Method and apparatus for gaming machines with a tournament play bonus feature

• US 7,824,267 B2
• Filed: 03/29/2005
• Issued: 11/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Mitchell, Michael J., Cannon, Lee E., Guinn, Robert, Roemer, Mick D.
• Primary Examiner(s): SAGER, MARK ALAN
• Application Number:
  US11/093,325
• Publication Number:
  US 20050181856A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,044 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 463/42
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3211 Display means
• 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 17/3267 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 17/3276 wherein the players compete, e.g. tournament
• 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

A tournament gaming system is disclosed including one or more gaming machines programmed for play of at least one tournament game. A plurality of gaming machines may be linked for tournament play by a host computer. Qualification for tournament play is based only upon criteria established only by the gaming operator or without consideration of player desire to participate in the tournament. Game play on at least some of the participating games is tracked and displayed during the tournament, which ends after a player of one of the games achieves predetermined results.

Claims

1. A method of operating a gaming system, said method comprising:

allowing game play on one or more of a plurality of gaming devices connected to a central controller over a gaming network;

accumulating, for each of the plurality of gaming devices, tournament bonus credits earned during game play on the respective gaming device;

selecting at least a portion of the plurality of gaming devices to participate in a tournament from the plurality of gaming devices that have accumulated a number of tournament bonus credits based on criteria established only by an operator of the gaming system;

receiving a desired number of tournament entries from the selected gaming devices, wherein the desired number of tournament entries corresponds to a multiple of the required number of tournament bonus credits necessary for participation in the tournament;

decrementing an amount of tournament bonus credits accumulated for each of the selected gaming devices from which at least one tournament entry is received;

initiating a tournament mode of play on the network for the selected gaming devices;

transmitting a signal over the network to each of the selected gaming devices indicating that the gaming device is selected for the tournament mode of play;

starting the tournament mode of play at a starting time;

tracking game play that occurs on the selected gaming devices after the starting time as tournament game play;

compiling tournament game play as tournament data;

displaying the tournament data substantially in real-time as it is collected; and

ending the tournament after a player of one of the selected gaming devices achieves predetermined game results.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein displaying the tournament data comprises displaying leaders of the tournament game play.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein displaying the tournament data comprises displaying the tournament data on a device separate from the plurality of gaming devices.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the starting time begins at a pre-scheduled time.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the starting time begins at a random time.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein ending the tournament comprises ending after a player accumulates a predetermined number of points.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising awarding an award to the player who achieves the predetermined game results.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein awarding an award comprises an attendant paying the award.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein awarding an award comprises crediting a meter on a gaming device associated with the player who achieves the predetermined game results.

10. A method of operating a gaming system, said method comprising:

allowing game play by players on one or more of a plurality of gaming devices connected to a central controller over a gaming network;

accumulating, for each of the plurality of gaming devices, tournament bonus credits earned during game play on the respective gaming device;

selecting a group of the playing devices to participate in a tournament from the plurality of gaming devices that have accumulated a number of tournament bonus credits, the selection made without consideration of player desire to participate in the tournament;

receiving a desired number of tournament entries from the selected gaming devices, wherein the desired number of tournament entries corresponds to a multiple of the required number of tournament bonus credits necessary for participation in the tournament;

decrementing an amount of tournament bonus credits accumulated for each of the selected gaming devices from which at least one tournament entry is received;

generating a signal on the network that identifies at least one of the gaming devices in the group selected to participate in the tournament;

transmitting the signal to the identified at least one gaming device;

starting the tournament at a starting time;

tracking game play that occurs on the selected gaming devices after the starting time as tournament game play;

compiling tournament game play as tournament data;

displaying the tournament data substantially in real-time as it is collected; and

ending the tournament after a player of one of the selected gaming devices achieves predetermined game results.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the starting time begins at a pre-scheduled time.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein the starting time begins at a random time.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising awarding an award to the player who achieves the predetermined game results.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein awarding an award comprises crediting a meter on a gaming device associated with the player who achieves the predetermined game results.

15. A gaming system managed by a system operator, said gaming system comprising:

a plurality of gaming devices coupled to a gaming network; and

a tournament controller on the gaming network including;

an accumulator for each of the plurality of gaming devices structured to accumulate tournament bonus credits earned during non-tournament game play on the respective gaming device;

a selection mechanism under sole control of the system operator and structured to select one or more of the gaming devices from the plurality of gaming devices that have accumulated a number of tournament bonus credits to participate in a tournament based on criteria established by the system operator,

an input device structured to receive a desired number of tournament entries from the selected gaming devices, wherein the desired number of tournament entries corresponds to a multiple of the required number of tournament bonus credits necessary for participation in the tournament;

a decrementor structured to decrement an amount of tournament bonus credits accumulated for each of the selected gaming devices from which at least one tournament entry is received;

a tournament enroller coupled to the selection mechanism and structured to generate a signal for the selected gaming devices based on an output of the selection mechanism,

a tournament initiator structured to, at a tournament starting time, send the signal to the selected gaming devices,

a tournament tracker configured to track game play that occurs on the selected gaming devices after the starting time as tournament game play,

a display coupled to the tournament tracker, and

means for ending the tournament after results of the game play match predetermined results.

16. The system of claim 15, further comprising a processor coupled to the tournament tracker, the processor adapted to generate tournament data to be shown on the display.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein the tournament data comprises tournament leaders.

18. The system of claim 15 wherein the display is a device separate from the plurality of gaming devices.

19. The system of claim 15, further including a time scheduler that allows the system operator to choose a starting time.

20. The system of claim 15 wherein the tournament controller further comprises an award mechanism configured to award a tournament award to a winner of the tournament.

21. The system of claim 20 wherein the award mechanism comprises a machine credit generator.