Gaming system and method for providing a plurality of chances of winning a progressive award

• US 9,558,629 B2
• Filed: 09/19/2013
• Issued: 01/31/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Schaefer, Craig M., Drake, Christopher B., Johnson, Brian A., Fuller, Victoria A., Filipour, Cameron A., Foster, William Jay, Geere, Dirk, Johnson, Misty Ann, Masinter, Joseph Louis II, Smith, Vincent Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Deodhar, Omkar
• Assistant Examiner(s): Williams, Ross
• Application Number:
  US14/031,558
• Publication Number:
  US 20150080119A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,230 Days
• Field of Search: 463 30- 33, 463 40- 42, 463 25- 27
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3211 Display means
• 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

Abstract

The gaming system disclosed herein provides a player one or more chances or opportunities to win the same progressive award. In these embodiments, the gaming system provides the player one or more opportunities to win a progressive award in association with a first game sequence. If the player does not win the progressive award in association with the first game sequence, the gaming system determines whether to provide the player any additional chances or opportunities to win the same progressive award in a second game sequence.

Claims

1. A gaming system comprising:

a housing;

at least one display device supported by the housing;

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 processor; 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) if a progressive award opportunity sequence triggering event occurs;

(i) display a progressive award,

(ii) for each of at least one outcome determination;

(A) determine one of a plurality of different outcomes, wherein at least one of the plurality of different outcomes is associated with the progressive award, and

(B) display the determined outcome,

(iii) determine whether to provide the progressive award to a player, said determination being based on at least one of the displayed outcomes of the triggered progressive award opportunity sequence, and

(iv) if the determination is not to provide the progressive award to the player;

(A) determine whether to trigger a progressive award supplemental opportunity sequence, said determination being based on at least one of the displayed outcomes of the triggered progressive award opportunity sequence, and

(B) if the determination is to trigger the progressive award supplemental opportunity sequence;

 

(I) for each of at least one supplemental outcome determination;

°

(1) determine one of a plurality of different supplemental outcomes, wherein at least one of the plurality of different supplemental outcomes is associated with the progressive award, and

°

(2) display the determined supplemental outcome, and

 

(II) determine whether to provide the progressive award to the player, said determination being based on at least one of the displayed supplemental outcomes, and

(c) if a cashout input is received via the cashout device, cause an initiation of any payout associated with the credit balance.

2. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein when executed by the at least one processor if the determination is to trigger the progressive award supplemental opportunity sequence, the plurality of instructions cause the at least one processor to:

(i) provide the progressive award to the player if the determination is provide the progressive award, and

(ii) not provide the progressive award to the player if the determination is not to provide the progressive award.

3. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the determination whether to provide the progressive award to the player is based on a first quantity of displayed outcomes associated with the progressive award.

4. The gaming system of claim 3, wherein the determination whether to trigger the progressive award supplemental opportunity sequence is based on a second, different quantity of displayed outcomes associated with the progressive award.

5. The gaming system of claim 4, wherein when executed by the at least one processor if the progressive award opportunity sequence triggering event occurs, the plurality of instructions cause the at least one processor to, for each of a plurality of outcome determinations, determine one of the plurality of different outcomes, wherein at least two of the outcome determinations are associated with different probabilities of determining the at least one outcome associated with the progressive award.

6. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein a determination that the progressive award opportunity sequence triggering event will occur is independent of any occurrence in any play of any displayed games.

7. 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 a plurality of progressive awards, each progressive award associated with a different progressive award opportunity sequence and a different progressive award supplemental opportunity sequence.

8. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the progressive award includes 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, a quantity of player tracking points, a quantity of free plays of a game, and a quantity of plays of at least one non-wagering game.

9. 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 if a progressive award opportunity sequence triggering event occurs, cause the at least one processor to;

(a) cause at least one display device to display a progressive award,

(b) for each of at least one outcome determination;

(i) determine one of a plurality of different outcomes, wherein at least one of the plurality of different outcomes is associated with the progressive award, and

(ii) cause the at least one display device to display the determined outcome,

(c) determine whether to provide the progressive award to a player, said determination being based on at least one of the displayed outcomes of the triggered progressive award opportunity sequence, wherein a credit balance is increasable based on if the progressive award is provided to the player, said credit balance is increasable via an acceptor of a physical item associated with a monetary value, and an initiation of any payout associated with the credit balance is caused to occur if a cashout input is received via a cashout device, and

(d) if the determination is not to provide the progressive award to the player;

(i) determine whether to trigger a progressive award supplemental opportunity sequence, said determination being based on at least one of the displayed outcomes of the triggered progressive award opportunity sequence, and

(ii) if the determination is to trigger the progressive award supplemental opportunity sequence;

(A) for each of at least one supplemental outcome determination;

 

(I) determine one of a plurality of different supplemental outcomes, wherein at least one of the plurality of different supplemental outcomes is associated with the progressive award, and

 

(II) cause the at least one display device to display the determined supplemental outcome, and

(B) determine whether to provide the progressive award to the player, said determination being based on at least one of the displayed supplemental outcomes.

10. The gaming system server of claim 9, wherein when executed by the at least one processor if the determination is to trigger the progressive award supplemental opportunity sequence, the plurality of instructions cause the at least one processor to:

(i) cause the progressive award to be provided to the player if the determination is provide the progressive award, and

(ii) cause the progressive award not to be provided to the player if the determination is not to provide the progressive award.

11. The gaming system server of claim 9, wherein the determination whether to provide the progressive award to the player is based on a first quantity of displayed outcomes associated with the progressive award.

12. The gaming system server of claim 11, wherein the determination whether to trigger the progressive award supplemental opportunity sequence is based on a second, different quantity of displayed outcomes associated with the progressive award.

13. The gaming system server of claim 12, wherein when executed by the at least one processor if the progressive award opportunity sequence triggering event occurs, the plurality of instructions cause the at least one processor to, for each of a plurality of outcome determinations, determine one of the plurality of different outcomes, wherein at least two of the outcome determinations are associated with different probabilities of determining the at least one outcome associated with the progressive award.

14. The gaming system server of claim 9, wherein a determination that the progressive award opportunity sequence triggering event will occur is independent of any occurrence in any play of any displayed games.

15. The gaming system server of claim 9, wherein when executed by the at least one processor, the plurality of instructions cause the at least one processor to cause the at least one display device to display a plurality of progressive awards, each progressive award associated with a different progressive award opportunity sequence and a different progressive award supplemental opportunity sequence.

16. The gaming system server of claim 9, wherein the progressive award includes 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, a quantity of player tracking points, a quantity of free plays of a game, and a quantity of plays of at least one non-wagering game.