Gaming system and method for accumulating and redeeming community game tokens

• US 9,773,377 B2
• Filed: 06/23/2016
• Issued: 09/26/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Nelson, Dwayne R., Wolf, Bryan D.
• Primary Examiner(s): TORIMIRO, ADETOKUNBO OLUSEGUN
• Application Number:
  US15/191,060
• Publication Number:
  US 20160300445A1
• Time in Patent Office: 460 Days
• Field of Search: 463 13, 463 19, 463 20, 463 22, 463 25, 463 40, 463 42
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3204 Player-machine interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3211 Display means
• 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 17/3251 involving media of variable value, e.g. programmable cards, programmable tokens
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3295 Games involving skill, e.g. dexterity, memory, thinking
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/34 depending on the stopping of moving members in a mechanical slot machine, e.g. "fruit" machines

Abstract

A gaming system which displays a community game to one or more participating players. During the community game, the gaming system accumulates one or more community game tokens for one or more participating players. The gaming system subsequently assigns a value to each community game token redeemed by each participating player.

Claims

1. A gaming system comprising:

at least one display device;

a plurality of input devices including an acceptor;

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;

responsive to a physical item being received via the acceptor, establish a credit balance based, at least in part, on a monetary value associated with the received physical item,

enable a player to place a wager amount on a play of a wagering game, for the play of the wagering game;

determine a wagering game outcome,

cause the at least one display device to display the determined wagering game outcome,

determine any wagering game award associated with the displayed wagering game outcome, and

cause the at least one display device to display any determined wagering game award,

upon an occurrence of a secondary game triggering event, cause the at least one display device to display a triggered play of a secondary game,

for the displayed triggered play of the secondary game;

accumulate a quantity of at least one secondary game token, wherein when accumulated, each of the quantity of at least one secondary game token is not associated with any value, and

determine a secondary game award, wherein said secondary game award is determined independent of any accumulated secondary game tokens,

determine a value associated with each accumulated secondary game token, wherein said determination is based on the determined secondary game award and the accumulated quantity of at least one secondary game token,

cause the at least one display device to display the determined value associated with each accumulated secondary game token,

enable the player to redeem, via the at least one input device, the accumulated quantity of at least one secondary game token for the determined secondary game award, and

responsive to a cashout input being received, cause an initiation of any payout associated with the credit balance.

2. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the secondary game includes a skill-based secondary game.

3. The gaming system of claim 2, wherein the quantity of accumulated secondary game tokens is based, at least in part, on at least one quantifiable skill input made by the player in association with the skill-based secondary game.

4. The gaming system of claim 3, wherein the at least one quantifiable skill input is selected from the group consisting of:

at least one quantifiable input of a mental skill, and at least one quantifiable input of a physical skill.

5. 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 determine the secondary game award based on at least one selected from the group consisting of:

at least one player attribute associated with the player and at least one game attribute associated with the play of the wagering game.

6. 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 determine the secondary game award prior to a conclusion of the triggered secondary game.

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 cause the at least one display device to display the accumulated quantity of at least one secondary game token without displaying any value associated with each accumulated secondary game token.

8. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein at least one of any determined wagering game award and the determined secondary game award is at least one selected from the group of:

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

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, cause the at least one processor to;

receive data representing a wager placed in association with a play of a wagering game, wherein a credit balance is decreasable based on the wager placed in association with the play of the wagering game, said credit balance being increasable via an acceptor of a physical item associated with a monetary value, and said credit balance being decreasable via a cashout device,

for the play of the wagering game;

determine a wagering game outcome,

cause a display of the determined wagering game outcome by at least one display device,

determine any wagering game award associated with the displayed wagering game outcome, and

cause a display of any determined wagering game award by the at least one display device, wherein the credit balance is increasable based on any determined wagering game award,

upon an occurrence of a secondary game triggering event, cause a display of a triggered play of a secondary game by the at least one display device,

for the triggered play of the secondary game;

accumulate a quantity of at least one secondary game token, wherein when accumulated, each of the quantity of at least one secondary game token is not associated with any value, and

determine a secondary game award, wherein said secondary game award is determined independent of any accumulated secondary game tokens,

determine a value associated with each accumulated secondary game token, wherein said determination is based on the determined secondary game award and the accumulated quantity of at least one secondary game token,

cause a display, by the at least one display device, of the determined value associated with each accumulated secondary game token, and

receive data representing at least one player input to redeem the accumulated quantity of at least one secondary game token for the determined secondary game award.

10. The gaming system server of claim 9, wherein the secondary game includes a skill-based secondary game.

11. The gaming system server of claim 10, wherein the quantity of accumulated secondary game tokens is based, at least in part, on at least one quantifiable skill input made by a player in association with the skill-based secondary game.

12. The gaming system server of claim 11, wherein the at least one quantifiable skill input is selected from the group consisting of:

at least one quantifiable input of a mental skill, and at least one quantifiable input of a physical skill.

13. 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 determine the secondary game award based on at least one selected from the group consisting of:

at least one player attribute associated with a player and at least one game attribute associated with the play of the wagering game.

14. 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 determine the secondary game award prior to a conclusion of the triggered secondary game.

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 the accumulated quantity of at least one secondary game token without displaying any value associated with each accumulated secondary game token.

16. The gaming system server of claim 9, wherein at least one of any determined wagering game award and the determined secondary game award is at least one selected from the group of:

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

17. The gaming system server of claim 9, which transmits and receives data over a data network.

18. The gaming system server of claim 17, wherein the data network is an internet.

19. 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 the at least one processor to;

receive data representing a wager placed in association with a play of a wagering game,

for the play of the wagering game;

determine a wagering game outcome,

cause a display of the determined wagering game outcome by at least one display device of a mobile device,

determine any wagering game award associated with the displayed wagering game outcome, and

cause a display of any determined wagering game award by the at least one display device of the mobile device,

upon an occurrence of a secondary game triggering event, cause a display of a triggered play of a secondary game by the at least one display device of the mobile device,

for the triggered play of the secondary game;

accumulate a quantity of at least one secondary game token, wherein when accumulated, each of the quantity of at least one secondary game token is not associated with any value, and

determine a secondary game award, wherein said secondary game award is determined independent of any accumulated secondary game tokens,

determine a value associated with each accumulated secondary game token, wherein said determination is based on the determined secondary game award and the accumulated quantity of at least one secondary game token,

cause a display, by the at least one display device of the mobile device, of the determined value associated with each accumulated secondary game token, and

receive data representing at least one player input to redeem the accumulated quantity of at least one secondary game token for the determined secondary game award.

20. The gaming system server of claim 19, wherein the secondary game includes a skill-based secondary game.

21. The gaming system server of claim 20, wherein the quantity of accumulated secondary game tokens is based, at least in part, on at least one quantifiable skill input made by a player in association with the skill-based secondary game.

22. The gaming system server of claim 21, wherein the at least one quantifiable skill input is selected from the group consisting of:

at least one quantifiable input of a mental skill, and at least one quantifiable input of a physical skill.

23. The gaming system server of claim 19, wherein at least one of any determined wagering game award and the determined secondary game award is at least one selected from the group of:

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