Gaming device having a cash out menu screen and a system and method for enabling a player to retrieve money from a gaming device

#A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains or may contain material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the photocopy reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure in exactly the form it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.

#The present invention relates in general to a gaming device, and more particularly to a gaming device having a cash out menu screen, wherein a player can selectively retrieve some or all of the amount of money held by the gaming device in one or more forms of payment.

#It is well known to provide a gaming device, most typically a slot machine or card gaming machine, that accepts money from a player, holds the money while the player plays the gaming device and enables the player to retrieve the player's money at any time. The games preferably do not require the player to input or insert a wagerable amount of money in the gaming device each time the player wishes to play the game. When the player wins while playing known gaming devices, the gaming devices do not require the player to take the winnings and reinvest them into the gaming device if the player desires to continue play. Known gaming devices therefore provide a credit meter or display, which is a mechanism that maintains and displays a pool of money in the gaming device. The pool can store an amount sufficient to play many games of the gaming device. The pool can also accumulate and store the player's winnings. When the player wishes to stop playing, known gaming devices preferably provide a mechanism by which the player can retrieve the money that remains in the pool.

#FIG. 1A is a front-right side perspective view of one embodiment of the gaming device of the present invention;

#FIG. 1B is a front-right side perspective view of another embodiment of the gaming device of the present invention;

#FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of the electronic configuration of one embodiment of the gaming device of the present invention;

#Referring now to the drawings, two embodiments of the gaming device of the present invention are illustrated in FIGS. 1A and 1B as gaming device 10a and gaming device 10b, respectively. Gaming device 10a and/or gaming device 10b are generally referred to herein as gaming device 10. Gaming device 10 is preferably a slot machine having the controls, displays and features of a conventional slot machine. It is constructed so that a player can operate it while standing or sitting, and gaming device 10 is preferably mounted on a console. However, it should be appreciated that gaming device 10 can be constructed as a pub-style table-top game (not shown) which a player can operate preferably while sitting. Furthermore, gaming device 10 can be constructed with varying cabinet and display designs, as illustrated by the designs shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B.

#Gaming device 10 can incorporate any primary game such as slot, poker or keno, any of their bonus triggering events and any of their bonus round games. The symbols and indicia used on and in gaming device 10 may be in mechanical, electrical or video form.

#As illustrated in FIGS. 1A and 1B, gaming device 10 includes a coin slot 12 and bill acceptor 14 where the player inserts money, coins or tokens. The player can place coins in the coin slot 12 or paper money or a ticket voucher in the bill acceptor 14. Other devices could be used for accepting payment such as readers or validators for credit cards, debit cards, smart cards, notes, etc. When a player inserts money in gaming device 10, a number of credits corresponding to the amount deposited is shown in a credit display 16. After depositing the appropriate amount of money, a player can begin the game by pulling arm 18 or pushing play button 20. Play button 20 can be any play activator used by the player which starts any game or sequence of events in the gaming device.