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  Gaming apparatusUSPTO Application #: 20080064470Title: Gaming apparatus Abstract: A gaming apparatus includes a player terminal operable by a player to simulate a slots game, and a random event generator for generating a random event upon which an outcome of the slots game is based. The slots game has a plurality of successful outcomes, each successful outcome causing the player to win a corresponding prize. A wagering facility enables the player to place a wager on the occurrence of any specific successful outcome of the slots game, or to make a plurality of different wagers, each corresponding to a different specific one of the successful outcomes of the slots game. The different specific successful outcomes include a favourable outcome and a number of intermediate outcomes. The player's prize corresponding to the favourable outcome is a jackpot prize, while that corresponding to an intermediate outcome is repayment of the player's wager at fixed odds inversely proportional to the probability of that intermediate outcome occurring. The wagering facility enables the player to designate a size of an overall wager, the overall wager being applied as equal wagers on the occurrence of each one of the successful outcomes of the slots game. (end of abstract)
Agent: Mcdonnell Boehnen Hulbert & Berghoff LLP - Chicago, IL, UN Inventor: Martin Moshal USPTO Applicaton #: 20080064470 - Class: 463017000 (USPTO) Related Patent Categories: Amusement Devices: Games, Including Means For Processing Electronic Data (e.g., Computer/video Game, Etc.), In A Chance Application, Lot Match Or Lot Combination (e.g., Roulette, Lottery, Etc.) The Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20080064470. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0001] This invention relates to gaming apparatus and, more particularly, to gaming apparatus that enables a player to play a game of chance and to place a wager thereon. The invention extends to a method of operation of the gaming apparatus. BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION [0002] Games of chance are known and widely played for recreational purposes. In order to enhance the recreational experience for a player, it is common for the rules of the game to enable the player to place a wager on an outcome of the particular game being played. The wager is paid out at predetermined odds if the outcome of the game is successful, and forfeited by the player of the outcome of the game is unsuccessful. The determination as to whether any wager is successful or unsuccessful is determined according to the rules of the game. [0003] In this specification, the term "gaming apparatus" is taken to include any apparatus on which, or with which, the player may play a game of chance, and associated with which the player may place a wager on an outcome of the game. [0004] The wager may be made with real currency, or with an equivalent of value, such as credits or tokens. [0005] Generally, games of chance are repetitive in nature and consist of sequential cycles, each including the following steps: placing a wager, generating one or more random events, determining whether the wager is successful or unsuccessful as a function of the random events, collecting the wager if unsuccessful, and paying the wager according to predetermined odds if the wager is successful. Examples of such repetitive games are roulette, blackjack, video poker and slots. [0006] The simplest example of the slots game is exemplified in a three-reel slot machine. Each reel of the slot machine is a physical reel and has, say, 30 indexed positions, some of which may display a corresponding indicium to a player of the slot machine. The player is required to place a wager by introducing coins, tokens or credit into the slot machine, which then frees the reels to be spun and to come to rest, randomly, at any of the indexed positions. The spin of each reel thus results in a random event, as described above, and the combination of the three random events constitutes an outcome of the game. The slot machine may be implemented in software, with the random events being generated by a software random number generator. One particular outcome of the slots game usually causes the player to win a prize consisting of a fixed jackpot. A slot machine with the above geometry, namely three reels and 30 positions per reel, provides the player with a 1 in 27 000 chance of winning the fixed jackpot, meaning that, on average, 27 000 outcomes of the game must be determined in order for the jackpot to be won by the player. [0007] In order to take advantage of the random nature of the outcomes of the game, it is known to replace the fixed jackpot by a progressive jackpot in which a proportion of each wager placed by the player of the slot machine is used to increment the jackpot. The randomness makes it possible for the progressive jackpot to become large relative to the fixed jackpot described above, which enhances the attractiveness of the slot machine to would-be players thereof. It must, of course, be appreciated that the randomness also raises the possibility of the progressive jackpot being won when it is small relative to the fixed jackpot. [0008] The slots game has a single favourable outcome, a number of intermediate outcomes, and a plurality of unsuccessful outcomes. When the favourable outcome of the slots game occurs, the player wins the jackpot. When an intermediate outcome occurs, the player's wager is paid at predetermined fixed odds. When an unfavourable outcome occurs, the player's wager is forfeited. [0009] Thus the wager made by the player is a wager on the occurrence of either the favourable outcome, or any one of the intermediate outcomes, the odds at which the wager is paid being inversely proportional to the probability of that outcome occurring. [0010] This method of wagering is unnecessarily restrictive to a player of the slots game. It is desirable to provide a slots game that offers a player wagering choices that are more flexible than those of prior art equivalent games. OBJECT OF THE INVENTION [0011] It is an object of this invention to provide a gaming apparatus, and a method of operation thereof, that will, at least partially, alleviate the above-mentioned difficulties and disadvantages. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0012] In accordance with this invention there is provided a gaming apparatus, comprising: a player terminal operable by a player to simulate a slots game; [0013] a random event generator responsive to the player terminal to generate a random event upon which an outcome of the slots game is based, the slots game having a plurality of successful outcomes, each successful outcome causing the player to win a corresponding prize; and a wagering facility usable by the player to place a wager on the occurrence of any specific successful outcome of the slots game. [0014] Further features of the invention provide for the wagering facility to be usable by the player to make a plurality of different wagers, each one of the plurality of different wagers corresponding to a different specific one of the successful outcomes of the slots game, for the plurality of successful outcomes to include a favourable outcome and a number of intermediate outcomes, for the player's prize corresponding to the favourable outcome to be a fixed jackpot prize or a progressive jackpot prize, and for the player's prize corresponding to an intermediate outcome to be repayment of the player's wager at fixed odds inversely proportional to the probability of that intermediate outcome occurring. [0015] Still further features of the invention provide for the wagering facility to enable the player to make a wager denominated in units of credit, for the wagering facility to enable the player to designate a size of an overall wager, the overall wager being applied as equal wagers on the occurrence of each one of the successful outcomes of the slots game, for the slots game to be a three-reel slots game having about ten successful outcomes, and for the fixed odds of the intermediate outcomes to be between 5:1 and 250:1. [0016] The invention extends to a method of operating a gaming apparatus, comprising the steps of: simulating a slots game and presenting the simulation to a player of the game, the slots game having a plurality of successful outcomes with each successful outcome causing the player to win a corresponding prize; enabling the player to place a wager on the occurrence of any specific successful outcome of the slots game; and Continue reading... Full patent description for Gaming apparatus Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Gaming apparatus patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. Start now! - Receive info on patent apps like Gaming apparatus or other areas of interest. ### Previous Patent Application: Slot machine and playing method thereof Next Patent Application: Lottery game that alternates between game indicia and raffle prizes Industry Class: Amusement devices: games ### FreshPatents.com Support Thank you for viewing the Gaming apparatus patent info. 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