System controlled player-related bonuses in gaming machines

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9320970-B2
Application number	US-201313777786-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 26, 2013
Priority date	Sep 16, 2002
Publication date	Apr 26, 2016
Grant date	Apr 26, 2016

Abstract

The present invention integrates the concepts of interactive player based promotions, games, and bonusing that utilize a touch screen display on a gaming system associated with a remote player tracking system. The promotions are configured at a remote configuration workstation by selecting system criteria defining the particular bonus promotion to thereby create a “bonus rule”. Promotions have four primary criteria. The first is the “Trigger” which is the criterion that determines when the bonus screen is activated to display a promotion. The second is the “Interface” that determines what will be displayed on the bonus screen. The third is the “Award” in which the nature of the bonus payment, including the method of choosing the value to award and the required player interaction to receive the promotion, is determined. And finally, the “Currency” system determines the method of payment to the player for earning or receiving the promotion.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for operating networked gaming machines, each having at least one payment acceptor, to remotely configure a bonus game on at least one of the networked gaming machines, at least some of the gaming machines being of a type having a base game display area and a bonus game display area, the method comprising:
receiving, by a processor at a configuration station at a location remote from the networked gaming machines, a selection from an operator of the networked gaming machines at least one of a plurality of possible bonus game triggering criteria displayed in a list to thereby define a bonus game triggering criterion related to at least one of a base game and the bonus game, wherein the selected triggering criterion is based at least partially on multiple selected outcomes of the base game and is specific to a particular player playing the base game, the at least one payment acceptor receives physical media having a monetary value to establish a credit balance for a placement of one or more bets and to receive potential winnings resulting from one or more awards of the base game or bonus game;
receiving, by the processor from the location remote from the networked gaming machines, a selection of at least one of a plurality of possible visual activities displayed in a list for presentation on the bonus game display area of the gaming machine to which the triggering criterion is related;
receiving, by the processor from the location remote from the networked gaming machines, a selection of at least one of a plurality of award methods, wherein each of the plurality of award methods defines a method used to determine an item of value to be awarded; and
operating one of the gaming machines in accordance with the stored selections including:
detecting, via a processor, the selected triggering criterion; and
triggering the operation of a bonus game on a gaming machine being played by a player associated with the player data and to which the determined one or more of the selected triggering criterion corresponds to.

2. The method of claim 1 , said method further including displaying the selected visual activity on the bonus game display area of the gaming machine responsive to determining one or more of the selected triggering criterion.

3. The method of claim 1 , said method further including awarding the item of value earned based on the selected award method.

4. The method of claim 1 , said method further including:
identifying a player of the gaming machine by player interaction with the gaming machine; and
tracking play of the identified player on the base game of the gaming machine and compiling outcomes at the gaming machine for that identified player, said triggering criterion operating to trigger the bonus game according to the bonus game triggering criterion when the compiled outcome matches the triggering criterion.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein said triggering criterion is based upon a set of game outcomes.

6. The method of claim 4 , wherein said triggering criterion is based X outcomes in N tries.

7. The method of claim 4 , wherein said triggering criterion is based upon a set of game outcomes within a set period of time.

8. The method of claim 4 , wherein said triggering criterion is based upon visitation frequency.

9. The method of claim 4 , wherein said triggering criterion is based upon player demographics.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the selected triggering criterion includes a plurality of triggering criteria and wherein the bonus game is triggered responsive to any one of the plurality of triggering criteria.

11. The method of claim 1 , where each of the plurality of gaming machines is associated with one or more gaming machine groups, and at least one of the groups is selected at the configuration workstation so that the bonus promotion defined by the selected triggering criterion and operable on the bonus display area of each of the gaming machines is potentially triggered only on gaming machines within the selected group and not on gaming machines not within the selected group.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the selected bonus game triggering criterion includes a first bonus game triggering criterion, and the selected visual activity includes a first selected visual activity, the method further comprising:
selecting at a configuration workstation a second bonus game triggering criteria from the displayed list to thereby define a second bonus game triggering criterion different from the first bonus game triggering criterion;
selecting at the configuration workstation a second visual activity from the displayed list that is different from the first selected visual activity;
storing the second selections on the network; and
operating one of the gaming machines in accordance with the stored second selections including:
detecting the second triggering criterion;
triggering the operation of a bonus game on a gaming machine to which the detected triggering criterion is related; and
displaying the second selected visual activity on the bonus game display area of the gaming machine responsive to detecting the second selected triggering criterion.

13. A method for remotely configuring a gaming machine, having at least one payment acceptor, over a network from a configuration computer, the method comprising:
operating a bonus configuration program on a configuration computer remote from the gaming machine, the bonus configuration program including a rule generator comprising a plurality of lists including selectable bonus promotion criteria that are specific to a player playing the gaming machine, including:
a plurality of possible bonus game triggering criteria;
a plurality of possible visual activities for display on the gaming machine when the bonus game is triggered;
a plurality of possible award methods, wherein each of the plurality of award methods defines a method used to determine an item of value to be awarded; and
a plurality of possible items of value awarded to a winner of the bonus game;

allowing one or more of the bonus promotion criteria to be selected by a network operator and causing the one or more selected criteria to be transmitted over the network to the gaming machine, the at least one payment acceptor receives physical media having a monetary value to establish a credit balance for a placement of one or more bets and to receive potential winnings resulting from one or more of the plurality of possible awards of a base game or bonus game.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising:
receiving the one or more selected criteria at the gaming machine and configuring the gaming machine according to the selected criteria, wherein the selected bonus game triggering criteria are based at least partially on at least one selected outcome of the base game played on the gaming machine and selected using the bonus configuration program; and
triggering the operation of a bonus game on a gaming machine being played by a player associated with the player data and to which the determined one or more selected criteria corresponds to.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein one of the selected criteria includes one or more defined triggering events, the method further including:
allowing play on the gaming machine; and
triggering a bonus game on the gaming machine responsive to play on the gaming machine matching one of the defined triggering events.

16. The method of claim 13 , further including:
identifying the player of the gaming machine;
triggering a bonus game on the gaming machine responsive to pl

Assignees

• Igt Reno Nev

Inventors

• Boyd Scott A
• Jordan Richard Jeffrey
• Patceg Miles M

Classifications

• G07F17/32 Primary

  for games, toys, sports, or amusements · CPC title

• A63F13/12 Primary

  Human Necessities · mapped topic

• G07F17/3244

  Payment aspects of a gaming system, e.g. payment schemes, setting payout ratio, bonus or consolation prizes · CPC title

• G07F17/3258

  Cumulative reward schemes, e.g. jackpots · CPC title

• G07F17/3227 Primary

  Configuring a gaming machine, e.g. downloading personal settings, selecting working parameters · CPC title