Bingo game with multicard patterns

• US 8,814,652 B2
• Filed: 06/10/2005
• Issued: 08/26/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Harkins, Lisa G., Wolf, Bryan D.
• Primary Examiner(s): GALKA, LAWRENCE STEFAN
• Application Number:
  US11/149,828
• Publication Number:
  US 20060025199A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,364 Days
• Field of Search: 463/11, 463/13, 463/19
• US Class Current: 463/19
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3286 Type of games
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3293 Card games, e.g. poker, canasta, black jack

Abstract

The present invention provides methods and devices for providing a bingo game having aspects of a non-bingo game such as a Class III game, preferably on a network of gaming machines. Some implementations of the invention provide a bingo game having aspects of a card game, such as a poker game. Some such implementations include a bingo card display in which areas of a bingo card correspond with playing cards. Some implementations of the invention provide bingo cards having more than one bingo number associated with an area of the bingo card. Other implementations of the invention allow a winning pattern, such as an interim win pattern, to be formed from hits on more than one bingo card. For example, a winning pattern may be formed by hits along a corresponding line of multiple bingo cards being played by a single player. Alternatively, a winning pattern may be formed by hits on the same corresponding area of multiple bingo cards being played by a single player.

Claims

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

causing a processor to execute a plurality of instructions to operate with a display device to display B bingo cards to a player, wherein B is greater than one and, for each of the B bingo cards, the bingo card includes a plurality of areas, each area being included in a layering part or a non-layering part of the bingo card;

causing the processor to execute the plurality of instructions to randomly select N bingo numbers;

causing the processor to execute the plurality of instructions to operate with the display device to indicate hits in areas corresponding to the selected bingo numbers; and

causing the processor to execute the plurality of instructions to determine whether a winning bingo pattern can be formed based on any indicated hits in the areas of the layering parts of at least two of the B bingo cards.

2. The method of claim 1, which includes causing the processor to execute the plurality of instructions to operate with the display device to display the B bingo cards in a 3-dimensional arrangement with respect to each other.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein causing the processor to execute the plurality of instructions to operate with the display device to indicate the hits includes causing the processor to execute the plurality of instructions to operate with the display device to display a playing card on each area of the bingo cards where there is a hit.

4. The method of claim 1, which includes, after determining that the winning bingo pattern can be formed, causing the processor to execute the plurality of instructions to operate with the display device to display the winning bingo pattern.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein causing the processor to execute the plurality of instructions to operate with the display device to display a playing card on each area of the bingo cards where there is a hit includes:

causing the processor to execute the plurality of instructions to operate with the display device to display a simulation of dealing playing cards, the dealt playing cards corresponding to the areas corresponding to the hits forming the winning bingo pattern; and

causing the processor to execute the plurality of instructions to operate with the display device to display a playing card hand from the dealt playing cards.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the winning bingo pattern is one of an interim bingo win pattern and a game-winning bingo pattern.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one area on at least one of the B bingo cards is associated with more than one bingo number.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein causing the processor to execute the plurality of instructions to operate with the display device to indicate a hit in an area associated with more than one bingo number includes causing the processor to execute the plurality of instructions to operate with the display device to indicate a hit only when there is a hit on all of the bingo numbers associated with the area.

9. The method of claim 1, which includes providing fewer than B bingo cards to a second player.

10. The method of claim 9, which includes causing the processor to execute the plurality of instructions to operate with at least one input device to receive a first wager from the player and a second wager from the second player, the first wager being greater than the second wager.

11. The method of claim 1, which includes causing the processor to execute the plurality of instructions to randomly select additional bingo numbers until a game-winning bingo pattern has been formed.

12. The method of claim 1, which includes causing the processor to execute the plurality of instructions to operate with the display device to display hits that form the winning bingo pattern in a manner that is distinct from hits that do not form the winning bingo pattern.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the winning bingo pattern forms a non-linear pattern.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein causing the processor to execute the plurality of instructions to determine whether the winning bingo pattern is formed includes causing the processor to execute the plurality of instructions to combine any hits along a single line.

15. A method of operating a gaming system, the method comprising:

causing a processor to execute a plurality of instructions to operate with a plurality of gaming devices to, for each gaming device, enable a player of said gaming device to select a desired number of bingo cards, wherein, for each of the bingo cards, the bingo card includes a plurality of areas, each area being included in a layering part or a non-layering part of the bingo card,

causing the processor to execute the plurality of instructions to operate with the plurality of gaming devices to, for each gaming device, display the bingo cards selected by the player of said gaming device, the selected bingo cards including a first bingo card and a second bingo card;

causing the processor to execute the plurality of instructions to randomly select N bingo numbers;

causing the processor to execute the plurality of instructions to operate with the plurality of gaming devices to, for each gaming device, for each selected bingo card of the player of said gaming device, indicate hits in areas of said selected bingo card corresponding to selected bingo numbers; and

causing the processor to execute the plurality of instructions to operate with the plurality of gaming devices to, for each gaming device, determine whether a winning bingo pattern can be formed based on any indicated hits in the areas of the layering parts of at least two of the selected bingo cards of the player of said gaming device.

16. The method of claim 15, which includes causing the processor to execute the plurality of instructions to, for each gaming device, after determining that the winning bingo can be formed, display the winning bingo pattern.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein causing the processor to execute the plurality of instructions to, for each gaming device, after determining that the winning bingo can be formed, display the winning bingo pattern includes causing the processor to execute the plurality of instructions to display the winning bingo pattern as a hand of playing cards.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein causing the processor to execute the plurality of instructions to operate with the plurality of gaming devices to, for each gaming device, for each selected bingo card of the player of said gaming device, indicate hits in areas of said selected bingo card corresponding to selected bingo numbers includes causing the processor to execute the plurality of instructions to operate with the plurality of gaming devices to, for each gaming device, for each selected bingo card of the player of said gaming device, indicate hits that form the winning bingo pattern in a manner that is distinct from hits that do not form the winning bingo pattern.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein causing the processor to execute the plurality of instructions to operate with the plurality of gaming devices to, for each gaming device, for each selected bingo card of the player of said gaming device, indicate hits in areas of said selected bingo card corresponding to selected bingo numbers includes causing the processor to execute the plurality of instructions to operate with the plurality of gaming devices to display a playing card on each area of the bingo cards where there is a hit.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein causing the processor to execute the plurality of instructions to operate with the plurality of gaming devices to, for each gaming device, determine whether a winning bingo pattern is be formed includes causing the processor to execute the plurality of instructions to operate with the plurality of gaming devices to combine hits along a single line.

21. The method of claim 15, wherein causing the processor to execute the plurality of instructions to operate with the plurality of gaming devices to, for each gaming device, display the bingo cards selected by the player of said gaming device includes causing the processor to execute the plurality of instructions to operate with the plurality of gaming devices to, for each gaming device, display the bingo cards selected by the player of said gaming device in a 3-dimensional arrangement with respect to each other.

22. A non-transitory machine-readable medium storing a plurality of instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:

cause a display device to display B bingo cards to a player, wherein B is greater than one and, for each of the B bingo cards, said bingo card includes a plurality of areas, each area being included in a layering part or a non-layering part of the bingo card;

randomly select N bingo numbers;

indicate hits in areas corresponding to the selected bingo numbers; and

determine whether a winning bingo pattern can be formed based on any indicated hits in the areas of the layering parts of at least two of the B bingo cards.

23. A gaming system network comprising:

(a) a game server comprising;

(i) at least one logic device configured to form electronic representations of a plurality of bingo cards and to randomly select N bingo numbers, wherein, for each of the bingo cards, said bingo card includes a plurality of areas, each area being included in a layering part or a non-layering part of the bingo card; and

(b) a plurality of gaming machines in communication with the game server, each of the plurality of gaming machines configured to;

(i) display the plurality of bingo cards,

(ii) indicate hits on areas of the bingo cards corresponding to at least one of the selected N bingo numbers, and

(iii) determine whether a winning bingo pattern can be formed based on any indicated hits in the areas of the layering parts of at least two of the B bingo cards.