US Patent No: 8,216,061
Number of patents in Portfolio can not be more than 2000
Wagering games with unlockable bonus rounds
Stats
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Jul 10, 2012
Issued date -
Mar 17, 2006
filing date -
11/887,626
serial no -
In Force
status
Importance
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Abstract
Method and system are disclosed for allowing players at wagering game terminals to select entire sets of bonus games instead of a single bonus game upon occurrence of a certain randomly selected basic game outcome. One or more of the bonus games or sets of bonus games may be temporarily unavailable or “locked” to the player. The player may unlock the bonus games or sets of bonus games by acquiring certain game assets, reaching certain game milestones, and/or exceeding certain wagering levels. The unlocked games may reveal credits, prizes, progressives, basic and/or bonus game updates, or additional bonus games, some of which may also be locked. The updates and additions may already be present in the wagering game terminals or they may be downloaded from a central location. The player may retain the locked and unlocked statuses of the bonus games across multiple wagering game sessions and/or wagering game terminals.
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First Claim
Related Publications
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International Classification(s)
- [Classification Symbol]
- [Patents Count]
Cited Art
| Patent Info | (Count) | # Cites | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
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| 6,682,421 Wireless gaming environment | 157 | 2000 | |
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| 2008/0113,770 Gaming System Having Exchangeable Bonus Token Accumulation-Redemption Feature | 21 | 2005 | |
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| 2009/0124,372 ASSET MANAGEMENT OF DOWNLOADABLE GAMING COMPONENTS IN A GAMING SYSTEM | 2 | 2006 | |
| 2009/0247,301 MANAGEMENT OF DOWNLOADABLE GAME COMPONENTS IN A GAMING SYSTEM | 1 | 2006 | |
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| 2009/0054,136 PERSISTENT STATE SYSTEMS, METHODS AND SOFTWARE | 1 | 2007 | |
| 2010/0240,442 PROVIDING ALTERNATIVE PERSISTENT STATE RECOVERY TECHNIQUES | 1 | 2007 | |
| 2010/0048,292 PROCESSING WAGERING GAME EVENTS | 1 | 2007 | |
| 2009/0011,822 Wagering Game With Persistent State Of Game Assests Affecting Other Players | 8 | 2008 | |
| 2009/0011,823 Wagering Game With Persistent State Of Game Assets Affecting Other Players | 10 | 2008 | |
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| 5,292,127 Arcade game | 219 | 1992 | |
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| 5,816,918 Prize redemption system for games | 639 | 1996 | |
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| 6,234,896 Slot driven video story | 141 | 1997 | |
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| 6,293,866 System for adapting gaming devices to playing preferences | 205 | 2000 | |
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| 5,752,882 Method and apparatus for operating networked gaming devices | 347 | 1995 | |
| 5,836,817 Method and apparatus for operating networked gaming devices | 425 | 1995 | |
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| 4,882,473 On-line wagering system with programmable game entry cards and operator security cards | 384 | 1988 | |
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| 5,580,309 Linked gaming machines having a common feature controller | 321 | 1994 | |
| 5,997,401 Slot machine with symbol save feature | 489 | 1996 | |
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| 4,752,068 Video game machine for business use | 89 | 1986 | |
| 4,858,930 Game system | 172 | 1988 | |
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| 6,364,765 Electronic amusement device offering secondary game of chance and method for operating same | 157 | 1998 | |
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| 6,009,412 Fully integrated on-line interactive frequency and award redemption program | 185 | 1998 | |
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| 5,580,053 Multi-line gaming machine | 182 | 1994 | |
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| 6,165,071 Method and apparatus for gaming in a series of sessions | 126 | 1997 | |
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| 5,983,196 Interactive computerized methods and apparatus for conducting an incentive awards program | 149 | 1996 | |
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| 5,586,766 Blackjack game system and methods | 166 | 1995 | |
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| 5,833,537 Gaming apparatus and method with persistence effect | 419 | 1996 | |
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| 5,957,775 Wagering game based on ranking order of game participants | 62 | 1997 | |
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| 2003/0036,427 COIN COUNTER AND TICKET DISPENSER FOR A GAME MACHINE | 28 | 2001 | |
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| 6,398,650 Game system, game progress control method, and computer-readable storage medium with a stored game program | 5 | 2000 | |
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| 4,236,968 Device for removing heat of decomposition in a steam power plant heated by nuclear energy | 3 | 1978 | |
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| 6,048,269 Coinless slot machine system and method | 440 | 1993 | |
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| 5,014,982 Memory cartridge and game apparatus using the same | 65 | 1988 | |
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| 6,559,460 Ultraviolet lamp system and methods | 12 | 2000 | |
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| 6,302,793 Multi-property player tracking system | 248 | 1998 | |
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| 5,370,306 Coin-operated entertainment machine | 82 | 1993 | |
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| 6,004,211 Interactive wagering systems and processes | 74 | 1998 | |
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| 5,674,128 Cashless computerized video game system and method | 307 | 1996 | |
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| 5,533,727 Audit and pricing system for coin-operated games | 64 | 1994 | |
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| 6,280,326 Cashless method for a gaming system | 91 | 1998 | |
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| 5,547,202 Computer game device | 42 | 1994 | |
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| 4,342,454 Method and apparatus for instant replay and other capabilities for microprocessor-controlled video games | 50 | 1979 | |
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| 5,551,692 Electronic game promotion device | 144 | 1994 | |
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| 6,312,334 Method of playing a multi-stage video wagering game | 467 | 1998 | |
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| 5,370,399 Game apparatus having incentive producing means | 104 | 1992 | |
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| 6,340,331 Cashless peripheral device for a gaming system | 60 | 1998 | |
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| 5,931,467 Probability game | 124 | 1997 | |
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| 5,833,540 Cardless distributed video gaming system | 247 | 1996 | |
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| 6,178,408 Method of redeeming collectible points | 187 | 1999 | |
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| 6,193,608 Method for motivating players to return to a casino using premiums | 71 | 1996 | |
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| 6,061,660 System and method for incentive programs and award fulfillment | 431 | 1998 | |
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| 4,200,254 Panel base | 76 | 1978 | |
| 5,451,259 ECR plasma source for remote processing | 11 | 1994 | |
| 5,770,533 Open architecture casino operating system | 665 | 1994 | |
| 5,575,474 Communications system using bets | 81 | 1994 | |
| 6,609,975 Electronic system and method for operating an incentive auxiliary game | 15 | 1997 | |
| 5,931,557 Energy efficient ultraviolet visible light source | 2 | 1997 | |
| 6,540,609 Apparatus and method for enhancing gambling devices with commercial advertising indicia | 26 | 1999 | |
| 6,840,860 Printing and dispensing bonusing system for gaming devices | 25 | 2000 | |
| 2002/0077,174 Apparatus and method for maintaining game state | 57 | 2001 | |
| 2002/0093,136 Method of operating a gaming machine with a ticket printer | 37 | 2002 | |
Patent Citation Ranking
Maintenance Fees
| Fee | Large entity fee | small entity fee | micro entity fee | due date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Year Payment | $1600.00 | $800.00 | $400.00 | Jan 10, 2016 |
| 7.5 Year Payment | $3600.00 | $1800.00 | $900.00 | Jan 10, 2020 |
| 11.5 Year Payment | $7400.00 | $3700.00 | $1850.00 | Jan 10, 2024 |
| Fee | Large entity fee | small entity fee | micro entity fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Surcharge - 3.5 year - Late payment within 6 months | $160.00 | $80.00 | $40.00 |
| Surcharge - 7.5 year - Late payment within 6 months | $160.00 | $80.00 | $40.00 |
| Surcharge - 11.5 year - Late payment within 6 months | $160.00 | $80.00 | $40.00 |
| Surcharge after expiration - Late payment is unavoidable | $700.00 | $350.00 | $175.00 |
| Surcharge after expiration - Late payment is unintentional | $1,640.00 | $820.00 | $410.00 |