Electronic game promotion device

• US 5,551,692 A
• Filed: 08/02/1994
• Issued: 09/03/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Casino Coin Company, Inc., SCA Promotions, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Casino Coin Company, Inc.
• Inventors: Pettit, Donald W., Plourd, Terrence W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Harrison, Jessica J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): SAGER, MARK ALAN
• Application Number:
  US08/284,787
• Time in Patent Office: 763 Days
• Field of Search: 273/138 A, 273/138 R, 273/ 143 R, 273/139, 273/DIG. 28, 364/410-412
• US Class Current: 463/16
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0212 Chance discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3248 involving non-monetary media of fixed value, e.g. casino chips of fixed value

Abstract

A promotional system sponsored by retailers or others wishing to target the public uses a gaming machine and a method for operating that machine. An operator can program the machine so that within a predetermined number of operations or plays a predetermined number of wins occurs. Prizes associated with each of the wins can also be preprogrammed so that coupons are printed indicating the prize when a win occurs. Precise win/lose percentages are maintained by way of counters and a CPU programmed to switch status when a predetermined number of wins or losses has occurred, or when the operator desires to change the win/lose ratio and/or play cycle.

Claims

1. Method for distributing prizes using a gaming machine, comprising the steps of:

(a) activating said gaming machine to carry out a play by selecting one of a plurality of positions in a memory table and a combination of symbols associated with the selected position where each combination of symbols in said memory table is predetermined to indicate win/lose status and a single selection of each combination of symbols from said table constitutes an entire gaming cycle for said machine;

(b) indicating win or lose status of said selected position from said memory table based upon a pre-designated combination of symbols associated with said selected position, and eliminating the selected position in the memory table from further selection in a current gaming cycle; and

(c) checking a plurality of counters to determine if said gaming cycle is complete;

step (a) further comprising the sub-step of randomly picking one of 128 virtual stops based upon operation of a virtual slot machine where each of the virtual stops has a corresponding position in said memory table;

said virtual operation of said virtual slot machine being carried out by random selection of a position on said table;

said method, further comprising a preliminary step of (d) selecting one of a plurality of memory tables to program a predetermined win/lose percentage said preliminary step of selecting further comprising

(i) programming a plurality of combinations of symbols to have the same chance of occurrence within a single gaming cycle defined by a predetermined number of plays by adjusting occurrences of combinations of symbols in a selected memory table;

(ii) preprogramming at least one of said plural combinations of symbols to have less chance of occurrence than others of said plural virtual combinations of symbols by adjusting occurrences of combinations of symbols in a selected memory table; and

(iii) selecting at least one of said plurality of combinations of symbols to have an absolute random chance of occurrence independent of said gaming cycle.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said preliminary step comprises a sub-step of assigning prizes to selected combinations of symbols.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein different prizes are assigned different chances of selection based upon predetermined occurrences of combinations of symbols associated with said prizes.

4. A promotional gaming device including:

(a) activation means for starting operation of said gaming device to carry out a play;

(b) a central processing unit comprising;

(i) means for selecting a position from a preprogrammed memory table,

(ii) means for determining win/lose status based upon a pre-programmed combination of symbols associated with said selected position in said memory table, and eliminating said selected position of said memory table from further selection in a current gaming cycle,

(iii) means for counting occurrences of win/lose status to determine completion of a gaming cycle defined by a predetermined number of plays,

(iv) means for selecting a memory table upon completion of a current gaming cycle;

(c) a display arranged to indicate said selected position of symbols to a player operating said gaming device;

(d) means for generating coupons indicative of both said win/lose status and a corresponding prize; and

(e) means for selecting an additional memory table for a successive cycle where said additional memory table defines a predetermined number of plays, a plurality of combinations of symbols associated with positions in said additional memory table determining occurrences of win/lose status.

5. A promotional gaming device of claim 4, further comprising:

(f) means for adjusting said means for counting when said occurrences of winner and loser status are not at predetermined values.

6. A promotional gaming device including:

(a) activation means for starting operation of said gaming device to carry out a play;

(b) a central processing unit comprising;

(i) means for selecting a position from a preprogrammed memory table,

(ii) means for determining win/lose status based upon a pre-programmed combination of symbols associated with said selected position in said memory table, and eliminating said selected position of said memory table from further selection in a current gaming cycle,

(iii) means for counting occurrences of win/lose status to determine completion of a gaming cycle defined by a predetermined number of plays,

(iv) means for selecting a memory table upon completion of a current gaming cycle;

(c) a display arranged to indicate said selected position of symbols to a player operating said gaming device; and

(d) means for programming said central processing unit for a specific number of wins and losses for each said cycle by section of memory table characteristics;

said means for programming further comprising

(i) means for determining the frequency of occurrence of a plurality of said combinations of symbols by adjusting memory table characteristics;

(ii) means for assigning corresponding prizes to each of said combination of symbols; and

(iii) means for assigning random percentage of occurrence to at least one of said plurality of combinations of symbols independent of a gaming cycle.