System-level bonus game and related methods

• US 8,684,822 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2005
• Issued: 04/01/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LNW Gaming Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Bally Gaming Incorporated (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Inventors: Gallaway, Ronald C., DiMichele, Carmen, Juenger, Melissa, Decoux, William
• Primary Examiner(s): Lewis, David L
• Assistant Examiner(s): WILLIAMS, ROSS A
• Application Number:
  US11/241,183
• Publication Number:
  US 20060111178A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,105 Days
• Field of Search: 463/13, 463/25, 463/26, 463/27, 463 40- 42, 463 16- 20
• 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

Abstract

Bonus gaming systems for monitoring and controlling one or more gaming devices in a gaming system on at least one gaming floor are disclosed herein. The system includes one or more gaming devices interconnected via a network, a player tracking system in communication with the gaming devices, and a bonus gaming system in communication with the gaming devices. The bonus gaming system monitors and controls bonus sessions presented on the gaming devices, wherein the bonus sessions includes a plurality of bonus levels, wherein the bonus levels increase in bonus value in response to duration of game play by a player in order to maintain continued play by the player.

Claims

1. In a bonus gaming system including one or more gaming devices interconnected via a network, each gaming device comprising a gaming processor, a player tracking system in communication with the gaming devices, and a bonus gaming system in communication with the gaming devices and comprising a processing and control system and a desktop computer, the bonus gaming system monitoring and controlling bonus sessions presented on the gaming devices, a method of managing a system level bonus game comprising:

configuring by the desktop computer, at the system level various parameters of the bonus game including a plurality of bonus levels represented by a number of points earned during the course of play of a base game, wherein earning points in the bonus game is based upon the player'"'"'s time of play;

initiating by the processing and control system a bonus session when the bonus gaming system obtains player information from the player tracking system;

monitoring by the gaming processor gaming activity during the course of play of a base game, wherein monitored gaming activity represents the player'"'"'s time of play;

providing information from the gaming processor to the processing and control system regarding player time of play to the bonus gaming system;

determining by the processing and control system a number of base points accrued by a player based upon player time of play in a base game;

determining by the processing and control system a number of bonus points accrued by a player based upon player time of play in a base game and the current bonus level of the bonus game; and

awarding by the gaming processor a player a system award when the player achieves prescribed base and bonus point levels for each bonus level.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein determining by the processing and control system a number of bonus points accrued by a player based on player gaming activity in a base game comprises the processing and control system multiplying the number of base points accrued by a player based upon player gaming activity in a base game by a multiplier related to the current bonus level of the bonus game.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising the processing and control system determining if appropriate bonus parameters are satisfied before initiating a bonus session.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the various bonus game parameters for the one or more gaming devices is determined by a casino operator at the desktop computer at a remote location.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the bonus game parameters determined at the desktop computer include at least one of:

a schedule of a bonus game, a number of bonus levels, a number of points per bonus level, participating game devices, and player eligibility.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein player information is obtained from the gaming processor when a player inserts a player card into a card reader on a gaming device.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein player information is obtained from the gaming processor when a player inputs a PIN number or other identification means.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein, when player information is obtained from the gaming processor, various game parameters are adjusted by the gaming processor based upon player information.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising presenting bonus game information to the a player by the gaming processor.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein a player is notified of bonus game information by the gaming processor, being at least one of:

being a participant in a bonus session, the rules and/or instructions regarding the bonus game.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein the bonus game information is presented by the gaming processor as a multimedia message on an embedded additional user interface on the gaming device and includes at least one of:

graphics, animation, video clips, and sound.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein the bonus game information is presented by the gaming processor on a two line digital display.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein player information regarding player activity is sent to the processing and control system in the bonus gaming system from the gaming processor in the gaming devices.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the processing and control system in the bonus gaming system polls the gaming processor in the gaming devices for player information regarding player activity.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the player information regarding player activity comprises one or more of:

player wager per game, number of maximum bets, number of games played, total amount of money wagered, total amount of money paid.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein the longer the player plays the base game, the more base points the player earns for the bonus game.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein the bonus game is configured to have one point correspond to a particular game play duration for the base game.

18. The method of claim 1 wherein the bonus game is configured so that five minutes of playing the base game corresponds to one bonus point.