Wagering game with triggering feature for special event

• US 8,951,114 B2
• Filed: 12/10/2012
• Issued: 02/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LNW Gaming Incorporated
• Original Assignee: WMS Gaming Incorporated (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Inventors: Jaffe, Joel R., Vann, Jamie W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sengdara, Vongsavanh
• Application Number:
  US13/709,738
• Publication Number:
  US 20130095917A1
• Time in Patent Office: 792 Days
• Field of Search: 463 1- 26
• US Class Current: 463/26
• 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
• 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

Abstract

A gaming system and method for conducting a wagering game includes a special event that is triggered by a progression through a plurality of subfeatures of the wagering game. The subfeatures are completed upon the collection of a predetermined number of items. The items collected are associated with wagering-game enhancement parameters that are applied to the wagering game in response to the items being randomly awarded during the wagering game.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of conducting a wagering game on a gaming system, the gaming system including one or more input devices, one or more display devices, and one or more processors, and the wagering game including a first and a second feature having first and second expected values, respectively, the first feature having a completion condition which is satisfied by one or more events in the wagering game, the method comprising:

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

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

displaying, via one or more display devices, at least a portion of the randomly selected outcome;

in direct response to the selected outcome satisfying the completion condition, transferring, via at least one of the one or more processors, at least a portion of the first expected value of the first feature to the second feature to create an enhanced second expected value, and enabling triggering of the second feature at the enhanced second expected value.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the second feature is a bonus game.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second features are separate episodes of an episodic game.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the enhanced second expected value includes an increased probability of triggering the second feature.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the second feature cannot be triggered prior to satisfying the completion condition.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

terminating the wagering game after satisfying the completion condition; and

after resuming play of the wagering game at a later time, triggering the second feature at the enhanced second expected value without re-satisfying the completion condition.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the second feature is triggered automatically after satisfying the completion condition.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising, after satisfying the completion condition, receiving an input from a player indicative of a selection to enable the second feature for triggering.

9. A gaming system configured to conduct a wagering game including a first and a second feature having first initial and second initial expected values, respectively, the first feature having a completion condition which is satisfied by one or more events occurring during play of the wagering game, the gaming system comprising:

one or more input devices;

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

randomly select an outcome of the wagering game from a plurality of possible outcomes;

display, via at least one of the one or more display devices, at least a portion of the randomly selected outcome;

in direct response to the selected outcome triggering the second feature prior to satisfying the completion condition, operating the second feature at the second initial expected value; and

in direct response to the selected outcome satisfying the completion condition, transferring at least a portion of the first expected value to the second feature to create an enhanced second expected value, and enabling triggering of the second feature at the enhanced second expected value.

10. The gaming system of claim 9, wherein, after enabling triggering of the second feature, the second feature can only be triggered after a subsequent wager.

11. The gaming system of claim 9, wherein the enhanced second expected value includes an increased probability of triggering the second feature.

12. The gaming system of claim 9, wherein at least one of the one or more events is randomly triggered during play of the first feature.

13. The gaming system of claim 9, wherein the one or more events include a plurality of events, and wherein each of the plurality must occur to satisfy the completion condition.

14. The gaming system of claim 9, wherein the second feature cannot be triggered prior to satisfying the completion condition.

15. A computer-readable, non-transitory medium including executable instructions for conducting a wagering game, the wagering game including a first feature and a second feature having first initial and second expected values, respectively, and the first feature having a completion condition that is satisfied by one or more events in the wagering game, the instructions, when executed by at least one of one or more processors, causing a gaming system to perform a method comprising:

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

randomly selecting, an outcome of the wagering game from a plurality of possible outcomes;

displaying, via one or more display devices, at least a portion of the randomly selected outcome;

in direct response to the randomly selected outcome satisfying the completion condition, transferring at least of portion of the first expected value of the first feature to the second feature to enhance the second expected value, and enabling triggering of the second feature at the enhanced second expected value.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the gaming system is connected for communication to a game server on a communications network.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the computer-readable medium resides on the game server.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the gaming system includes a plurality of gaming machines, and wherein each gaming machine of the plurality displays the results of gaming outcomes generated by the game server executing the instructions of the computer-readable medium.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the wagering game further includes an overall expected value comprising at least the first and second expected values, and wherein the overall expected value is the same before and after enhancing the second expected value.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the instructions further cause the gaming system to, in direct response to triggering the second feature prior to satisfying the completion condition, operate the second feature at the unenhanced second expected value.