Gaming system and method with multiple progressive award levels and a skill based determination of providing one of the progressive award levels

• US 9,005,014 B2
• Filed: 11/06/2012
• Issued: 04/14/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Baerlocher, Anthony J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Laneau, Ronald
• Application Number:
  US13/669,984
• Publication Number:
  US 20130065677A1
• Time in Patent Office: 889 Days
• Field of Search: 463 16- 25
• US Class Current: 463/25
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 9/24 Electric games; Games using electronic circuits not otherwise provided for video games A63F13/00; computerized gaming systems G07F17/32
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3258 Cumulative reward schemes, e.g. jackpots
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/34 depending on the stopping of moving members in a mechanical slot machine, e.g. "fruit" machines

Abstract

A gaming system which includes a plurality of progressive awards in an MLP configuration. In a triggered bonus event, a player begins at the lowest progressive award level of the MLP and attempts to reach a higher progressive award level based on their decisions in the bonus event. If as a result of their play in the bonus event, a player is provided a progressive award other than the lowest level progressive award, one or more of the remaining lower level progressive awards (i.e., a progressive award associated with a lower level of the MLP than the provided progressive award) are shifted to account for the provided progressive award. The lowest level progressive award (which is temporality left vacant by the shifting of the remaining progressive awards) is reset to a set value, thus providing that the progressive award hierarchy is preserved regardless of which progressive award is provided to the player.

Claims

1. A gaming system comprising:

at least one gaming device, each gaming device including at least one input device;

at least one display device; and

at least one controller configured to operate with each of said at least one gaming device and said at least one display device to;

(a) maintain a progressive award,

(b) display a value of the maintained progressive award,

(c) display a first play of a primary game upon a first placement of a wager,

(d) upon a progressive award increase event at a first point in time, increase the displayed value of the progressive award,

(e) upon a triggering of a bonus event, provide the currently displayed value of the maintained progressive award, and

(f) thereafter;

(i) display a second play of the primary game upon a second placement of the wager, and

(ii) upon an occurrence of the progressive award increase event at a second point in time, increase the provided value of the progressive award.

2. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the at least one controller is configured to operate to increase the displayed value of the progressive award at the first point in time based, at least in part, on the placement of the first wager.

3. The gaming system of claim 2, wherein the at least one controller is configured to operate to increase the provided value of the progressive award at the second point in time based, at least in part, on the placement of the second wager.

4. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the triggering of the bonus event is based on at least one displayed event in at least one play of the primary game.

5. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the triggering of the bonus event is independent of any displayed event in any plays of the primary game or any plays of any secondary games.

6. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the at least one controller is configured to operate to provide the currently displayed value of the maintained progressive award based, at least in part, on at least one aspect of skill.

7. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the wager and the progressive award is selected from the group consisting of:

a quantity of monetary credits, a quantity of non-monetary credits, a quantity of promotional credits, a quantity of player tracking points, and a quantity of non-player tracking points.

8. A gaming system comprising:

at least one gaming device, each gaming device including at least one input device;

at least one display device; and

at least one controller configured to operate with each of said at least one gaming device and said at least one display device to;

(a) maintain a progressive award, said progressive award having a reset value,

(b) display a value of the maintained progressive award,

(c) display a play of a primary game upon a placement of a wager,

(d) upon a progressive award increase event, increase the displayed value of the progressive award, and

(e) upon a triggering of a bonus event;

(i) provide the currently displayed value of the maintained progressive award,

(ii) determine if a progressive award reset event occurs,

(iii) if the progressive award reset event occurred, reset the displayed value of said progressive award to said reset value, and

(iv) if the progressive award reset event did not occur, repeat (c) to (e), wherein the displayed value of said progressive award continues to increase from said provided value of said progressive award.

9. The gaming system of claim 8, wherein for at least one progressive award increase event, the at least one controller is configured to operate to increase the displayed value of the progressive award based, at least in part, on the placement of the wager.

10. The gaming system of claim 8, wherein the triggering of the bonus event is based on at least one displayed event in at least one play of the primary game.

11. The gaming system of claim 8, wherein the triggering of the bonus event is independent of any displayed event in any plays of the primary game or any plays of any secondary games.

12. The gaming system of claim 8, wherein the at least one controller is configured to operate to provide the currently displayed value of the maintained progressive award based, at least in part, on at least one aspect of skill.

13. The gaming system of claim 8, wherein at least one of the wager and the progressive award is selected from the group consisting of:

a quantity of monetary credits, a quantity of non-monetary credits, a quantity of promotional credits, a quantity of player tracking points, and a quantity of non-player tracking points.

14. A method of operating a gaming system, said method comprising:

(a) causing at least one controller to execute a plurality of instructions to maintain a progressive award,

(b) causing at least one display device to display a value of the maintained progressive award,

(c) causing the at least one display device to display a first play of a primary game upon a first placement of a wager,

(d) upon a progressive award increase event at a first point in time, causing the at least one controller to execute the plurality of instructions to increase the displayed value of the progressive award,

(e) upon a triggering of a bonus event, providing the currently displayed value of the maintained progressive award, and

(f) thereafter;

(i) causing the at least one display device to display a second play of the primary game upon a second placement of the wager, and

(ii) upon an occurrence of the progressive award increase event at a second point in time, causing the at least one controller to execute the plurality of instructions to increase the provided value of the progressive award.

15. The method of claim 14, which includes causing the at least one controller to execute the plurality of instructions to increase the displayed value of the progressive award at the first point in time based, at least in part, on the placement of the first wager.

16. The method of claim 15, which includes causing the at least one controller to execute the plurality of instructions to increase the provided value of the progressive award at the second point in time based, at least in part, on the placement of the second wager.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the triggering of the bonus event is based on at least one displayed event in at least one play of the primary game.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the triggering of the bonus event is independent of any displayed event in any plays of the primary game or any plays of any secondary games.

19. The method of claim 14, which includes providing the currently displayed value of the maintained progressive award based, at least in part, on at least one aspect of skill.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein at least one of the wager and the progressive award is selected from the group consisting of:

a quantity of monetary credits, a quantity of non-monetary credits, a quantity of promotional credits, a quantity of player tracking points, and a quantity of non-player tracking points.

21. The method of claim 14, which is provided through a data network.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the data network is an internet.

23. A method of operating a gaming system, said method comprising:

(a) causing at least one controller to execute a plurality of instructions to maintain a progressive award, said progressive award having a reset value,

(b) causing at least one display device to display a value of the maintained progressive award,

(c) causing the at least one display device to display a play of a primary game upon a placement of a wager,

(d) upon a progressive award increase event, causing the at least one controller to execute the plurality of instructions to increase the displayed value of the progressive award, and

(e) upon a triggering of a bonus event;

(i) providing the currently displayed value of the maintained progressive award,

(ii) causing the at least one controller to execute the plurality of instructions to determine if a progressive award reset event occurs,

(iii) if the progressive award reset event occurred, causing the at least one controller to execute the plurality of instructions to reset the displayed value of said progressive award to said reset value, and

(iv) if the progressive award reset event did not occur, repeating (c) to (e), wherein the displayed value of said progressive award continues to increase from said provided value of said progressive award.

24. The method of claim 23, which includes causing the at least one controller to execute the plurality of instructions to increase the displayed value of the progressive award based, at least in part, on the placement of the wager.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein the triggering of the bonus event is based on at least one displayed event in at least one play of the primary game.

26. The method of claim 23, wherein the triggering of the bonus event is independent of any displayed event in any plays of the primary game or any plays of any secondary games.

27. The method of claim 23, which includes providing the currently displayed value of the maintained progressive award based, at least in part, on at least one aspect of skill.

28. The method of claim 23, wherein at least one of the wager and the progressive award is selected from the group consisting of:

a quantity of monetary credits, a quantity of non-monetary credits, a quantity of promotional credits, a quantity of player tracking points, and a quantity of non-player tracking points.

29. The method of claim 23, which is provided through a data network.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the data network is an internet.