US 7,604,539 B2Granted

Gaming device having a puzzle function operable to indicate information related to a game event

AssigneeIgt

InventorsJosef Alexander Hartl, R. Brooke Dunn, Michael C. Halvorson, Mark A. Litman

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

A method of playing a game on a gaming machine is performed by placing a wager on an underlying wagering game and playing the underlying wagering game according to the rules of the underlying game. When a predetermined event occurs in the underlying game, the player enters at least one bonus game. The bonus game may have at least one event where a) an animated event proceeds to a conclusion and an original bonus that increments or decrements with the proceeding of that animated event, and b) using a sequential set of displays to determine a number of spins to be used in a bonus round and to determine a multiplication factor to be used in spins to be used in the bonus round.

Claims37

Dependent claims

A gaming device comprising:

at least one display device configured to display:
(i) a game operable upon a wager, and
(ii) a puzzle having a plurality of movable puzzle elements repositionable relative to one another so that:
(a) the puzzle has an unsolved condition at a first time in which all of the movable puzzle elements form a first spatial arrangement;
and (b) the puzzle has a solved condition at a second time in which all of the movable puzzle elements form a second spatial arrangement which is different from the first spatial arrangement;
at least one input device;
at least one processor;
and
at least one memory device which stores a plurality of instructions, which when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to operate with the at least one display device and the at least one input device to:
(a) display the game, and
(b) after an occurrence of a designated event:
(i) randomly determine a final value;
(ii) determine an amount of time that will elapse between the first time and the second time, the amount of time based on the randomly determined final value;
(iii) display the puzzle having the unsolved condition at the first time;
(iv) indicate an initial value when or before the puzzle has the unsolved condition;
(v) cause the puzzle to proceed from the unsolved condition toward the solved condition;
(vi) in response to the determined amount of time elapsing, cause the puzzle to have the solved condition at the second time;
(vii) indicate the randomly determined final value;
and
(viii) indicate at least one award based on the indicated final value.

17 more elements

A gaming device comprising:

at least one memory device which stores a plurality of instructions and data, the data corresponding to:
(a) a game operable upon a wager;
(b) a puzzle including a plurality of puzzle elements configured to form a designated visually-recognizable pattern, the puzzle operable to proceed from:
(i) an unsolved condition associated with an initial arrangement of all of the puzzle elements, the initial arrangement deviating from the designated visually-recognizable pattern;
to
(ii) a solved condition associated with a final arrangement of all of the puzzle elements, the final arrangement satisfying the designated visually-recognizable pattern;
(c) an award meter configured to indicate a plurality of preliminary award values and a final award value;
(d) a progress meter configured to indicate a plurality of preliminary progress values and a final progress value;
and
(e) at least one award based on the final award value;
at least one display device;
and
at least one processor which, upon execution of the instructions, operates with the at least one display device to:
(a) display the game,
(b) cause the award meter to indicate a first one of the preliminary award values when or before the puzzle has the unsolved condition,
(c) cause the progress meter to indicate a first one of the progress values when or before the puzzle has the unsolved condition,
(d) randomly determine the final award value which will subsequently be indicated by the award meter,
(e) determine the final progress value which will subsequently be indicated by the progress meter, the final progress value being based on the randomly determined final award value,
(f) cause the puzzle to proceed from the unsolved condition toward the solved condition,
(g) in response to the puzzle proceeding from the unsolved condition toward the solved condition,
(i) cause the award meter to indicate at least one other of the preliminary award values, and
(ii) cause the progress meter to indicate at least one other of the progress values,
(h) cause the progress meter to indicate the final progress value,
(i) in response to the progress meter indicating the final progress value, display the puzzle reaching the solved condition,
(j) cause the award meter to indicate the randomly determined final award value, and
(k) cause the at least one display device to indicate the at least one award based on the randomly determined final award value.

23 more elements

A method for operating a gaming device having a plurality of instructions, the method comprising:

(a) initiating a play of a game after receiving a wager;
(b) determining whether a designated event occurs;
and
(c) if the designated event occurs:
(i) causing at least one display device to display a puzzle, the puzzle having a plurality of movable puzzle elements positionable so that:
(a) the puzzle has an unsolved condition at a first time in which all of the movable puzzle elements form a first spatial arrangement;
and
(b) the puzzle has a solved condition at a second time in which all of the movable puzzle elements form a second spatial arrangement which is different from the first spatial arrangement;
(ii) causing at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to randomly determine a final value;
(iii) causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to determine an amount of time that will elapse between the first time and the second time, the amount of time based on the randomly determined final value;
(iv) causing the at least one display device to display the puzzle having the unsolved condition at a first time during the play of the game;
(v) causing the at least one display device to display an initial value when or before the puzzle has the unsolved condition;
(vi) causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to cause the puzzle to proceed from the unsolved condition to the solved condition;
(vii) in response to the determined amount of time elapsing, causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to cause the puzzle to have the solved condition at a second, different time during the play of the game;
(viii) causing the at least one display device to display the determined final value;
and
(ix) causing the at least one display device to display at least one award based on the indicated final value.

14 more elements

A gaming device comprising:

at least one display device;
at least one input device;
at least one processor;
and
at least one memory device which stores a plurality of instructions, which when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to operate with the at least one display device and the at least one input device to:
(i) display a game, the game being—operable upon a wager placed by a player, the game associated with a plurality of awards;
(ii) display an assembly associated with the game, the assembly having a plurality of assembly side areas, each one of the assembly side areas including a plurality of elements, each one of the elements having a plurality of element side areas, a first group of the elements being coupled to a second group of the elements, the first group of the elements being movable relative to the second group of the elements between:
(a) a first spatial location where the element side areas of the first and second group have a characteristic in common;
and
(b) a second, different spatial location where the element side areas of the first and second group have at least one different characteristic, the elements of the first group and the elements of the second group remaining coupled to each during the movement;
(iii) randomly determine whether to provide one of the awards to the player, wherein the random determination is independent from the movement of the elements of the displayed assembly;
and
(iv) after randomly determining whether to provide one of the awards to the player, display the first group of the elements moving relative to the second group of the elements between the first spatial location and the second, different spatial location.

10 more elements

A gaming device comprising:

at least one display device;
at least one input device;
at least one processor;
and
at least one memory device which stores a plurality of instructions, which when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to operate with the at least one display device and the at least one input device to:
(a) display a primary game operable upon a wager placed by a player;
(b) after an occurrence of a triggering event in association with the primary game:
(i) display a secondary game, the secondary game being associated with a plurality of awards;
(ii) display an assembly having a plurality of assembly side areas, each one of the assembly side areas including a plurality of elements, each one of the elements having a plurality of element side areas, a first group of the elements being coupled to a second group of the elements, the first group of elements being movable relative to the second group of the elements between:
(a) a first spatial location where the element side areas of the first and second group have a characteristic in common;
and
(b) a second, different spatial location where the element side areas of the first and second group have at least one different characteristic, the elements of the first and second group remaining coupled to each other during the movement;
(iii) randomly determine whether to provide one of the awards to the player, wherein the random determination is independent from the movement of the elements of the displayed assembly;
and
(iv) after randomly determining whether to provide one of the awards to the player, display the first group of the elements moving relative to the second group of the elements between the first spatial location and the second, different spatial location.

12 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 11/220,470Filed 7 Sep 2005 · division
Priority: 12 Sep 2002
Published: US 2006/0003827 A15 Jan 2006
Granted: 20 Oct 2009
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification4 codes

G07F 17/3244
For games, toys, sports, or amusements: payment aspects of a gaming system, e.g. payment schemes, setting payout ratio, bonus or consolation prizes
G07F 17/32
Coin-freed apparatus for hiring articles; Coin-freed facilities or services: for games, toys, sports, or amusements
G07F 17/3267
Game play aspects of gaming systems: game outcomes which determine the course of the subsequent game, e.g. double or quits, free games, higher…
G07F
Coin-freed or like apparatus

Family

Application10/244,054Parent of this division · filed 12 Sep 2002
US 2006/0003827 A1Pre-grant publication · published 5 Jan 2006
US 6,960,134 B2Parent of this division
US 2004/0053683 A1Published application
US 7,604,539 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.