Gaming system and method with accumulating equity

• US 9,280,869 B2
• Filed: 03/27/2014
• Issued: 03/08/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Walker, Jay S., Jorasch, James A., Tulley, Stephen C., Zucker, David F., Rodgers, Andrew D., Gelman, Geoffrey M., Tedesco, Daniel E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Shah, Milap
• Assistant Examiner(s): PINHEIRO, JASON PAUL
• Application Number:
  US14/227,830
• Publication Number:
  US 20140213346A1
• Time in Patent Office: 712 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 17/3267 Game outcomes which determine the course of the subsequent game, e.g. double or quits, free games, higher payouts, different new games
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3269 Timing aspects of game play, e.g. blocking/halting the operation of a gaming machine

Abstract

Method and apparatus are described for conducting a secondary game at a gaming device. In various embodiments, a player may acquire equity in the secondary game in such forms as a location of a game character, a number of symbols aggregated, a degree of completion of a puzzle, or a defensive provision. Certain symbols or outcomes in a primary game, however, may cause the player to lose equity in the secondary game.

Claims

1. A gaming system comprising:

a housing;

at least one processor;

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

(i) an acceptor, and

(ii) a cashout device;

at least one display device supported by the housing; and

at least one memory device which stores a plurality of instructions, which when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to operate with the at least one display device and the plurality of input devices to;

(a) if a physical item is received via the acceptor, establish an amount of credits of a credit meter based, at least in part, on a monetary value associated with the received physical item,

(b) cause the credit meter to display the amount of credits;

(c) receive an input from a player of a designated wager amount on a play of a game;

(d) for the play of the game;

(i) randomly determine a game outcome from a plurality of different game outcomes,

(ii) display the determined game outcome,

(iii) determine a game award associated with the displayed game outcome, and

(iv) increment the credit meter by any determined game award having a value greater than zero;

(e) in addition to the credit meter, maintain an amount of equity for the player, said amount of maintained equity being distinct from said credit meter and said equity being maintained by;

(i) accumulating an amount of equity for the player based on the designated wager amount, wherein different designated wager amounts cause an accumulation of different amounts of equity, and

(ii) at periodic time intervals, reducing an amount of any accumulated equity for the player; and

(f) following the play of the game, if a cashout input is received via the cashout device to cause an initiation of a cashout event to occur;

(i) determine whether at least a designated amount of equity is maintained for the player, and

(ii) if the determination is that at least the designated amount of equity is maintained for the player, display an award, said award being based, at least in part, on the amount of equity maintained for the player, and said award being distinct from any displayed amount of credits of the credit meter.

2. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the periodic time intervals are designated predetermined time intervals.

3. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein when executed by the at least one processor, the plurality of instructions cause the at least one processor to display an amount of time remaining until the equity balance is reduced to the designated equity balance.

4. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein when executed by the at least one processor, the plurality of instructions cause the at least one processor to, if the determination is that at least the designated amount of equity is not maintained for the player, not determine, in association with the occurrence of the cashout event, any award based on any amount of equity maintained for the player.

5. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein a first time interval is associated with a reduction of a first amount of any accumulated equity for the player and a second, different time interval is associated with a reduction of a second, different amount of any accumulated equity for the player.

6. A gaming system comprising:

a housing;

at least one processor;

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

(i) an acceptor, and

(ii) a cashout device;

at least one display device supported by the housing; and

at least one memory device which stores a plurality of instructions, which when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to operate with the at least one display device and the plurality of input devices to;

(a) if a physical item is received via the acceptor, establish an amount of credits of a credit meter based, at least in part, on a monetary value associated with the received physical item;

(b) cause the credit meter to display the amount of credits;

(c) for each play of a plurality of plays of a game;

(i) receive a designation from a player to place one of a plurality of different wager amounts on said play of the game;

(ii) randomly determine a game outcome from a plurality of different game outcomes,

(iii) display the determined game outcome,

(iv) determine a game award associated with the displayed game outcome, and

(v) increment the credit meter by any determined game award having a value greater than zero;

(d) in addition to the credit meter, maintain an amount of equity for the player, said amount of maintained equity being distinct from said credit meter and said equity being maintained by;

(i) accumulating an amount of equity for the player based on each of the wager amounts placed on each of the plurality of plays of the game, wherein different wager amounts placed cause an accumulation of different amounts of equity, and

(ii) at periodic time intervals, reducing an amount of any accumulated equity for the player; and

(e) following the play of the game, if a cashout input is received via the cashout device to cause an initiation of a cashout event to occur;

(i) determine whether at least a designated amount of equity is maintained for the player, and

(ii) if the determination is that at least the designated amount of equity is maintained for the player, display an award, said award being based, at least in part, on the amount of equity maintained for the player, and said award being distinct from any displayed amount of credits of the credit meter.

7. The gaming system of claim 6, wherein the periodic time intervals are designated predetermined time intervals.

8. The gaming system of claim 6, wherein when executed by the at least one processor, the plurality of instructions cause the at least one processor to display an amount of time remaining until the equity balance is reduced to the designated equity balance.

9. The gaming system of claim 6, wherein when executed by the at least one processor, the plurality of instructions cause the at least one processor to, if the determination is that at least the designated amount of equity is not maintained for the player, not determine, in association with the occurrence of the cashout event, any award based on any amount of equity maintained for the player.

10. The gaming system of claim 6, wherein a first time interval is associated with a reduction of a first amount of any accumulated equity for the player and a second, different time interval is associated with a reduction of a second, different amount of any accumulated equity for the player.

11. A gaming system comprising:

a housing;

at least one processor;

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

(i) an acceptor, and

(ii) a cashout device;

at least one display device supported by the housing; and

at least one memory device which stores a plurality of instructions, which when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to operate with the at least one display device and the plurality of input devices to;

(a) if a physical item is received via the acceptor, establish a credit balance based, at least in part, on a monetary value associated with the received physical item,

(b) receive a designation from a player to place one of a plurality of different wager amounts on a play of a game;

(c) increase an equity balance based on the placed wager amount;

(d) at periodic time intervals, decrease the equity balance; and

(e) when a cashout input is received via the cashout device to cause an initiation of a cashout event to occur;

(i) determine whether the equity balance is at least a designated equity balance, and

(ii) if the determination is that the equity balance is at least the designated equity balance, determine an award associated with the occurrence of the cashout event, wherein said determination is based, at least in part, on an average expected award associated with the equity balance when the cashout event occurs and said award is distinct from any amount displayed by any credit balance.

12. The gaming system of claim 11, wherein when executed by the at least one processor, the plurality of instructions cause the at least one processor to repeat (b) to (c) at least once.

13. The gaming system of claim 11, wherein the periodic time intervals are designated predetermined time intervals.

14. The gaming system of claim 11, wherein when executed by the at least one processor, the plurality of instructions cause the at least one processor to display an amount of time remaining until the equity balance is reduced to the designated equity balance.

15. The gaming system of claim 11, wherein when executed by the at least one processor, the plurality of instructions cause the at least one processor to, if the determination is that the equity balance is not at least the designated equity balance, not determine, in association with the occurrence of the cashout event, any award based on any equity balance.

16. The gaming system of claim 11, wherein a first time interval is associated with a first decrease of the equity balance and a second, different time interval is associated with a second, different decrease of the equity balance.

17. A gaming system comprising:

a housing;

at least one processor;

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

(i) an acceptor, and

(ii) a cashout device;

at least one display device supported by the housing; and

at least one memory device which stores a plurality of instructions, which when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to operate with the at least one display device and the plurality of input devices to;

(a) if a physical item is received via the acceptor, establish an amount of credits of a credit meter based, at least in part, on a monetary value associated with the received physical item,

(b) receive a designation from a player to place a wager on a play of a game;

(c) for the wager placed on the play of the game, increase an equity balance, said equity balance being distinct from the credit meter;

(d) for the play of the game;

(i) randomly determine a game outcome from a plurality of different game outcomes,

(ii) display the determined game outcome,

(iii) determine a game award associated with the displayed game outcome, and

(iv) increment the credit meter by any determined game award having a value greater than zero;

(e) at periodic time intervals, reduce the equity balance;

(f) if a first cashout input is received via the cashout device to cause an initiation of a cashout event to occur at a first point in time when the equity balance is associated with a first amount of equity, display a first award associated with the occurrence of the triggering event at the first point in time, said first award determined based, at least in part, on the first amount of equity, and said first award being distinct from any amount of the credit meter; and

(f) if a second cashout input is received via the cashout device to cause an initiation of the cashout event to occur at a second, different point in time when the equity balance is associated with a second, different amount of equity, display a second award associated with the occurrence of the triggering event at the second point in time, said second award determined based, at least in part, on the second amount of equity and said second award being distinct from any amount of the credit meter.

18. The gaming system of claim 17, wherein when executed by the at least one processor, the plurality of instructions cause the at least one processor to display an amount of time remaining until the equity balance is reduced to a designated equity balance.

19. The gaming system of claim 18, wherein when executed by the at least one processor, the plurality of instructions cause the at least one processor to display the amount of time remaining by displaying a quantity of available plays of the game.

20. The gaming system of claim 17, wherein if the wager is a first amount, the equity balance increases by a first amount and if the wager is a second, different amount, the equity balance increases by a second, different amount.

21. The gaming system of claim 17, wherein a first time interval is associated with a first decrease of the equity balance and a second, different time interval is associated with a second, different decrease of the equity balance.