# US 10,373,434 B2 · Drawing with participant interaction > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,373,434 B2 - Document ID: US10373434B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/156,712 - Filed: 2018-10-10 - Published: 2019-02-07 - Granted: 2019-08-06 - Earliest claimed: 2013-09-30 - Assignees: Patent Investment & Licensing Company - Applicants: Patent Investment & Licensing Company - Inventors: John F. Acres; William M. Adamson; Patrick B. Ferguson - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10373434B2 ## CPC - G07F 17/3255: {Incentive, loyalty and/or promotion schemes, e.g. comps, gaming associated with a purchase, gaming funded by advertisements} - G07F 17/3213: {Details of moving display elements, e.g. spinning reels, tumbling members} - G07F 17/3218: {wherein at least part of the system is portable} - G07F 17/3269: {Timing aspects of game play, e.g. blocking/halting the operation of a gaming machine} - G07F 17/34: depending on the stopping of moving members {in a mechanical slot machine}, e.g. "fruit" machines - G07F: COIN-FREED OR LIKE APPARATUS (coin sorting G07D3/00; coin testing G07D5/00; {handling coins or paper currencies apart from payment activated apparatus G07D; payment architectures, schemes or protocols G06Q20/00}) ## Abstract A promotional game is conducted over participants' cell phones. During a play period, a participant advances on a virtual game board using cell phone commands. During the play period, participants' gaming wagering is used to generate drawing tickets. Each player may text COUNT to receive a text message containing his or her current board position and total tickets accumulated. Alternatively, or in addition, he or she may go to the casino, text the word STATUS and have the same information depicted with accompanying animation on a video display. At the end of the play period each player may text PEEK to receive a message indicating whether or not he or she has won any prizes. To learn the number of prizes and their worth, the player may go to the casino, text the word REVEAL and have the prize details depicted with accompanying animation on the video display. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A gaming system for conducting a drawing comprising: a plurality of linked electronic gaming machines, each of which includes: a housing; at least one display device supported by the housing; and a plurality of input devices supported by the housing, each input device including: an acceptor of a physical item associated with a monetary value, a validator configured to identify the physical item, and a cashout device configured to receive an input to cause an initiation of payout associated with a credit balance; a video display; at least one processor; and at least one non-transitory memory device that stores a plurality of instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to: track an amount wagered on at least some of the electronic gaming machines by each player enrolled in the drawing via a player tracking system; allocate the electronic tickets to each enrolled player responsive to the tracked amounts wagered via a processor controlled by programming code stored in a memory; store the electronic tickets for each player in a memory; determine whether one of the electronic tickets allocated to a player is a drawing bonus award, and if so: display each symbol in a plurality of sequential images in which a first image shows one of a predetermined combination of symbols and each sequential image adds another one of the predetermined combination of symbols on a video display until the entire combination is displayed; award the drawing bonus award to the player associated with the one electronic ticket; select one of the players who does not have an allocated electronic ticket that is a drawing bonus award; and display fewer than all of the predetermined combination of symbols in a plurality of sequential images in which a first image shows one of the predetermined combination of symbols and each sequential image adds another one, if any, in the predetermined combination of symbols with the number of symbols displayed being related to the number of electronic tickets allocated to the selected player. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The gaming system of claim 1 wherein the at least one non-transitory memory device that stores a plurality of instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the at least one processor to: associate prizes with at least some of the electronic tickets; and generate a number of symbols displayed in the predetermined combination when none of the electronic tickets is a bonus award as a function of the number of prizes, if any, associated with the player's allocated electronic tickets. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The gaming system of claim 2 wherein the at least one non-transitory memory device that stores a plurality of instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the at least one processor to reveal each prize, if any, by displaying each prize in sequence. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The gaming system of claim 1 wherein the at least one non-transitory memory device that stores a plurality of instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the at least one processor to: determine the average number of tickets earned by the players; generate a number of symbols displayed in the predetermined combination when none of the electronic tickets is a bonus award as function of the number of tickets allocated to a player relative to the average number of tickets earned by each player. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The gaming system of claim 4 wherein the at least one non-transitory memory device that stores a plurality of instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the at least one processor to reveal each prize, if any, by displaying each prize in sequence. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The gaming system of claim 1 wherein the at least one non-transitory memory device that stores a plurality of instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the at least one processor to: associate prizes with at least some of the electronic tickets; and display each prize in sequence. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The gaming system of claim 1 wherein the at least one non-transitory memory device that stores a plurality of instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the at least one processor to display a representation of the allocated electronic tickets in sequence. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The gaming system of claim 7 wherein the at least one non-transitory memory device that stores a plurality of instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the at least one processor to pause the sequential display of the allocated electronic tickets each time a prize is awarded. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The gaming system of claim 8 wherein the at least one non-transitory memory device that stores a plurality of instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the at least one processor to display a representation of the prize after each pause. ### Claim 10 A gaming system for conducting a drawing comprising: a plurality of linked electronic gaming machines, each of which includes: a housing; at least one display device supported by the housing; and a plurality of input devices supported by the housing, each input device including: an acceptor of a physical item associated with a monetary value, a validator configured to identify the physical item, and a cashout device configured to receive an input to cause an initiation of payout associated with a credit balance; a video display; at least one processor; and at least one non-transitory memory device that stores a plurality of instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to: allocate electronic tickets to at least some of the players of the electronic gaming machines, the number of tickets allocated being related to the amount of play by each player; store the electronic tickets for each player in a memory; qualify each player who plays a promotional game to participate in the drawing; exclude players who do not play the promotional game from the drawing; determine whether one of the electronic tickets allocated to a player is associated with a drawing award, and if so: associate each of a predetermined combination of symbols with a different one of the electronic tickets; display each symbol on a video display in the predetermined combination of symbols until the entire combination is displayed; and if none of the tickets allocated to a player is associated with a drawing award, display fewer than all the symbols in a plurality of sequential images in which a first image shows one of the predetermined combination of symbols and each sequential image adds another one, if any, in the predetermined combination of symbols with the number of symbols being displayed being related to the number of electronic tickets allocated to the player. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The gaming system of claim 10 wherein the at least one non-transitory memory device that stores a plurality of instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the at least one processor to: associate prizes with at least some of the electronic tickets; and generate a number of symbols displayed in the predetermined combination when none of the electronic tickets is a bonus award as a function of the number of prizes, if any, associated with the player's allocated electronic tickets. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The gaming system of claim 11 wherein the at least one non-transitory memory device that stores a plurality of instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the at least one processor to reveal each prize, if any, by displaying each prize in sequence. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The gaming system of claim 10 wherein the at least one non-transitory memory device that stores a plurality of instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the at least one processor to: determine the average number of tickets earned by the players; generate a number of symbols displayed in the predetermined combination when none of the electronic tickets is a bonus award as function of the number of tickets allocated to a player relative to the average number of tickets earned by each player. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The gaming system of claim 13 wherein the at least one non-transitory memory device that stores a plurality of instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the at least one processor to reveal each prize, if any, by displaying each prize in sequence. ### Claim 15 (depends on 10) The gaming system of claim 10 wherein the at least one non-transitory memory device that stores a plurality of instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the at least one processor to: associate prizes with at least some of the electronic tickets; and display each prize in sequence. ### Claim 16 (depends on 10) The gaming system of claim 10 wherein the at least one non-transitory memory device that stores a plurality of instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the at least one processor to display a representation of the allocated electronic tickets in sequence. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The gaming system of claim 16 wherein the at least one non-transitory memory device that stores a plurality of instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the at least one processor to pause the sequential display of the allocated electronic tickets each time a prize is awarded. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The gaming system of claim 17 wherein the at least one non-transitory memory device that stores a plurality of instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the at least one processor to display a representation of the prize after each pause.