Gaming device having advance game information analyzer

• US 9,659,429 B2
• Filed: 10/05/2015
• Issued: 05/23/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Acres Technology
• Original Assignee: Patent Investment & Licensing Company
• Inventors: Acres, John F.
• Primary Examiner(s): RENWICK, REGINALD A
• Application Number:
  US14/874,894
• Publication Number:
  US 20160027237A1
• Time in Patent Office: 596 Days
• 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 17/3211 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3213 Details of moving display elements, e.g. spinning reels, tumbling members
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3227 Configuring a gaming machine, e.g. downloading personal settings, selecting working parameters
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/323 wherein the player is informed, e.g. advertisements, odds, instructions
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3239 Tracking of individual players
• 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 17/34 depending on the stopping of moving members in a mechanical slot machine, e.g. "fruit" machines

Abstract

This concept is directed to methods of operating a gaming device to analyze game information that is part of a gaming event having a player interaction in advance of the player interaction to make a determination about the game play. These methods may be used for a variety of gaming devices such as slot machines, video keno devices, video poker machines, electronic table games, internet gaming terminals, etc. In each type of gaming device, these operation methods evaluate future game information during game play to determine one of multiple manners by which the game play will continue. These continuation manners may include changing the speed of game play, determining display characteristics of the game and outcome, providing tips or information to the player about the future game information, automatically initiating a subsequent game, or otherwise altering an aspect of the game play parameters in response to the evaluated game information.

Claims

1. A method of operating an electronic gaming device having at least one actuator that when actuated by a player completes at least a portion of a game played by the player on the electronic gaming device, the method comprising:

receiving value from a player for wagering on the electronic gaming device via an acceptor for accepting bills or tickets associated with the electronic gaming device;

validating via the acceptor one of a bill and a ticket received at the acceptor;

initiating a game on the gaming device in response to a player input via the at least one actuator;

determining a first portion of the game outcome and a second portion of the game outcome, via a programmed processor associated with the gaming device, which together comprise the outcome of the game;

analyzing the first and second portions via the programmed processor associated with the gaming device;

displaying the first portion of the game outcome on a screen associated with the gaming device to the player;

preventing implementation of at least part of the second portion of the game outcome;

revealing the prevented implementation to the player via a display on the screen when a player places a wager on the gaming event above a predetermined threshold amount;

allowing player interaction with the gaming device after the first portion of the game outcome is displayed while preventing implementation of the at least part of the second portion of the game outcome;

displaying an outcome of the gaming event based on the first portion of the game outcome, the second portion of the game outcome, the prevented implementation and the player interaction; and

cashing out any remaining value received from the player and awards accumulated during game play by printing a ticket on a ticket printer associated with the electronic gaming device in response to an input from the player.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first portion of the game outcome includes a stopping position for at least one of a plurality of game reels, each game reel including a plurality of symbols.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the second portion of the game outcome includes a stopping position for a remainder of the plurality of reels that do not have a stopping position defined by the first portion of the game outcome.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein allowing player interaction with the gaming device after the first portion of the game outcome is displayed includes allowing the player to place an additional wager on the gaming device after the at least one reel having a stopping position defined by the first portion of the game outcome is displayed in the stopping position.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein allowing player interaction with the gaming device after the first portion of the game outcome is displayed includes allowing the player to nudge a reel having a stopping positioned defined by the first portion of the game outcome after the at least one reel having a stopping position defined by the first portion of the game outcome is displayed in the stopping position.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein allowing player interaction with the gaming device after the first portion of the game outcome is displayed includes allowing the player to respin a reel having a stopping positioned defined by the first portion of the game outcome after the at least one reel having a stopping position defined by the first portion of the game outcome is displayed in the stopping position.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving at least one player selection of a spot from a plurality of selectable spots displayed on a game board prior to receiving an input from a player to initiate the game on the gaming device.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the first portion of the game outcome includes at least one of a plurality of randomly selected winning spots.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the winning outcome is an occurrence of at least one of the player selected spots being defined as a winning spot by the first portion of the game outcome.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the second portion of the game outcome includes a remainder of the randomly selected winning spots not defined by the first portion of the game outcome.

11. A method of operating an electronic gaming device having at least one actuator that when actuated by a player completes at least a portion of a game played by the player on the electronic gaming device, the method comprising:

receiving value from a player for wagering on the electronic gaming device via an acceptor for accepting bills or tickets associated with the electronic gaming device;

validating via the acceptor one of a bill and a ticket received at the acceptor;

initiating a game on the gaming device in response to a player input via the at least one actuator;

determining a first portion of the game outcome and a second portion of the game outcome, via a programmed processor associated with the gaming device, which together comprise the outcome of the game;

analyzing the first and second portions via the programmed processor associated with the gaming device;

displaying the first portion of the game outcome on a screen associated with the gaming device to the player;

preventing implementation of at least part of the second portion of the game outcome;

revealing the prevented implementation to the player via a display on the screen when the player pays an additional fee;

allowing player interaction with the gaming device after the first portion of the game outcome is displayed while preventing implementation of the at least part of the second portion of the game outcome;

displaying an outcome of the gaming event based on the first portion of the game outcome, the second portion of the game outcome, the prevented implementation, and the player interaction; and

cashing out any remaining value received from the player and awards accumulated during game play by printing a ticket on a ticket printer associated with the electronic gaming device in response to an input from the player.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the first portion of the game outcome includes a stopping position for at least one of a plurality of game reels, each game reel including a plurality of symbols.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the second portion of the game outcome includes a stopping position for a remainder of the plurality of reels that do not have a stopping position defined by the first portion of the game outcome.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein allowing player interaction with the gaming device after the first portion of the game outcome is displayed includes allowing the player to place an additional wager on the gaming device after the at least one reel having a stopping position defined by the first portion of the game outcome is displayed in the stopping position.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein allowing player interaction with the gaming device after the first portion of the game outcome is displayed includes allowing the player to nudge a reel having a stopping positioned defined by the first portion of the game outcome after the at least one reel having a stopping position defined by the first portion of the game outcome is displayed in the stopping position.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein allowing player interaction with the gaming device after the first portion of the game outcome is displayed includes allowing the player to respin a reel having a stopping positioned defined by the first portion of the game outcome after the at least one reel having a stopping position defined by the first portion of the game outcome is displayed in the stopping position.

17. The method of claim 11, further comprising receiving at least one player selection of a spot from a plurality of selectable spots displayed on a game board prior to receiving an input from a player to initiate the game on the gaming device.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the first portion of the game outcome includes at least one of a plurality of randomly selected winning spots.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the winning outcome is an occurrence of at least one of the player selected spots being defined as a winning spot by the first portion of the game outcome.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the second portion of the game outcome includes a remainder of the randomly selected winning spots not defined by the first portion of the game outcome.

21. A method of operating an electronic gaming device having at least one actuator that when actuated by a player completes at least a portion of a game played by the player on the electronic gaming device, the game comprising a keno game in which the player is permitted to pick a first plurality of spots on a keno board and an award is provided based on the keno board and the outcome of the game comprise a plurality of spots picked by the programmed processor, the method comprising:

receiving value from a player for wagering on the electronic gaming device via an acceptor for accepting bills or tickets associated with the electronic gaming device;

validating via the acceptor one of a bill and a ticket received at the acceptor;

initiating a game on the gaming device in response to a player input via the at least one actuator;

determining a first portion of the game outcome and a second portion of the game outcome, via a programmed processor associated with the gaming device, which together comprise the outcome of the game;

analyzing the first and second portions via the programmed processor associated with the gaming device;

displaying the first portion of the game outcome on a screen associated with the gaming device to the player, the displayed first portion comprising less than all of the spots;

preventing implementation of at least part of the second portion of the game outcome;

revealing the prevented implementation to the player via a display on the screen;

allowing player interaction with the gaming device after the first portion of the game outcome is displayed comprising permitting the player to move at least some of the first plurality of spots picked by the player to new spots while preventing implementation of the at least part of the second portion of the game outcome comprising preventing the player from moving any of the first plurality of spots picked by the player to any of the displayed spots in the first portion picked by the programmed processor;

displaying an outcome of the gaming event based on the first portion of the game outcome, the second portion of the game outcome, the prevented implementation, and the player interaction; and

cashing out any remaining value received from the player and awards accumulated during game play by printing a ticket on a ticket printer associated with the electronic gaming device in response to an input from the player.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein the method further includes limiting the number of moves the player may make.

23. The method of claim 21, further comprising receiving at least one player selection of a spot from a plurality of selectable spots displayed on a game board prior to receiving an input from a player to initiate the game on the gaming device.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the first portion of the game outcome includes at least one of a plurality of randomly selected winning spots.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the winning outcome is an occurrence of at least one of the player selected spots being defined as a winning spot by the first portion of the game outcome.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein the second portion of the game outcome includes a remainder of the randomly selected winning spots not defined by the first portion of the game outcome.