Video game with bonusing or wild feature

Amusement devices: games – Chance devices – Electric or magnetic

Reexamination Certificate

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Details

C273S14300R, C463S020000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06311976

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of video gaming systems, particularly video gaming systems where payouts are awarded for the appearance of symbols, and video gaming systems with bonus payout features.
2. Background of the Art
Video wagering games are popular gaming devices in casinos and other gaming establishments. A number of factors have contributed to the popularity of video wagering games. Gaming establishments have expanded the variety of games offered on video platforms beyond what was once limited to video poker, video keno and video reel slot machines. Many casino table games such as blackjack, draw poker, stud poker, Let It Ride® poker and Caribbean Stud Poker® are available on video. These games can be learned on video machines before advancing to the more intimidating live table game environment. With video wagering, novice players can enjoy playing a wide variety of casino games without having to play at a table with other more experienced players who may create an intimidating environment for the novice. Players of video games need not worry about playing too slowly to suit the dealer or other players or about feeling embarrassed by making a particular strategic decision.
Video wagering games often are capable of paying a progressive jackpot if the player achieves a predetermined winning outcome, which offers the anticipation or hope for a very large award. Progressive jackpots for gaming machines became popular in part because the technology was available to account for the jackpot amount. For the above reasons, the video wagering format is growing at a pace which exceeds the growth of play of live casino table games and other types of live wagering.
One of the more commonly known video wagering games is video draw poker which is available in numerous variations. Other examples include video reel slot machines and video keno. Video reel slot machines may simulate the play of a mechanical slot machine such as a three-reel slot, for example. Because the virtual reels in a video gaming apparatus are not limited by the geometry of a conventional slot reel, the game can provide a larger number of pay lines or of winning combinations than can a conventional mechanical slot machine.
Numerous versions of video poker are available, including numerous versions of draw poker, stud poker, Let It Ride® poker, Caribbean Stud®, and more recently, Triple Play Poker™. Some video platforms are provided with the capability of the player being able to select from among a number of video wagering games. For example, some gaming establishments provide a number of poker game variations on one multi-game video platform. The games are played independently, one-at-a-time, with no inter-relationship between games.
Some video games which are adapted for play on a home computer have a “second screen” feature. That is, if the player wins a certain number of games, or achieves a predetermined skill level in a game, a second screen will appear which either permits the player to play the same game at a higher skill level or allows the player to engage in a special feature of that game (e.g., collect additional game pieces or increased lives, as in Mario Brothers® arcade games). In the case of video wagering, there are a growing number of video wagering games which provide an opportunity to first play an underlying or principal video wagering game (e.g., draw poker) and then to play a different wagering game, although on the same video screen format as the poker game (e.g., as with “double down” games as known in the art). For example, some video poker games offer a double-or-nothing feature. If a player has a winning hand in the first segment of the game, the player can optionally risk the amount won by trying to determine whether a given card will be higher or lower than 8. Alternatively the player may have to choose one of four cards in an attempt to get a card higher than one already shown. If the player wins, his original bet is doubled. He may continue to “double up” until he reaches some predetermined limit, or loses. However, if he loses, he loses the winnings from the first game. This “double up” game is played on substantially the identically formatted screen (showing five playing cards, but with the possible addition to that screen of alphanumerics, as later described) as is the underlying poker game. The principal game, the poker game, is played to obtain an award, and only that award allows winnings from that single game to be “doubled up.”
There also exist video wagering games that have a video slot segment and at least one additional video wagering segment. Additionally, there are known second, that is alternative screen games in which the winnings from the second screen game are unrelated to and independent of the winnings in the first screen game.
Examples of these games are U.S. Pat. No. 4,871,171 (Rivero) showing a slot game with a lottery-type second game showing a cage with balls that are used to select a prize, including a consolation prize; U.K. Patent No. 2,066,991 A (Middleton) showing a reel slot game followed by the play of a pin ball or Pachinko-type game in which the movement or rest position of a ball indicates an influence over the award for the slot game, including the award of a jackpot; U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,848,932; 5,911,418 and 5,823,874 describe a card game or slot game in which after achieving a predetermined result in the play of a first game, a bonus round is entered in which a roulette-type spin of a ball determines a payout or bonus amount, beyond what is achieved in the play of the slot game.
Applicant's commonly assigned co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/820,438, filed on Mar. 12, 1997 titled “Method Of Scoring A Video Wagering Game” describes a second screen video game in which winnings or awards from the play of a first game on a first format screen may be increased or multiplied by play of a second game on a second screen with a different visual format than the first screen.
It is well known in the gaming industry that bonus games attract and keep players at a gaming machine. The bonus game is typically another gaming machine or a random selection device which is enabled by a bonus qualifying signal from an underlying or primary gaming machine. A wide variety of bonus games, features, and devices are known some of which are set forth next.
The conventional WHEEL OF GOLD® and WHEEL OF FORTUNE® slot casino games incorporate a single play bonussing feature. A rotating wheel is activated by the player depressing a bonus spin button when certain indicia appears on the reels of the slot game and is used to award bonus payouts in a spin of the wheel. A separate multiplier may be used to multiply the bonus payouts. After the bonus spin, play resumes in the underlying gaming machine. These games are commercially available from Anchor Gaming and International Game Technology and are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,823,874 and 5,848,932.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,004,207 describes a spinning reel slot machine that gives a multiplied payoff when certain conditions are fulfilled. Wins that include a special symbol on the pay line are multiplied by an incremental multiplier when the machine is in a particular mode. A counter value is increased by one every time a second special symbol appears on the visible sections of the reels. Whenever the counter reaches a predetermined value, the counter is reset and the multiplier is increased. Whenever a multiplied payout occurs, the multiplier is reset to a minimum value. An “XFACTOR” may act as a wild card for reel slot symbols and may also include other functions in the play of the game.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,980,384 describes an embodiment of the invention in which the player initiates a round of a reel slot type machine game (often referred to as a “spin” or “play”) by pulling the slot machine handle or pushing a button and waiting for the reels to stop spinning. If a row of common symbols appear, which may include wild card symbols such as Jokers, in the p

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