IP Library › Granted Patent US 12711838
Granted Patent B2
US 12711838 · App. 18/502,865 · Granted Aug 18, 2026

Non-scripted award opportunities

Inventors: Todd Grimm (Riverview, CA); Sylvie Roussel (Moncton, CA)
Assignee: IGT
G07F17/3267G07F17/3258G07F17/3262
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12711838
App. No.
18/502,865
Granted
Aug 18, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

Systems and methods that provide a non-scripted award opportunity responsive to an occurrence of an award triggering event.

Claims (62)

1 . An electronic gaming machine comprising:

a housing comprising an access door;

a security monitoring circuit supported by the housing;

a processor; and

a memory device that stores a plurality of instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:

maintain a plurality of awards, and

responsive to an occurrence of a non-scripted award opportunity triggering event, for a non-scripted award opportunity:

determine a quantity of selections, the determination being based on a probability of winning a designated award of the maintained plurality of awards,

cause a display, by a display device, of the determined quantity of selections, wherein each award of the maintained plurality of awards is associated with at least one of the determined quantity of selections, and a designated symbol is associated with a selection of the determined quantity of selections, and

when an opening of the access door is detected via the security monitoring circuit following the determination of the quantity of selections:

disable any picks of any of the determined quantity of selections, and

following at least a closing of the access door detected via the security monitoring circuit:

 enable, via an input device, a pick of the determined quantity of selections,

 responsive to the pick, via the input device, of the selection associated with the designated symbol, modify at least one of: at least another selection of the determined quantity of selections and at least the award associated with at least the other selection of the determined quantity of selections, and

 responsive to an award triggering event occurring in association with one of the maintained plurality of awards based on at least one pick, via the input device, of at least one of the determined quantity of selections, cause a display, by the display device, of any award associated with each of the determined quantity of selections.

2 . The electronic gaming machine of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of awards comprise a plurality of progressive awards.

3 . The electronic gaming machine of claim 1 , wherein the modification comprises upgrading the award associated with the other selection to another award of the maintained plurality of awards.

4 . The electronic gaming machine of claim 1 , wherein the modification comprises causing the other selection be unavailable to be picked.

5 . The electronic gaming machine of claim 4 , wherein the award associated with the other selection comprises a lowest value award of the maintained plurality of awards.

6 . The electronic gaming machine of claim 1 , wherein the modification comprises, for each selection of the determined quantity of selections associated with the award associated with the other selection, upgrading each instance of that award.

7 . The electronic gaming machine of claim 1 , wherein the modification comprises increasing a value of the award associated with the other selection.

8 . The electronic gaming machine of claim 1 , wherein the award triggering event occurs based on a plurality of the determined quantity of selections associated with a same award being picked.

9 . The electronic gaming machine of claim 1 , wherein the designated award comprises the award of the maintained plurality of awards associated with a lowest probability of the award triggering event occurring.

10 . An electronic gaming machine comprising:

a housing comprising an access door;

a security monitoring circuit supported by the housing;

a processor; and

a memory device that stores a plurality of instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:

maintain a plurality of awards, and

responsive to an occurrence of a non-scripted award opportunity triggering event, for a non-scripted award opportunity:

determine a quantity of selections, the determination being based on a probability of winning a designated award of the maintained plurality of awards,

cause a display, by a display device, of the determined quantity of selections, wherein each award of the maintained plurality of awards is associated with at least one of the determined quantity of selections, and a designated symbol is associated with a selection of the determined quantity of selections, and

when an opening of the access door is detected via the security monitoring circuit following the determination of the quantity of selections:

disable any picks of any of the determined quantity of selections, and

following at least a closing of the access door detected via the security monitoring circuit:

 enable, via an input device, a pick of the determined quantity of selections,

 responsive to the pick, via the input device, of the selection associated with the designated symbol, modify a probability of winning at least one of the maintained plurality of awards, and

 responsive to an award triggering event occurring in association with one of the maintained plurality of awards based on at least one pick, via the input device, of at least one of the determined quantity of selections, cause a display, by the display device, of any award associated with each of the determined quantity of selections.

11 . The electronic gaming machine of claim 10 , wherein the plurality of awards comprise a plurality of progressive awards.

12 . The electronic gaming machine of claim 10 , wherein the modification comprises increasing a probability that the award triggering event occurs in association with at least one of the maintained plurality of awards.

13 . The electronic gaming machine of claim 12 , wherein the modification comprises decreasing a probability that the award triggering event occurs in association with a lowest value award of the maintained plurality of awards.

14 . The electronic gaming machine of claim 10 , wherein the modification comprises reassociating the maintained plurality of awards with the determined quantity of selections.

15 . The electronic gaming machine of claim 10 , wherein the modification comprises causing at least one selection be unavailable to be picked.

16 . The electronic gaming machine of claim 15 , wherein the award associated with the at least one unavailable selection comprises a lowest value award of the maintained plurality of awards.

17 . The electronic gaming machine of claim 10 , wherein the award triggering event occurs based on a plurality of the determined quantity of selections associated with the same award being picked.

18 . The electronic gaming machine of claim 10 , wherein the designated award comprises the award of the maintained plurality of awards associated with a lowest probability of the award triggering event occurring.

19 . An electronic gaming machine comprising:

a housing comprising an access door;

a security monitoring circuit supported by the housing;

a processor; and

a memory device that stores a plurality of instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:

maintain a plurality of awards, and

responsive to an occurrence of a non-scripted award opportunity triggering event, for a non-scripted award opportunity:

determine, based on a probability of winning an award of the plurality of awards associated with a lowest probability of being won, a quantity of selections, wherein when the probability of winning the award of the plurality of awards associated with the lowest probability of being won comprises a first probability, the determined quantity of selections comprises a first quantity of selections and when the probability of winning the award of the plurality of awards associated with the lowest probability of being won comprises a second, different probability, the determined quantity of selections comprises a second, different quantity of selections,

cause a display, by a display device, of the determined quantity of selections, wherein each award of the plurality of awards is associated with at least one of the determined quantity of selections, and

when an opening of the access door is detected via the security monitoring circuit following the determination of the quantity of selections:

disable any picks of any of the determined quantity of selections, and

following at least a closing of the access door detected via the security monitoring circuit:

 enable, via an input device, at least one pick of the determined quantity of selections,

 determine, based on the at least one pick of at least one of the determined quantity of selections, one of the plurality of awards to win in association with the non-scripted award opportunity, and

 cause a display, by the display device, of each of the plurality of awards associated with each of the determined quantity of selections.

20 . The electronic gaming machine of claim 19 , wherein the plurality of awards comprise a plurality of progressive awards.