Universal Overlay Games in an Electronic Gaming Environment

Abstract

A method is disclosed herein for displaying winning and non-winning game results in a traditional gaming environment. The system uses an overlay game to present an entertaining display to a player upon the occurrence of a win or trigger event. An overlay game has limited capabilities and additionally is engineered to be usable on a variety of gaming machines. To be usable on a variety of gaming machines, the overlay game is intentionally kept simple; in one case, it comprises a visual display that is shown to a player upon the occurrence of a trigger event. In another embodiment, it requires a simple button press to start the overlay game. The overlay games are downloaded on an as-needed basis, run on the gaming machine, and then discarded.

What is claimed: 
     
         1 . A gaming system comprising:
 a gaming device including a video display, a base game module, and a supplemental game module, the base game module and the supplemental game module configured to concurrently present a base wagering game and a supplemental game, respectively, on the video display, the gaming device further including a money acceptor for accepting money used to play the base wagering game; and   a remote server coupled to the gaming device via a network and configured to determine an outcome of the supplemental game.   
     
     
         2 . The gaming system of  claim 1 , wherein the supplemental game is downloaded from the remote server to the supplemental game module. 
     
     
         3 . The gaming system of  claim 1 , wherein the base game module and the supplemental game module are configured to execute the base wagering game and the supplemental game, respectively. 
     
     
         4 . The gaming system of  claim 1 , wherein the supplemental game is initiated in response to a triggering event in the base wagering game. 
     
     
         5 . The gaming system of  claim 1 , wherein in response to a triggering event, the base wagering game is halted while the supplemental game is played and then resumed upon completion of the supplemental game. 
     
     
         6 . The gaming system of  claim 1 , wherein the supplemental game includes prizes funded by at least one of wagers placed on the base wagering game or separate wagers placed on the supplemental game. 
     
     
         7 . The gaming system of  claim 1 , wherein the supplemental game is presented in a window on the video display. 
     
     
         8 . The gaming system of  claim 1 , wherein the gaming device includes a touchscreen having distinct player input labels for each of the base wagering game and the supplemental game. 
     
     
         9 . A gaming system comprising:
 a gaming device including a video display, a base game module, and a supplemental game module, the base game module and the supplemental game module configured to concurrently present a base wagering game and a supplemental game, respectively, on the video display, the gaming device further including a money acceptor for accepting money used to play the base wagering game;   wherein the supplemental game module is configured to determine an outcome of the supplemental game.   
     
     
         10 . The gaming system of  claim 9 , wherein the supplemental game is downloaded from the remote server to the supplemental game module. 
     
     
         11 . The gaming system of  claim 9 , wherein the base game module and the supplemental game module are configured to execute the base wagering game and the supplemental game, respectively. 
     
     
         12 . The gaming system of  claim 9 , wherein in response to a triggering event, the base wagering game is halted while the supplemental game is played and then resumed upon completion of the supplemental game. 
     
     
         13 . A method of operating a gaming system, the gaming system including a gaming device including a video display, a base game module, a supplemental game module and a money acceptor, the gaming system further including a remote server coupled to the gaming device via a network, the method comprising the steps of:
 accepting, via the money acceptor, money used to play the base wagering game;   directing, via the base game module, presentation of a base wagering game on the video display;   concurrently directing, via the supplemental game module, presentation of a supplemental game on the video display; and   determining, via the remote server, an outcome of the supplemental game.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the supplemental game is downloaded from the remote server to the supplemental game module. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the base game module and the supplemental game module are configured to execute the base wagering game and the supplemental game, respectively. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the supplemental game is initiated in response to a triggering event in the base wagering game. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein in response to a triggering event, the base wagering game is halted while the supplemental game is played and then resumed upon completion of the supplemental game. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the supplemental game includes prizes funded by at least one of wagers placed on the base wagering game or separate wagers placed on the supplemental game. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the supplemental game is presented in a window on the video display. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the gaming device includes a touchscreen having distinct player input labels for each of the base wagering game and the supplemental game.