Managing virtual currencies in a gaming environment

• US 9,799,165 B2
• Filed: 09/08/2016
• Issued: 10/24/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: LeMay, Steve G., Nelson, Dwayne R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hylinski, Steven J
• Application Number:
  US15/259,964
• Publication Number:
  US 20160379444A1
• Time in Patent Office: 411 Days
• 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 17/3218 wherein at least part of the system is portable
• 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 17/3244 Payment aspects of a gaming system, e.g. payment schemes, setting payout ratio, bonus or consolation prizes
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3248 involving non-monetary media of fixed value, e.g. casino chips of fixed value
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3251 involving media of variable value, e.g. programmable cards, programmable tokens

Abstract

A method for converting a game award earned during play of a first wager-based game into a game award in a second wager-based game includes, but is not limited to any of combination of: receiving, over a network, a request to convert a first award earned by a player in the first wager-based game into at least one award in the second wager-based game; converting, by one or more processors, the first award earned during play of the first wager-based game to at least one award associated with the second wager-based game based on award conversation data; and storing, by the one or more processors, data associated with result of the conversion of the first award into the at least award of the second wager-based game in a data storage system.

Claims

1. A gaming system comprising:

at least one display device;

at least one input 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;

receive, via the at least one input device, a wager on a play of a game,

for the wagered on play of the game;

determine a game outcome,

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

determine an award associated with the determined game outcome, and

cause the at least one display device to display the determined award associated with the determined game outcome,

enable a player to convert the determined award associated with the determined game outcome to a first amount of virtual currency, and

if the player converts the determined award associated with the determined game outcome to the first amount of virtual currency, thereafter enable the player to redeem a second amount of the virtual currency in association with an avatar associated with the player.

2. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the first amount of virtual currency is equal to the second amount of virtual currency.

3. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the second amount of virtual currency includes a third amount of virtual currency distinct from the first amount of virtual currency.

4. The gaming system of claim 3, wherein the third amount of virtual currency includes at least one of:

a purchased amount of virtual currency, an amount of virtual currency associated with another outcome of a previous play of the game, and an amount of virtual currency converted from another award associated with another outcome of a previous play of the game.

5. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the second amount of the virtual currency is redeemed in association with at least one of:

a creation of the avatar associated with the player and a customization of the avatar associated with the player.

6. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the avatar is associated with another game displayed on a mobile device.

7. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the conversion of the determined award associated with the determined game outcome to the first amount of virtual currency is based, at least in part, on a paytable of the game.

8. The gaming system of claim 1, which includes a plurality of input devices including an acceptor, and a cashout device, wherein when executed by the at least one processor, the plurality of instructions 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, and responsive to a cashout input being received via the cashout device, cause an initiation of any payout associated with the credit balance.

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 associated with a wager placed on a play of a game,

for the wagered on play of the game;

determine a game outcome,

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

determine an award associated with the determined game outcome, and

cause the at least one display device to display the determined award associated with the determined game outcome,

receive data associated with a conversion of the determined award associated with the determined game outcome to a first amount of virtual currency, and

if the conversion of the determined award associated with the determined game outcome to the first amount of virtual currency occurs, thereafter receive data associated with a redemption of a second amount of the virtual currency in association with an avatar associated with a player.

10. The gaming system server of claim 9, wherein the first amount of virtual currency is equal to the second amount of virtual currency.

11. The gaming system server of claim 9, wherein the second amount of virtual currency includes a third amount of virtual currency distinct from the first amount of virtual currency.

12. The gaming system server of claim 11, wherein the third amount of virtual currency includes at least one of:

a purchased amount of virtual currency, an amount of virtual currency associated with another outcome of a previous play of the game, and an amount of virtual currency converted from another award associated with another outcome of a previous play of the game.

13. The gaming system server of claim 9, wherein the second amount of the virtual currency is redeemed in association with at least one of:

a creation of the avatar associated with the player and a customization of the avatar associated with the player.

14. The gaming system server of claim 9, wherein the avatar is associated with another game displayed on a mobile device.

15. The gaming system server of claim 9, wherein the conversion of the determined award associated with the determined game outcome to the first amount of virtual currency is based, at least in part, on a paytable of the game.

16. The gaming system server of claim 9, wherein a credit balance is increasable based on the determined award associated with the determined game outcome, 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.

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

receiving a wager on a play of a game,

for the wagered on play of the game;

determining, by at least one processor, a game outcome,

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

determining, by the at least one processor, an award associated with the determined game outcome, and

causing a display, by the at least one display device, of the determined award associated with the determined game outcome,

enabling a player to convert the determined award associated with the determined game outcome to a first amount of virtual currency, and

responsive to the player converting the determined award associated with the determined game outcome to the first amount of virtual currency, thereafter enabling the player to redeem a second amount of the virtual currency in association with an avatar associated with the player.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the first amount of virtual currency is equal to the second amount of virtual currency.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the second amount of virtual currency includes a third amount of virtual currency distinct from the first amount of virtual currency.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the third amount of virtual currency includes at least one of:

a purchased amount of virtual currency, an amount of virtual currency associated with another outcome of a previous play of the game, and an amount of virtual currency converted from another award associated with another outcome of a previous play of the game.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein the second amount of the virtual currency is redeemed in association with at least one of:

a creation of the avatar associated with the player and a customization of the avatar associated with the player.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein the avatar is associated with another game displayed on a mobile device.

23. The method of claim 17, wherein the conversion of the determined award associated with the determined game outcome to the first amount of virtual currency is based, at least in part, on a paytable of the game.

24. The method of claim 17, wherein a credit balance is increasable based on the determined award associated with the determined game outcome, 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.

25. A gaming system server comprising:

a processor; and

a memory device which stores a plurality of instructions, which when executed by the processor, cause the processor to;

receive data associated with a wager placed, from a mobile device, on a play of a game,

for the wagered on play of the game;

determine a game outcome,

cause a display device of the mobile device to display the determined game outcome,

determine an award associated with the determined game outcome, and

cause the display device of the mobile device to display the determined award associated with the determined game outcome,

receive data associated with a conversion of the determined award associated with the determined game outcome to a first amount of virtual currency, and

responsive to the conversion of the determined award associated with the determined game outcome to the first amount of virtual currency occurring, thereafter receive data associated with a redemption of a second amount of the virtual currency in association with an avatar associated with a player.

26. The gaming system of claim 25, wherein the first amount of virtual currency is equal to the second amount of virtual currency.

27. The gaming system of claim 25, wherein the second amount of virtual currency includes a third amount of virtual currency distinct from the first amount of virtual currency.

28. The gaming system of claim 27, wherein the third amount of virtual currency includes at least one of:

a purchased amount of virtual currency, an amount of virtual currency associated with another outcome of a previous play of the game, and an amount of virtual currency converted from another award associated with another outcome of a previous play of the game.

29. The gaming system of claim 25, wherein the second amount of the virtual currency is redeemed in association with at least one of:

a creation of the avatar associated with the player and a customization of the avatar associated with the player.

30. The gaming system of claim 25, wherein the conversion of the determined award associated with the determined game outcome to the first amount of virtual currency is based, at least in part, on a paytable of the game.

31. The gaming system of claim 25, wherein the processor communicates with the mobile device over a wireless network.

32. The gaming system of claim 25, wherein the mobile device comprises a mobile phone.

33. The gaming system of claim 25, wherein the data associated with the conversion of the determined award associated with the determined game outcome to the first amount of virtual currency is received responsive to an input received by the mobile device.

34. The gaming system of claim 25, wherein the data associated with the redemption of the second amount of the virtual currency in association with the avatar associated with the player is received responsive to an input received by the mobile device.

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

receiving a wager on a play of a game,

for the wagered on play of the game;

determining, by a processor, a game outcome,

causing a display, by a display device of a mobile device, of the determined game outcome,

determining, by the processor, an award associated with the determined game outcome, and

causing a display, by the display device of the mobile device, of the determined award associated with the determined game outcome,

enabling a player to convert the determined award associated with the determined game outcome to a first amount of virtual currency, and

responsive to the player converting the determined award associated with the determined game outcome to the first amount of virtual currency, thereafter enabling the player to redeem a second amount of the virtual currency in association with an avatar associated with the player.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein the first amount of virtual currency is equal to the second amount of virtual currency.

37. The method of claim 35, wherein the second amount of virtual currency includes a third amount of virtual currency distinct from the first amount of virtual currency.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein the third amount of virtual currency includes at least one of:

a purchased amount of virtual currency, an amount of virtual currency associated with another outcome of a previous play of the game, and an amount of virtual currency converted from another award associated with another outcome of a previous play of the game.

39. The method of claim 35, wherein the second amount of the virtual currency is redeemed in association with at least one of:

a creation of the avatar associated with the player and a customization of the avatar associated with the player.

40. The method of claim 35, wherein the conversion of the determined award associated with the determined game outcome to the first amount of virtual currency is based, at least in part, on a paytable of the game.

41. The method of claim 35, wherein the mobile device comprises a mobile phone.

42. The method of claim 35, wherein the player is enabled to convert the determined award associated with the determined game outcome to the first amount of virtual currency via an input received by the mobile device.

43. The method of claim 35, wherein the player is enabled to redeem the second amount of the virtual currency in association with the avatar associated with the player via an input received by the mobile device.

44. The method of claim 35, which is provided through a data network.

45. The method of claim 44, wherein the data network is an internet.