US20110124408A1

Movatterモバイル変換

Info

Publication number: US20110124408A1
Application number: US13/055,893
Authority: US
Inventors: Matthew J. Ward
Original assignee: WMS Gaming Inc
Current assignee: LNW Gaming Inc
Priority date: 2008-07-30
Filing date: 2009-07-29
Publication date: 2011-05-26
Also published as: WO2010014709A1

Abstract

A method of awarding a progressive comprises displaying a progressive award which increments over time as wagers are received and activating the progressive award for a predetermined first time period. During the first time period, a first portion of each eligible wager received is added to the progressive award, each eligible wager associated with a corresponding player inputting the wager. For each eligible wager received, a first number of entries are allocated into a selection for awarding the progressive award. The method further comprises selecting a winning entry from all entries received during the first time period and awarding the progressive award to a player associated with the selected winning entry.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to gaming systems, and methods for playing wagering games, and more particularly, to gaming systems having time period based progressive awards.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Gaming terminals, such as slot machines, video poker machines and the like, have been a cornerstone of the gaming industry for several years. Generally, the popularity of such machines with players is dependent on the likelihood (or perceived likelihood) of winning money at the machine and the intrinsic entertainment value of the machine relative to other available gaming options.

To increase appeal, some gaming terminals may display a plurality of wagering games to offer greater opportunities for winning awards. One way to further excitement and entertainment value of such gaming terminals is to display and allow participation in progressive awards. Additional interest can be generated by using time based progressive awards.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to one aspect of the present invention, a method of awarding a progressive comprises displaying a progressive award which increments over time as wagers are received and activating the progressive award for a predetermined first time period. During the first time period, a first portion of each eligible wager received is added to the progressive award, each eligible wager associated with a corresponding player inputting the wager. For each eligible wager received, a first number of entries are allocated into a selection for awarding the progressive award. The method further comprises selecting a winning entry from all entries received during the first time period and awarding the progressive award to a player associated with the selected winning entry.

According to another aspect of the invention, a gaming system comprises at least one wager input device, at least one gaming terminal, at least one display, and at least one controller. The at least one controller is operative to (i) cause the at least one display to display a progressive award which increments over time as wagers are received; (ii) activate the progressive award for a predetermined first time period; (iii) during the first time period, add a first portion of each eligible wager received to the progressive award, each eligible wager associated with a corresponding player inputting the wager; (iv) for each eligible wager received, allocate a first number of entries into a selection for awarding the progressive award; (v) select a winning entry from all entries received during the first time period; and (vi) award the progressive award to a player associated with the selected winning entry.

According to yet another aspect of the invention, a method of awarding a progressive comprises displaying a first progressive award and a second progressive award, activating the first progressive award for a predetermined first time period, and activating the second progressive award for a predetermined second time period. The method further comprises, during the first and second time periods, respectively, adding a first portion of each eligible wager received to the first progressive award and adding a second portion of each eligible wager received to the second progressive award, each eligible wager associated with a corresponding player inputting the wager. The method further comprises, for each eligible wager received during the first time period, allocating a first number of entries into a selection for awarding the first progressive and for each eligible wager received during the second time period, allocating a second number of entries into a selection for awarding the second progressive. The method further comprises selecting a first winning entry from all entries received during the first time period and awarding the first progressive award to a first player associated with the selected first winning entry, and selecting a second winning entry from all entries received during the second time period and awarding the second progressive award to a second player associated with the selected second winning entry.

According to yet another aspect of the invention, a method of awarding a progressive comprises displaying a progressive award that increments during a predetermined time period, receiving eligible wagers during the time period, each eligible wager being associated with a corresponding player inputting the eligible wager, for each eligible wager received during the time period, allocating a number of entries into a selection for awarding the progressive award, selecting a winning entry from all entries received during the time period, and awarding the progressive award to a player associated with the selected winning entry.

According to yet another aspect of the invention, one or more computer readable storage media is encoded with instructions for directing a gaming system to perform the above methods.

Additional aspects of the invention will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art in view of the detailed description of various embodiments, which is made with reference to the drawings, a brief description of which is provided below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1ais a perspective view of a free-standing gaming terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 1bis a perspective view of a handheld gaming terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a gaming system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an image of a basic-game screen of a wagering game that may be displayed on a gaming terminal, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an image of a bonus-game screen of a wagering game that may be displayed on a gaming terminal, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an image of a gaming system having time period based progressive awards.

FIG. 6 is a diagram of a gaming system suitable for displaying and administering time period based progressive awards.

FIG. 7 is a table displaying an example accounting of wagers received in a gaming system having time period based progressive awards.

While the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail herein. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not intended to be limited to the particular forms disclosed. Rather, the invention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

While this invention is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms, there is shown in the drawings and will herein be described in detail preferred embodiments of the invention with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the broad aspect of the invention to the embodiments illustrated.

Referring toFIG. 1a, there is shown agaming terminal10 similar to those used in gaming establishments, such as casinos. With regard to the present invention, thegaming terminal10 may be any type of gaming terminal and may have varying structures and methods of operation. For example, thegaming terminal10 may be an electromechanical gaming terminal configured to play mechanical slots, or it may be an electronic gaming terminal configured to play a video casino game, such as slots, keno, poker, blackjack, roulette, craps, etc. It should be understood that although thegaming terminal10 is shown as a free-standing terminal of the upright type, it may take on a wide variety of other forms such as a free-standing terminal of the slant-top type, a portable or handheld device primarily used for gaming as shown inFIG. 1b, a mobile telecommunications device such as a mobile telephone or personal digital assistant (PDA), a counter-top or bar-top gaming terminal, or other personal electronic device such as a portable television, MP3 player, entertainment device, etc.

The illustratedgaming terminal10 comprises a cabinet orhousing12. For output devices, thegaming terminal10 may include aprimary display area14, asecondary display area16, and one ormore audio speakers18. Theprimary display area14 and/orsecondary display area16 may display information associated with wagering games, non-wagering games, community games, progressives, advertisements, services, premium entertainment, text messaging, emails, alerts or announcements, broadcast information, subscription information, etc. For input devices, thegaming terminal10 may include abill validator20, acoin acceptor22, one ormore information readers24, one or more player-input devices26, and one or more player-accessible ports28 (e.g., an audio output jack for headphones, a video headset jack, a wireless transmitter/receiver, etc.). While these typical components found in thegaming terminal10 are described below, it should be understood that numerous other peripheral devices and other elements may exist and may be used in any number of combinations to create various forms of a gaming terminal.

Theprimary display area14 may include a mechanical-reel display, a video display, or a combination thereof in which a transmissive video display in front of the mechanical-reel display portrays a video image superimposed over the mechanical-reel display. Further information concerning the latter construction is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,517,433 to Loose et al. entitled “Reel Spinning Slot Machine With Superimposed Video Image,” which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. The video display may be a cathode ray tube (CRT), a high-resolution liquid crystal display (LCD), a plasma display, a light emitting diode (LED), a DLP projection display, an electroluminescent (EL) panel, or any other type of display suitable for use in thegaming terminal10. Theprimary display area14 may include one or more paylines30 (seeFIG. 3) extending along a portion thereof. In the illustrated embodiment, theprimary display area14 comprises a plurality ofmechanical reels32 and avideo display34 such as a transmissive display (or a reflected image arrangement in other embodiments) in front of themechanical reels32. If the wagering game conducted via thegaming terminal10 relics upon thevideo display34 only and not themechanical reels32, themechanical reels32 may be removed from the interior of the terminal and thevideo display34 may be of a non-transmissive type. Similarly, if the wagering game conducted via thegaming terminal10 relies upon themechanical reels32 but not thevideo display34, thevideo display34 may be replaced with a conventional glass panel. Further, the underlying mechanical-reel display may be replaced with a video display such that theprimary display area14 includes layered video displays, or may be replaced with another mechanical or physical member such as a mechanical wheel (e.g., a roulette game), dice, a pachinko board, or a diorama presenting a three-dimensional model of a game environment.

Video images in theprimary display area14 and/or thesecondary display area16 may be rendered in two-dimensional (e.g., using Flash Macromedia™) or three-dimensional graphics (e.g., using Renderware™). The images may be played back (e.g., from a recording stored on the gaming terminal10), streamed (e.g., from a gaming network), or received as a TV signal (e.g., either broadcast or via cable). The images may be animated or they may be real-life images, either prerecorded (e.g., in the case of marketing/promotional material) or as live footage, and the format of the video images may be an analog format, a standard digital format, or a high-definition (HD) digital format.

The player-input devices26 may include a plurality ofbuttons36 on a button panel and/or atouch screen38 mounted over theprimary display area14 and/or thesecondary display area16 and having one or moresoft touch keys40. The player-input devices26 may further comprise technologies that do not rely upon touching the gaming terminal, such as speech-recognition technology, gesture-sensing technology, eye-tracking technology, etc.

Theinformation reader24 is preferably located on the front of thehousing12 and may take on many forms such as a ticket reader, card reader, bar code scanner, wireless transceiver (e.g., RFID, Bluetooth, etc.), biometric reader, or computer-readable-storage-medium interface. Information may be transmitted between a portable medium (e.g., ticket, voucher, coupon, casino card, smart card, debit card, credit card, etc.) and theinformation reader24 for accessing an account associated with cashless gaming, player tracking, game customization, saved-game state, data transfer, and casino services as more fully disclosed in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2003/0045354 entitled “Portable Data Unit for Communicating With Gaming Machine Over Wireless Link,” which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. The account may be stored at an external system46 (seeFIG. 2) as more fully disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,280,328 to Holch et al. entitled “Cashless Computerized Video Game System and Method,” which is incorporated herein by referenced in its entirety, or directly on the portable medium. To enhance security, the individual carrying the portable medium may be required to enter a secondary independent authenticator (e.g., password, PIN number, biometric, etc.) to access their account.

FIG. 1billustrates a portable or handheld device primarily used to display and/or conduct wagering games. The handheld device may incorporate the same features as thegaming terminal10 or variations thereof. A more detailed description of a handheld device that may be utilized with the present invention can be found in PCT Patent Application No. PCT/US2007/000792 filed Jan. 26, 2007, entitled “Handheld Device for Wagering Games,” which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Turning now toFIG. 2, the various components of thegaming terminal10 are controlled by a central processing unit (CPU)42, also referred to herein as a controller or processor (such as a microcontroller or microprocessor). TheCPU42 can include any suitable processor, such as an Intel® Pentium processor,Intel® Core 2 Duo processor, AMD Opteron™ processor, or UltraSPARC® processor. To provide gaming functions, thecontroller42 executes one or more game programs stored in one or more computer readable storage media in the form ofmemory44 or other suitable storage device. Thecontroller42 uses a random number generator (RNG) to randomly generate a wagering game outcome from a plurality of possible outcomes. Alternatively, the outcome may be centrally determined using either an RNG or pooling scheme at a remote controller included, for example, within theexternal system46. It should be appreciated that thecontroller42 may include one or more microprocessors, including but not limited to a master processor, a slave processor, and a secondary or parallel processor.

Thecontroller42 is coupled to thesystem memory44 and also to a money/credit detector48. Thesystem memory44 may comprise a volatile memory (e.g., a random-access memory (RAM)) and a non-volatile memory (e.g., an EEPROM). Thesystem memory44 may include multiple RAM and multiple program memories. The money/credit detector48 signals the processor that money and/or credits have been input via a value-input device, such as thebill validator20,coin acceptor22, or via other sources, such as a cashless gaming account, etc. These components may be located internal or external to thehousing12 of thegaming terminal10 and connected to the remainder of the components of thegaming terminal10 via a variety of different wired or wireless connection methods. The money/credit detector48 detects the input of funds into the gaming terminal10 (e.g., via currency, electronic funds, ticket, card, etc.) that are generally converted into a credit balance available to the player for wagering on thegaming terminal10. Thecredit detector48 detects when a player places a wager (e.g., via a player-input device26) to play the wagering game, the wager then generally being deducted from the credit balance. The money/credit detector48 sends a communication to thecontroller42 that a wager has been detected and also communicates the amount of the wager.

As seen inFIG. 2, thecontroller42 is also connected to, and controls, theprimary display area14, the player-input device26, and apayoff mechanism50. Thepayoff mechanism50 is operable in response to instructions from thecontroller42 to award a payoff to the player in response to certain winning outcomes that might occur in the base game, the bonus game(s), or via an external game or event. The payoff may be provided in the form of money, redeemable points, services or any combination thereof. Such payoff may be associated with a ticket (from a ticket printer52), portable data unit (e.g., a card), coins, currency bills, accounts, and the like. The payoff amounts distributed by thepayoff mechanism50 are determined by one or more pay tables stored in thesystem memory44.

Communications between thecontroller42 and both the peripheral components of thegaming terminal10 and theexternal system46 occur through input/output (I/O)circuit56, which can include any suitable bus technologies, such as an AGTL+ frontside bus and a PCI backside bus. Although the I/O circuit56 is shown as a single block, it should be appreciated that the I/O circuit56 may include a number of different types of I/O circuits. Furthermore, in some embodiments, the components of thegaming terminal10 can be interconnected according to any suitable interconnection architecture (e.g., directly connected, hypercube, etc.).

The I/O circuit56 is connected to anexternal system interface58, which is connected to theexternal system46. Thecontroller42 communicates with theexternal system46 via theexternal system interface58 and a communication path (e.g., serial, parallel, IR, RC, 10bT, etc.). Theexternal system46 may include a gaming network, other gaming terminals, a gaming server, a remote controller, communications hardware, or a variety of other interfaced systems or components.

Controller

42, as used herein, comprises any combination of hardware, software, and/or firmware that may be disposed or resident inside and/or outside of thegaming terminal10 and may communicate with and/or control the transfer of data between thegaming terminal10 and a bus, another computer, processor, or device and/or a service and/or a network. Thecontroller42 may comprise one or more controllers or processors. InFIG. 2, thecontroller42 in thegaming terminal10 is depicted as comprising a CPU, but thecontroller42 may alternatively comprise a CPU in combination with other components, such as the I/O circuit56 and thesystem memory44. Thecontroller42 is operable to execute all of the various gaming methods and other processes disclosed herein.

Thegaming terminal10 may communicate with external system46 (in a wired or wireless manner) such that each terminal operates as a “thin client” having relatively less functionality, a “thick client” having relatively more functionality, or with any range of functionality therebetween (e.g., a “rich client”). In general, a wagering game includes an RNG for generating a random number, game logic for determining the outcome based on the randomly generated number, and game assets (e.g., art, sound, etc.) for presenting the determined outcome to a player in an audio-visual manner. The RNG, game logic, and game assets may be contained within the gaming terminal10 (“thick client” gaming terminal), the external systems46 (“thin client” gaming terminal), or distributed therebetween in any suitable manner (“rich client” gaming terminal).

Referring now toFIG. 3, an image of a basic-game screen60 adapted to be displayed on theprimary display area14 is illustrated, according to one embodiment of the present invention. A player begins play of a basic wagering game by providing a wager. A player can operate or interact with the wagering game using the one or more player-input devices26. Thecontroller42, theexternal system46, or both, in alternative embodiments, operate(s) to execute a wagering game program causing theprimary display area14 to display the wagering game that includes a plurality of visual elements.

The basic-game screen60 may be displayed on theprimary display area14 or a portion thereof. InFIG. 3, the basic-game screen60 portrays a plurality of simulated movable reels62a-e. Alternatively or additionally, the basic-game screen60 may portray a plurality of mechanical reels. The basic-game screen60 may also display a plurality of game-session meters and various buttons adapted to be actuated by a player.

In the illustrated embodiment, the game-session meters include a “credit” meter64 for displaying a number of credits available for play on the terminal; a “lines”meter66 for displaying a number of paylines to be played by a player on the terminal; a “line bet” meter68 for displaying a number of credits wagered (e.g., from 1 to 5 or more credits) for each of the number of paylines played; a “total bet”meter70 for displaying a total number of credits wagered for the particular round of wagering; and a “paid”meter72 for displaying an amount to be awarded based on the results of the particular round's wager. The user-selectable buttons may include a “collect”button74 to collect the credits remaining in the credits meter64; a “help”button76 for viewing instructions on how to play the wagering game; a “pay table”button78 for viewing a pay table associated with the basic wagering game; a “select lines”button80 for changing the number of paylines (displayed in the lines meter66) a player wishes to play; a “bet per line”button82 for changing the amount of the wager which is displayed in the line-bet meter68; a “spin reels” button84 for moving the reels62a-e; and a “max bet spin”button86 for wagering a maximum number of credits and moving the reels62a-eof the basic wagering game. While thegaming terminal10 allows for these types of player inputs, the present invention does not require them and can be used on gaming terminals having more, less, or different player inputs.

Paylines

30 may extend from one of the payline indicators88a-ion the left side of the basic-game screen60 to a corresponding one of the payline indicators88a-ion the right side of the screen60. A plurality ofsymbols90 is displayed on the plurality of reels62a-cto indicate possible outcomes of the basic wagering game. A winning combination occurs when the displayedsymbols90 correspond to one of the winning symbol combinations listed in a pay table stored in thememory44 of the terminal10 or in theexternal system46. Thesymbols90 may include any appropriate graphical representation or animation, and may further include a “blank” symbol.

Symbol combinations may be evaluated as line pays or scatter pays. Line pays may be evaluated left to right, right to left, top to bottom, bottom to top, or any combination thereof by evaluating the number, type, or order ofsymbols90 appearing along an activatedpayline30. Scatter pays are evaluated without regard to position or paylines and only require that such combination appears anywhere on the reels62a-e. While an embodiment with nine paylines is shown, a wagering game with no paylines, a single payline, or any plurality of paylines will also work with the present invention. Additionally, though an embodiment with five reels is shown, a gaming terminal with any plurality of reels may also be used in accordance with the present invention.

Turning now toFIG. 4, a bonus game that may be included with a basic wagering game is illustrated, according to one embodiment. A bonus-game screen92 includes an array ofmarkers94 located in a plurality of columns and rows. The bonus game may be entered upon the occurrence of a special start-bonus game outcome (e.g., symbol trigger, mystery trigger, time-based trigger, etc.) in or during the basic wagering game. Alternatively, the illustrated game may be a stand-alone wagering game.

In the illustrated bonus game, a player selects, one at a time, from the array ofmarkers94 to reveal an associated bonus-game outcome. According to one embodiment, eachmarker94 in the array is associated with an award outcome96 (e.g., credits or other non-negative outcomes) or an end-game outcome98. In the illustrated example, a player has selected anaward outcome96 with the player's first two selections (25 credits and 100 credits, respectively). When one or more end-game outcome98 is selected (as illustrated by the player's third pick), the bonus game is terminated and the accumulatedaward outcomes96 are provided to the player.

Referring now toFIG. 5, agaming system500 including a plurality of time period based progressive awards is displayed. Thesystem500 includes a plurality of gaming devices orterminals510a,b,c, each of which include at least aprimary display514a,b,cfor displaying game events thereon. Each of theprimary displays514a,b,cmay be any form of display such as those described herein with reference to the free standing and handheld gaming devices ofFIGS. 1aand1b. Theprimary displays514a,b,cmay include display of aprimary wagering game560a,b,c, which in this embodiment are slot games as shown inFIG. 5. Theprimary wagering games560a,b,cmay include a plurality of reels, which may be either electro-mechanical reels or simulations thereof on theprimary display514a,b,c. The reels may include a plurality of symbols thereon which vary as the reels are spun and stopped. The symbols may include any variety of graphical symbols, elements, or representations, including symbols which are associated with one or more themes of thegaming machine510a,b,corsystem500. The symbols may also include a blank symbol, or empty space. Theprimary wagering games560a,b,cshown on the variousprimary displays514a,b,cof thesystem500 may be the same, similar, or different in nature, game play, theme, denomination, formation, eligibility, etc.

As described herein the symbols landing on the active pay lines (the pay lines for which a wager has been received) are evaluated for winning combinations. A combination of symbols that lands on an active pay line is a winning outcome for which an award may be paid in accordance with a paytable of thegaming device510a,b,corsystem500. The symbols on the reels form an array or matrix of symbols, having a number of rows and columns, which in the embodiment shown is three rows and five columns. In alternate embodiments, the array may have greater or fewer symbols, and may take on a variety of different forms having greater or fewer rows and/or columns. The array may even comprise other non-rectangular forms or arrangements of symbols.

Thesystem500 further includes acommunity display580, which in this embodiment is an LCD, plasma, or other flat-screen display mounted and positioned above the plurality ofgaming devices510a,b,c. Thecommunity display580 displays aprogressive award event582 which includes at least one time based progressive jackpot or award584. In the embodiment shown, theprogressive award event582 comprises two varieties or levels ofprogressive jackpots584a,b, which include anHOURLY award584aand aDAILY award584b. When a progressive award event is triggered or occurs, one or more of theprogressive awards584a,bis awarded to one or more players. In the embodiment shown, theprogressive award event582 comprises a plurality of time based jackpots orawards584a,b. Thus, the triggering event for each of theawards584a,bis the expiration of a predetermined time period586a,bassociated with each of theawards584a,b. In the embodiment shown, theHOURLY award584ais associated with a one-hour time period586a, such that once commenced, theprogressive award584ais triggered and awarded at the expiration of one hour of time. Similarly, theDAILY award584bis associated with a one day (24 hour) time period586b, such that once commenced, the progressive award586 is triggered and awarded at the expiration of twenty four hours of time.

For each award584 in thecommunity event582, thecommunity display580 displays the current amount of theprogressive award584a,b($487.32 and $10,497.56, respectively), the nature or type of the award (HOURLY and DAILY, respectively), and the time remaining in each time period586a,b(thirty seven minutes and four hours and thirty seven minutes, respectively). In the embodiment shown, two levels or varieties ofprogressive awards584a,bare included in thecommunity event582. In other embodiments, greater or fewer awards584 may be utilized. Moreover, the awards584 utilized in thecommunity event582 may be configured to correspond with a large variety of time period586, including hourly, daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, or any other appropriate time period (such as quarter hour, half hour, etc.)

In the embodiment shown inFIG. 5, the various levels ofprogressive awards584a,bincrease as a function of wagers input into thesystem500. Thus, in an embodiment, a portion of each wager is directed to funding theprogressive awards584a,bsuch that theprogressive awards584a,bincrease incrementally for each wager input into thesystem500. Theprogressive awards584a,bmay be configured to increase continually until triggered or may be capped at some determined level. When triggered, each of theprogressive awards584a,bmay reset to a reset value, which in an embodiment is zero credits. In alternative embodiments, other reset values may be used. Many funding schemes may be used to increment theprogressive awards584a,b,c. The wagers may be received via various wager input devices, for example, via thegaming terminals510a,b,c, or any other appropriate wager input device of thesystem500.

For each wager received from a particular player, that player receives a corresponding entry or number of entries into a random selection for awarding the respective award584 upon the conclusion or expiration of the time period586 associate with the award584. Thus, for example, a player placing a minimum wager on a play of a wagering game560 may receive one entry into theHOURLY award584agame and one entry into theDAILY award584bgame. Thus, the longer the player plays the primary wagering game560 (i.e. the more wagers he inputs into the system500), the more entries he will receive into the variousprogressive awards584a,bdrawings or selections. Moreover, in some embodiments, players making wagers which are greater than a minimum allowable wager may receive additional entries. For example, a player making a wager on a primary wagering game560 which is five times greater than the minimum allowable wager will receive five entries into each of the HOURLY and DAILY award584a,bgames.

At or after the expiration of the relevant time period586a,b, a random selection is made from all available and received entries to select a winner of thecorresponding award584a,b. In one embodiment, the random selection is performed by a progressive controller that is also operable to collect and track all eligible entries received into the system. The progressive controller may also store the incrementing progressive award values which may displayed on one or more displays to the player. Thus, at the end of a one hour time period, a randomly selected entry is chosen and the player associated with such entry is awarded the balance of theHOURLY award584a. Similarly, at the end of a twenty four hour time period, a randomly selected entry is chosen and the player associated with such entry is awarded the balance of theDAILY award584b. It should be understood that both the selection and the awarding of the awarded584a,b, may occur at any appropriate time after the expiration of the relevant time period586a,b. Thus, in some embodiments, a winning player is selected immediately after the expiration of the time period586. In other embodiments, a winner is not selected until sometime after the expiration of the timer period586, for example at some predetermined time later in the day, the next day, or even at some other date in the future.

Moreover, the award584 need not be provided immediately. In some embodiments, the award584 may be provided immediately upon selection of a winner, or the award584 may be delayed until some appropriate time in the future. It should be understood that a player need not be present or playing on thesystem500 to win or receive an award. In some embodiments, each entry received from a player is associated with a player identifier or account. If a winning entry corresponds to a player not present or playing, the player identifier or account may be used to recall the player's information such that the award584 may be provided to the player's account (incrementing a player account balance, for example), or may be provided to the player later (recognizing the player at a future gaming session, for example). Many other configurations are possible. It should be understood, however, that regardless of when the random selection is made and the award is provided, each selection is made from eligible entries received during the time period586 that the award584 was active. Thus, each award584 is activated, remains active for a predetermined time period (during which it increases in responses to wagers received), and then is deactivated at the expiration of the time period586 associated with the award584.

In some embodiments, only players who are registered with the system and have an account or player identifier are eligible to win the available progressive awards. In other embodiments, players who are actively playing may be eligible regardless of whether or not they have a player account or identifier. Thus, in such an embodiment, if a player is present the system can identify the terminal they are playing at, and award the corresponding progressive award to such player. Therefore in some embodiments, all players playing at gaming terminals may be funding the progressive award, as described herein, while only a subset of such players are eligible to receive a progressive award once triggered (for example, only players with cards and/or accounts, only players present at a gaming terminal, or any other appropriate eligibility requirement).

Turning toFIG. 6, a diagram of agaming system600 for displaying and administering time based progressive awards is depicted. Shown inFIG. 6, is anexemplary gaming system610 which includes acentral gaming facility612 connected bycommunication link616 to alocal gaming facility618, e.g. a casino, and bylink620 with theinternet622. End user computing devices including a gaming machine or terminal GM-M624, e.g. a laptop computer, and wireless gaming machine or terminal WGM-M626, e.g. a personal digital assistant (PDA), function as clients of thecentral gaming facility612.Laptop624 is coupled viainternet service provider628 and theinternet622 with thecentral gaming facility612. ThePDA626 is connected with a wireless link by thewireless access point629 andinternet622 to thecentral gaming facility612. As used herein, “gaming” refers to the use of various games that support the placing of wagers on the outcome of the games, e.g. a video poker machine.

Thecentral gaming facility612 may represent a control location of a gaming business operator that supports individual gaming users, e.g. users ofPDA626 andlaptop624, as well as other gaming facilities of the operator such ascasino618. Thecentral gaming facility612 in this illustrative example may be geographically separated from thecasino618 and the individual users. Thecentral gaming facility612 includes aworkstation630 supported bydata storage element632 and aserver634 that serves as a communication host forcasino618 and the individual users viafirewall636. Requests for information and/or data received from the individual users are processed byserver634. The requested information and/or data may be obtained from support resources,e.g. workstation630 and data residing instorage element632. The requested information is sent from theserver634 to the requesting user's devices.

Thelocal gaming facility618 represents a casino and includes aserver640 supported by aworkstation642,data storage element644 and arouter646. Therouter646 supports communications with different gaming machines or terminals GM(1)-GM(N)650 bywired links648. Awireless access point652 is connected by awired link648 torouter646 and by wireless communication links to wireless gaming machines or terminals WGM(1)-WGM(N)654.

At least some of thegaming machines650 and some of thewireless gaming machines654 support the play of wagering games in which the user's gaming machine functions in the client/server communication model with the user's gaming machine being a client ofserver640. The user's gaming machine contains software which is responsible for the ongoing play of the wagering game. However, some information or data associated with the play of the game may be obtained during the ongoing play of the game fromserver640. Thus, thegaming system610 displayed and described may be configured to execute and display a variety of primary wagering games and community or progressive wagering games on the terminals [GM(1)-GM(N)650, WGM(1)-WGM (N)654, GM-M624, and WM-M626], as explained further herein.

As seen inFIG. 6, thecentral gaming facility612 may be used to operate, administer, control, award, display, and manage the time based progressive awards of a community event, such as the one displayed and described with reference toFIG. 5. For example, thecentral gaming facility612 may store a current value of the awards584 in memory. Moreover, thecentral gaming facility612 may store a time remaining586 for each award in memory. Various software may be miming on thecentral gaming facility612 which manages the entries received from the various players of the system, and associates each such entry with a player identifier or account. Thecentral gaming facility612 may manage the various player accounts directly, or may be in communication with another computer or server which operates, manages, and administers player accounts and identifier. Thus, with each play of a primary wagering game at one or more of the gaming terminals [GM(1)-GM(N)650, WGM(1)-WGM (N)654, GM-M624, and WM-M626], thecentral gaming facility612 may detect such play, receive appropriate entries from such terminal, associate such entries with a player of the terminal, catalogue such entries, and manage the progressive awards584. Moreover, at the expiration of the relevant time period586 for each award, thecentral gaming facility612 may conduct the random selection of an entry from the eligible received entries for such award584, and then award the amount of the provided progressive award584 to the winning player. As discussed, the award584 may be credited to a player's account or provided to the player in any appropriate manner (for example, crediting the credit meter of a gaming terminal at which the player is playing).

In some embodiments, to administer the progressive awards584 and detect receipt of entries into the selections for such awards, thegaming system610 monitors communications between

gaming terminals

650,654 and theserver640 by monitoring thewired links648,wireless access point652, androuter646. When wagers are received at the

terminals

650,654, accounting information for such wagers is transmitted and monitored over thewired links648,wireless access point652, androuter646. Thus, corresponding entries into the progressive awards584 may be created and managed in response to monitoring of such wagering data. Moreover, to the extent that one or more wagering games are displayed onwireless devices626 andlaptop computers624 connected with thecentral gaming facility612, thesystem610 further monitors communications conducted vialink620, theinternet622 andISP628, and wireless access points629. It should further be understood that any of the functions described herein as relating to thecentral gaming facility612 may alternatively or additionally be performed at thelocal gaming facility618, or by any computer or server in communication therewith.

Turning toFIG. 7, a table700 of an example accounting of a gaming system having time period based progressive awards is shown. Such accounting may be conducted, for example, by the central gaming facility ofFIG. 6. Such table700 is stored in memory accessible by the gaming system, such as a hard drive or other memory of a system controlling computer. The table700 includes a set ofparameters702 which provide information relevant to the gaming system being administered. In this embodiment, theparameters702 include the fact that the number of gaming terminals (EGMs) in the system is 1,200, the average coin in per gaming terminal is $1,000 (per day), the contribution of coin in which is dedicated to the progressive awards (1%), and the total daily contribution into the progressive awards ($12,000). Thus, in this system of 1200 gaming terminals, each terminal receiving $1,000 of wagers each day, a total of $1,200,000 is received into the system daily. Of that amount, 1% is dedicated to funding the various time based progressive awards, which in this embodiment comes to $12,000 daily being funded into a pool used for the progressive awards. The amounts being received into the pool are further subdivided and dedicated to the various time based progressive awards in conformity with other configuration data seen in the table700.

The table700 further includes group data tables710,720, and individual award data tables712,714,716. The individual award data tables712,714,716 correspond with individual time based progressive awards as seen in the label therein (HOURLY, DAILY, WEEKLY). The group data tables710,720 correspond to a plurality of individual awards (HOURLY through WEEKLY, and QUARTER HOUR through MONTHLY, respectively). Thus, an operator may configure, view, monitor, and track accounting information from the various progressive awards on an individual basis through the individual award data tables712,714,716 or via pre-defined groups through the group award data tables710,720.

Within each group data table710,720, the columns include aPrize Pool column710a, anallocation column710b, adaily contribution column710c, an events perday column710d, a contribution tocurrent column710e, a contribution to resetcolumn710f, an averagereset value column710g, anaverage prize column710h, and a contribution perday column710i. Theprize pool column710aidentifies the various individual progressive awards by name. Theallocation column710bidentifies a percentage of coin in received which is allocated to each of the individual progressive awards. Thus, the coin received into the progressive pool is distributed in accordance with an allocation percentage, shown in the second column of the table710,720. As seen in the HOURLY through YEARLY awards table710, fifty percent of coin in received is allocated to the Hourly award, twenty percent to the Daily award, fifteen percent to the Weekly award, ten percent to the Monthly award, and five percent to the Yearly award.

Thedaily contribution column710cindicates the amount of money allocated to each individual progressive award, which is the daily contribution from the parameters table702 ($12,000) multiplied by the allocation amount from theallocation column710b. The events perday column710dindicates how many of each event will occur on a daily basis, and thus is a function of the type of time period associated with each of the individual time based progressive awards. For each award in the table710, the operator can select and configure how much of the daily contribution will be allocated to increasing the amount of the award (contribution tocurrent column710e) and how much will be allocated to funding a reset value (contribution to reset column7100. Thus, displayed in thosecolumns710c,fare the distribution selected by the operator for each award. For example, for the HOURLY award, 80% of coin in received for the HOURLY award will go to funding the current HOURLY award, and 20% will go to funding a reset value (which is utilized for a subsequent HOURLY award once a prior HOURLY award is awarded).

The average reset value andaverage prize columns710g,hcontain information which shows what the average reset value and average prizes will be for each award based on theoretical data pertaining to how often the awards are triggered and how much money is funded into each award. Thus, the HOURLY award, for example, will average $250 in value, while the YEARLY award, for example, will average $219,000, as seen in the HOURLY through YEARLY table710. The contribution perday column710ireflects the portion of the daily contribution received ($12,000 in this example) which is allocated to each award, and again is a function of the allocation percentage in theallocation column710b. Theaverage award710hcan be calculated as a function of the contribution perday710idivided by the events perday710d, for each award. Thus, for the HOURLY award, the calculation is $6,000 divided by 24, or $250.00. For the YEARLY ward, the calculation is $600 divided by 0.0027397, or $219,000.

The individual award data tables712,714,716 provide similar information for each individual award. Thus, the information contained in each table712,714,716 depicts distribution information and accounting information if all of the money received into the progressive award pool was dedicated to the corresponding award. For example, looking at the HOURLY table712, theallocation column712breflects that one hundred percent of the coin in is being funded to the HOURLY award, as seen in theallocation percentage column712b. Thedaily contribution amount712cis $12,000 in this table, since 100% of the coin in is being allocated to the HOURLY award. Similarly, the average reset value andaverage award columns712g,hreflect $100 and $500 respectively, since the daily contribution amount is now $12,000. The information in theother columns712d,e,fis the same as the corresponding columns in the group table710d,e,f. Moreover, the other individual data tables714,716 are similarly configured with respect to the individual awards (DAILY, WEEKLY) shown therein. The table700 shown inFIG. 7 is an example of an accounting interface which may be configured and modified by an operator of a gaming system to manage various time based progressive awards. By changing the various parameters in the table700, an operator may achieve a configuration which is desirable for the gaming system he or she operates.

The system and methods of the present invention offer substantial benefits to players and operators alike. Progressive awards which operate on fixed and predetermined time based intervals provide players with an exciting gaming experience. By knowing when the progressive award will be triggered, players may feel an element of control to their gaming experience which encourages them to wager more in an effort to win the progressive. The system, however, maintains fairness by allowing players with greater numbers of entries a great likelihood of winning a progressive award vis-à-vis a player having fewer entries. Moreover, by being able to view both the amount of a progressive award and the time remaining before it is triggered, gaming frenzy may ensue towards the end of such time periods in an effort to increase chances of winning an award, to the benefit of both player and operator alike. Additionally, the integration of such a system with a player account system allows players to participate and win even while not present in the operators facility or engaged in game play. Other benefits are provided as well.

Each of these embodiments and obvious variations thereof is contemplated as falling within the spirit and scope of the claimed invention, which is set forth in the following claims.

Claims

1. A method of awarding a progressive comprising:

displaying a progressive award which increments over time as wagers are received;

activating the progressive award for a predetermined first time period;

during the first time period, adding a first portion of each eligible wager received to the progressive award, each eligible wager associated with a corresponding player inputting the wager;

for each eligible wager received, allocating a first number of entries into a selection for awarding the progressive award;

selecting a winning entry from all entries received during the first time period; and

awarding the progressive award to a player associated with the selected winning entry.

2. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the first number of entries is dependent upon a size of the eligible wager received.

3. The method ofclaim 2, wherein for each eligible wager received, the first number equals a number of credits of each such eligible wager.

4. The method ofclaim 1, wherein selecting a winning entry occurs after the expiration of the first time period.

5. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the first portion comprises an optional side wager.

6. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the first time period is selected from the group consisting of a quarter-hour, an hour, a day, a week, a month, and a year.

7. The method ofclaim 1, further comprising updating the display of the first progressive award after each first portion of each eligible wager is received.

8. The method ofclaim 1, wherein each eligible wager is received via a gaming terminal displaying a primary wagering game.

9. The method ofclaim 8, further comprising displaying a randomly selected outcome of the primary wager wagering game for each eligible wager received.

10. The method ofclaim 1, further comprising determining if a player associated with the selected winning entry has satisfied eligibility requirements to receive the progressive award.

11. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the eligibility requirements comprise having a player account, having a player identifier, or being actively playing at a gaming terminal.

12. A gaming system comprising:

at least one wager input device;

at least one gaming terminal;

at least one display; and

at least one controller operative to:

(i) cause the at least one display to display a progressive award which increments over time as wagers are received;

(ii) activate the progressive award for a predetermined first time period;

(iii) during the first time period, add a first portion of each eligible wager received via the at least one wager input device to the progressive award, each eligible wager associated with a corresponding player inputting the wager;

(iv) for each eligible wager received, allocate a first number of entries into a selection for awarding the progressive award;

(v) select a winning entry from all entries received during the first time period; and

(vi) award the progressive award to a player associated with the selected winning entry.

13. The gaming system ofclaim 12, wherein the at least one controller is further operative to cause the at least one gaming terminal to display a primary wagering game.

14. The gaming system ofclaim 13, wherein in response to each eligible wager received, the at least one gaming terminal displays a randomly selected outcome of the primary wagering game.

15. The gaming system ofclaim 12, wherein the first number of entries is dependent upon a size of the eligible wager received.

16. The gaming system ofclaim 15, wherein for each eligible wager received, the first number equals a number of credits of each such eligible wager.

17. The gaming system ofclaim 12, wherein the first time period is selected from the group consisting of a quarter-hour, an hour, a day, a week, a month, and a year.

18. The gaming system ofclaim 12, wherein the at least one controller is further operative to update the display of the first progressive award after each first portion of each eligible wager is received.

19. The gaming system ofclaim 12, wherein the at least one controller is further operative to reset the first progressive award to a reset value.

20. A method of awarding a progressive comprising:

using a value-input device to accept input of funds into a gaming terminal, the funds being converted into a credit balance available to a player for wagering on the gaming terminal,

in response to the player providing at least a portion of the credit balance as a wager for conducting a wagering game, using a value detector to send an electronic communication to one or more processors signaling that the wager has been detected; and

using at least one of the processors to execute a wagering game program on the gaming terminal and to

cause the displaying of a first progressive award and a second progressive award,

activate the first progressive award for a predetermined first time period and the second progressive award for a predetermined second time period,

during the first and second time periods, respectively, add a first portion of each eligible wager received to the first progressive award and add a second portion of each eligible wager received to the second progressive award, each eligible wager associated with a corresponding player inputting the wager,

for each eligible wager received during the first time period, allocate a first number of entries into a selection for awarding the first progressive award,

for each eligible wager received during the second time period, allocate a second number of entries into a selection for awarding the second progressive award,

select a first winning entry from all entries received during the first time period and award the first progressive award to a first player associated with the selected first winning entry, and

select a second winning entry from all entries received during the second time period and award the second progressive award to a second player associated with the selected second winning entry.

21. The method ofclaim 20, wherein each of the first and second time periods are selected from the group consisting of a quarter-hour, an hour, a day, a week, a month, and a year.

22. The method ofclaim 20, wherein the first time period is different in duration that the second time period.

23. The method ofclaim 20, wherein a portion of the first time period overlaps with a portion of the second time period.

24. The method ofclaim 20, wherein the first progressive award and the second progressive award are active concurrently.

25. The method ofclaim 20, wherein at least one eligible wager received contributes both a first portion to the first progressive award and a second portion to the second progressive award.

26. The method ofclaim 20, wherein the first number of entries and the second number of entries are dependent upon a size of each corresponding eligible wager received.

27. The method ofclaim 26, wherein the first number of entries is greater than the second number of entries.

28. A method of awarding a progressive comprising:

displaying on a display a progressive award that increments during a predetermined time period;

using a value-input device to receive eligible wagers during the time period, each eligible wager being associated with a corresponding player inputting the eligible wager;

using a wager detector to send an electronic communication to one or more processors signaling that the wager has been detected;

for each eligible wager received during the time period, using at least one of the processors to allocate a number of entries into a selection for awarding the progressive award;

using at least one of the processors to select a winning entry from all entries received during the time period; and