Supplemental bonusing system for an electronic gaming device

• US 8,986,105 B2
• Filed: 01/11/2005
• Issued: 03/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/1997
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AIM Management, Inc.
• Original Assignee: AIM Management, Inc.
• Inventors: Okuniewicz, Douglas M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Suhol, Dmitry
• Assistant Examiner(s): DUFFY, DAVID W
• Application Number:
  US11/033,610
• Publication Number:
  US 20050170877A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,724 Days
• Field of Search: 463 25- 28, 463 40- 42
• US Class Current: 463/25
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2001/008 adapted for being playable on a screen
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 3/081 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/16 Sound input; Sound output speech processing G10L
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3202 Hardware aspects of a gaming system, e.g. components, construction, architecture thereof
• 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 17/3248 involving non-monetary media of fixed value, e.g. casino chips of fixed value

Abstract

A printing and dispensing system for an electronic gaming device has been developed. The system includes a gaming device with a processor that generates an outcome for the gambling device and a bonus system that generates payout that is supplemental to the payout of the gaming device. The supplemental payout is generated is response to gaming events in the gaming device.

Claims

1. A gambling game, comprising:

a gaming device with an outcome processor that determines gambling game outcomes; and

a bonus system that generates a payout supplemental to the gambling game outcome, where the bonus system is responsive to events in the gaming device that are monitored through an interface that isolates external equipment communications, external data communications and external software communications from internal components, software and data of the gaming device.

2. The gambling game of claim 1, further comprising:

an event detection device that detects events in the gambling device and activates the bonus system.

3. The gambling game of claim 2, where the event detection device instructs the bonus system to determine a bonus award.

4. The gambling game of claim 2, where the event detection device instructs the bonus system to deliver a bonus award.

5. The gambling game of claim 3, where the bonus system determines a bonus award.

6. The gambling game of claim 1, where the gaming device is a slot machine.

7. The gambling game of claim 1, where the gaming device is a video poker machine.

8. The gambling game of claim 1, where the gaming device is a keno machine.

9. The gambling game of claim 1, where the gaming device is a video lottery terminal.

10. The gambling game of claim 1, where the gaming device is a video lottery system.

11. The gambling game of claim 1, where the gaming device is a central determinant system.

12. The gambling game of claim 1, where the gaming device is a video game.

13. The gambling game of claim 1, where the gaming device is a video 21 game.

14. A gambling game, comprising:

a gaming device with a game logic component that determines the gaming device outcome; and

a bonus system that awards a bonus through the gaming device independent of the gaming device outcome, where the bonus system is responsive to events in the gaming device that are monitored through an interface that isolates external equipment communications, external command information communications and external bonus generation software communications from the game logic component of the gaming device.

15. The gambling game of claim 14, further comprising:

a central control system that is connected to the gambling game, where the bonus system is responsive to the central control device.

16. The gambling game of claim 14, further comprising:

a network of bonus systems that are connected to the central control system, where the network of bonus systems is responsive to the central control device.

17. The gambling game of claim 15, where the central control system instructs the bonus system to award a bonus.

18. A gaming device, comprising:

a main processor unit containing a gaming logic circuit that generates event signals;

a signal transmission device that detects the event signals; and

a peripheral device processor unit that receives the event signals from the signal transmission device through an interface that isolates external equipment communications, external bonus information communications and external bonus generation software programs communications from internal components, software and data of the gaming logic circuit so that the external equipment, command information and software programs cannot influence the generation of the event signals.

19. The gaming device of claim 18, where the main processor unit is mounted on a separate circuit board from the peripheral device processor.

20. The gaming device of claim 18, where the main processor unit comprises a payout processor.

21. The gaming device of claim 20, where the payout processor determines a payout based on a predetermined payment calculation.

22. The gaming device of claim 21, where the predetermined payment calculation is generated by a paytable.

23. The gaming device of claim 20, where the payout processor is a standard payment mechanism.

24. The gaming device of claim 18, where the signal transmission device and the peripheral device processor unit are located within the main processor unit.

25. The gaming device of claim 18, where the signal transmission device comprises:

a machine interface that receives event signals from the gaming logic circuit; and

an event signal capture register that receives the event signals from the machine interface and transmits the event signals to the peripheral device processor.

26. The gaming device of claim 25, where the event signal capture register is optically isolated from the machine interface.

27. The gaming device of claim 25, where the event signal capture register is electro-magnetically isolated from the machine interface.

28. The gaming device of claim 18, where the peripheral device processor unit controls an output device.

29. The gaming device of claim 28, where the output device is a primary output device of gaming device.

30. The gaming device of claim 28, where the output device is a secondary output device of gaming device.

31. The gaming device of claim 18, where the peripheral device processor unit is connected to a network of gaming devices.

32. The gaming device of claim 31, where the network of gaming devices is operated by a central control system.

33. The gaming device of claim 31, where the network of gaming devices generates combined payouts from a plurality of gaming devices.