Gaming system and method having multi-level mystery triggered progressive awards

• US 8,523,665 B2
• Filed: 10/11/2006
• Issued: 09/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Baerlocher, Anthony J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lewis, David L
• Assistant Examiner(s): LEICHLITER, CHASE E
• Application Number:
  US11/548,587
• Publication Number:
  US 20080090651A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,519 Days
• Field of Search: 463 25- 28
• US Class Current: 463/27
• 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 including a central server linked to a plurality of gaming machines. The gaming system includes at least one and preferably a plurality of progressive awards wherein upon a suitable initiating event, a wager amount or value is randomly generated from at least one predetermined range of wager amounts or values. Upon a suitable triggering event, such as an accumulated wager pool incrementing to the randomly generated wager amount or value, a designated award, such as a progressive award, is provided to a player. In one such embodiment, upon the occurrence of the triggering event, an independent determination occurs regarding which one of the plurality of progressive awards will be provided to a player.

Claims

1. A gaming system comprising:

a plurality of gaming machines, each gaming machine including a display device, an input device, a processor, and a memory device which stores a plurality of instructions, which when executed by the processor, cause the processor to operate with the display device and the input device to display a primary game configured to operate upon a wager placed by a player; and

a controller configured to communicate with the plurality of gaming machines, wherein said controller is programmed to;

(a) separately maintain;

a plurality of progressive awards and an accumulated wager pool;

(b) randomly select one of a plurality of different value ranges, each different value range having a greater than zero probability of being selected and a plurality of the value ranges each including a range of different values;

(c) after the random selection of one of the plurality of different value ranges, randomly select one of the values from the selected value range;

(d) during a bonus event accumulation period, increment said accumulated wager pool based on at least a portion of the wagers placed by the players at the gaming machines; and

(e) if the accumulated wager pool increments to the randomly selected value, independent of any value of any of the progressive awards;

(i) cause a bonus event to occur;

(ii) determine if at least one of said progressive awards is to be provided to one of the players of one of the gaming machines in said bonus event; and

(iii) if one of said progressive awards is determined to be provided to one of the players, provide one of said progressive awards to one of the players, wherein which progressive award is provided is based on at least one determination independent of the accumulated wager pool incrementing to the randomly selected value.

2. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the bonus event accumulation period begins at the occurrence of a previous triggering event and ends at the occurrence of the triggering event.

3. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the bonus event accumulation period begins at the issuance of a previous progressive award and ends at the issuance of said progressive award.

4. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein if one of said progressive awards is determined to be provided to one of the players, the bonus event includes a secondary game, wherein a play of the secondary game determines which progressive award is provided.

5. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein said controller is programmed to increment said accumulated wager pool during the bonus event accumulation period based on the wagers placed by the players at the gaming machines.

6. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein each of the values in a first one of the value ranges are different than each of the values in a second one of the value ranges.

7. A gaming system comprising:

a plurality of gaming machines, each gaming machine including a display device, an input device, a processor, and a memory device which stores a plurality of instructions, which when executed by the processor, cause the processor to operate with the display device and the input device to display a primary game configured to operate upon a wager placed by a player; and

a controller configured to communicate with the plurality of gaming machines, wherein said controller is programmed to;

(a) separately maintain;

an accumulated pool and a plurality of progressive awards;

(b) randomly select one of a plurality of different value ranges, each different value range having a greater than zero probability of being selected and a plurality of the value ranges each including a range of different values;

(c) after the random selection of one of the plurality of different value ranges, randomly select one of the values from the selected value range;

(d) during a bonus event accumulation period, increment said accumulated pool; and

(e) if the accumulated pool increments to the randomly selected value, independent of any value of any of the progressive awards;

(i) cause a bonus event to occur;

(ii) determine if at least one of said progressive awards is to be provided to one of the players of one of the gaming machines in said bonus event;

(iii) if one of said progressive awards is determined to be provided to one of the players, provide one of said progressive awards to one of the players, wherein which progressive award is provided is based on at least one determination independent of the accumulated pool incrementing to the randomly selected value.

8. The gaming system of claim 7, wherein the accumulated pool is one of the progressive awards.

9. The gaming system of claim 8, wherein the controller is programmed to increment said accumulated pool based on at least a portion of the wagers placed by the players at the gaming machines.

10. The gaming system of claim 7, wherein the controller is programmed to increment said accumulated pool based on time.

11. The gaming system of claim 7, wherein the bonus event accumulation period begins at the occurrence of a previous triggering event and ends at the occurrence of the triggering event.

12. The gaming system of claim 7, wherein the bonus event accumulation period begins at the issuance of a previous progressive award and ends at the issuance of said progressive award.

13. The gaming system of claim 7, wherein if one of said progressive awards is determined to be provided to one of the players, the bonus event includes a secondary game, wherein a play of the secondary game determines which progressive award is provided.

14. The gaming system of claim 7, wherein each of the values in a first one of the value ranges are different than each of the values in a second one of the value ranges.

15. A method of operating a gaming system, said gaming system including a controller configured to communicate with a plurality of gaming machines wherein each gaming machine is configured to display a primary game configured to operate upon a wager placed by a player, said method comprising:

(a) causing the controller to execute a plurality of instructions to maintain a plurality of progressive awards;

(b) causing the controller to execute the plurality of instructions to randomly select one of a plurality of value ranges, wherein each different value range has a greater than zero probability of being selected and a plurality of the value ranges each include a range of different values;

(c) after the random selection of one of the plurality of different value ranges, causing the controller to execute the plurality of instructions to randomly select one of the values from the selected value range;

(d) during a bonus event accumulation period, causing the controller to execute the plurality of instructions to increment a separately maintained accumulated wager pool based on at least a portion of the wagers placed by the players at the gaming machines; and

(e) if the accumulated wager pool increments to the randomly selected value, independent of any value of any of the progressive awards, causing the controller to execute the plurality of instructions to;

(i) cause a bonus event to occur;

(ii) determine whether to provide at least one of said progressive awards to one of the players of one of the gaming machines in the bonus event; and

(iii) if the determination is to provide one of said progressive awards, provide one of said progressive awards to one of the players, wherein which progressive award is provided is determined independent of the accumulated wager pool incrementing to the randomly selected value.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the bonus event accumulation period begins at the occurrence of a previous triggering event and ends at the occurrence of the triggering event.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the bonus event accumulation period begins at the issuance of a previous progressive award and ends at the issuance of said progressive award.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein if the determination is to provide one of said progressive awards, the bonus event includes a secondary game, wherein a play of the secondary game determines which progressive award is provided.

19. The method of claim 15, which includes causing the controller to execute the plurality of instructions to increment said accumulated wager pool during the bonus event accumulation period based on the wagers placed by the players at the gaming machines.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein each of the values in a first one of the value ranges are different than each of the values in a second one of the value ranges.

21. The method of claim 15, which is provided through a data network.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the data network is an internet.

23. A method of operating a gaming system, said gaming system including a controller configured to communicate with a plurality of gaming machines wherein each gaming machine is configured to display a primary game configured to operate upon a wager placed by a player, said method comprising:

(a) causing the controller to execute a plurality of instructions to maintain a plurality of progressive awards;

(b) causing the controller to execute the plurality of instructions to randomly select one of a plurality of value ranges, wherein each different value range has a greater than zero probability of being selected and a plurality of the value ranges each include a range of different values;

(c) after the random selection of one of the plurality of different value ranges, causing the controller to execute the plurality of instructions to randomly select one of the values from the selected value range;

(d) during a bonus event accumulation period, causing the controller to execute the plurality of instructions to increment a separately maintained accumulated pool; and

(e) if the accumulated pool increments to the randomly selected value, independent of any value of any of the progressive awards, causing the controller to execute the plurality of instructions to;

(i) cause a bonus event to occur;

(ii) determine whether to provide at least one of said progressive awards to one of the players of one of the gaming machines in the bonus event; and

(iii) if the determination is to provide one of said progressive awards, provide one of said progressive awards to one of the players, wherein which progressive award is provided is determined independent of the accumulated wager pool incrementing to the randomly selected value.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the accumulated pool is one of the progressive awards.

25. The method of claim 24, which includes causing the controller to execute the plurality of instructions to increment said accumulated pool based on at least a portion of the wagers placed by the players at the gaming machines.

26. The method of claim 23, which includes causing the controller to execute the plurality of instructions to increment said accumulated pool based on time.

27. The method of claim 23, wherein the bonus event accumulation period begins at the occurrence of a previous triggering event and ends at the occurrence of the triggering event.

28. The method of claim 23, wherein the bonus event accumulation period begins at the issuance of a previous progressive award and ends at the issuance of said progressive award.

29. The method of claim 23, wherein if the determination is to provide one of said progressive awards, the bonus event includes a secondary game, wherein a play of the secondary game determines which progressive award is provided.

30. The method of claim 23, wherein each of the values in a first one of the value ranges are different than each of the values in a second one of the value ranges.

31. The method of claim 23, which is provided through a data network.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the data network is an internet.