US 7,841,939 B2 · Server based gaming system having multiple progressive awards

Abstract

A gaming system including a central server linked to a plurality of gaming machines. The central server includes a plurality of progressive modules. Each progressive module maintains one or more progressive awards and is associated with zero, one or more of the gaming machines in the gaming system. Upon a determination that a designated one of the progressive awards will be provided, one of the gaming machines associated with the progressive module which maintains the designated progressive award provides the designated progressive award to the player of such gaming machine.

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Drawings

Claims46

Dependent claims

A gaming system comprising

a controller programmed to maintain:
(i) a first personal progressive incremental value for a first single player,
(ii) a second personal progressive incremental value for a different second single player, and
(iii) a group progressive, incremental value, said group progressive incremental value associated with a triggering event;
a first gaming machine configured to communicate with the controller, said first gaming machine including:
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) enable a wager to be placed on a first primary game,
(b) display the first primary game, and
(c) if the triggering event occurs, at least in part, in association with the first gaming machine, and the first player placed the wager on the first primary game, provide the first player a first progressive award which includes the first personal progressive incremental value and the group progressive incremental value;
and
a second gaming machine configured to communicate with the controller, said second gaming machine including:
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) enable a wager to be placed on a second primary game,
(b) display the second primary game, and
(c) if the triggering event occurs, at least in part, in association with the second gaming machine, and the second player placed the wager on the second primary game, provide the second player a second progressive award which includes the second personal progressive incremental value and the group progressive incremental value.

18 more elements

A gaming system comprising

a controller;
a plurality of personal progressive incremental values maintainable by the controller for a first player, wherein said plurality of personal progressive incremental values include at least a first personal progressive incremental value and a second personal progressive incremental value;
a plurality of personal progressive incremental values maintainable by the controller for a second player, wherein said plurality of personal progressive incremental values include at least a third personal progressive incremental value and a fourth personal progressive incremental value;
a first group progressive incremental value maintainable by the controller, said first group progressive incremental value associated with a first triggering event;
a second group progressive incremental value maintainable by the controller, said second group progressive incremental value associated with a second triggering event;
a first gaming machine operable under control of a processor and configured to communicate with the controller, said first gaming machine including a first primary game operable upon a wager and at least one display device configured to display the primary game, wherein:
(a) if the first triggering event occurs in association with the first gaming machine and the first player wagered on the first primary game, the first gaming machine provides the first player a first progressive award which includes the first personal progressive incremental value and the first group progressive incremental value, and (b) if the second triggering event occurs in association with the first gaming machine and the first player wagered on the first primary game, the first gaming machine provides the first player a second progressive award which includes the second personal progressive incremental value and the second group progressive incremental value;
and
a second gaming machine operable under control of a processor and configured to communicate with the controller, said second gaming machine including a second primary game operable upon a wager and at least one display device configured to display the primary game, wherein:
(a) if the first triggering event occurs in association with the second gaming machine and the second player wagered on the second primary game, the second gaming machine provides the second player a third progressive award which includes the third personal progressive incremental value and the second group progressive incremental value, and (b) if the second triggering event occurs in association with the second gaming machine and the second player wagered on the second primary game, the second gaming machine provides the second player a fourth progressive award which includes the fourth personal progressive incremental value and the second group progressive incremental value.

7 more elements

A gaming system comprising

a controller programmed to maintain a personal progressive incremental value for a single player;
a first gaming machine configured to communicate with the controller, said first gaming machine including:
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) enable a wager to be placed on a first primary game,
(ii) display the first primary game and a first triggering event, and
(iii) if the first triggering event occurs, provide the player a first progressive award which includes the personal progressive incremental value and a first group progressive incremental value;
and
a second gaming machine configured to communicate with the controller, said second gaming machine including:
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) enable a wager to be placed on a second primary game,
(ii) display the second primary game and a second triggering event, and
(iii) if the second triggering event occurs, provide the player a second progressive award which includes the personal progressive incremental value and a second group progressive incremental value.

15 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Description38,595 words

Summary6,408 words

#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.

#Gaming machines which provide players awards in primary or base games are well known. Gaming machines generally require the player to place or make a wager to activate the primary or base game. In many of these gaming machines, the award is based on the player obtaining a winning symbol or symbol combination and on the amount of the wager (i.e., the higher the wager, the higher the award). Symbols or symbol combinations which are less likely to occur usually provide higher awards.

#In such known gaming machines, the amount of the wager made on the base game by the player may vary. For instance, the gaming machine may enable the player to wager a minimum number of credits, such as one credit (e.g., one cent, nickel, dime, quarter or dollar) up to a maximum number of credits, such as five credits. This wager may be made by the player a single time or multiple times in a single play of the primary game. For instance, a slot game may have one or more paylines and the slot game enables the player to make a wager on each payline in a single play of the primary game. Slot games with 1, 3, 5, 9, 15 and 25 lines are widely commercially available. Thus, it is known that a gaming machine, such as a slot game, enables players to make wagers of substantially different amounts on each play of the primary or base game ranging, for example, from one credit up to 125 credits (e.g., five credits on each of 25 separate paylines). This is also true for other wagering games, such as video draw poker, where players can wager one or more credits on each hand and where multiple hands can be played simultaneously. It should be appreciated that different players play at substantially different wagering amounts or levels and at substantially different rates of play.

Brief description of the drawings10 figures

#FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the central server in communication with a plurality of gaming devices in accordance with one embodiment of the gaming system disclosed herein wherein each progressive module is associated with one or more gaming devices.

#FIGS. 2A and 2B are front perspective views of alternative embodiments of gaming devices disclosed herein.

#FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram of the electronic configuration of one embodiment of a gaming device disclosed herein.

Detailed description31,813 words

#In one embodiment, the gaming system disclosed herein includes a plurality of progressive awards provided to players of the linked gaming machines. These awards are referred to herein as progressive awards to distinguish them from the awards that the gaming machines provide to the players for winning outcomes in the plays of the primary wagering games, such as slot games, card games (e.g., poker, blackjack) or any other suitable game.

#Referring to FIG. 1, one embodiment of the gaming system 10 includes a central server, central controller or remote host 12 and a plurality of gaming machines or gaming devices 14a, 14b, 14c . . . 14z in communication with or linked to the central server 12 through a data network or a remote communication link. The number of gaming machines in the gaming system can vary as desired by the implementer of the gaming system. These gaming machines are referred to herein alternatively as the group of gaming machines, the linked gaming machines or the system gaming machines. The linked gaming machines may be of the same type or of different types of gaming machines. The linked gaming machines may have the same primary game or two or more different primary games. The play of each of the gaming machines in the group is monitored by the central server. The central server or controller may be any suitable server or computing device which includes a processor and a memory or storage device. In alternative embodiments, the central server is another gaming machine in the gaming system. As described below, the central server functions as the progressive server for one or more progressive awards maintained by the gaming system. The terms central server, central controller and remote host are used interchangeably herein.

#In one embodiment, the central server or controller maintains or keeps track of the play and/or other activity on or relating to the gaming machines in the gaming system. In one embodiment, the central server keeps track of the play on each gaming machine including at least: (1) the amount wagered by the player(s) for each play of the primary game for each gaming machine (i.e., a total or partial coin-in or wager meter which tracks the total or partial coin-in wagers placed on all of the primary games for all of the gaming machines in the gaming system); and (2) the time the wagers are placed or the amount of time between each play of the primary game for each gaming machine. In another embodiment, each gaming device includes a separate coin-in, wager meter or pool which tracks the total or partial coin-in or wagers placed at that gaming device. It should be appreciated that the player of a gaming machine may change during this tracking and that this tracking can be independent of the specific player playing the gaming machine.

Facts

Application

11/470,226Filed 5 Sep 2006 · us provisional application

Priority

9 Sep 2005

Published

US 2007/0060314 A115 Mar 2007

Granted

30 Nov 2010

Term ends

30 Sep 2029

Estimated · how

20 years from earliest known nonprovisional domestic filing plus recorded patent term adjustment, including 1,121 days of adjustment. Maintenance-fee lapses, terminal disclaimers and statutory extensions have not been checked. The continuity chain may be incomplete; this is not an enforceability determination.

Classification3 codes

G07F 17/3258
Payment aspects of a gaming system, e.g. payment schemes, setting payout ratio, bonus or consolation prizes: cumulative reward schemes, e.g. jackpots
G07F 17/32
Coin-freed apparatus for hiring articles; Coin-freed facilities or services: for games, toys, sports, or amusements
G07F
Coin-freed or like apparatus

Timeline

9 Sep 2005Priority claimedParent application 60/715,526
5 Sep 2006Application filedUS 11/470,226
3 Oct 2006Assigned to Igtassignment of assignor's interest
15 Mar 2007PublishedUS 2007/0060314 A1
30 Nov 2010GrantedUS 7,841,939 B2
3 Jul 2025Assigned to Deutsche Bank AG New York Branch, AS Collateral Agentsecurity agreement
12 Oct 2026TodayWithin its term
30 Sep 2029Term endsEstimated, includes 1,121 days of adjustment

Server based gaming system having multiple progressive awards

Life of this patent

Server based gaming system having multiple progressive awards

Life of this patent

Life of this patent

Abstract

Drawings

Drawings

Claims46

Description38,595 words

Drawings

Classification3 codes

Life of this patent

Description38,595 words