Network gaming system with bonus capability

Abstract

A bonus controller and method for controlling the award of a bonus at a gaming terminal. In one embodiment game play data is monitored and compared to a trigger event. A token is then sent to the triggering gaming terminal dependent on any received response the bonus is immediately awarded, or data defining the bonus and a player identifier is stored to enable subsequent award of the bonus. In another embodiment, the method includes communicating a token over a wide area network and checking whether the gaming machine is eligible to award the bonus.

1 . A programmed computational bonus controller for controlling the award of a bonus at a gaming terminal, the bonus controller comprising a communication interface and operating to: 
 receive at the communication interface data sent by a first gaming terminal that comprises data defining a player identifier and data relating to game play of the first gaming terminal, and receive corresponding data from a plurality of other gaming terminals;    store in memory a definition of a trigger event, wherein occurrence of the trigger event is determined dependent on the received data related to game play;    determine when occurrence of the trigger event is attributable to the first gaming terminal;    send via the communication interface a token addressed to the first gaming terminal and await a response from the first gaming terminal;    monitor for receipt at the communication interface of a response to the token and dependent on any received response one of:    a) cause the immediate award of a bonus at the first gaming terminal; and    b) store data defining a bonus and the player identifier received from the first gaming terminal to enable the subsequent award of the defined bonus.    
   
   
       2 . The bonus controller of  claim 1 , wherein when the bonus controller stores data defining a bonus and the player identifier received from the first gaming terminal, it subsequently monitors for receipt at the communication interface of data defining that player identifier, identifies from that data the gaming terminal that generated the data, and in response communicates information relating to the bonus to the identified gaming terminal.  
   
   
       3 . The bonus controller of  claim 2 , wherein the information relating to the bonus comprises data defining the bonus so as to allow the identified gaming terminal to award the bonus.  
   
   
       4 . The bonus controller of  claim 3 , wherein the bonus is a progressive jackpot and following communication of information relating to the bonus to the identified gaming terminal, the bonus controller awaits acknowledgement from the first gaming terminal that the bonus has been awarded and then one of resets and reduces the value of the progressive jackpot.  
   
   
       5 . The bonus controller of  claim 1 , wherein when the bonus controller stores details of a bonus and the player identifier received from the first gaming terminal, it subsequently outputs information of use in sending a notification to the player identified by the player identifier that he or she has won a bonus.  
   
   
       6 . The bonus controller of  claim 5 , wherein the information of use in sending a notification to the player is only output if a certain period of time has elapsed since the details of a bonus and the player identifier received from the first gaming terminal were stored and the bonus controller has not, prior to expiration of the certain period, caused the award of the bonus.  
   
   
       7 . A programmed computational bonus controller for controlling the award of a progressive bonus in a gaming system, the bonus controller comprising a communication interface and operating to: 
 receive at the communication interface data generated by a plurality of gaming terminals that comprises data relating to game play of the terminals and maintain a progressive jackpot;    compare data received from the gaming terminals to a definition of a trigger event;    when the trigger event occurs, select a gaming terminal in a selection process that has comprises a random selection of one of a plurality of eligible gaming terminals; send via the communication interface a token addressed to the first gaming terminal and await a response from the first gaming terminal;    monitor for receipt at the communication interface a response to the token and dependent on any received response one of:    a) cause the award of a bonus at the selected gaming terminal and reducing the value of the progressive bonus meter; and    b) without causing the award of a bonus at the selected gaming terminal, select another one of the eligible gaming terminals; and    repeat the selection of eligible gaming terminals until the value of the progressive bonus meter falls below a certain value, then ceasing the selection of eligible gaming terminals until the next occurrence of the trigger event.    
   
   
       8 . The bonus controller of  claim 7 , wherein at least one of the eligible gaming terminals comprises a gaming terminal that has received a player identifier from a player and communicated data relating to the player identifier to the bonus controller, wherein if the selected gaming terminal is one that the bonus controller has received a player identifier for, then under certain circumstances the bonus controller stores a bonus award in memory so as to be associated with the player identifier and reduces the balance of the progressive jackpot.  
   
   
       9 . The bonus controller of  claim 8 , wherein the certain circumstances comprise the response to the token that causes the bonus controller to, without causing the award of a bonus at the selected gaming terminal, select another one of the eligible gaming terminals.  
   
   
       10 . The bonus controller of  claim 9 , wherein the response to the token that causes the bonus controller to, without causing the award of a bonus at the selected gaming terminal, select another one of the eligible gaming terminals is a response that indicates that a player that was playing the gaming terminal when the gaming terminal was selected is no longer playing the gaming terminal.  
   
   
       11 . A gaming network comprising a plurality of gaming terminals in communication with at least one server over a communications network comprising a wide area communications network, the at least one server maintaining a progressive jackpot by receiving data indicative of game play of the plurality of gaming terminals and incrementing the jackpot in response to receive of said data, and by causing the award of at least a portion of the progressive jackpot to one of the gaming terminals on the occurrence of a trigger event, wherein the process of causing the award of the progressive jackpot comprises: 
 a) selection of one of the plurality of gaming terminals and sending a token to the selected gaming terminal over the communications network, wherein the token does not cause the gaming machine to make an award of the progressive jackpot;    b) awaiting notification from the selected gaming terminal as to whether the gaming terminal is eligible to award the bonus;    c) if notification is received from the gaming terminal that it is eligible, then communicating to that gaming terminal the amount of the award to be awarded, awaiting acknowledgement from the gaming terminal and then reducing the value of the progressive jackpot; and    d) if notification is received from the gaming terminal that it is not eligible then repeating steps a) to c).    
   
   
       12 . The gaming network of  claim 11 , wherein selection of one of the plurality of gaming terminals comprises the server selecting a gaming system within the gaming network that comprises a plurality of gaming terminals and causing a controller in the selected gaming system to select one of the plurality of gaming terminals within that gaming system, and wherein sending a token to the selected gaming terminal over the communications network comprises sending the token to the selected gaming terminal via the controller.  
   
   
       13 . The gaming network of  claim 12 , wherein the controller randomly selects one of the gaming terminals that it is in communication with.  
   
   
       14 . The gaming network of  claim 12 , wherein the controller selects one of the gaming terminals in the gaming system based on a trigger event occurring in the gaming system that is related to operation of the gaming terminals in the gaming system.  
   
   
       15 . The gaming network of  claim 11 , wherein selection of one of the plurality of gaming terminals comprises making a selection from a sub-group of the gaming terminals, the sub-group determined by the at least one server dependent on play of the gaming terminals during a period immediately preceding the selection process.  
   
   
       16 . A gaming system comprising a plurality of gaming terminals in communication with a programmed computational bonus controller for controlling the award of a bonus at one of the gaming terminals, the bonus controller operating to: 
 receive data sent by the gaming terminals that comprises data defining a player identifier and data relating to game play of that gaming terminal;    store in memory a definition of a trigger event, wherein occurrence of the trigger event is determined dependent on the received data related to game play;    determine when the trigger event occurs and then send a token addressed to an identified one of the gaming terminals and await a response from the identified gaming terminal;    monitor for receipt at the communication interface of a response to the token and dependent on any received response one of:    a) cause the immediate award of a bonus at the identified gaming terminal; and    b) store data defining a bonus and the player identifier previously received from the identified gaming terminal to enable subsequent award of the defined bonus;    and the gaming terminals operating to:    generate and send to the bonus controller the data comprising data defining a player identifier and data relating to game play of that terminal;    receive the token and in response establish whether that gaming machine is in play by an identified player, wherein if the gaming terminal is in play by an identified player sending a response that results in the bonus server causing the award of the bonus and if the gaming terminal is not in play by an identified player, sending a response that results in the bonus server storing data defining a bonus and the player identifier previously received from the identified gaming terminal.    
   
   
       17 . The gaming system of  claim 16 , wherein the identified gaming terminal is the gaming terminal that caused the trigger event to occur.  
   
   
       18 . The gaming system of  claim 16 , wherein the identified gaming terminal is randomly selected following occurrence of the trigger event.  
   
   
       19 . A method of controlling the award of a bonus at a gaming terminal, the method comprising: 
 receiving at a bonus controller data sent by a plurality of gaming terminals that comprises data defining a player identifier and data relating to game play of that gaming terminal;    within the bonus controller determining when a trigger event has occurred and attributing occurrence of the trigger event to an identified one of the gaming terminals;    using the bonus controller to send a token to the identified gaming terminal; and dependent on a response from the identified gaming terminal one of:    a) immediately awarding a bonus at the first gaming terminal; and    b) storing in memory data defining a bonus and the player identifier received from the first gaming terminal to enable subsequent award of the defined bonus.    
   
   
       20 . A method of controlling the award of a progressive bonus in a gaming system, comprising: 
 receiving at a bonus controller data generated by a plurality of gaming terminals that comprises data relating to game play of the terminals;    maintaining a progressive jackpot using the received data;    comparing data received from the gaming terminals to a definition of a trigger event;    when the trigger event occurs, selecting a gaming terminal in a selection process that comprises:    a) a random selection of one of a plurality of eligible gaming terminals; b) sending via the communication interface a token addressed to the first gaming terminal;    and dependent on any received response one of:    c) causing the award of a bonus at the selected gaming terminal and reducing the value of the progressive bonus meter; and    d) without causing the award of a bonus at the selected gaming terminal, selecting another one of the eligible gaming terminals; and    repeating the selection process until the value of the progressive bonus meter falls below a certain value, then ceasing the selection of eligible gaming terminals until the next occurrence of the trigger event.    
   
   
       21 . A method of awarding a bonus at a gaming terminal, the method comprising: establishing a gaming network comprising a plurality of gaming terminals and a bonus controller communicating over a wide area communications network, 
 maintaining a progressive jackpot by receiving data indicative of game play of the plurality of gaming terminals and incrementing the jackpot in response to receive of said data;    when a predefined trigger event occurs, selecting one of the plurality of gaming terminals and sending a token to the selected gaming terminal over the communications network, wherein the token does not cause the gaming machine to make an award of the progressive jackpot;    at the gaming terminal, in response to receipt of the token, determining if the gaming machine is eligible for award of the bonus;    if the gaming terminal is eligible, then communicating from the bonus controller to that gaming terminal the amount of the bonus to be awarded; and    if the gaming terminal is not eligible then selecting another one of the plurality of gaming terminals and sending a token to the newly selected gaming terminal.