Telephone gaming device

• US 6,955,601 B2
• Filed: 12/03/2002
• Issued: 10/18/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: Atlantic City Coin & Slot Service Company Incorporated (Atlantic City Coin & Slot Service)
• Inventors: Seelig, Jerald C., Henshaw, Lawrence M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Harrison, Jessica
• Assistant Examiner(s): RADA, ALEX P
• Application Number:
  US10/309,591
• Publication Number:
  US 20030130038A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,050 Days
• Field of Search: 463 40- 42, 463 16- 22, 463 25- 28, 463 30- 34, 273/138.1, 273/139, 273/143.R
• US Class Current: 463/20
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3223 Architectural aspects of a gaming system, e.g. internal configuration, master/slave, wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3244 Payment aspects of a gaming system, e.g. payment schemes, setting payout ratio, bonus or consolation prizes
• 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

Abstract

A gaming device for playing a game by a game player. The gaming device allows the game player to place a telephone call. A controller generates a prize. Several images of persons who may receive the telephone call are displayed to the game player. The telephone call is placed to one of the images. The prize is announced by the selected image to the game player. A second telephone call is placed to a telephone number in order to select a multiplier. The controller generates the multiplier. The multiplier is the last digit of the telephone number. The prize is multiplied by the multiplier to obtain a total prize.

Claims

1. A gaming device allowing game play by a game player, the gaming device comprising:

(A) a telephone adapted to allow the game player to initiate a game sequence by placing a telephone call;

(B) a display device, the display device configured to display at least one telephone call recipient;

(C) a controller in communication with the telephone and the display device, the controller being configured to cause at least one telephone call recipient to be called and to be displayed on the display device, wherein the controller is configured to generate a base prize and cause the base prize to be communicated to the game player.

2. The gaming device according to claim 1, wherein the controller generates a multiplier, the controller being adapted to multiply the base prize by the multiplier to obtain a total prize.

3. The gaming device according to claim 2, wherein the base prize, the multiplier and the total prize are shown to the game player on a display.

4. The gaming device according to claim 2, wherein a telephone keypad is displayed to the game player, the keypad indicating the multiplier.

5. The gaming device according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of telephone call recipients are displayed to the game player.

6. The gaming device according to claim 5, wherein the controller drives a plurality of spinning reels to display a selected telephone call recipient.

7. The gaming device according to claim 6, wherein the controller chooses the telephone call recipient.

8. The gaming device according to claim 5, wherein the game player is allowed to choose the telephone call recipient.

9. A method of playing a game by a game player comprising, not necessarily in the order shown:

(A) initiating a first telephone call;

(B) providing a plurality of images of telephone call recipients;

(C) selecting one telephone call recipient from the plurality of images of telephone call recipients;

(D) calling the selected telephone call recipient;

(E) generating a base award; and

(F) announcing to the game player the base award by the telephone call recipient.

10. The method according to claim 9 wherein a multiplier is shown on a telephone keypad.

11. The method according to claim 9 further comprising calculating a total award, the total award being the base award multiplied by a multiplier.

12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising awarding the game player the total award.

13. The method according to claim 9, wherein the game player is allowed to choose the telephone call recipient.

14. The method according to claim 9, wherein the gaming device chooses the telephone call recipient.

15. A method of playing a game comprising, not necessarily in the order shown:

(A) providing a gaming device, the gaming device being configured to accept a wager from a game player, allow the game player to play a game, display a randomly determined game outcome, and generate a prize based on the randomly determined game outcome;

(B) allowing the game player to place a telephone call on the gaming device;

(C) selecting a telephone call recipient; and

(D) announcing the prize to the game player by the telephone call recipient.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein a multiplier is shown on a telephone keypad.

17. The method according to claim 15, further comprising calculating a total prize, the total prize being the prize multiplied by a multiplier.

18. The method according to claim 17, further comprising displaying the prize, the multiplier and the total prize;

and awarding the game player the total prize.

19. The method according to claim 15, wherein the game player is allowed to choose the telephone call recipient.

20. The method according to claim 15, wherein the gaming device chooses the telephone call recipient.