Amusement Device Prize Awarding System and Method

• US 20060252473A1
• Filed: 05/03/2006
• Published: 11/09/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AMI Entertainment Network, LLC
• Original Assignee: Merit Industries Incorporated (AMI Entertainment Network, LLC)
• Inventors: Stelzer, James R., Harwood, Malcolm J., Weyer, Nathan E.
• Granted Patent: US 8,506,373 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/1
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3216 Construction aspects of a gaming system, e.g. housing, seats, ergonomic aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3295 Games involving skill, e.g. dexterity, memory, thinking

Abstract

An amusement device that awards prizes has a display and an input device. The amusement device includes a memory that stores at least one electronic game and a system control program. The at least one electronic game has a plurality of play scenarios and is at least partially skill-based. The amusement device also includes a controller operatively coupled to the memory, the input device and the display. The controller controls the display based upon the system control program retrieved from the memory and based upon inputs from the input device. The controller is configured to permit the user to selectively retrieve from the memory and play the at least one electronic game and determine at least one of an optimum series of requisite moves that will result in an optimal achievable score for a particular play scenario selected from a plurality of play scenarios.

Claims

1. An amusement device that awards prizes, the amusement device having a display and an input device, the amusement device comprising:

a memory that stores at least one electronic game and a system control program, the at least one electronic game has a plurality of play scenarios and is at least partially skill-skilled; and

a controller operatively coupled to the memory, the input device and the display, the controller controlling the display based upon the system control program retrieved from the memory and based upon inputs from the input device,

the controller being configured to;

(i) permit the user to selectively retrieve from the memory and play the at least one electronic game; and

(ii) determine at least one of an optimum series of requisite moves that will result in an optimal achievable score for a particular play scenario selected from a plurality of play scenarios.

2. The amusement device of claim 1, wherein the determination of the requisite moves for winning a particular play scenario selected from the plurality of play scenarios or the highest achievable score for a particular play scenario selected from the plurality of play scenarios is derived from a game simulation software tool, the game simulation software tool running a plurality of simulations of different possible moves based on the particular play scenario.

3. The amusement device of claim 2, wherein the game simulation software tool is stored in the memory and executed by the controller to determine the requisite moves for winning a particular play scenario as the particular play scenario is generated by the controller.

4. The amusement device of claim 2, wherein the game simulation software tool is used in a computer to generate one of a lookup table and a database of the requisite moves for winning each particular play scenario or the highest achievable score for a particular play scenario selected from the plurality of play scenarios, the database or lookup table being stored in the memory and accessed by the controller to determine the requisite moves for winning a particular play scenario as the particular play scenario is generated by the computer.

5. The amusement device of claim 2, wherein the requisite moves for winning a particular play scenario are translated into a total number of points/credits associated with making the requisite moves based on rules of the at least one electronic game and the total number of points/credits is used to calculate a minimum necessary score level for awarding a jackpot award based on a particular play scenario.

6. The amusement device of claim 1, wherein the amusement device includes an operating mode and a setup mode,

when the operating mode is selected, a user is selectively permitted to play games, and

when the setup mode is selected, an operator is permitted to make system setup adjustments.

7. The amusement device of claim 6, wherein when the setup mode is selected, an operator is permitted to make adjustments to a minimum score level for awarding a minimum prize award.

8. The amusement device of claim 6, wherein when the setup mode is selected, an operator is permitted to make adjustments to a minimum score level for awarding a jackpot award.

9. The amusement device of claim 6, wherein when the setup mode is selected, an operator is permitted to make adjustments to a percentage of prize awards per amusement device play.

10. The amusement device of claim 1, wherein the at least one electronic game is one of a card game and a strategy game.

11. The amusement device of claim 10, wherein the amusement device is configured to permit award of a prize for each game play based upon an optimal determinable collection of moves for the particular play scenario.

12. The amusement device of claim 10, wherein the amusement device is configured to permit award of a jackpot for each game play based upon a minimum determinable collection of moves for the particular play scenario.

13. The amusement device of claim 1, wherein the at least one electronic game is one of solitaire, blackjack, poker, bridge, rummy, war, memory, matching, MahJongg, backgammon, chess, checkers and tic-tac-toe.

14. The amusement device of claim 1, wherein the input device is one of a pushbutton, a touchscreen, a touchpad, a trackball, a mouse, a joystick, a foot-pedal, a voice-recognition system, a keypad and a keyboard.

15. The amusement device of claim 1, wherein the amusement device is configured to award a plurality of different prizes for each game play based upon a plurality of calculations using one of the determined moves and the determined highest achievable score.

16. An amusement device that awards prizes, the amusement device having a display and an input device, the amusement device comprising:

a memory that stores plurality of electronic games and a system control program, each of the plurality of electronic games has a plurality of play scenarios and is at least partially skill-based; and

a controller operatively coupled to the memory, the input device and the display, the controller controlling the display based upon the system control program retrieved from the memory and based upon inputs from the input device,

the controller being configured to;

(i) permit the user to selectively retrieve from the memory and play the one of the plurality of electronic games; and

(ii) determine at least one of an optimum series of requisite moves that will result in an optimal achievable score for a particular play scenario selected from a plurality of play scenarios; and

(iii) determine a minimum score necessary to win at least one of a minimum prize/minimum payout and a jackpot.

17. A method of playing an amusement device having a display, an input device, a memory that stores at least one electronic game and a system control program, and a controller operatively coupled to the memory, the input device and the display, the controller controlling the display based upon the system control program retrieved from the memory and based upon inputs from the input device, the method comprising:

selectively retrieving from the memory the at least one electronic game, the at least one electronic game has a plurality of play scenarios and is at least partially skill-based;

permitting a user to selectively play the at least one electronic game, and

determining at least one of an optimum series of requisite moves that will result in an optimal achievable score for a particular play scenario selected from a plurality of play scenarios.

18. The method according to claim 17, further comprising:

determining a minimum score necessary to win one of a minimum prize/minimum payout and a jackpot.

19. The method according to claim 18, further comprising:

displaying on the display the determined minimum score necessary to win one of a minimum prize and minimum payout.

20. The method according to claim 17, further comprising:

determining a plurality of minimum scores necessary to win each of a plurality of respective prizes/payouts.