SEAMLESS INITIATION OF PRIMARY AND SECONDARY GAMES AT MODIFIED GAMING MACHINES

• US 20140080563A1
• Filed: 03/13/2013
• Published: 03/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vulcan Gaming LLC
• Original Assignee: Tipping Point Group, LLC
• Inventors: Johnson, Sam
• Granted Patent: US 8,900,057 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/13
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/34 Betting or bookmaking, e.g. Internet betting
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3211 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3223 Architectural aspects of a gaming system, e.g. internal configuration, master/slave, wireless communication
• 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 17/3227 Configuring a gaming machine, e.g. downloading personal settings, selecting working parameters
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3258 Cumulative reward schemes, e.g. jackpots
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/326 Game play aspects of gaming systems
• 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 17/3267 Game outcomes which determine the course of the subsequent game, e.g. double or quits, free games, higher payouts, different new games
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3272 Games involving multiple players
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3288 Betting, e.g. on live events, bookmaking
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/329 Regular and instant lottery, e.g. electronic scratch cards
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3293 Card games, e.g. poker, canasta, black jack
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/34 depending on the stopping of moving members in a mechanical slot machine, e.g. "fruit" machines

Abstract

Secondary gaming functionality is provided for a casino gaming machine by a secondary controller of the casino gaming machine. The secondary gaming functionality may function to provide a multi-game experience at the gaming machine or remotely at another gaming machine or other device, e.g., a smart phone, tablet, personal computer, and the like, via the casino gaming machine. The multi-game experience may comprise one or more secondary wager-based games in addition to the one or more primary wager-based game(s) provided by the primary gaming functionality of the gaming machine. The secondary controller functionality may cause the secondary wager-based game to be presented upon a single input player to the gaming machine which also initiates the primary game, whereby primary and secondary games are initiated seamlessly to the player via a single input.

Claims

1. A modified gaming machine comprising:

a plurality of gaming machine peripheral devices including at least one video display and at least one player input device;

a main game controller configured to implement primary gaming functionality comprising at least one primary gaming instance, the main game controller configured to generate and transmit information to the plurality of gaming machine peripheral devices; and

a secondary controller interposed between one or more of the plurality of gaming machine peripheral devices and the main game controller, whereby the secondary controller may forward information generated by the main gaming controller to the one or more of the plurality of gaming machine peripheral devices and transmit secondary information to the one or more of the peripheral devices, the secondary controller causing to be provided secondary gaming functionality comprising at least one secondary gaming instance, the secondary controller configured to control play of the primary and secondary gaming instances in response to a single input by said player associated with initiation of said primary game instance.

2. The modified gaming machine in accordance with claim 1 wherein each of the at least one primary gaming instance comprises a legacy wager-based game of the modified gaming machine and each of the at least one secondary gaming instance comprises a wager-based game that is an externally-sourced game and is other than the legacy wager-based game.

3. The modified gaming machine in accordance with claim 1 wherein one or both of the primary and secondary gaming instances are made available by the modified gaming machine to a remote computing device.

4. The modified gaming machine in accordance with claim 3 the secondary controller causing one or both of the primary and secondary gaming instances to be made available to the remote computing device via an external server.

5. The modified gaming machine in accordance with claim 1 wherein a wager-based lottery game and at least one other wager-based game comprises the primary and secondary gaming instances, the at least one other wager-based game uses a set of numbers from which the player selects numbers for inclusion in a set of player'"'"'s numbers and from which a set of lottery numbers are selected, the wager-based lottery-type game being configured to declare a winner if the set of player'"'"'s numbers picked prior to play of the at least one other wager-based game matches the set of lottery numbers picked during play of the at least one other wager-based game.

6. The modified gaming machine in accordance with claim 5 wherein both the set of player'"'"'s numbers and the set of lottery numbers have a sequence and the match comprises a sequential match.

7. The modified gaming machine in accordance with claim 5 wherein the at least one other wager-based game comprises a keno game that uses a set of keno numbers, the set of player'"'"'s numbers are selected from the set of keno game numbers prior to play of the keno game and the set of lottery numbers comprise numbers selected from the set of keno game numbers during play of the keno game.

8. The modified gaming machine in accordance with claim 5 wherein the at least one other wager-based game comprises a poker game that uses at least one deck of cards, the set of player'"'"'s numbers comprise a set of cards selected from the at least one deck of cards prior to play of the poker game and the set of lottery numbers comprise cards dealt during play of the poker game.

9. The modified gaming machine in accordance with claim 1 wherein each of the at least one secondary gaming instance is an externally-sourced wager-based game, the secondary controller is configured to cause the modified gaming machine to display an indicator for each externally-sourced wager-based game, each indicator is selectable by the player to access a corresponding one of the externally-sourced wager-based games for play at the modified gaming machine.

10. The modified gaming machine in accordance with claim 9 wherein the externally-sourced wager-based game is provided via an interface coupled to the secondary controller.

11. The modified gaming machine in accordance with claim 10 wherein the interface comprises an application programming interface for use in instructing the secondary controller in providing the externally-sourced wager-based game at the modified gaming machine.

12. The modified gaming machine in accordance with claim 1 wherein the at least one primary gaming instance comprises a primary wager-based game and the at least one secondary gaming instance comprises a secondary wager-based game different from the primary wager-based game, and wherein the secondary wager-based game is to be played independent of the primary wager-based game.

13. The modified gaming machine in accordance with claim 1 wherein the at least one primary gaming instance comprises a primary wager-based game and the at least one secondary gaming instance comprises a secondary wager-based game different from the primary wager-based game and play of at least a portion of the secondary wager-based game is based on play of the primary wager-based game.

14. The modified gaming machine in accordance with claim 13 wherein the primary wager-based game comprises a primary slot game and the secondary wager-based game comprises a secondary slot game different from the primary slot game, and wherein at least one symbol from the primary slot game is used in the secondary slot game.

15. The modified gaming machine in accordance with claim 13 wherein the primary wager-based game comprises a primary poker game and the secondary wager-based game comprises a secondary poker game different from the primary poker game, and wherein at least one card dealt during play of the primary poker game is used in play of the secondary poker game.

16. The modified gaming machine in accordance with claim 15 wherein the at least one card used in the play of the secondary poker game comprises a hold card from the primary poker game.

17. The modified gaming machine in accordance with claim 1 wherein the main game controller is configured to track credits from play in the at least one primary gaming instance and the secondary controller is configured to track credits from play in the at least one secondary gaming instance.

18. The modified gaming machine in accordance with claim 1 wherein said secondary controller is configured to provide said secondary game instance upon designated criteria.

19. The modified gaming machine in accordance with claim 18 wherein said criteria comprises a player'"'"'s maximum wager relative to said primary game instance and at least one secondary wager upon said secondary game instance.

20. The modified gaming machine in accordance with claim 1 wherein said single input is received at a player'"'"'s presentation device which is communicatively coupled to said secondary controller.