Gaming system utilizing wheels & enhanced input/output systems

• US 20080176625A1
• Filed: 10/31/2007
• Published: 07/24/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/1996
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Bally Gaming Incorporated (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Bally Gaming Incorporated (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Inventors: Kelly, Matthew F., Kelly, Bryan M.
• Application Number:
  US11/982,023
• Publication Number:
  US 20080176625A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/17
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 3/081 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/04 Payment circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• 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 17/323 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 17/3248 involving non-monetary media of fixed value, e.g. casino chips of fixed value
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3253 involving articles, e.g. paying in bottles, paying out toys
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3262 Player actions which determine the course of the game, e.g. selecting a prize to be won, outcome to be achieved, game to be played
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3272 Games involving multiple players
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3276 wherein the players compete, e.g. tournament
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3297 Fairground games, e.g. Tivoli, coin pusher machines, cranes
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/34 depending on the stopping of moving members in a mechanical slot machine, e.g. "fruit" machines

Abstract

The invention provides a prize redemption system for use with one or more game apparatuses. A game is provided on a game apparatus for a player to play in exchange for monetary input, and prize credits are credited to the player based on the game outcome. A prize selection menu is then displayed by the game apparatus, the menu including one or more prizes, where the player may select a prize that has a prize cost within the player'"'"'s prize credit amount. The player is dispensed a specific prize ticket that is redeemable for the selected prize. The game apparatus can also provide specific prizes and tournament games played for a tournament prize contributed to by multiple players. An operator can adjust prizes and payout percentages of the system to achieve a desired profitability for game apparatuses. Prize input is entered into a prize table describing multiple available prizes and also describing payout information that indicates a desired amount of payout that the operator wishes to provide back to players of the game apparatus in terms of the value of the prizes. Prize information, such as prize costs and specific prize win ratios, is automatically determined by the system for each of the prizes in view of the desired profitability of the game apparatus.

Additionally, the invention provides method and article of manufacture for implementing a user profile-driven gaming and prize redeeming system. The user profile-driven gaming and prize redemption system allows for the tailoring of a user'"'"'s experience of playing a computer implemented game on a network gaming system by first receiving an identifier selected from a group of identifiers including a user identifier relating to the user (i.e., player) of the network gaming system, a game identifier relating to a particular game played by the user of the network gaming system, and a site identifier relating to the location (i.e. web site) from which the game is being played. The network gaming system then alters the computer-implemented game played by the user in a manner based upon the selected identifier. The foregoing technique may also be applied to a prize redemption system.

Claims

1. A gaming system that provides game play in exchange for monetary input per game played, the gaming system comprising:

a game server;

a plurality of game units connected to the game server via a network, and

a central progressive controller, wherein the central progressive controller enables linked wheel games.

2. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein one or more of the game units are linked to game using a single central wheel.

3. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein each game unit is associated with a corresponding linked wheel.

4. A gaming system that provides game play in exchange for monetary input per game played, the gaming system comprising:

a game unit, wherein the game unit stores one or more games in electronic form; and

a 3-D graphics card, wherein the 3-D graphics card enables one or more game features of a game to be displayed in 3-D format.

5. The gaming system of claim 4, wherein a 3-D environment is simulated for one or more players to explore.

6. The gaming system of claim 4, wherein a 3-D environment is simulated that enables one or more players to enter 3-D rooms and view 3-D visual representations of prizes.

7. The gaming system of claim 4, wherein a menu implemented in Virtual Reality Markup Language.

8. The gaming system of claim 4, further comprising a plurality of game units connected via a network, and wherein multiple players interact in multiplayer games over the network.

9. A gaming system that provides game play in exchange for monetary input per game played, the gaming system comprising:

a game unit, wherein the game unit stores one or more games in electronic form; and

a tactile feedback generator, wherein the tactile feedback generator produces player discernable tactile feedback including vibration, jolts, pulses, or combinations thereof.

10. A gaming system that provides game play in exchange for monetary input per game played, the gaming system comprising:

a game unit, wherein the game unit stores one or more games in electronic form; and

a microphone, wherein the microphone is used in conjunction with voice recognition technology.

11. A gaming system that provides game play in exchange for monetary input per game played, the gaming system comprising:

a game unit, wherein the game unit stores one or more games in electronic form; and

a camera, wherein the camera is used in conjunction with game play.