| Patent application number | Description | Published |
| 20090036202 | GAMING SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING AN ADDITIONAL GAMING CURRENCY - A gaming system including a central server linked to a plurality of gaming machines. The gaming system includes a point or count based system to provide one or more awards to one or more players. Such points are accumulated by a player based on one or more events associated with the player's gaming experience. The points or counts utilized in the gaming system are selectively redeemed by the player in exchange for one or more opportunities to win an award. It should be appreciated that in one embodiment, the equalizing units disclosed herein are different, separate and independent from any monetary based points or credits, any promotional based points or credits, or any player tracking points. | 02-05-2009 |
| 20090104954 | METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR TRACKING AN EVENT OF AN EXTERNALLY CONTROLLED INTERFACE - A method for tracking an event of an externally controlled interface (ECI) is described. The method includes generating the externally controlled interface independent of an outcome of a wager-based game regulated by a regulatory authority, and logging the event of the externally controlled interface. | 04-23-2009 |
| 20090117970 | GAMING SYSTEM AND METHOD PROVIDING A COLLECTION GAME - A gaming system and method providing a collection game independent from the primary games of a gaming system. In one embodiment, the collection game includes a plurality of elements and a winning element combination. During play of the collection game, randomly or upon an occurrence of a triggering event, the gaming system releases one of the plurality of elements to players. The gaming system repeats the process of releasing elements until one of the players collects all of the elements of the winning element combination. The first player to collect all of the elements of the winning element combination wins an award or prize. | 05-07-2009 |
| 20100099491 | POST CERTIFICATION METERING FOR DIVERSE GAME MACHINES - Bonuses such as progressive bonuses are based on the activity of many players playing at many machines. The machines may be made by different manufacturers and run different games. Prior diverse arrays of such machines relied on a hardware slot machine interface board (SMIB) that acted as a master and transmitted game activity to remote servers. A disclosed embodiment virtualizes the SMIB. In one implementation, protected processes allow for real time meter creation and destruction within different games, even after the game software has been certified and the hash cannot change. | 04-22-2010 |
| 20100105454 | METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR INTERFACING WITH A THIRD-PARTY APPLICATION - A system for interfacing with a third-party application is described. The system includes a third-party device, a server-based system configured to communicate with the third-party device, and a gaming device configured to communicate with the server-based system to display content of the product or service. The gaming device is configured to generate an outcome of a wager-based game independent of the content that is displayed. | 04-29-2010 |
| 20110212764 | GAMING SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING AN ADDITIONAL GAMING CURRENCY - A gaming system including a central server linked to a plurality of gaming machines. The gaming system includes a point or count based system to provide one or more awards to one or more players. Such points are accumulated by a player based on one or more events associated with the player's gaming experience. The points or counts utilized in the gaming system are selectively redeemed by the player in exchange for one or more opportunities to win an award. It should be appreciated that in one embodiment, the equalizing units disclosed herein are different, separate and independent from any monetary based points or credits, any promotional based points or credits, or any player tracking points. | 09-01-2011 |
| Patent application number | Description | Published |
| 20100240443 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR PLAYER REWARDS - Players in a player loyalty scheme are awarded points based on their point-generating activity and are then ranked in order of generated points. Rank-based points are then associated with each rank according to a predefined mapping scheme. The rank-based point totals may be updated periodically. Rank-based points may also be used in tournament play. | 09-23-2010 |
| 20110070944 | PLAYER REWARD PROGRAM WITH LOYALTY-BASED REALLOCATION - A gaming machine coupled to at least one server via a network includes a display device configured to display a game to a player playing on the gaming machine, and a controller coupled to the display device. The controller detects an award trigger during play of the game, and awards a token upon detection of the award trigger, wherein the token includes an activation date, an expiration date, and a value that is unknown to the player at the time of being awarded. In response to a redemption request by the player, the controller determines a redemption status of the token and, based on the redemption status, awards the token value to the player or notifies the player that the token is expired. | 03-24-2011 |
| 20110124402 | GAMING SYSTEM, GAMING DEVICE, AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING BENEFIT IN A FUTURE PLAY OF A WAGERING GAME - On embodiment of the gaming system: receives a base wager from a player for a play of a wagering game; enables the player to select to cause a modifier to be applied to the play of the wagering game or the modifier to not be applied to the play of the wagering game; displays an outcome of the play of the wagering game; if the outcome is a losing outcome and if the player caused the modifier to be applied to the play of the wagering game, reset the modifier; if the outcome is the losing outcome and if the player caused the modifier to not be applied to the play of the wagering game, increase the modifier; if the outcome is a winning outcome and the player caused the modifier to not be applied to the play of the wagering game, provide a first award to player based on the winning outcome and the base wager, and reset the modifier; and if the outcome is a winning outcome and the player caused the modifier to be applied to the play of the wagering game provide a second different award to the player based on the winning outcome, the base wager, and the modifier, and reset the modifier. | 05-26-2011 |
| 20110263312 | GAMING SYSTEM, GAMING DEVICE AND METHOD PROVIDING A FIRST GAME AND A PLURALITY SECOND WAGERING GAMES EACH ASSOCIATED WITH A SEPARATE ACTIVATABLE COMPONENT OF THE FIRST GAME - A gaming system having a first skill, partial skill, or pseudo skill based game having a plurality of individually activatable designated components and a plurality of second chance based games each respectively associated with a different one of the individually activatable components of the skill based game. When each designated component of the first game is activated through one or player inputs, a corresponding chance based game associated with that designated component is activated. Each chance based game randomly determines whether the player wins an award. In one embodiment, the likelihood of activating each designated component is different and the chance based game associated with each different designated component is different. | 10-27-2011 |