Gaming system and method which provides players an opportunity to win a progressive award

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9685039-B2
Application number	US-201615058975-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 2, 2016
Priority date	Nov 8, 2006
Publication date	Jun 20, 2017
Grant date	Jun 20, 2017

Abstract

A gaming system is provided that includes a central server linked to a plurality of gaming machines. The gaming system includes a progressive award adapted to be provided to a designated winning player of the gaming machines in the gaming system. In one embodiment, the gaming system designates the winning player when the progressive award reaches a player threshold value. In such an embodiment, the gaming system provides the progressive award to the designated winning player when the progressive award reaches an award threshold value. In one embodiment, each player who contributes to the progressive award is eligible to win that progressive award, even if that player is not playing one of the gaming machines in the gaming system. The gaming system provides the progressive award to the designated winning player or causes a notification of being provided the progressive award to the winning player. Accordingly, the gaming system stores the progressive award until one of the players of one of the gaming machines is designated.

First claim

The invention is claimed as follows:

1. A gaming system comprising:
at least one gaming machine including:
a housing;
at least one display device supported by the housing;
a plurality of input devices supported by the housing, said plurality of input devices including
an acceptor, and
a cashout 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:
if a physical item is received via the acceptor, establish a credit balance based, at least in part, on a monetary value associated with the received physical item,
receive a placement of a wager on a play of a game,
for the play of the game:
determine a game outcome,
cause the at least one display device to display the determined game outcome,
determine any award associated with the determined game outcome, and
cause the at least one display device to display any determined award associated with the determined game outcome, and

if a cashout input is received via the cashout device, cause an initiation of any payout associated with the credit balance, and

a controller configured to communicate with the at least one gaming machine, the controller programmed to:
maintain an accumulated value progressive award, said accumulated value progressive award associated with a player selection hit value and a selected player winning hit value, said selected player winning hit value being greater than the player selection hit value,
increment the maintained accumulated value progressive award based on at least one wager placed on at least one of the plays of the game,
when the maintained accumulated value progressive award increments to the player selection hit value, select a player associated with the placement of the wager which caused the accumulated value progressive award to increment to the player selection hit value, and
when the accumulated value progressive award subsequently increments to the selected player winning hit value, regardless of whether the selected player is playing any games at any of the at least one gaming machine, designate the accumulated value progressive award to be provided to the selected player.

2. The gaming system of claim 1 , wherein the selected player winning hit value is associated with a range of values which define a minimum value and a maximum value of the accumulated value progressive award.

3. A gaming system comprising:
at least one gaming machine including:
a housing;
at least one display device supported by the housing;
a plurality of input devices supported by the housing, said plurality of input devices including
an acceptor, and
a cashout 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:
if a physical item is received via the acceptor, establish a credit balance based, at least in part, on a monetary value associated with the received physical item,
receive a placement of a wager on a play of a game,
for the play of the game:
determine a game outcome,
cause the at least one display device to display the determined game outcome,
determine any award associated with the determined game outcome, and
cause the at least one display device to display any determined award associated with the determined game outcome, and

if a cashout input is received via the cashout device, cause an initiation of any payout associated with the credit balance, and

a controller configured to communicate with the at least one gaming machine, the controller programmed to:
maintain an accumulated value progressive award, said accumulated value progressive award associated with a player selection hit value and a winning hit value, said player selection hit value being greater than the winning hit value,
increment the maintained accumulated value progressive award based on at least one wager placed on at least one of the plays of the game,
when the accumulated value progressive award increments to the winning hit value, designate a value of the accumulated value progressive award to be provided, and
when the maintained accumulated value progressive award subsequently increments to the player selection hit value:
select a player associated with the placement of the wager which caused the accumulated value progressive award to increment to the player selection hit value, and
cause the designated value of the accumulated value progressive award to be provided to the selected player.

4. The gaming system of claim 3 , wherein the designated value of the accumulated value progressive award is different from a value displayed in association with the accumulated value progressive award when the maintained accumulated value progressive award increments to the player selection hit value.

5. The gaming system of claim 3 , wherein the winning hit value is associated with a range of values which define a minimum value and a maximum value of the accumulated value progressive award.

6. A gaming system server comprising:
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:
maintain an accumulated value progressive award, said accumulated value progressive award associated with a player selection hit value and a selected player winning hit value, said selected player winning hit value being greater than the player selection hit value,
receive data associated with a placement of a wager on a play of a game, wherein a credit balance is decreasable based on the placed wager, said credit balance being increasable via an acceptor of a physical item associated with a monetary value, and said credit balance being decreasable via a cashout device,
for the play of the game:
determine a game outcome,
cause a display of the determined game outcome,
determine any award associated with the determined game outcome, and
cause a display of any determined award associated with the determined game outcome, wherein the credit balance is increasable based on any determined award associated with the determined game outcome,

increment the maintained accumulated value progressive award based on at least one wager placed on at least one of the plays of the game,
when the maintained accumulated value progressive award increments to the player selection hit value, select a player associated with the placement of the wager which caused the accumulated value progressive award to increment to the player selection hit value, and
when the accumulated value progressive award subsequently increments to the selected player winning hit value, regardless of whether the selected player is playing any games, designate the accumulated value progressive award to be provided to the selected player.

7. The gaming system server of claim 6 , wherein the selected player winning hit value is associated with a range of values which define a minimum value and a maximum value of the accumulated value progressive award.

8. A gaming system server comprising:
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:
maintain an accumulated value progressive award, said accumulated value progressive award associated with a player selection hit value and a winning hit value, said player selection hit value being greater than the winning hit value,
receive data associated with a placement of a wager on a play of a game, wherein a credit balance is decrea

Assignees

• Igt Reno Nev

Inventors

• Evans Christina M

Classifications

• G07F17/3258 Primary

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

• G07F17/3246

  involving coins and/or banknotes · CPC title