Gaming system with challenge feature

• US 8,591,311 B2
• Filed: 08/16/2006
• Issued: 11/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/16/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LNW Gaming Incorporated (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: WMS Gaming Incorporated (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Inventors: Englman, Allon G., Hornik, Jeremy M., Pacey, Larry J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lewis, David L
• Assistant Examiner(s): LEICHLITER, CHASE E
• Application Number:
  US11/504,866
• Publication Number:
  US 20070060263A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,659 Days
• Field of Search: 463/20, 463/21, 463/16, 273/292
• US Class Current: 463/20
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements

Abstract

A gaming system for conducting a wagering game comprises a value input device for receiving a wager from a player, a display, and a controller coupled to the display and operable to cause the display to present a challenge feature in response to a triggering event. The challenge feature includes a series of possible challenges of different types and having different objectives for successful completion. The series of challenges includes an outcome for awarding a progressive jackpot. The progressive jackpot is preferably displayed in terms of credits instead of currency. The controller successively advances the player from challenge to challenge in the series of challenges until the objective of the currently played challenge is not met.

Claims

1. A gaming system for conducting a wagering game, comprising:

a value input device for receiving a wager from a player;

a display; and

a controller coupled to the display and operable to cause the display to present a challenge feature in response to a triggering event, the challenge feature including an arrangement of player-selectable challenges of different types and having different objectives for successful completion, the challenge feature including an outcome that awards a progressive jackpot after a predetermined minimum number of challenges in the arrangement of challenges have been successfully met, the controller being configured to return the player from a currently played challenge to the arrangement of challenges upon successful completion of the currently played challenge and to advance the player to a player-selected one of the available displayed player-selectable challenges, the controller being further configured to repeat the acts of returning and advancing until the objective of the currently played challenge is not met.

2. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the triggering event is independent of an outcome of a basic game played by the player at a gaming terminal.

3. The gaming system of claim 2, wherein the wager influences an award multiplier assigned to the player upon entering the challenge feature, the award multiplier multiplying awards won during the challenge feature.

4. The gaming system of claim 2, wherein the wager influences a probability of meeting the objectives of one or more of the player-selectable challenges.

5. The gaming system of claim 2, wherein the wager influences a sequence in which the challenges are played.

6. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the objectives includes finding a certain symbol, finding a certain number of symbols, exceeding at least a minimum number of points or credits, or not exceeding a maximum number of points or credits.

7. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the progressive jackpot is a multi-level progressive jackpot.

8. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the outcome for awarding the progressive jackpot includes meeting the objective of each challenge in the arrangement of player-selectable challenges.

9. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein each of the challenges in the arrangement is associated with a respective progressive jackpot, and wherein the outcome for awarding the progressive jackpot includes meeting the objective of at least one challenge in the arrangement, the progressive jackpot being the progressive jackpot associated with the at least one challenge.

10. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of challenges presented to the player on the display comprises both interactive challenges and non-interactive challenges.

11. The gaming system of claim 10, wherein at least one of the interactive challenges comprises a picking game.

12. The gaming system of claim 10, wherein at least one of the non-interactive challenges comprises a plurality of spins of one or more symbol-bearing reels.

13. The gaming system of claim 10, wherein the interactive challenges comprise at least one challenge having as its objective finding a certain symbol prior to the selected challenge'"'"'s termination, finding a certain number of symbols prior to the challenge'"'"'s termination, accumulating at least a certain number of credits prior to the challenge'"'"'s termination, or accumulating less than a certain number of credits prior to the challenge'"'"'s termination.

14. The gaming system of claim 10, wherein the non-interactive challenges comprise at least one challenge including free spins of reels bearing wagering game related indicia, wherein the at least one challenge has as its objective accumulating at least a predetermined minimum number of credits during the free spins, accumulating less than a predetermined number of maximum number of credits during the free spins, accumulating at least a predetermined number of a predetermined symbol during the free spins, or accumulating on each reel at least a predetermined number of a predetermined symbol during the free spins.

15. The gaming system of claim 10,

wherein the interactive challenges comprise at least one challenge having as its objective finding a certain symbol prior to the selected challenge'"'"'s termination, finding a certain number of symbols prior to the challenge'"'"'s termination, accumulating at least a certain number of credits prior to the challenge'"'"'s termination, or accumulating less than a certain number of credits prior to the challenge'"'"'s termination, and

wherein the non-interactive challenges comprise at least one challenge including free spins of reels bearing wagering game related indicia, wherein the at least one challenge has as its objective accumulating at least a predetermined minimum number of credits during the free spins, accumulating less than a predetermined number of maximum number of credits during the free spins, accumulating at least a predetermined number of a predetermined symbol during the free spins, or accumulating on each reel at least a predetermined number of a predetermined symbol during the free spins.

16. The gaming system of claim 10,

wherein the interactive challenges comprise a plurality of interactive challenges, each of the interactive challenges having as its objective a different one of finding a certain symbol prior to the selected challenge'"'"'s termination, finding a certain number of symbols prior to the challenge'"'"'s termination, accumulating at least a certain number of credits prior to the challenge'"'"'s termination, or accumulating less than a certain number of credits prior to the challenge'"'"'s termination, and

wherein the non-interactive challenges comprise a plurality of non-interactive challenges involving free spins of reels bearing wagering game related indicia, each of the non-interactive challenges having as its objective a different one of accumulating at least a predetermined minimum number of credits during the free spins, accumulating less than a predetermined number of maximum number of credits during the free spins, accumulating at least a predetermined number of a predetermined symbol during the free spins, or accumulating on each reel at least a predetermined number of a predetermined symbol during the free spins.

17. A method of conducting a wagering game on a gaming system apparatus, the method comprising:

receiving a wager from a player in a wager input device associated with the gaming system apparatus;

displaying on a display associated with the gaming system a challenge feature in response to a triggering event, the displayed challenge feature including a plurality of player-selectable challenges of different types and having different objectives for successful completion, the challenge feature including an outcome that awards a progressive jackpot after a predetermined minimum number of challenges in the plurality of challenges have been successfully met;

prompting the player to select a subsequent challenge from the plurality of challenges each time a currently-played challenge is successfully completed; and

successively advancing the player from challenge to challenge in the plurality of challenges in the challenge feature displayed on the display until the objective of the currently played challenge is not met or until the player successfully achieves the outcome for awarding the progressive jackpot.

18. The method of claim 17, further including conducting a basic game on the gaming system apparatus, and wherein the triggering event is independent of an outcome of the basic game.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein at least one of the objectives includes finding a certain symbol amongst symbols displayed on the display, finding a certain number of symbols amongst symbols displayed on the display, exceeding at least a minimum number of points or credits, or not exceeding a maximum number of points or credits.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the outcome awards a respective one of a plurality of progressive jackpots each time the player successfully completes one of the player-selectable challenges.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein the outcome awards only the jackpot in a plurality of progressive jackpots associated with the last successfully completed challenge, the plurality of progressive jackpots each having a different value and corresponding to successful completion of a different one of the plurality of player-selectable challenges.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein the outcome for awarding the progressive jackpot includes meeting the objective of each challenge in the plurality of player-selectable challenges.

23. The method of claim 17, wherein each of the challenges in the plurality is associated with a respective progressive jackpot, and wherein the outcome for awarding the progressive jackpot includes meeting the objective of at least one challenge in the plurality of player-selectable challenges, the progressive jackpot being the progressive jackpot associated with the at least one challenge.

24. The method of claim 17, wherein the wager affects one or more of the following:

(i) a probability of triggering the challenge feature;

(ii) an award multiplier assigned to the player upon entering the challenge feature, the award multiplier multiplying awards won during the challenge feature;

(iii) a sequence in which the challenges are played;

and (iv) a probability of meeting the objectives of one or more of the challenges.

25. A computer readable storage medium encoded with instructions for directing a gaming system to perform the method of claim 17.

26. A gaming system comprising:

a plurality of gaming terminals coupled to a progressive jackpot, each gaming terminal including a display and a value input device for receiving a wager; and

a controller coupled to a presentation apparatus and operable to cause the presentation apparatus to display a challenge feature in response to a triggering event, the challenge feature including a plurality of player-selectable challenges of different types and having different objectives for successful completion, the plurality of player-selectable challenges including an outcome that awards the progressive jackpot, the controller being configured to, upon successful completion of an objective of a selected challenge and selection by a player of another challenge, advance the player from the selected challenge in the plurality of challenges to another selected challenge in the plurality of challenges and to continue the advancing of play from challenge to challenge in the plurality of challenges until an objective of a challenge is not met.

27. The gaming system of claim 26, wherein the presentation apparatus includes at least one of the following:

(i) the display of the gaming terminal on which the challenge feature is triggered and (ii) a community display associated with the plurality of gaming terminals.

28. A method of conducting a wagering game on a gaming system having a wager input device, a display, and a controller operatively connected to the wager input device and the display, the method comprising:

receiving a wager from a player via the wager input device;

displaying via the display a challenge feature in response to a triggering event, the displayed challenge feature including a plurality of player-selectable icons each representing a different challenge having different objectives for successful completion thereof;

via the controller, thereafter;

(A) prompting the player to select from the plurality of player-selectable icons displayed via the display;

(B) determining if the player successfully completes the different challenge associated with the selected icon; and

(C) returning to step (A) if the player successfully completes the different challenge associated with the selected icon;

or

(D) terminating the challenge feature if the player does not successfully complete the different challenge associated with the selected icon;

awarding a progressive jackpot after a predetermined minimum number of challenges have been successfully completed.