein said equity accumulation event occurs based on at least one displayed event occurring in at least one play of at least one displayed game of at least one of said gaming devices.

6. The gaming system of claim 3, wherein said equity accumulation event occurs independent of any displayed events in any plays of any displayed games of any of the gaming devices.

7. The gaming system of claim 3, wherein said team award triggering event occurs based on at least one displayed event occurring in at least one play of at least one displayed game of at least one of said gaming devices.

8. The gaming system of claim 3, wherein said team award event occurs independent of any displayed events in any plays of any displayed games of any of the gaming devices.

9. The gaming system of claim 3, wherein the team award is a progressive award.

10. 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 and cause a display of a team progressive award;

(b) enable a player at one of said gaming devices to make an input to select to be actively associated with one of a first team and a second team, wherein said team progressive award is associated with the first team;

(c) if the player selects to be actively associated with the first team, after an occurrence of a first team equity accumulation event, provide the player a quantity of equity accumulation units associated with the first team, wherein the quantity of provided equity accumulation units associated with the first team is independent from any amounts of any wagers placed on any plays of any displayed games;

(d) enable the player to make an input to select to switch to being actively associated with the second team; and

(e) after an occurrence of a team progressive award triggering event for the first team, if the player made said input to switch to being actively associated with the second team;

(i) enable the player to make an input to switch back to being actively associated with the first team, and

(ii) if the player made said input to switch back to being actively associated with the first team, determine and display a portion of the team progressive award, wherein said determined and displayed portion of the team progressive award is based on the player'"'"'s quantity of provided equity accumulation units associated with the first team relative to the total quantity of team equity accumulation units associated with the first team provided to all of the players actively associated with the first team and if a first player has a first quantity of provided equity accumulation units and a second, different player has a second, different quantity of provided equity accumulation units, a first portion of the team progressive award is determined for the first player and a second, different portion of the team progressive award is determined for the second player.

11. The gaming system of claim 10, wherein if the player did not make said input to switch back to being actively associated with the first team, the at least one controller is configured to cause a forfeiture of the player'"'"'s provided quantity of equity accumulated units associated with the first team.

12. The gaming system of claim 10, wherein the team award is a progressive award.

13. The gaming system of claim 10, wherein said team progressive award is associated with the second team.

14. The gaming system of claim 10, wherein if the player switches to being actively associated with the second team, after an occurrence of a second team equity accumulation event, provide the player a quantity of equity accumulation unit associated with the second team.

15. The gaming system of claim 10, wherein after the occurrence of the team progressive award triggering event, said at least one controller is configured to enable the player to switch back to being actively associated with the first team for a designated redemption period.

16. The gaming system of claim 10, wherein said equity accumulation event occurs based on at least one displayed event occurring in at least one play of at least one displayed game of at least one of said gaming devices.

17. The gaming system of claim 10, wherein said equity accumulation event occurs independent of any displayed events in any plays of any displayed games of any of the gaming devices.

18. The gaming system of claim 10, wherein said team progressive award triggering event occurs based on at least one displayed event occurring in at least one play of at least one displayed game of at least one of said gaming devices.

19. The gaming system of claim 10, wherein said team progressive award event occurs independent of any displayed events in any plays of any displayed games of any of the gaming devices.

20. 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 plurality of teams including at least a first team and a second different team;

(b) maintain and cause a display of at least a first team progressive award associated with the first team and a second team progressive award associated with the second team;

(c) enable a player at one of said gaming devices to make an input to select to be actively associated with one of the first team and the second team;

(d) if the player is actively associated with the first team and a first equity accumulation event occurs, provide the player a quantity of first team equity accumulation units, wherein the provided quantity of first team equity accumulation units is independent from any amounts of any wagers placed on any plays of any displayed games;

(e) if the player is actively associated with the second team and a second equity accumulation event occurs, provide the player at a quantity of second team equity accumulation units, wherein the provided quantity of second team equity accumulation units is independent from any amounts of any wagers placed on any plays of any displayed games;

(f) if a team progressive award triggering event occurs for the first team, for each player with at least one provided first team equity accumulation unit that is actively associated with the first team after a first redemption period, determine and display a portion of the first team progressive award, wherein said determined and displayed portion of the first team progressive award is based on that player'"'"'s provided quantity of first team equity accumulation units relative to the total quantity of first team equity accumulation units provided to each of the players actively associated with the first team after the first redemption period and if a first player has a first quantity of provided first team equity accumulation units and a second, different player has a second, different quantity of provided first team equity accumulation units, a first portion of the first team progressive award is determined for the first player and a second, different portion of the first team progressive award is determined for the second player, and

(g) if a team progressive award triggering event occurs for the second team, for each player with at least one provided second team equity accumulation unit that is actively associated with the second team after a second redemption period, determine and display a portion of the second team progressive award, wherein said determined and displayed portion of the second team progressive award is based on that player'"'"'s provided quantity of second team equity accumulation units relative to the total quantity of second team equity accumulation units provided to the players actively associated with the second team after the second redemption period and if the first player has a first quantity of provided second team equity accumulation units and the second, different player has a second, different quantity of provided second team equity accumulation units, a first portion of the second team progressive award is determined for the first player and a second, different portion of the second team progressive award is determined for the second player.

21. The gaming system of claim 20, wherein at least one of the team awards is a progressive award.

22. The gaming system of claim 20, wherein said equity accumulation event occurs based on at least one displayed event occurring in at least one play of at least one displayed game of at least one of said gaming devices.

23. The gaming system of claim 20, wherein said equity accumulation event occurs independent of any displayed events in any plays of any displayed games of any of the gaming devices.

24. The gaming system of claim 20, wherein said team progressive award triggering event occurs based on at least one displayed event occurring in at least one play of at least one displayed game of at least one of said gaming devices.

25. The gaming system of claim 20, wherein said team progressive award event occurs independent of any displayed events in any plays of any displayed games of any of the gaming devices.