Temporary grant of real-time bonus feature

• US 9,564,018 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Issued: 02/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aristocrat Technologies Incorporated (Aristocrat Leisure Limited)
• Original Assignee: Nguyen Gaming LLC
• Inventors: Nguyen, Binh T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Torimiro, Adetokunbo O
• Application Number:
  US13/843,087
• Publication Number:
  US 20130210530A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,425 Days
• Field of Search: 463/16, 463/22, 463/25, 463/29, 463/39, 463/40, 463/42
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/795 for finding other players; for building a team; for providing a buddy list
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/80 Special adaptations for executing a specific game genre or game mode
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3211 Display means
• 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 17/3244 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
• 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 17/3281 wherein game attributes are transferred between players, e.g. points, weapons, avatars
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications

Abstract

In one embodiment, a system, apparatus, and method for distributing a portion of game information may include a gaming machine configured to play a game of chance and produce game information. A social gaming server can be configured to communicate with the gaming machine, may establish a remote gaming session between the gaming machine and a user device, and may distribute the portion of the game information to the user device. A social gaming server may also establish a temporal bonus game feature between the gaming machine user and at least one available remote user.

Claims

1. A gaming system, comprising:

a gaming machine the gaming machine including at least a display and a ticket or currency acceptor, the gaming machine configured to;

present a primary game of chance on the display of the gaming machine;

determine whether a bonus triggering event is triggered on the primary game of chance;

receive a list of at least one available remote user;

display the list of at least one available remote user on the display of the gaming machine;

detect a selection of at least one remote user from the list of at least one available remote user displayed on the display;

transmit the selection of at least one remote user to a social gaming server;

await, up to a predetermined period of time, for receipt of a bonus game input associated with a bonus game, the bonus game input being initiated by the at least one remote user; and

display results of the bonus game following receipt of the bonus game input; and

the social gaming server configured to;

monitor the primary game of chance presented on the gaming machine;

determine whether the bonus triggering event is triggered on the gaming machine;

generate the list of at least one available remote user for participation in the bonus game;

transmit the list of at least one available remote user to the gaming machine;

receive the selection of the at least one remote user from the gaming machine for distribution of a bonus game feature to the at least one remote user;

distribute the bonus game feature to each of the selected at least one remote user;

await, up to a predetermined period of time, for receipt of a bonus game input associated with the bonus game, the bonus game input being initiated by at least one of the selected remote user;

receive a result of the bonus game; and

transfer the result of the bonus game to the gaming machine and the at least one selected remote user.

2. The gaming system in claim 1, wherein the social gaming server is further configured to transmit an invitation to accept the bonus game feature to the at least one selected remote users.

3. The gaming system in claim 2, wherein the social gaming server is further configured to await for a predetermined period of time for acceptance of the invitation to accept the bonus game feature.

4. The gaming system in claim 1, wherein the gaming machine is further configured to:

generate gaming information for the bonus game triggered by the bonus triggering event, the bonus game using the bonus game feature to play the bonus game; and

transmit at least a portion of the gaming information to the social gaming server.

5. The gaming system in claim 1, wherein the social gaming server is further configured to:

generate gaming information for the bonus game triggered by the bonus triggering event, the bonus game using the bonus game feature to play the bonus game; and

transmit at least a portion of the gaming information to the at least one selected remote user and the gaming machine.

6. A method for granting a real-time bonus game feature, comprising:

presenting a primary game of chance on a display of a gaming machine, the gaming machine including at least a ticket or currency acceptor;

determining whether a bonus triggering event is triggered on the primary game of chance;

receiving a list of at least one available remote user;

displaying the list of at least one available remote user on the display of the gaming machine;

detecting a selection of at least one remote user from the list of at least one available remote user displayed on the display;

transmitting the selection of the at least one remote user to a social gaming server for distribution of a bonus game feature to the at least one remote user;

awaiting, up to a predetermined period of time, for receipt of a bonus game input associated with the bonus game feature, the bonus game input being initiated by the at least one remote user; and

displaying results of a bonus game following receipt of the bonus game input,

wherein the bonus game feature is used to play the bonus game.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

selecting at least one configuration of the bonus game feature on the gaming machine, wherein the at least one configuration of the bonus game feature pertains to one of more of;

a type of bonus game play, a percentage distribution of award, or a number of remote users to play.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

receiving a rejection notification from the social gaming server, the rejection notification indicating that the selected at least one remote user has declined to participate in the bonus game; and

displaying an indication of the rejection notification from the at least one remote user.

9. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

receiving an acceptance notification from the social gaming server, the acceptance notification indicating that the selected at least one remote user has agreed to participate in the bonus game; and

displaying an indication of the acceptance notification from the at least one remote user.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

initiating the bonus game on the gaming machine subsequent to receiving the acceptance notification; and

generating gaming information associated with the bonus game.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

transmitting at least a portion of the gaming information to the social gaming server.

12. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

dispersing a calculated award based on the results of the bonus game, wherein the calculated award is distributed to the winner of the bonus game feature.

13. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

presenting a bonus award distribution menu on the display, the bonus award distribution menu having a plurality of award preferences; and

detecting a selection of one or more of the plurality of award preferences.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

calculating a bonus award based on the selected one or more of the plurality of award preferences; and

transmitting the calculated bonus award to the social gaming server for distribution to the at least one remote user.

15. The method of claim 6, wherein the transmitting includes transmitting the bonus game feature to the social gaming server for substantially real-time transmission of the bonus game feature to the at least one remote user.

16. A method for facilitating real-time bonus game participation on a social gaming server, comprising:

monitoring a primary game of chance on a gaming machine, the gaming machine including at least a ticket or currency acceptor;

determining whether a bonus triggering event is triggered on the primary game of chance;

generating a list of at least one available remote user;

transmitting the list of at least one available remote user to the gaming machine;

receiving selection of the at least one remote user from the gaming machine for distribution of a bonus game feature to the at least one remote user;

distributing the bonus game feature to each of the selected at least one remote user;

awaiting, up to a predetermined period of time, for receipt of a bonus game input associated with a bonus game, the bonus game input being initiated by the at least one remote user;

calculating a result of the bonus game; and

transferring the result of the bonus game to the gaming machine and the at least one remote user.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the distributing comprises:

transmitting the bonus gaming feature to a portable electronic device.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the distributing further comprises:

transmitting the bonus gaming feature to another gaming machine.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the bonus game feature is distributed substantially in real-time to the at least one remote user.

20. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

transmitting a rejection notification to the gaming machine, the rejection notification indicating that the selected at least one remote user declined to participate in the bonus game.

21. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

transmitting an acceptance notification to the gaming machine, the acceptance notification indicating that the selected at least one remote user agreed to participate in the bonus game.

22. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

initiating the bonus game subsequent to receiving the bonus game input; and

generating gaming information associated with the bonus game.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

transmitting at least a portion of the gaming information to the gaming machine and the at least one remote user.

24. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

receiving a selection of a award preference from the gaming machine;

determining if a bonus award is awarded in the bonus game;

calculating a bonus award based on the selected award preference if it is determined that a bonus award is awarded; and

distributing the calculated bonus award to the gaming machine and the at least one remote user.