IP Library Granted Patent US 10,818,128
Granted Patent B2
US 10,818,128 · App. 16/013,819 · Granted Oct 27, 2020

Bonus wheel with top-level progressive award

Inventors: Ryan Hawkins (Henderson, NV); Stephanie Johns (Las Vegas, NV); Yanis Tsombanidis (Las Vegas, NV); Robert Honeycutt (Henderson, NV)
Assignee: Aristocrat Technologies Australia Pty Limited
G07F17/3213G07F17/3258G07F17/3267G07F17/34
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,818,128
App. No.
16/013,819
Granted
Oct 27, 2020
Kind
B2
Abstract

After determining that a player has won a base game, an electronic gaming machine may award one or more free instances of a game as a bonus game or a round of bonus games. If the EGM determines that a player has won a bonus game, the EGM may present a bonus wheel. The bonus wheel may be partitioned into segments, one of which corresponds to a top-level progressive award. Other segments may correspond to multipliers of an amount won in the bonus game. A player may have a chance to win the top-level progressive award during each spin of the bonus wheel, even if the player has already won the top-level progressive award during a prior spin of the bonus wheel during the same round of bonus games. The bonus wheel may be a “weighted” wheel.

Claims (47)

1. An electronic gaming machine, comprising:

a display system including one or more displays; and

a control system including one or more processors, the control system being configured for:

controlling the display system to present first visual effects corresponding to a base game, the base game including a slot game;

determining a bonus-triggering event during the base game, the bonus-triggering event corresponding to an award of a bonus round comprising one or more free instances of a game;

controlling the display system to present second visual effects corresponding to the bonus round;

determining an award of a bonus game during the bonus round;

controlling the display system to present third visual effects corresponding to the award of the bonus game, the third visual effects including a bonus wheel having multiple bonus wheel segments, at least a first one of the bonus wheel segments corresponding to a top-level progressive award, all of the bonus wheel segments except the first one of the bonus wheel segments correspond to one of a plurality of multipliers for the award of the bonus game, and a size of a bonus wheel segment does not correspond with a probability of an outcome corresponding to the bonus wheel segment;

determining a first top-level progressive award that is an outcome of a first spin of the bonus wheel, the first top-level progressive award being a first awarding of a highest level progressive jackpot of a plurality of potentially available progressive jackpots;

controlling the display system to present fourth visual effects corresponding to a first top-level progressive award amount;

determining a second top-level progressive award that is an outcome of a second spin of the bonus wheel, the second top-level progressive award being another awarding of the highest level progressive jackpot of the plurality of potentially available progressive jackpots; and

controlling the display system to present fifth visual effects corresponding to a second top-level progressive award amount.

2. The electronic gaming machine of claim 1 , wherein the control system is further configured for:

determining an outcome of a first instance of presenting the bonus wheel; and

controlling the display system to indicate a selected bonus wheel segment corresponding with the outcome of the first instance of presenting the bonus wheel.

3. The electronic gaming machine of claim 2 , wherein controlling the display system to indicate the selected bonus wheel segment comprises controlling the display system to simulate a spin of the bonus wheel.

4. The electronic gaming machine of claim 1 , further comprising a network interface system, wherein determining at least one of the bonus-triggering event or the award of the bonus game comprises receiving data via the network interface system.

5. The electronic gaming machine of claim 1 , wherein the award of the bonus game corresponds to a combination of symbols presented on the display system during the bonus game.

6. The electronic gaming machine of claim 1 , wherein the bonus round comprises one or more free instances of the base game.

7. A method of controlling an electronic gaming machine, the method comprising:

controlling, via a control system that includes one or more processors, a display system including one or more displays to present first visual effects corresponding to a base game, the base game including a slot game;

determining, by the control system, a bonus-triggering event during the base game, the bonus-triggering event corresponding to an award a bonus round comprising one or more free instances of a game;

controlling, by the control system, the display system to present second visual effects corresponding to the bonus round;

determining, by the control system, an award of a bonus game during the bonus round;

controlling, by the control system, the display system to present third visual effects corresponding to the award of the bonus game, the third visual effects including a bonus wheel having multiple bonus wheel segments, at least a first one of the bonus wheel segments corresponding to a top-level progressive award, all of the bonus wheel segments except the first one of the bonus wheel segments correspond to one of a plurality of multipliers for the award of the bonus game, and a size of a bonus wheel segment does not correspond with a probability of an outcome corresponding to the bonus wheel segment;

determining, by the control system, a first top-level progressive award that is an outcome of a first spin of the bonus wheel, the first top-level progressive award being a first awarding of a highest-level progressive jackpot of a plurality of potentially available progressive jackpots;

controlling, by the control system, the display system to present fourth visual effects corresponding to a first top-level progressive award amount;

determining, by the control system, a second top-level progressive award that is an outcome of a second spin of the bonus wheel, the second top-level progressive award being another awarding of the highest-level progressive jackpot of the plurality of potentially available progressive jackpots; and

controlling, by the control system, the display system to present fifth visual effects corresponding to a second top-level progressive award amount.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the award of the bonus game corresponds to a combination of symbols presented on the display system during the bonus game.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein the control system is further configured for:

determining an outcome of a first instance of presenting the bonus wheel; and

controlling the display system to indicate a selected bonus wheel segment corresponding with the outcome of the first instance presenting of the bonus wheel.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein controlling the display system to indicate the selected bonus wheel segment comprises controlling the display system to simulate a spin of the bonus wheel.

11. The method of claim 7 , wherein determining at least one of the bonus-triggering event or the award of the bonus game comprises receiving data via a network interface system corresponding to the bonus-triggering event.

12. The method of claim 7 , wherein the bonus round comprises one or more free instances of the base game.

13. One or more non-transitory media having software stored thereon, the software including instructions for controlling one or more devices to perform a gaming method, the gaming method comprising:

controlling, via a control system that includes one or more processors, a display system including one or more displays to present first visual effects corresponding to a base game, the base game including a slot game;

determining, by the control system, a bonus-triggering event during the base game, the bonus-triggering event corresponding to an award a bonus round comprising one or more free instances of a game;

controlling, by the control system, the display system to present second visual effects corresponding to the bonus round;

determining, by the control system, an award of a bonus game during the bonus round;

controlling, by the control system, the display system to present third visual effects corresponding to the award of the bonus game, the third visual effects including a bonus wheel having multiple bonus wheel segments, at least a first one of the bonus wheel segments corresponding to a top-level progressive award, all of the bonus wheel segments except the first one of the bonus wheel segments correspond to one of a plurality of multipliers for the award of the bonus game, and a size of a bonus wheel segment does not correspond with a probability of an outcome corresponding to the bonus wheel segment;

determining, by the control system, a first top-level progressive award that is an outcome of a first spin of the bonus wheel, the first top-level progressive award being a first awarding of a highest-level progressive jackpot of a plurality of potentially available progressive jackpots;

controlling, by the control system, the display system to present fourth visual effects corresponding to a first top-level progressive award amount;

determining, by the control system, a second top-level progressive award that is an outcome of a second spin of the bonus wheel, the second top-level progressive award being another awarding of the highest-level progressive jackpot of the plurality of potentially available progressive jackpots; and

controlling, by the control system, the display system to present fifth visual effects corresponding to a second top-level progressive award amount.

14. The one or more non-transitory media of claim 13 , wherein the award of the bonus game corresponds to a combination of symbols presented on the display system during the bonus game.

Assignments (5)
RELEASE (REEL 062078 / FRAME 0604) Recorded Mar 2, 2026
From: BANK OF AMERICA, N.A.
To: ARISTOCRAT TECHNOLOGIES, INC.; BIG FISH GAMES, INC.; VIDEO GAMING TECHNOLOGIES, INC.; ARISTOCRAT TECHNOLOGIES AUSTRALIA PTY LTD
Reel/Frame 074992/0667 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Sep 2, 2022
From: ARISTOCRAT TECHNOLOGIES, INC.; BIG FISH GAMES, INC.; VIDEO GAMING TECHNOLOGIES, INC.; ARISTOCRAT TECHNOLOGIES AUSTRALIA PTY LTD
To: BANK OF AMERICA, N.A, AS SECURITY TRUSTEE
Reel/Frame 062078/0604 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Mar 16, 2022
From: UBS AG, STAMFORD BRANCH
To: ARISTOCRAT TECHNOLOGIES AUSTRALIA PTY LIMITED
Reel/Frame 059368/0799 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Jun 3, 2020
From: ARISTOCRAT TECHNOLOGIES AUSTRALIA PTY LIMITED
To: UBS AG, STAMFORD BRANCH, AS SECURITY TRUSTEE
Reel/Frame 052828/0001 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 17, 2018
From: HAWKINS, RYAN; JOHNS, STEPHANIE; TSOMBANIDIS, YANIS; HONEYCUTT, ROBERT
To: ARISTOCRAT TECHNOLOGIES AUSTRALIA PTY LIMITED
Reel/Frame 046374/0931 →
Continuity (1)
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