Granted Patent B2

US 8,409,014 · App. 13/160,639 · Granted Apr 2, 2013

Abstract

Claims (44)

1. A gaming system for playing a community event in which a plurality of player terminals may be eligible to participate, the plurality of player terminals playing respective underlying wagering games when the community event is not in session, the system comprising:

community-event clients included in respective different player terminals of the plurality of player terminals and operative to randomly determine respective community-event outcomes in a same session of the community event; and

a community-event coordinator distinct from the community-event client and operative to

receive the community-event outcomes from the respective community-event clients, and

aggregate the received community-event outcomes and share the aggregated community-event outcomes with participating ones of the plurality of player terminals.

2. The gaming system of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the community-event clients is operative to initiate the session.

3. The gaming system of claim 1 , wherein the community-event coordinator is included in one of the plurality of player terminals.

4. The gaming system of claim 1 , wherein the community-event coordinator is included in a server physically separate from the plurality of player terminals.

5. The gaming system of claim 1 , wherein in response to initiation of the session, the community-event coordinator is operative to send invitations to at least two of the plurality of player terminals for participating in the session.

6. The gaming system of claim 1 , wherein the community-event coordinator's operation of sharing the community-event outcomes varies dynamically or randomly over time among the plurality of player terminals and optionally a server.

7. The gaming system of claim 1 , wherein the different player terminals vary dynamically or randomly among the plurality of player terminals from one session to the next of the community event.

8. A gaming system for playing a community event in which a plurality of player terminals may be eligible to participate, the plurality of player terminals playing respective underlying wagering games when the community event is not in session, the system comprising:

first and second community-event clients included in respective different player terminals of the plurality of player terminals, the first community-event client being operative to randomly determine a first community-event outcome in a first session of the community event, the second community-event client, but not the first community-event client, being operative to randomly determine a second community-event outcome in a second session of the community event, the second session being distinct from the first session; and

a community-event coordinator distinct from the first and second community-event clients and operative to

receive the first community-event outcome from the first community-event client and share the first community-event outcome with the player terminals participating in the first session, and

receive the second community-event outcome from the second community-event client and share the second community-event outcome with the player terminals participating in the second session.

9. The gaming system of claim 8 , wherein the first community-event client is operative to initiate the first session and the second community-event client is operative to initiate the second session.

10. The gaming system of claim 8 , wherein the community-event coordinator is included in one of the plurality of player terminals.

11. The gaming system of claim 8 , wherein the community-event coordinator is included in a server physically separate from the plurality of player terminals.

12. The gaming system of claim 8 , wherein in response to initiation of at least one of the first session and the second session, the community-event coordinator is operative to send invitations to at least two of the plurality of player terminals for participating in the respective session.

13. The gaming system of claim 8 , wherein the community-event coordinator's operation of sharing the first and second community-event outcomes varies dynamically or randomly over time among the plurality of player terminals and optionally a server.

14. The gaming system of claim 8 , wherein the different player terminals vary dynamically or randomly among the plurality of player terminals from an initial session to a next session of the first and second community-event outcomes.

15. A method for playing a community event in which a plurality of player terminals may be eligible to participate, the plurality of player terminals playing respective underlying wagering games when the community event is not in session, the method comprising:

providing community-event clients included in respective different player terminals of the plurality of player terminals;

randomly determining, by the community-event clients, respective community-event outcomes in a same session of the community event;

receiving the community-event outcomes from the respective community-event clients by a community-event coordinator that is distinct from the community-event clients;

aggregating the received community-event outcomes by the community-event coordinator; and

sharing the received community-event outcomes by the community-event coordinator with participating ones of the plurality of player terminals.

16. The method of claim 15 , further comprising initiating the session by one of the community-event clients.

17. The method of claim 15 , further comprising, in response to initiation of the session, sending invitations by the community-event coordinator to at least two of the plurality of player terminals for participating in the session.

18. The method of claim 15 , further comprising varying dynamically or randomly over time among the plurality of player terminals and optionally a server the community-event coordinator's operation of sharing the community-event outcomes.

19. The method of claim 15 , further comprising varying dynamically or randomly the different player terminals among the plurality of player terminals from one session to the next of the community event.

20. A method for playing a community event in which a plurality of player terminals may be eligible to participate, the plurality of player terminals playing respective underlying wagering games when the community event is not in session, the method comprising:

providing first and second community-event clients included in respective different player terminals of the plurality of player terminals;

randomly determining, by the first community-event client, a first community-event outcome in a first session of the community event;

randomly determining, by the second community-event client, but not the first community-event client, a second community-event outcome in a second session of the community event, the second session being distinct from the first session;

receiving the first community-event outcome from the first community-event client by a community-event coordinator that is distinct from the first and second community-event clients;

sharing the first community-event outcome by the community-event coordinator with the player terminals participating in the first session;

receiving the second community-event outcome from the second community-event client by the community-event coordinator; and

sharing the second community-event outcome by the community-event coordinator with the player terminals participating in the second session.

21. The method of claim 20 , further comprising initiating the first session by the first community-event client and initiating the second session by the second community-event client.

22. The method of claim 20 , further comprising, in response to initiation of at least one of the first and second sessions, sending invitations by the community-event coordinator to at least two of the plurality of player terminals for participating in the respective session.

23. The method of claim 20 , further comprising varying dynamically or randomly over time among the plurality of player terminals and optionally a server the community-event coordinator's operation of sharing the first and second community-event outcomes.

24. The method of claim 20 , further comprising varying dynamically or randomly the different player terminals among the plurality of player terminals from one session to the next of the first and second community-event outcomes.

Assignments (11)