Gaming system, gaming device and method providing tiered progressive bonusing system

• US 9,177,444 B2
• Filed: 12/02/2013
• Issued: 11/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Cuddy, Ryan W., Saffari, Mohammed A., Wolf, Bryan D.
• Primary Examiner(s): D'Agostino, Paul A
• Assistant Examiner(s): DUFFY, DAVID W
• Application Number:
  US14/094,307
• Publication Number:
  US 20140087858A1
• Time in Patent Office: 701 Days
• Field of Search: 463 16- 20, 463 26- 27, 463 40- 42
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3209 Input means, e.g. buttons, touch screen
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3255 Incentive, loyalty and/or promotion schemes, e.g. comps, gaming associated with a purchase, gaming funded by advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3258 Cumulative reward schemes, e.g. jackpots
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3276 wherein the players compete, e.g. tournament

Abstract

The gaming system and method disclosed herein provides a plurality of players with an opportunity to win a plurality of progressive awards maintained by the gaming system. The gaming system accumulates a quantity of progressive event points for each player playing at one of the gaming machines in the gaming system. In one embodiment, the gaming system uses an accumulated quantity of progressive event points for a designated player to determine which one or more of the progressive awards the designated player wins. In another embodiment, the gaming system uses an accumulated quantity of progressive event points to determine the designated player'"'"'s probability of winning one or more of the progressive awards. Accordingly, the gaming system provides a point-based system in which either a progressive award to win or a probability of winning a progressive award is determined based on the quantities of progressive event points accumulated by the players.

Claims

1. A gaming system comprising:

at least one gaming device including;

a housing,

a plurality of input devices supported by the housing, said plurality of input devices including;

(i) an acceptor, and

(ii) a cashout device, and

at least one processor configured to operate with the plurality of input devices to;

(a) if a physical item is received via the acceptor, establishing a credit balance based, at least in part, on a monetary value associated with the received physical item, wherein said physical item is selected from the group consisting of;

a ticket associated with the monetary value and a unit of currency, and

(b) if a cashout input is received via the cashout device cause an initiation of any payout associated with the credit balance; and

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, via the at least one controller, a plurality of progressive awards,

(b) display, via the at least one display device, the maintained plurality of progressive awards, and

(c) after an occurrence of a triggering event;

(i) determine, via the at least one controller and based on a progressive award probability for a player, whether to provide the player one of the maintained plurality of progressive awards, the progressive award probability being based, at least in part, on a wagering activity of the player, and

(ii) if the determination is to provide the player one of the maintained plurality of progressive awards,

(A) assign, via the at least one controller, the player to one of a plurality of progressive event tiers based on at least one parameter associated with the player, each one of the maintained plurality of progressive awards associated with a probability of being provided for the assigned progressive event tier,

(B) randomly select, via the at least one controller, at least one of the maintained plurality of progressive awards based on the probabilities associated with the assigned progressive event tier, and

(C) cause the randomly selected at least one of the maintained plurality of progressive awards to be provided to the player.

2. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the at least one controller is configured to operate to determine the at least one parameter associated with the player based on at least one selected from the group consisting of:

(i) a quantity of progressive points accumulated by the player, (ii) an amount of coin-in accumulated into at least one pool associated with the player, (iii) an amount of coin-out accumulated into at least one pools associated with the player, (iv) a status of the player, (v) a game outcome, (vi) a generated symbol combination, (vii) a random determination, (viii) a time of day, and (ix) a wager placed by the player.

3. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the at least one controller is configured to operate to:

accumulate a quantity of progressive event points for the player if a progressive event point accumulation event occurs, and

determine the at least one parameter associated with the player based on the quantity of progressive event points accumulated by the player.

4. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the maintained plurality of progressive awards are arranged as a multi-level progressive award.

5. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein each one of the maintained plurality of progressive awards is associated with a greater than zero probability of being provided for each of the plurality of progressive event tiers.

6. The gaming system of claim 1, which includes a plurality of gaming devices and wherein the wagering activity of the player is based on an amount of wagers placed by the player relative to an amount of wagers placed by other players at other gaming devices.

7. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein at least one of any wagers and at least one of the maintained plurality of progressive awards 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 method of operating a gaming system, said method comprising:

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

(b) after an occurrence of a triggering event;

(i) causing the at least one controller to execute the plurality of instructions to determine, based on a progressive award probability for a player, whether to provide the player one of the maintained plurality of progressive awards, the progressive award probability being based, at least in part, on a wagering activity of the player, said wagering activity of the player being based on at least one wager deducted from a credit balance, said credit balance being;

(A) increasable via an acceptor of a physical item associated with a monetary value, wherein said physical item is selected from the group consisting of;

a ticket associated with the monetary value and a unit of currency, and

(B) decreasable via a cashout device configured to receive an input to cause an initiation of a payout associated with the credit balance, and

(ii) if the determination is to provide the player one of the maintained plurality of progressive awards,

(A) causing the at least one controller to execute the plurality of instructions to assign the player to one of a plurality of progressive event tiers based on at least one parameter associated with the player, each one of the maintained plurality of progressive awards associated with a probability of being provided for the assigned progressive event tier,

(B) causing the at least one controller to execute the plurality of instructions to randomly select at least one of the maintained plurality of progressive awards based on the probabilities associated with the assigned progressive event tier, and

(C) causing the randomly selected at least one of the maintained plurality of progressive awards to be provided to the player.

9. The method of claim 8, which includes causing the at least one controller to execute the plurality of instructions to determine the at least one parameter associated with the player based on at least one selected from the group consisting of:

(i) a quantity of progressive points accumulated by the player, (ii) an amount of coin-in accumulated into at least one pool associated with the player, (iii) an amount of coin-out accumulated into at least one pools associated with the player, (iv) a status of the player, (v) a game outcome, (vi) a generated symbol combination, (vii) a random determination, (viii) a time of day, and (ix) the at least one wager.

10. The method of claim 8, which includes:

causing the at least one controller to execute the plurality of instructions to accumulate a quantity of progressive event points for the player if a progressive event point accumulation event occurs, and

causing the at least one controller to execute the plurality of instructions to determine the at least one parameter associated with the player based on the quantity of progressive event points accumulated by the player.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the maintained plurality of progressive awards are arranged as a multi-level progressive award.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein each one of the maintained plurality of progressive awards is associated with a greater than zero probability of being provided for each of the plurality of progressive event tiers.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the wagering activity of the player is based on an amount of wagers placed by the player relative to an amount of wagers placed by other players.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein at least one of the at least one wager and at least one of the maintained plurality of progressive awards 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.

15. The method of claim 8, which is provided through a data network.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the data network is an internet.

17. A gaming system server comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory device which stores a plurality of instructions, which when executed by the at least one processor, cause;

(a) the at least one processor to maintain a plurality of progressive awards, and

(b) after an occurrence of a triggering event;

(i) the at least one processor to determine, based on a progressive award probability for a player, whether to provide the player one of the maintained plurality of progressive awards, the progressive award probability being based, at least in part, on a wagering activity of the player, said wagering activity of the player being based on at least one wager deducted from a credit balance, said credit balance being;

(A) increasable via an acceptor of a physical item associated with a monetary value, wherein said physical item is selected from the group consisting of;

a ticket associated with the monetary value and a unit of currency, and

(B) decreasable via a cashout device configured to receive an input to cause an initiation of a payout associated with the credit balance, and

(ii) if the determination is to provide the player one of the maintained plurality of progressive awards,

(A) the at least one processor to assign the player to one of a plurality of progressive event tiers based on at least one parameter associated with the player, each one of the maintained plurality of progressive awards associated with a probability of being provided for the assigned progressive event tier,

(B) the at least one processor to randomly select at least one of the maintained plurality of progressive awards based on the probabilities associated with the assigned progressive event tier, and

(C) cause the randomly selected at least one of the maintained plurality of progressive awards to be provided to the player.

18. The gaming system server of claim 17, wherein when executed by the at least one processor, the plurality of instructions cause the at least one processor to determine the at least one parameter associated with the player based on at least one selected from the group consisting of:

(i) a quantity of progressive points accumulated by the player, (ii) an amount of coin-in accumulated into at least one pool associated with the player, (iii) an amount of coin-out accumulated into at least one pools associated with the player, (iv) a status of the player, (v) a game outcome, (vi) a generated symbol combination, (vii) a random determination, (viii) a time of day, and (ix) the at least one wager.

19. The gaming system server of claim 17, wherein when executed by the at least one processor, the plurality of instructions cause the at least one processor to:

accumulate a quantity of progressive event points for the player if a progressive event point accumulation event occurs, and

determine the at least one parameter associated with the player based on the quantity of progressive event points accumulated by the player.

20. The gaming system server of claim 17, wherein the maintained plurality of progressive awards are arranged as a multi-level progressive award.

21. The gaming system server of claim 17, wherein each one of the maintained plurality of progressive awards is associated with a greater than zero probability of being provided for each of the plurality of progressive event tiers.

22. The gaming system server of claim 17, wherein the wagering activity of the player is based on an amount of wagers placed by the player relative to an amount of wagers placed by other players.

23. The gaming system server of claim 17, wherein at least one of the at least one wager and at least one of the maintained plurality of progressive awards 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.