US 8,986,107 B2Granted

Gaming system, gaming device and method for providing a multiple player, multiple game bonusing environment

AssigneeIgt

InventorsMark C. Nicely, Carmen Tan, Alan R. Weiss

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Abstract

A gaming system and method for exchanging one or more triggered individual bonus games for one or more current plays of a community game or one or more future plays of a community game. If an individual bonus game is triggered in association with an individual gaming device, the gaming system enables the player to: (i) play the triggered individual bonus game, (ii) skip the individual bonus game and play or participate in a community or group game, or (iii) skip the individual bonus game and save an entry to play or participate in a future community or group game. In these embodiments, the gaming system determines one or more features or attributes of the available community game (which the player may play or defer play of) based, at least in part, on which of a plurality of different individual bonus games are triggered.

Claims32

Dependent claims

A gaming system comprising:

at least one input device;
at least one display 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, causes the at least one processor to operate with the at least one input device and the at least one display device to:
(a) receive a wager placed on a play of a primary game;
and
(b) if an individual bonus game triggering event occurs:
(i) determine one of a plurality of different individual bonus games,
(ii) determine a community game based at least in part on the determined individual bonus game,
(iii) receive a selection of any one of:
(A) a play of the determined individual bonus game,
(B) a play of the determined community game, and
(C) a deferral of the play of the determined community game,
(iv) if the play of the determined individual bonus game is selected:
(A) determine an individual bonus game award,
(B) provide the determined individual bonus game award, and
(C) not provide any community game award,
(v) the play of the determined community game is selected:
(A) determine a community game award,
(B) provide the determined community game award;
and
(C) not provide any individual bonus game award, and
(vi) if the deferral of the play of the determined community game is selected:
(A) accumulate a community game entry for the player, said accumulated community game entry being associated with the determined community game, and
(B) not provide any individual bonus game award to the player.

23 more elements

A gaming system comprising:

a plurality of gaming devices, each gaming device including at least one input device;
at least one display device associated with at least one of said gaming devices;
and
at least one controller configured to operate with each of said gaming devices and said at least one display device to:
(a) maintain a community game;
and
(b) if an individual bonus game triggering event occurs in association with one of the gaming devices:
(i) determine one of a plurality of different individual bonus games,
(ii) determine at least one feature associated with the maintained community game based at least in part on the determined individual bonus game,
(iii) receive a selection from said gaming device of any one of:
(A) a play of the determined individual bonus game,
(B) a play of the maintained community game associated with the at least one determined feature, and
(C) a deferral of the play of the maintained community game associated with the at least one determined feature,
(iv) if the play of the determined individual bonus game is selected:
(A) determine an individual bonus game award,
(B) provide the determined individual bonus game award, and
(C) not provide any community game award,
(v) if the play of the maintained community game is selected:
(A) determine a community game award, said determined based, at least in part, on the at least one determined feature,
(B) provide the determined community game award;
and
(C) not provide any individual bonus game award, and
(vi) if the deferral of the play of the maintained community game is selected:
(A) accumulate a community game entry said accumulated community game entry being associated with the maintained community game associated with the at least one determined feature, and
(B) not provide any individual bonus game award.

22 more elements

A method of operating a gaming system, said method comprising:

(a) receiving a wager placed on a play a primary game;
and
(b) if an individual bonus game triggering event occurs:
(i) causing at least one processor to execute a plurality of instructions to determine one of a plurality of different individual bonus games,
(ii) causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to determine a community game based at least in part on the determined individual bonus game,
(iii) receiving a selection of any one of:
(A) a play of the determined individual bonus game,
(B) a play of the determined community game, and
(C) a deferral of the play of the determined community game,
(iv) if the play of the determined individual bonus game is selected:
(A) causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to determine an individual bonus game award,
(B) providing the determined individual bonus game award, and
(c) not providing any community game award-to-the-player,
(v) if the play of the determined community game is selected:
(A) causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to determine a community game award,
(B) providing the determined community game award, and
(C) not providing any individual bonus game award, and
(vi) if the deferral of the play of the determined community game is selected:
(A) causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to accumulate a community game entry, said accumulated community game entry being associated with the determined community game, and
(B) not providing any individual bonus game award.

17 more elements

A method of operating a gaming system, said method comprising:

(a) causing at least one processor to execute a plurality of instructions to maintain a community game;
and
(b) if an individual bonus game triggering event occurs in association with one of the gaming devices:
(i) causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to determine one of a plurality of different individual bonus games,
(ii) causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to determine at least one feature associated with the maintained community game based at least in part on the determined individual bonus game,
(iii) receiving a selection from said gaming device of any one of:
(A) a play of the determined individual bonus game,
(B) a play of the maintained community game associated with the at least one determined feature, and
(C) a deferral of the play of the maintained community game associated with the at least one determined feature,
(iv) if the play of the determined individual bonus game is selected:
(A) causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to determine an individual bonus game award,
(B) providing the determined individual bonus game award, and
(C) not providing any community game award to the player,
(v) if the play of the maintained community game is selected:
(A) causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to determine a community game award, said determined based, at least in part, on the at least one determined feature,
(B) providing the determined community game award, and
(C) not providing any individual bonus game award, and
(vi) if the deferral of the play of the maintained community game is selected:
(A) causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to accumulate a community game entry, said accumulated community game entry being associated with the maintained community game associated with the at least one determined feature, and
(B) not providing any individual bonus game award.

17 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 13/247,143Filed 28 Sep 2011
Published: US 2013/0079113 A128 Mar 2013
Granted: 24 Mar 2015
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification5 codes

G07F 17/3225
For games, toys, sports, or amusements: data transfer within a gaming system, e.g. data sent between gaming machines and users
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 17/3267
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 17/34
For games, toys, sports, or amusements: depending on the stopping of moving members in a mechanical slot machine, e.g. "fruit" machines