| Method, apparatus, and program product for multiple play bonus system -> Monitor Keywords |
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Method, apparatus, and program product for multiple play bonus systemRelated Patent Categories: Amusement Devices: Games, Including Means For Processing Electronic Data (e.g., Computer/video Game, Etc.), Credit/debit Monitoring Or Manipulation (e.g., Game Entry, Betting, Prize Level, Etc.)Method, apparatus, and program product for multiple play bonus system description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070010319, Method, apparatus, and program product for multiple play bonus system. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0001] This invention relates to gaming and gaming systems. More particularly, the invention relates to a gaming system that provides players with the opportunity to participate in a bonus game related to multiple instances of another game. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] Wagering games are commonly played in a format in which one game play yields one result. The game known as "bingo" is an example of such a single play-single result game. Bingo is played with predetermined bingo cards that have designations, such as numbers, letters, or other symbols, randomly arranged in a desired manner, commonly in a grid. The bingo designations on the cards are selected from a pool of available designations. In traditional bingo games, the cards are physically printed on paper or other suitable material. These traditional printed cards are purchased by players prior to the start of a game. After a buy-in period in which players purchase bingo cards for a game, designations from the available pool of designations are selected at random. As the designations are selected and announced in the game, the players match the randomly selected designations with the designations printed on their respective card or cards. This matching and marking of matched designations on the bingo card is commonly referred to as "daubing" the card. The winner of the bingo game is the player first producing a predetermined winning pattern of matches between the randomly selected designations and the printed card designations on a single card, and then announcing "bingo" to claim the win. Other players may also receive awards for achieving other predetermined patterns of matches in the course of the bingo game. In any case, each bingo card in a particular game is associated with a single result. [0003] Bonus games are commonly used in gaming systems to provide a level of play in addition to the primary games. Some bonus games award bonus prizes that are based at least in part, on the results of the primary game, while other bonus games award bonus prizes based on the outcome of only the bonus game. The bonus prize may take various forms, with some common examples including additional game play credits, a monetary prize, or tangible items, such as jewelry. Regardless of the prizes that may be awarded in a bonus game, bonus games tend to add a certain amount of excitement to a gaming system and thus tend to increase player participation. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0004] A gaming system according to the present invention provides a secondary game having an outcome that depends on the results from multiple instances of a primary game. The secondary game is associated with a particular secondary game structure that includes a number of separate locations. Each of these secondary game locations is linked to at least one particular instance of the primary game. The result associated with each instance of the primary game linked to a particular secondary game location helps determine the state of that respective secondary game location. Players may receive a bonus prize by producing some predefined pattern or other arrangement of secondary game locations in the secondary game structure. By basing the outcome of the bonus game on multiple instances of the primary game, the secondary game encourages players to participate in multiple instances of the primary game. The secondary game according to the present invention also adds a level of excitement to game play and helps enhance player interest in the gaming system. [0005] One preferred method according to the present invention includes conducting a primary game multiple times to produce a number of respective primary game results. Each completed game play in the primary game represents an instance of the primary game and produces a result in the primary game. A result from a particular instance of the primary game will be referred to throughout this disclosure and the accompanying claims as a "primary game result." Each instance of the primary game is linked to a location in a secondary game structure. For example, the secondary game structure may comprise a bingo card-type structure or an arrangement of reel symbol locations in a mechanical or video reel-type game display. Regardless of the exact nature of the secondary display structure, the primary game result for at least one respective instance of the primary game is applied to control the state of a respective location in the secondary game structure. The states of the various locations in the secondary game structure correlate to the result for the secondary game and may entitle a player to a bonus prize. [0006] A gaming apparatus according to the present invention may include a game processor and a player display. In one form of the invention, the game processor receives a number of primary game results and applies those results to control the state of locations in the secondary game structure to which the instances of the primary game are linked. The game processor also identifies a result in a secondary game correlated with the pattern in the secondary game structure produced by applying the various primary game results. The player display included in this form of the invention is operatively connected to the game processor for displaying preferably the primary game results, the secondary game structure, and the secondary game result. The game processor may comprise a general purpose data processing device the operates under the control of operational program code to perform its various functions. [0007] These and other advantages and features of the invention will be apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments, considered along with the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0008] FIG. 1 is a high level diagrammatic representation of a bingo gaming system in which the present invention may be implemented. [0009] FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic representation of a computer system arrangement that may be used for a central game server and local area servers included in the system shown in FIG. 1. [0010] FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic representation of an electronic player station that may be used in the system shown in FIG. 1. [0011] FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic representation illustrating process steps embodying the principles of the invention. [0012] FIG. 5 is a representation of a game graphic illustrating an embodiment of the invention in which the secondary game structure comprises bingo-type game matrix. [0013] FIG. 6 is a representation of a game graphic illustrating an embodiment of the invention in which the secondary game structure comprises an arrangement of reels similar to a reel-type game. DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS [0014] The claims at the end of this application set out novel features which the Applicant believes are characteristic of the invention. The various advantages and features of the invention together with preferred modes of use of the invention will best be understood by reference to the following description of illustrative embodiments read in conjunction with the drawings introduced above. [0015] The following description discusses the present invention as used in the context of a particular bingo gaming system disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2004/0152499 A1 entitled "Method, System, and Program Product for Conducting Multiple Concurrent Bingo-Type Games," the entire content of which is incorporated herein by this reference. Although the invention does have particular application to the high-speed bingo gaming system set out in this published U.S. patent application, it will be appreciated that the invention is by no means limited to use in any particular bingo gaming system or to any particular primary game. Rather, the invention may be used to provide a secondary game for any type of game, including not only bingo games, but also lottery-type games, and casino-type games such as reel-type games and video poker games. [0016] FIG. 1 shows a gaming system 100 including a central game server (CGS) 101 that cooperates with a number of other components to enable bingo players, preferably at many different remote gaming sites, to participate in bingo games. Each gaming site includes a local area server (LAS) 102 and a number of electronic player stations (EPSs) 103. As will be discussed in detail below, in the normal operation of gaming system 100, a player at any EPS 103 in the system may participate in a given bingo game with players at any other EPSs 103 in the system. Thus, players at different gaming facilities may be grouped together for a given bingo game administered through system 100. Grouping together players from different gaming facilities for the play of a bingo game allows different bingo games to be played rapidly and minimizes the time that players must wait to receive the result of their participation in the bingo game, that is, the result for a given instance of the bingo game. [0017] System 100 rapidly groups players and/or game play requests and starts one game after another so that multiple games may be in play at any given time. That is, once a first group of players or game play requests has been assigned to a bingo game offered through system 100, the system proceeds to simultaneously administer a bingo game for the first group of players or game play requests and also begin grouping players or game play requests for a next bingo game. System 100 does not necessarily wait for one bingo game to be completed before starting to collect players or game play requests for, and actually beginning play in, the next bingo game. The number of players or game play requests grouped for the play of bingo games in the bingo gaming system may be limited to reduce the time required for grouping. For example, each bingo game offered through gaming system 100 shown in FIG. 1 may be limited to between 2 to 20 players or game play requests, with the preferred number for any given game being from 10 to 15. Where system 100 includes numerous EPSs 103 at the various remote locations, on the order of several thousand EPSs for example, hundreds of individual bingo games may be in progress at any given time through the gaming system. [0018] Since system 100 includes an arrangement for grouping players and/or game play requests for the play of a bingo game to facilitate rapid game play, the system may dramatically reduce the time between a game play request at one of the EPSs 103 and the return of results to the respective EPS. The delay between the game play request and the return of the bingo result may be reduced sufficiently to allow a great deal of flexibility in how results in the bingo game are displayed to the player. In particular, the primary game results may be displayed in some manner unrelated to bingo. For example, the primary game results may be mapped to a display traditionally associated with a reel-type game, to a display relating to a card game, or to a display showing a race such as a horse or dog race, for example. [0019] Regardless of the rapid play facilitated by system 100 and regardless of the manner in which the primary game results are displayed, each instance of the underlying primary game remains a standard bingo game played in the traditional sequence of play for bingo games. That is, each player obtains or is assigned a bingo card representation, all bingo card representations in play in the game are daubed or checked for matches with a draw, and the first card in the game to match the sequence of designations to produce the game ending or winning pattern represents the card that may win the bingo game, subject to any claiming action required under the rules of the game. Additional prizes may be awarded for other patterns that may be produced in the course of the bingo game. Furthermore, instances of the bingo game, that is, plays in one or more bingo games conducted in system 100 may be applied to a secondary game according to the invention and may entitle the player to additional, bonus prizes in addition to the prizes available in the bingo games. Continue reading about Method, apparatus, and program product for multiple play bonus system... Full patent description for Method, apparatus, and program product for multiple play bonus system Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Method, apparatus, and program product for multiple play bonus system 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 Method, apparatus, and program product for multiple play bonus system or other areas of interest. ### Previous Patent Application: Gaming machine Next Patent Application: Gaming machine Industry Class: Amusement devices: games ### FreshPatents.com Support Thank you for viewing the Method, apparatus, and program product for multiple play bonus system patent info. IP-related news and info Results in 0.14609 seconds Other interesting Feshpatents.com categories: Accenture , Agouron Pharmaceuticals , Amgen , AT&T , Bausch & Lomb , Callaway Golf 174 |
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