Progressive wagering game having symbol-triggering award feature

• US 8,628,400 B2
• Filed: 06/08/2011
• Issued: 01/14/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LNW Gaming Incorporated
• Original Assignee: WMS Gaming Incorporated (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Inventors: Aoki, Dion K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Suhol, Dmitry
• Assistant Examiner(s): LARSEN, CARL VICTOR
• Application Number:
  US13/156,005
• Publication Number:
  US 20120021816A1
• Time in Patent Office: 951 Days
• Field of Search: 463/20
• US Class Current: 463/20
• 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 17/3267 Game outcomes which determine the course of the subsequent game, e.g. double or quits, free games, higher payouts, different new games
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/34 depending on the stopping of moving members in a mechanical slot machine, e.g. "fruit" machines

Abstract

Gaming devices, gaming systems, methods of conducting a wagering game, and computer programs for initiating a wagering game are presented herein. A gaming device is presented that includes a wager input device, a display, and at least one controller. The controller executes the wagering game, which includes first and second progressive awards each associated with a respective symbol-based outcome. Each symbol-based outcome has a respective frequency of occurrence. The controller randomly determines an outcome of the wagering game. The controller initiates a progressive-award-determination sequence in response to displaying the first and/or second symbol-based outcomes. There is a first probability of awarding the first progressive award, and a second probability of awarding the second progressive award. The first initial-award amount is greater than the second initial-award amount, the first frequency of occurrence is lower than the second frequency of occurrence, and the first probability is greater than the second probability.

Claims

1. A gaming system configured to conduct a wagering game in which a game outcome is randomly selected from a plurality of possible game outcomes, the plurality including a first outcome and a second outcome, the first outcome comprising one or more designated symbols and having a corresponding first supplemental award, the second outcome comprising one or more different designated symbols and having a corresponding second, smaller supplemental award, the first and second outcomes having a first frequency of occurrence and a second, higher frequency of occurrence, respectively, the gaming system comprising:

one or more input devices;

one or more processors; and

one or more memory devices storing instructions that, when executed by at least one of the one or more processors, cause the gaming system to;

receive an input, via at least one of the one or more input devices, indicative of a wager from a player to initiate the wagering game;

randomly select a game outcome of the plurality of possible game outcomes;

in response to the first outcome occurring in the selected game outcome, trigger a first supplemental-award-determination having a first probability of awarding the first supplemental award; and

in response to the second outcome occurring in the selected game outcome, trigger a second supplemental-award-determination having a second, lower probability of awarding the second, smaller supplemental award.

2. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and second supplemental awards is a progressive award.

3. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the first frequency multiplied by the first probability is less than the second frequency multiplied by the second probability.

4. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein both the first and second probabilities vary with an amount of the wager.

5. The gaming device of claim 4, wherein, in response to the amount of the wager being a predetermined maximum amount and the first outcome including a combination of top-award symbols, the first probability equals 100 percent.

6. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the first outcome further has a corresponding first basic award and the second outcome further has a corresponding second, smaller basic award, the first and second basic awards being automatically awarded upon an occurrence of the respective first or second outcome.

7. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the instructions further cause the gaming system to:

in response to the first supplemental-award-determination failing to award the first supplemental award, increase, via at least one of the one or more processors, an amount of the first supplemental award; and

in response to the second supplemental-award-determination failing to award the second supplemental award, increase, via at least one of the one or more processors, an amount of the second supplemental award.

8. A computer-implemented method of conducting a wagering game on a gaming system, the wagering game including randomly selecting a game outcome from a plurality of possible game outcomes, the plurality including a first outcome and a second outcome, the first outcome comprising one or more designated symbols and having a corresponding first supplemental award, the second outcome comprising one or more different designated symbols and having a corresponding second, smaller supplemental award, the first and second outcomes having a first frequency of occurrence and a second, higher frequency of occurrence, respectively, the method comprising:

receiving an input, via at least one of one or more input devices, indicative of a wager from a player to initiate the wagering game;

randomly selecting, via at least one of one or more processors, a game outcome of the plurality of possible game outcomes;

in response to the first outcome occurring in the selected game outcome, triggering, via at least one of the one or more processors, a first supplemental-award-determination having a first probability of awarding the first supplemental award;

in response to the second outcome occurring in the selected game outcome, triggering, via at least one of the one or more processors, a second supplemental-award-determination having a second, lower probability of awarding the second, smaller supplemental award;

in response to the first supplemental-award-determination failing to award the first supplemental award, increasing the first probability, via at least one of the one or more processors, for a next occurrence of the first outcome; and

in response to the second supplemental-award-determination failing to award the second supplemental award, increasing the second probability, via at least one of the one or more processors, for a next occurrence of the second outcome.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein the first supplemental-award-determination must award the first supplemental award within a predetermined maximum number of occurrences of the first outcome.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein, in further response to the first outcome occurring in the selected game outcome, awarding a first basic award associated with the first outcome to the player, and wherein the predetermined maximum number is inversely proportional to an amount of the first basic award.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein, in further response to the second outcome occurring in the selected game outcome, awarding a second basic award associated with the second outcome to the player, and wherein the second supplemental-award-determination must award the second supplemental award within a predetermined maximum number of occurrences of the second outcome, the predetermined maximum number being inversely proportional to an amount of the second basic award.

12. A computer-implemented method of conducting a wagering game, the wagering game including a first winning symbol-combination with a corresponding first supplemental award, the first winning symbol-combination having a first frequency of occurrence, and a second, different winning symbol-combination with a corresponding second supplemental award, the second winning symbol-combination having a second frequency of occurrence that is higher than the first frequency of occurrence, the method comprising:

receiving, via at least one input device, an input indicative of a wager from a player to initiate the wagering game;

randomly selecting, via at least one of one or more processors, a game outcome from a plurality of game outcomes;

in response to the selected game outcome including the first winning symbol-combination, awarding, via at least one of the one or more processors, a basic award to the player and triggering, via at least one of the one or more processors, a first supplemental-award-determination having a first probability of awarding the first supplemental award;

in response to the selected game outcome including the second winning symbol-combination, awarding, via at least one of the one or more processors, a basic award to the player and triggering, via at least one of the one or more processors, a second supplemental-award-determination having a second probability of awarding the second supplemental award that is smaller than the first probability;

in response to the first supplemental-award-determination failing to award the first supplemental award, increasing the first probability, via at least one of the one or more processors, for a next occurrence of the first winning symbol-combination; and

in response to the second supplemental award-determination failing to award the second supplemental award, increasing the second probability, via at least one of the one or more processors, for a next occurrence of the second winning symbol-combination.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, wherein the first winning symbol-combination further has a corresponding first basic award and the second winning symbol-combination has a corresponding second, smaller basic award, the first and second basic awards being automatically awarded to the player upon the occurrence of the respective first or second outcome.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein at least one of the first and second supplemental-award-determinations must award the corresponding supplemental award within a predetermined maximum number of occurrences of the respective first or second winning symbol-combination.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, wherein the predetermined maximum number is inversely related to a value of the basic award corresponding to the respective first or second winning symbol-combination.

16. A machine-readable, non-transitory medium storing executable instructions that, when executed by at least one of one or more processors, cause a gaming system to perform a method comprising:

receiving, via at least one of one or more input devices, an input indicative of a wager from a player to initiate a wagering game in which a game outcome is randomly selected from a plurality of possible game outcomes, the plurality including a first outcome and a second outcome, the first outcome comprising one or more designated symbols and having a corresponding first supplemental award, the second outcome comprising one or more different designated symbols and having a corresponding second, smaller supplemental award, the first and second outcomes having a first frequency of occurrence and a second, higher frequency of occurrence, respectively;

randomly selecting a game outcome from the plurality of game outcomes;

in response to the first outcome occurring in the selected game outcome, triggering a first supplemental-award-determination having a first probability of awarding the first supplemental award; and

in response to the second outcome occurring in the selected game outcome, triggering a second supplemental-award-determination having a second, lower probability of awarding the second, smaller supplemental award.

17. The machine-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the first winning symbol-combination further has a corresponding first basic award and the second winning symbol-combination further has a corresponding second, smaller basic award, the first and second basic awards being automatically awarded to the player upon the occurrence of the respective first or second outcome.

18. The machine-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the first and second supplemental-award-determinations are random determinations.

19. The machine-readable medium of claim 16, wherein at least the first supplemental award is a progressive award, and the method further comprises, in response to the first supplemental-award-determination awarding the first supplemental award, resetting an amount of the first supplemental award to the reset value of the progressive award.

20. The machine-readable medium of claim 16, wherein at least one of the first and second supplemental-award-determinations must award the corresponding supplemental award within a predetermined maximum number of occurrences of the respective first or second winning-symbol combination.