Amusement devices: games – Including means for processing electronic data – Credit/debit monitoring or manipulation
Reexamination Certificate
1999-03-08
2002-10-22
Martin-Wallace, Valencia (Department: 3714)
Amusement devices: games
Including means for processing electronic data
Credit/debit monitoring or manipulation
C463S020000, C463S021000, C463S026000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06468156
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
This present invention relates, generally, to gaming devices and, more particularly, relates to more flexible pay table schedules and subsystems for gaming machines.
BACKGROUND ART
In the recent past, gaming machines have become increasingly sophisticated. The once traditional mechanically-driven reel slot machines are often replaced with electronic counterparts having CRT video displays or the like. Moreover, these video/electronic gaming advancements enable the operation of more complex gambling games which would not otherwise be possible on mechanical-driven gambling machines. Such stand alone video electronic games include Keno, Blackjack, Poker, Pai Gow, and all the variations thereof.
More recently, multiple game platforms have been developed which provide access to multiple electronic games through a single stand alone gaming machine, such as International Game Technology's (IGT) “Game King Machine”. These games are usually stored in Erasable, Programmable, Read-Only Memory (EPROM) chip sets which are then incorporated into compatible gaming machines for operation thereof. A game selection menu may be provided on the video display which offers the patron the choice of one or more video/electronic games. The gaming patron, thus, may select a gambling game of their choice without having to search the gaming establishment for the location of a desired game.
Not only have the games increased in sophistication, but so have the methodologies and schemes employed to award a winning gaming patron. As with a substantial majority of the gambling games and gaming devices, if not all, the gaming patron has the option of proportionately increasing their wager with the potential of increasing their pay schedule. However, various techniques are currently employed to further encourage the gaming patron to maximize their wager by offering a bonus pay table schedule based upon the number of coins bet.
As shown in the Bonus Schedule Table of
FIG. 1
, two exemplary pay table schemes are provided, both schedules of which may be incorporated in any gaming machine. Pay Table A represents a two-tiered scheme in which the gaming patron is eligible for a maximum bonus pay schedule when they wager the maximum number of coins bet on a single game, a number predetermined by the gaming operator.
This concept may best be illustrated in Pay Table A of
FIG. 2
in which a five (5) coin maximum bet amount is established. Upon a gaming patron wagering a 1 to 4 coin bet, a potential pay schedule of 250 coins per coin bet is scheduled. Hence, a one (1) coin wager will yield a 1×250 or 250 coin award, while a four (4) coin wager will yield a 4×250 or 1000 coin award, etc. However, should the gaming patron elect to be eligible for the maximum bonus pay schedule (i.e., 800 coins per coin bet), they were required to bet the maximum amount of coins accepted by the gaming machine (i.e., a five (5) coin wager). Upon wagering a fifth coin, the maximum bonus pay schedule of 800 coins per coin bet in Pay Table A is commenced which will yield a 5×800 or 4000 coin award.
In contrast, in the maximum bonus pay schedule of Pay Table B, a multi-tiered pay table scheme is devised which is increasingly graduated to further encourage increased wagering. In this scheme, the number of coins wagered which amount to less than a preset maximum coin bet provide a pay table of: 250 coins per coin bet from 1 to 4 coins bet; 300 coins per coin bet from 5 to 9 coins bet; 350 coins per coin bet from 10 to 19 coins bet; . . . ; 700 coins per coin bet from 75 to 99 coins bet. Upon the maximum coin being bet, E.g., the 100
th
coin, a maximum bonus pay schedule of 800 coins per coin bet is awarded which amounts to a 100×800 or 80,000 coin award.
One problem associated with these present pay table arrangements is that they are relatively inflexible to encourage additional wagering. Under the current schemes and associated subsystems, a gaming operator may select the maximum number of coins wagered, but may not select when the maximum bonus pay schedule is to commence independent of the maximum number of coins wager. Therefore, the gaming patron is only eligible for the maximum bonus pay schedule when they wager the maximum coin wager. The maximum bonus pay schedule thus only occurs upon betting the maximum coin wager. In some instances, therefore, attempts to customize the wagering may actually reduce the patron incentive to increase their wager, rather than increase their incentive.
This may best be exemplified in the tables of FIG.
2
. In the first column of the Schedules A and B, for example, a gaming operator may initially select the maximum coin bet at five (5) coins. Therefore, for coins 1 to 4 wagered by the gaming patron, an award of 250 coins per coin wagered may be achieved, while the maximum bonus (i.e., at 800 coins per coin bet) will not become effective until the fifth coin is bet by the gaming patron. However, should the gaming operator later select a maximum coin bet at 20 coins (col. 2 of the table in FIG.
2
), then the maximum bonus pay schedule (i.e., at 800 coins per coin bet) will not become effective until and will automatically commence on the 20
th
coin wagered by the gaming patron. In contrast, the remaining wagered coins from 1 to 19 coins correspond to a 250 coins per coin bet in Pay Table A, while in Pay Table B, 5 to 9 coins correspond to a 300 coins per coin bet, and 10 to 19 coins correspond to a 350 coins per coin bet.
Accordingly, while the 5
th
coin waged in the 5 coin maximum wager game yielded a potential award of 800 coins per coin bet, the 5
th
coin waged in the newly configured 20 coin maximum wager game now only yields 250 coins per coin bet for Pay Table A and 300 coins per coin bet for Pay Table B. To achieve an 800 coins per coin bet would not require a maximum wager of 20 coins. It is this inflexibility which may be problematic since customers frequenting the gaming machine with a previous 5 coin maximum wager schedule may be reluctant to utilize the gaming machines with the reconfigured 20 coin maximum wager schedules.
In addition, should a significant alteration in the Pay Table Schedule be requested, as above indicated, a new EPROM chip set incorporating the new scheme would have to be installed in the gaming machine. This inefficient method to alter the payscale may increase the gaming machine downtime (i.e., during installation), as well as cause higher operating costs for the gaming operator. The costs for the machine manufacturer or game vendor are also increased since they must supply several different EPROM chip sets having different combinations of pay table schedules.
This is a serious concern for gaming machine manufacturers and gaming vendors alike. Accordingly, in view of the above observations, it would be desirable to provide a multiple game platform gaming machine which can easily enable the gaming machine manufacturer or vendor to more flexibly control the pay table schemes of the selected games.
DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION
The present invention provides a subsystem and method for paying awards in a gaming machine including configuring the gaming machine to have a plurality of discrete Bet Values (BV) available to a game user and a plurality of associated pay table awards which vary with the bet value wagered, wherein a discrete bonus Bet Value (BV
bonus
), which commences a maximum bonus pay schedule (X
bonus
), may be adjustably selected from at least two of the discrete bet values.
In one embodiment, the configuring the gaming machine further includes inputting the maximum Bet Value (BV
max
) independently from inputting the bonus Bet Value (BV
bonus
) which may be performed by a gaming operator. BV
bonus
is the lowest bet value allowing the maximum payout award.
In another aspect of the present invention, a subsystem for paying awards in a gaming machine is provided including either discrete Bet Circuitry or general circuitry programmed with specific bet software (collectively referred to as a “Bet Module”) adapted to configur
Hughs-Baird Andrea C.
LeMay Steven G.
Beyer Weaver & Thomas LLP
IGT
Martin-Wallace Valencia
White Carmen D.
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