Gaming system and method for providing a progressive award multiple times before resetting the displayed value of the provided progressive award

• US 9,293,007 B2
• Filed: 05/13/2015
• Issued: 03/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Pawloski, Jason P., Decasa, Rogelio S. Jr., Hughes, William K., Boese, Eric S., Urmston, Jeffrey D.
• Primary Examiner(s): SUN, YU-HSI DAVID
• Application Number:
  US14/711,099
• Publication Number:
  US 20150248815A1
• Time in Patent Office: 314 Days
• Field of Search: 463 26- 28
• 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 17/3225 Data transfer within a gaming system, e.g. data sent between gaming machines and users
• 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

In various embodiments, the gaming system and method disclosed herein maintains a progressive award that is associated with a plurality of different progressive award trigger values or progressive award hit values. In such embodiments, the displayed value of the progressive award does not reset to a reset value or reset amount until the displayed value of that progressive award has incremented to each of the plurality of progressive award hit values associated with that progressive award. In these embodiments, the gaming system provides a plurality of displayed incremented values of a progressive award a plurality of times before the displayed value of that progressive award is reset to the reset value. Such a configuration provides that after the gaming system provides a currently displayed value of a progressive award to a player at least a first time, the displayed value of that progressive award continues incrementing from the provided value.

Claims

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

(a) causing at least one processor to maintain a progressive award, said progressive award having a reset value,

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

(c) for each of a plurality of gaming devices, receiving any wagers placed on any plays of any wagering games,

(d) for a first wager amount placed, causing the at least one processor to increment the displayed value of said progressive award at a first increment rate,

(e) upon a first progressive award triggering event, causing a first one of the gaming devices to provide a first currently displayed value of said progressive award,

(f) for the first wager amount placed, causing the at least one processor to continue to increment the displayed value of said progressive award from said provided first currently displayed value at a second, different increment rate without resetting the displayed value of said progressive award, and

(g) upon a second progressive award triggering event, causing a second one of the gaming devices to provide a second currently displayed value of said progressive award.

2. The method of claim 1, which includes causing the at least one processor to determine a quantity of times the displayed values of said progressive award are to be provided before the displayed value of said progressive award is reset to said reset value.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first gaming device and the second gaming device are the same gaming device.

4. The method of claim 1, which includes causing the at least one processor to maintain a plurality of progressive awards, each of said progressive awards has a reset value and for each of said plurality of progressive awards, a displayed value of said progressive award is configured to be provided a plurality of times without resetting the displayed value of said progressive award.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the value of the progressive award is at least one selected from the group consisting of:

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

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said progressive award is associated with at least two progressive award hit values and which includes causing the at least one processor to cause one of the progressive award triggering events to occur each time the value of said progressive award has incremented to one of the progressive award hit values.

7. The method of claim 1, which includes causing the at least one processor to cause one of the progressive award triggering events to occur each time a designated primary game outcome is generated in one of the plays of the primary game.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the provided first currently displayed value of said progressive award causes an increase of a credit balance which is increasable via:

(i) an acceptor of a physical item associated with a monetary value, and (ii) a validator configured to identify the physical item, and decreasable via a cashout device configured to receive an input to cause an initiation of a payout associated with the credit balance.

9. The method of claim 1, which is provided through a data network.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the data network is an internet.

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

(a) causing at least one processor to maintain a progressive award, said progressive award having a reset value,

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

(c) for each of a plurality of gaming devices, receiving any wagers placed on any plays of any wagering games,

(d) when the current value of said progressive award is a first value, for a first wager amount, causing the at least one processor to increment the displayed value of said progressive award at a first increment rate,

(e) upon a first progressive award triggering event, causing a first one of the gaming devices to provide the currently displayed value of said progressive award,

(f) when the current value of said progressive award is a second, different value, for the first wager amount placed, causing the at least one processor to continue to increment the displayed value of said progressive award from said provided currently displayed value at a second, different increment rate without resetting the displayed value of said progressive award, and

(g) upon a second progressive award triggering event, causing a second one of the gaming devices to provide the currently displayed value of said progressive award.

12. The method of claim 11, which includes causing the at least one processor to determine a quantity of times the displayed values of said progressive award are to be provided before the displayed value of said progressive award is reset to said reset value.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the first gaming device and the second gaming device are the same gaming device.

14. The method of claim 11, which includes causing the at least one processor to maintain a plurality of progressive awards, each of said progressive awards has a reset value and for each of said plurality of progressive awards, a displayed value of said progressive award is configured to be provided a plurality of times without resetting the displayed value of said progressive award.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the value of the progressive award is at least one selected from the group consisting of:

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

16. The method of claim 11, wherein said progressive award is associated with at least two progressive award hit values and which includes causing the at least one processor to cause one of the progressive award triggering events to occur each time the value of said progressive award has incremented to one of the progressive award hit values.

17. The method of claim 11, which includes causing the at least one processor to cause one of the progressive award triggering events to occur each time a designated primary game outcome is generated in one of the plays of the primary game.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the provided currently displayed value of said progressive award causes an increase of a credit balance which is increasable via:

(i) an acceptor of a physical item associated with a monetary value, and (ii) a validator configured to identify the physical item, and decreasable via a cashout device configured to receive an input to cause an initiation of a payout associated with the credit balance.

19. The method of claim 11, which is provided through a data network.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the data network is an internet.

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

(a) causing at least one processor to maintain a progressive award that is associated with a designated quantity of different progressive award hit value ranges, said progressive award having a reset value and said quantity of progressive award hit value ranges being greater than one,

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

(c) upon an occurrence of the displayed value of the progressive award incrementing to within a first one of said designated quantity of progressive award hit value ranges;

(i) causing a first one of a plurality of gaming devices to provide a first currently displayed value of said progressive award, wherein at least one of said designated quantity of progressive award hit value ranges associated with said progressive award remains, and

(ii) causing the at least one processor to continue to increment the displayed value of said progressive award from said provided first currently displayed value of said progressive award upon a subsequent progressive award increase event, and

(d) upon an occurrence of the displayed value of the progressive award incrementing to within a second, different one of said designated quantity of progressive award hit value ranges, causing a second one of the gaming devices to provide a second currently displayed value of said progressive award.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the first gaming device and the second gaming device are the same gaming device.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein a plurality of said progressive award hit value ranges are randomly determined.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein the displayed value of the progressive award increments based on a placement of a wager.

25. The method of claim 21, which includes causing the at least one processor to maintain a plurality of progressive awards, each of said progressive awards having a reset value progressive award, each of said progressive awards is associated with a designated quantity of different progressive award hit value ranges, and for each of said plurality of progressive awards, a displayed value of said progressive award is configured to be provided a plurality of times without resetting the displayed value of said progressive award.

26. The method of claim 21, wherein the value of the progressive award is at least one selected from the group consisting of:

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

27. The method of claim 21, wherein the provided first currently displayed value of said progressive award causes an increase of a credit balance which is increasable via:

(i) an acceptor of a physical item associated with a monetary value, and (ii) a validator configured to identify the physical item, and decreasable via a cashout device configured to receive an input to cause an initiation of a payout associated with the credit balance.

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

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the data network is an internet.