Using multiple bingo cards to represent multiple slot paylines and other class III game options

• US 7,753,774 B2
• Filed: 04/11/2006
• Issued: 07/13/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Wolf, Bryan D., Krum, Justin M., Powell, Tracy, Gail, Ted
• Primary Examiner(s): Suhol; Dmitry
• Assistant Examiner(s): HENRY, THOMAS HAYNES
• Application Number:
  US11/402,726
• Publication Number:
  US 20070155472A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,554 Days
• Field of Search: 463/12, 463/13, 463/16, 463/17, 463/18, 463/19, 463/20, 273/236, 273/237, 273/269, 273/143.R, 273/121.B
• US Class Current: 463/20
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3244 Payment aspects of a gaming system, e.g. payment schemes, setting payout ratio, bonus or consolation prizes

Abstract

Methods, devices and systems are described for mapping a variety of Class III game outcomes to a common set of bingo patterns. Each game theme may have a different entertaining display, based upon a corresponding Class III game. Preferably, each game theme will offer game play and paytable percentages closely matching those of the original Class III game. In order to more closely match Class III game play, some implementations provide a system wherein the hit frequency of a bingo game will be modulated according to Class III game options selected by a player. The options may be, for example, paylines of a simulated slot game. In preferred implementations, this modulation is accomplished by varying the number of bingo cards provided in the underlying bingo game according to the options (e.g., the number of paylines) selected.

Claims

1. A gaming machine, comprising:

apparatus, including a display device, a processor and a user input device, the apparatus configured to do the following;

provide a bingo game that simulates a slot game, a simulated slot game having a plurality of P possible paylines selectable by a player for changing a hit frequency, wherein the hit frequency is a frequency of obtaining an award; and

provide from 1 to B bingo cards for playing the bingo game, wherein the number of bingo cards depends on a number of paylines selected by a player, wherein;

each payline of the simulated slot game corresponds with a slot hit frequency;

each bingo card corresponds with a bingo hit frequency;

an absolute value of an average difference between each slot hit frequency and each corresponding bingo hit frequency equals D; and

the providing step comprises referencing a data structure wherein paylines are associated with bingo cards such that D is minimized.

2. A gaming machine configured for providing a bingo game that simulates a slot game, the gaming machine comprising:

a network interface;

a first display device for displaying the bingo game;

a second display device for displaying a simulated slot game;

a pay device for accepting indicia of credit;

at least one user input device; and

at least one logic device configured to perform the following steps;

receive an indication of sufficient credit for the bingo game from the pay device;

receive an indication from a user input device to play a plurality of P paylines in the simulated slot game;

ascertain a number B of bingo cards for the bingo game, wherein B is ascertained according to P;

control the first display device to display B bingo cards;

control the first display device to indicate hits on the B bingo cards according to bingo game data received via the network interface;

determine a first outcome of the bingo game;

control the first display device to display the first outcome;

determine a second outcome of the slot game; and

control the second display device to display the second outcome, wherein;

each payline of the slot game corresponds with a slot hit frequency;

each bingo card corresponds with a bingo hit frequency;

an absolute value of an average difference between each slot hit frequency and each corresponding bingo hit frequency equals D; and

the ascertaining step comprises referencing a data structure wherein paylines are associated with bingo cards such that D is minimized.

3. A gaming machine configured for providing a bingo game that simulates a slot game, the gaming machine comprising:

a network interface;

a first display device for displaying the bingo game;

a second display device for displaying a simulated slot game;

a pay device for accepting indicia of credit;

at least one user input device; and

at least one logic device configured to perform the following steps;

receive an indication of sufficient credit for the bingo game from the pay device;

receive an indication from a user input device to play a plurality of P paylines in the simulated slot game;

ascertain a number B of bingo cards for the bingo game, wherein B is ascertained according to P;

control the first display device to display B bingo cards;

control the first display device to indicate hits on the B bingo cards

according to bingo game data received via the network interface;

determine a first outcome of the bingo game;

control the first display device to display the first outcome;

determine a second outcome of the slot game; and

control the second display device to display the second outcome, wherein;

each payline of the slot game corresponds with a slot hit frequency;

each bingo card corresponds with a bingo hit frequency;

an absolute value of a difference between a slot hit frequency of a selected slot payline and a corresponding bingo hit frequency equals D_s; and

the ascertaining step comprises referencing a data structure wherein paylines are associated with bingo cards such that D_s is minimized.

4. A gaming method, comprising:

providing, at a wager gaming machine, a bingo game that simulates a slot game having a plurality of P possible paylines; and

providing, at the wager gaming machine, from 1 to B bingo cards for playing the bingo game, a number of bingo cards provided depending on a number of paylines selected by a player, wherein;

each payline of the simulated slot game corresponds with a slot hit frequency;

each bingo card corresponds with a bingo hit frequency;

an absolute value of an average difference between each slot hit frequency and each corresponding bingo hit frequency equals D; and

the providing step comprises referencing a data structure wherein paylines are associated with bingo cards such that D is minimized.

5. Software embodied in a non-transitory medium, the software comprising instructions for controlling one or more devices in a gaming system to perform the following steps:

provide a bingo game that simulates a slot game having a plurality of P possible paylines selectable by a player for changing a hit frequency, wherein the hit frequency is a frequency of obtaining an award; and

provide from 1 to B bingo cards for playing the bingo game, a number of bingo cards provided depending on a number of paylines selected by a player, wherein;

each payline of the simulated slot game corresponds with a slot hit frequency;

each bingo card corresponds with a bingo hit frequency;

an absolute value of an average difference between each slot hit frequency and each corresponding bingo hit frequency equals D; and

the providing step comprises referencing a data structure wherein paylines are associated with bingo cards such that D is minimized.

6. A gaming method, comprising:

determining, by a server, numbers of bingo cards to assign to each of a plurality of paylines selectable by a player for modulating a hit frequency in a simulated slot game, wherein the hit frequency is a frequency of obtaining an award; and

forming, by the server, a data structure indicating a correspondence between the numbers of bingo cards and each of the paylines, wherein;

each payline of the simulated slot game corresponds with a slot hit frequency;

each bingo card corresponds with a bingo hit frequency;

an absolute value of an average difference between each slot hit frequency and each corresponding bingo hit frequency equals D; and

the forming step comprises forming a data structure wherein paylines are associated with bingo cards such that D is minimized.

7. A gaming device, comprising:

a memory; and

a processor configured to do the following;

determine numbers of bingo cards to assign to each of a plurality of paylines selectable by a player for modulating a hit frequency in a simulated slot game, wherein the hit frequency is a frequency of obtaining an award; and

form a data structure in the memory, the data structure indicating a correspondence between the numbers of bingo cards and each of the paylines, wherein;

each payline of the simulated slot game corresponds with a slot hit frequency;

each bingo card corresponds with a bingo hit frequency;

an absolute value of an average difference between each slot hit frequency and each corresponding bingo hit frequency equals D; and

the forming step comprises forming the data structure wherein paylines are associated with bingo cards such that D is minimized.