Gaming device having multiple game play option

• US 8,702,490 B2
• Filed: 07/24/2009
• Issued: 04/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/24/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Acres Technology
• Original Assignee: Patent Investment & Licensing Company
• Inventors: Acres, John F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Laneau, Ronald
• Application Number:
  US12/509,319
• Publication Number:
  US 20110021259A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,733 Days
• Field of Search: 463 16- 25
• US Class Current: 463/19
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3211 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3213 Details of moving display elements, e.g. spinning reels, tumbling members
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3225 Data transfer within a gaming system, e.g. data sent between gaming machines and users
• 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 17/3246 involving coins and/or banknotes
• 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

Embodiments of this concept are directed to gaming devices that are configured to initiate multiple gaming events in response to a player input. The gaming device may include game initiating inputs that initiate a predetermined number of gaming events in response to the player input, or the gaming device may include configurable game initiating inputs that initiate a number of gaming events specified by the player, specified the gaming device, or specified by a gaming server. The gaming device or gaming server may set the number of initiated game events in response to the occurrence of a triggering event.

Claims

1. A method of operating a gaming device, the method comprising:

receiving a player input to activate a multiple game set on the gaming device, the multiple game set including a predetermined number of gaming events; and

operating the multiple game set including;

initiating a first gaming event including deducting a first portion of credits from the available credits,

displaying an outcome of the first gaming event,

automatically initiating a second gaming event including deducting a second portion of credits from the available credits,

displaying an outcome of the second gaming event,

determining if the predetermined number of gaming events have been played, and

automatically initiating subsequent gaming events until the predetermined number of gaming events in the multiple game set have been played.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying an outcome of the first gaming event includes:

determining an outcome of the first gaming event,

displaying the first gaming event for a first predetermined time when the outcome of the first gaming event is a winning outcome, and

displaying the first gaming event for a second predetermined time when the outcome of the first gaming event is a losing outcome; and

displaying the second gaming event includes;

determining an outcome of the second gaming event,

displaying the second gaming event for the first predetermined time when the outcome of the second gaming event is a winning outcome, and

displaying the second gaming event for the second predetermined time when the outcome of the second gaming event is a losing outcome.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving a player input to activate a multiple game set on the gaming device includes receiving a player-initiated activation of a game initiating button associated with the predetermined number of gaming events.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein receiving a player-initiated activation of a game initiating button associated with the predetermined number of gaming events includes receiving a player-initiated activation of one of plurality of game initiating buttons respectively associated with different predetermined numbers of gaming events.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein receiving a player-initiated activation of a game initiating button associated with the predetermined number of gaming events includes:

determining a player-specified number of gaming events to associate with the game initiating button; and

setting the predetermined number of gaming events associated with the game initiating button as the player-specified number of gaming events for the multiple game set.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein determining a player-specified number of gaming events to associate with the game initiating button includes:

receiving an indication of the player'"'"'s identity;

accessing a player account associated with the player; and

retrieving a preferred player-specified number of gaming events to associate with the game initiating button.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein determining a player-specified number of gaming events to associate with the game initiating button includes:

displaying a menu of available number of gaming events to associate with the game initiating button; and

receiving a player selection of a number of gaming events to associate with the game initiating button from the menu.

8. The method of claim 3, wherein receiving a player-initiated activation of a game initiating button associated with the predetermined number of gaming events includes:

determining a device-specified number of gaming events to associate with the game initiating button; and

setting the predetermined number of gaming events associated with the game initiating button as the device-specified number of gaming events for the multiple game set.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein determining a device-specified number of gaming events to associate with the game initiating button includes:

identifying an occurrence of a number-setting triggering event; and

determining a number of gaming events to associate with the game initiating button in response to the number-setting triggering event.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the multiple game set ends when a portion of credits to be wagered on a gaming event is less than the credits available to a player for wagering on the gaming device.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein a portion of credits to be wagered is automatically adjusted to the amount of credits available to a player for wagering on the gaming device when the portion of credits to be wagered is less than the credits available to a player for wagering on the gaming device.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the multiple game set pauses for a predetermined amount of time to allow a player to add additional credits to the gaming device or adjust the amount wagered when the portion of credits to be wagered is less than the credits available to a player for wagering on the gaming device.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein before operating the multiple game set:

randomly determining gaming event outcomes for each of the gaming events in the multiple game set; and

rearranging a sequence order of the gaming event outcomes in the multiple game set with respect to a design criterion.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the design criterion moves at least one winning gaming event outcome to a later order position in the sequence.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the design criterion groups at least two wins in adjacent order positions in the sequence.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein operating the multiple game set further includes tracking a bonus identifier during the gaming events in the multiple game set.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising awarding a game set bonus to the player after operating the multiple game set when the tracked bonus identifier meets a predetermined criterion.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein tracking a bonus identifier includes counting a number of times a bonus symbol appears in the displayed outcomes of the gaming events, the game set bonus being awarded when the bonus symbol count is greater than or equal to a predetermined number.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein awarding the game set bonus includes automatically triggering another multiple game set during which no credits are deducted from the available credits.

20. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying credits available to a player for wagering on the gaming device.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein the displayed credits comprise value presently held in the gaming device.

22. The method of claim 20 wherein the displayed credits is related to an electronic account.

23. The method of claim 20 wherein the displayed credits is related to a player account.

24. The method of claim 20 wherein the displayed credits is related to credits earned by a player.

25. The method of claim 20 wherein the displayed credits is related to a credit account.

26. A gaming device comprising:

a credit meter to display credits available to a player to wager on the gaming device;

a gaming display to display outcomes of gaming events played on the gaming device by the player;

a player interface panel including a multiple game initiation button configured to initiate a multiple game set, the multiple game set including a plurality of gaming events; and

a game processor configured to operate the multiple game set by initiating a first gaming event including deducting a first portion of credits from the available credits, displaying an outcome of the first gaming event, determining if each of the plurality of gaming events has been played, and automatically initiating subsequent gaming events until each of the plurality of gaming events in the multiple game set have been played.

27. The gaming device of claim 26, wherein the player interface panel further includes a single game initiation button configured to initiate a single gaming event.

28. The gaming device of claim 27, wherein the game processor is further configured to use a first paytable for determining game outcomes for gaming events initiated with the multiple game initiation button and to use a second paytable for determining a game outcome for a gaming event initiated with the single game initiation button.

29. The gaming device of claim 28, wherein the first paytable has a higher payback percentage than the payback percentage of the second paytable.

30. The gaming device of claim 28, wherein the first paytable includes a bonus not included in the second paytable.

31. The gaming device of claim 26, wherein the player interface panel includes a plurality of multiple game initiation buttons, each multiple game initiation button associated with a distinct number of gaming events.

32. The gaming device of claim 26, wherein the multiple game initiation button is configurable by the player to set the number of game events associated with the multiple game initiation button.

33. The gaming device of claim 26, wherein the player interface panel includes a plurality of wager buttons, each wager button configured to set a wager amount for each gaming event in the multiple game set.