Granted Patent B2

US 8,172,668 · App. 12/424,242 · Granted May 8, 2012

Abstract

Claims (45)

1. A gaming system comprising:

one or more displays;

a wager input device for receiving a wager to play a wagering game having a plurality of possible thematic states; and

a controller coupled to the one or more displays and the wager input device, the controller operative to

cause at least one of the displays to display a basic portion of the wagering game in a first thematic state of the plurality of possible thematic states,

trigger a secondary event of the wagering game,

cause at least one of the displays to display the secondary event of the wagering game in a second thematic state of the plurality of possible thematic states, and

at a conclusion of the secondary event, cause at least one of the displays to display the basic portion of the wagering game in the second thematic state.

2. The gaming system of claim 1 wherein the plurality of possible thematic states include a past-era theme, a present-era theme, and a future-era theme.

3. The gaming system of claim 1 wherein the second thematic state of the secondary event is randomly selected by the controller without player input.

4. The gaming system of claim 1 wherein the second thematic state of the secondary event is selected by the controller in response to player input.

5. The gaming system of claim 1 wherein the basic portion of the wagering game includes a plurality of reels.

6. The gaming system of claim 1 wherein each of the thematic states is associated with a different type of secondary event having different game-play rules.

7. The gaming system of claim 5 wherein, at the conclusion of the secondary event, the plurality of reels of the basic portion of the wagering game is displayed over the second thematic state.

8. A method of conducting a wagering game for a human player, the wagering game including a game sequence in which a player provides an input and a wagering game outcome is determined, the wagering game including a basic game, a secondary event, and a plurality of possible thematic states, the method comprising the acts of:

using an interface device to accept the player input, and transforming the player input to electronic data signals indicative of a wager to play the wagering game;

using one or more processors to interpret the wager from the data signals and to cause the recording of a digital representation of the wager in one or more storage devices;

using at least one of the processors to cause one or more display devices to display the basic game in a first thematic state of the plurality of possible thematic states;

using at least one of the processors to initiate the secondary event in response to a triggering event in the basic game;

using at least one of the processors to cause at least one of the display devices to display the secondary event in a second thematic state of the plurality of possible thematic states; and

using at least one of the processors to, upon concluding the secondary event, cause at least one of the display devices to display the basic game in the second thematic state.

9. The method of conducting a wagering game of claim 8 , wherein the interface device is selected from a group consisting essentially of a touch screen, a mouse, a joy stick, a switch, and a microphone.

10. The method of conducting a wagering game of claim 8 , wherein the electronic data signals are selected from a group consisting essentially of an electrical current, an electrical voltage, an electrical charge, an optical signal, an optical element, a magnetic signal, and a magnetic element.

11. The method of conducting a wagering game of claim 8 , wherein the one or more processors include a plurality of processors, and the one or more storage devices include a plurality of storage devices.

12. The method of conducting a wagering game of claim 8 wherein the plurality of possible thematic states include a past-era theme, a present-era theme, and a future-era theme.

13. The method of conducting a wagering game of claim 8 wherein the basic game includes a plurality of reels.

14. The method of conducting a wagering game of claim 8 , wherein each of the thematic states is associated with a different type of secondary event having different game-play rules.

15. The method of conducting a wagering game of claim 8 wherein the secondary event includes a plurality of sequential segments having different thematic states of the plurality of possible thematic states, the second thematic state being the thematic state of a last of the sequential segments.

16. The method of conducting a wagering game of claim 11 , wherein at least two of the processors are located in separate enclosures from one another, and wherein the gaming apparatus further comprises a network communication link establishing operable communication between the processors in the separate enclosures.

17. A method of conducting a wagering game for a human player, the wagering game including a game sequence in which a player makes a wager and a wagering game outcome is determined, the wagering game including a plurality of possible thematic states, the method comprising the acts of:

conducting the wagering game using a gaming apparatus to receive inputs from the player and to generate wagering game outcomes that are communicated to the player, the gaming apparatus comprising,

a user interface device configured to receive an input from the player,

one or more display devices configured to display information or graphics to be viewed by the player,

one or more storage devices, and

one or more processors configured to execute computer instructions relating to the wagering game; and

accepting, at the user interface device, a player input and transforming the player input into electronic data signals indicative of a wager to play the wagering game;

using at least one of the gaming apparatus processors to interpret the wager from the data signals and to, at least in part, cause the recording of a digital representation of the wager in at least one of the gaming apparatus storage devices;

using at least one of the gaming apparatus processors to cause at least one of the display devices to display a basic portion of the wagering game in a first thematic state of the plurality of possible thematic states;

using at least one of the gaming apparatus processors to cause at least one of the display devices to display a secondary event in a second thematic state of the plurality of possible thematic states; and

using at least one of the gaming apparatus processors to, upon concluding the secondary event, cause at least one of the display devices to display the basic portion of the wagering game in the second thematic state.

18. The method of conducting a wagering game of claim 17 , wherein the one or more processors include a plurality of processors, and the one or more storage devices include a plurality of storage devices.

19. The method of conducting a wagering game of claim 17 , further comprising displaying the basic portion of the wagering game in the second thematic state until a second secondary event in a thematic state other than the second thematic state is triggered.

20. The method of conducting a wagering game of claim 17 wherein the secondary event includes a plurality of sequential segments having different thematic states of the plurality of possible thematic states, the second thematic state being the thematic state of a last of the sequential segments.

21. A computer readable storage medium memory encoded with instructions for directing a gaming system to perform the method of claim 17 .

22. The method of conducting a wagering game of claim 18 , wherein at least two of the processors are located in separate enclosures from one another, and wherein the gaming apparatus further comprises a network communication link establishing operable communication between the processors in the separate enclosures.

Assignments (12)