# US 9,520,015 B2 · Systems and methods for playing a game of chance with bonus feature

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- Number: US 9,520,015 B2
- Document ID: US9520015B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 13/788,076
- Filed: 2013-03-07
- Published: 2014-03-13
- Granted: 2016-12-13
- Earliest claimed: 2012-09-10
- Assignees: Gaming Arts, LLC
- Applicants: Gaming Arts LLC
- Inventors: David Colvin; Eric D. Colvin
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9520015B2

## CPC

- G07F 17/3244: {Payment aspects of a gaming system, e.g. payment schemes, setting payout ratio, bonus or consolation prizes}
- A63F 3/0645: {Electric lottos or bingo games}
- G07F 17/3209: {Input means, e.g. buttons, touch screen}
- G07F 17/3211: {Display means}
- G07F 17/3225: {Data transfer within a gaming system, e.g. data sent between gaming machines and users}
- G07F 17/326: {Game play aspects of gaming systems}
- G07F 17/3262: {Player actions which determine the course of the game, e.g. selecting a prize to be won, outcome to be achieved, game to be played}
- G07F 17/3267: {Game outcomes which determine the course of the subsequent game, e.g. double or quits, free games, higher payouts, different new games}
- G07F 17/3286: {Type of games}
- G07F 17/329: {Regular and instant lottery, e.g. electronic scratch cards}
- 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})
- A63F: CARD, BOARD, OR ROULETTE GAMES; INDOOR GAMES USING SMALL MOVING PLAYING BODIES; VIDEO GAMES; GAMES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR

## Abstract

Systems and methods enable one or more players to play a game of chance. A system includes a processor and a memory device configured to store processor executable instructions to provide a game of chance in which a plurality of house indicia is selected from a pool of house indicia and in which one or more player indicia is provided. The processor is programmed by the instructions to randomly select a predetermined number of house indicia from the pool of house indicia, provide a random chance of selecting a bonus indicia, determine whether a winning number of matching indicia has been achieved by identifying each player indicia that matches one of the selected predetermined number of house indicia, and present a bonus to the player upon a determination that the bonus indicia matches a player indicia and that a winning number of matching indicia has been achieved.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A system comprising:
a memory device configured to store instructions that are executable by a processor to provide a game of chance;
an input device configured to receive a physical item associated with a monetary value;
a user interface configured to:
enable a player to select a wager for the game of chance; and
enable the player to initiate a cash out operation; and
a processor coupled to said memory device for executing the instructions, wherein, when said processor executes the instructions, said processor is programmed to:
add the monetary value to a credit balance for the player;
deduct the selected wager from the credit balance;
provide a plurality of matrix sizes for player cards to be used during the game of chance;
enable the player to select one of the plurality of matrix sizes to be used during the game of chance;
enable the player to select a plurality of player cards having the selected matrix size, wherein each player card of said plurality of player cards comprises one or more player indicia;
randomly select a predetermined number of house indicia from the pool of house indicia during a draw of house indicia;
provide a random chance of selecting a bonus indicia during the draw of house indicia;
determine whether a winning criterion has been achieved for each player card of said plurality of player cards by matching a winning number of the one or more player indicia of each said player card with the selected house indicia, regardless of whether a pattern is formed by the matched player indicia;
present a bonus to the player upon a determination that the winning criterion has been achieved for at least one player card of said plurality of player cards and that the bonus indicia matches a player indicia of the one or more player indicia for said at least one player card;
increase the credit balance based on at least one of the achievement of the winning criterion and the bonus; and
decrease the credit balance in response to the cash out operation.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein said processor is further programmed to select one of the predetermined number of house indicia to be the bonus indicia.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein said processor is further programmed to determine that the player wins a prize upon the determination that the winning criterion has been achieved for said at least one player card, wherein the prize is in addition to the bonus presented to the player.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The system of claim 3, wherein said processor is further programmed to continue the game after said processor determines that the player wins the prize.

### Claim 5 (depends on 3)

The system of claim 3, wherein said processor is further programmed to end the game after the predetermined number of house indicia have been selected.

### Claim 6 (depends on 3)

The system of claim 3, wherein said processor is further programmed to enable the player to select at least a portion of the one or more player indicia for each player card of said plurality of player cards for use in determining whether the player wins the prize.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein said processor is further programmed to enable the player to select a number of player indicia for each player card of said plurality of player cards to be used during the game.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein said processor is further programmed to enable the player to select how many house indicia will be selected as the predetermined number of house indicia to be used during the game.

### Claim 9 (depends on 3)

The system of claim 3, wherein said processor is further programmed to determine that the player wins the prize even when the winning criterion has been achieved by another player playing the game.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the game is a first game of a plurality of games, said processor is further programmed to enable the player to switch from the first game to a second game of the plurality of games.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The system of claim 10, wherein said memory device comprises a wrapper program module comprising instructions that, when executed by said processor, program said processor to transfer gameplay data from the first game to the second game.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein said processor is further programmed to enable the player to start the game on a first device and obtain the result of the game on a second device.

### Claim 13 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the game is a first game, said processor is further programmed to present the bonus to the player by presenting at least one second game to the player.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The system of claim 13, wherein said processor is further programmed to present the at least one second game to the player as a free game.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The system of claim 14, wherein said processor is further programmed to award a prize having a bonus payout to the player upon a determination that the player satisfies a winning criterion for at least one player card provided within the at least one second game.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The system of claim 15, wherein a first payout amount is determined to be paid for achieving the winning criterion during the first game in which the bonus indicia does not match one of the one or more player indicia, said processor is further programmed to determine the bonus payout to be a second payout amount that is higher than the first payout amount.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The system of claim 16, wherein said processor is further programmed to determine the second payout amount to be at least double the first payout amount.

### Claim 18 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the bonus indicia is one of a plurality of bonus indicia that are randomly selectable by said processor.

### Claim 19 (depends on 18)

The system of claim 18, wherein said processor is further programmed to select each bonus indicia of the plurality of bonus indicia to be one of the selected house indicia.

### Claim 20

A method of providing a game of chance, said method comprising:
receiving a physical item associated with a monetary value using an input device of a gaming device;
adding the monetary value to a credit balance;
provide a plurality of matrix sizes for player cards to be used during the game of chance;
enable a player to select one of the plurality of matrix sizes to be used during the game of chance;
enabling the player to select a plurality of player cards having the selected matrix size using a user interface of the gaming device, wherein each player card of the plurality of player cards includes one or more player indicia;
receiving an input from the player to select a wager for the game of chance using the user interface;
deducting the selected wager from the credit balance;
randomly selecting a predetermined number of house indicia from the pool of house indicia during a draw of house indicia;
providing, by a processor, a random chance of selecting a bonus indicia during the draw of house indicia;
determining, by the processor, whether a winning criterion has been achieved for each player card of the plurality of player cards by matching a winning number of the one or more player indicia of each player card with the selected house indicia, regardless of whether a pattern is formed by the matched player indicia;
presenting, by the processor, a bonus to the player upon a determination that the winning criterion has been achieved for at least one player card of the plurality of player cards and that the bonus indicia matches a player indicia of the one or more player indicia of the at least one player card;
increasing the credit balance based on at least one of the achievement of the winning criterion and the bonus;
enabling the player to initiate a cash out operation using the user interface; and
decreasing the credit balance in response to the cash out operation.

### Claim 21 (depends on 20)

The method of claim 20, further comprising selecting one of the predetermined number of house indicia to be the bonus indicia.

### Claim 22 (depends on 20)

The method of claim 20, further comprising determining that the player wins a prize upon the determination that the winning criterion has been achieved for the at least one player card, wherein the prize is in addition to the bonus presented to the player.

### Claim 23 (depends on 22)

The method of claim 22, further comprising continuing the game after the player wins the prize.

### Claim 24 (depends on 22)

The method of claim 22, further comprising ending the game after the predetermined number of the house indicia have been selected.

### Claim 25 (depends on 22)

The method of claim 22, further comprising enabling the player to select at least a portion of the one or more player indicia for each player card of the plurality of player cards for use in determining whether the player wins the prize.

### Claim 26 (depends on 20)

The method of claim 20, further comprising enabling the player to select a number of player indicia for each player card of the plurality of player cards to be used during the game.

### Claim 27 (depends on 20)

The method of claim 20, further comprising enabling the player to select how many house indicia will be selected as the predetermined number of house indicia to be used during the game.

### Claim 28 (depends on 22)

The method of claim 22, further comprising determining that the player wins the prize even when the winning criterion has been achieved by another player playing the game.

### Claim 29 (depends on 20)

The method of claim 20, wherein the game is a first game of a plurality of games, said method further comprising enabling the player to switch from the first game to a second game of the plurality of games.

### Claim 30 (depends on 29)

The method of claim 29, further comprising transferring gameplay data from the first game to the second game.

### Claim 31 (depends on 20)

The method of claim 20, further comprising enabling the player to start the game on a first device and obtain the result of the game on a second device.

### Claim 32 (depends on 20)

The method of claim 20, wherein the game is a first game, said method further comprising presenting the bonus to the player by presenting at least one second game to the player.

### Claim 33 (depends on 32)

The method of claim 32, further comprising presenting the at least one second game to the player as a free game.

### Claim 34 (depends on 33)

The method of claim 33, further comprising awarding a prize having a bonus payout to the player upon a determination that the player satisfies a winning criterion for at least one player card provided within the at least one second game.

### Claim 35 (depends on 34)

The method of claim 34, further comprising:
determining a first payout amount to be paid for achieving the winning criterion during the first game in which the bonus indicia does not match one of the one or more player indicia; and
determining the bonus payout to be a second payout amount that is higher than the first payout amount.

### Claim 36 (depends on 35)

The method of claim 35, further comprising determining the second payout amount to be at least double the first payout amount.

### Claim 37 (depends on 20)

The method of claim 20, wherein the bonus indicia is one of a plurality of bonus indicia that are randomly selectable, said method further comprising selecting each bonus indicia of the plurality of bonus indicia to be one of the selected house indicia.