EP0443420A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Gaming system accumulating progressive jackpot values
Assignee: Bally Gaming International Inc
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Filing: 1991-02-13
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2011-02-13
Abstract
Abstract In order to provide a progressive gaming system with greater speed, flexibility and reliability a communication unit is used to control the information transmitted between a group of gaming machines and a progressive controller. The communication unit collects coin-in information from each of the gaming machines and transmits this information to the progressive controller in response to periodic poll signal signals from the progressive controller. <IMAGE>
Inventors
- 👤 Douglas N. Hilgendorf
- 👤 Phillip E. Pajak
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-02 16:47
CPC Classifications
G; G07; G07F; G07F17/00; G07F17/32; G07F17/3225; G07F17/3232; G07F17/3234; A; A63; A63F; A63F3/00; A63F3/00003; A63F3/00157; A63F2003/00167; A63F2003/0017
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 29
Claim 1
Independent Claim
71 words
A progressive system comprising: a plurality of gaming machines; a progressive controller; a communication unit operatively connected for bidirectional communication with said progressive controller and operatively connected for bi-directional communication with each of said gaming machines, and which includes control means for transmitting coin-in information and a jackpot signal from said gaming machines to said progressive controller and transmitting a jackpot value signal from said progressive controller to said gaming machines.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
26 words
The system of Claim 1 wherein said gaming machines include payout means for paying out at least one jackpot in response to said jackpot value signal.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
30 words
The system of Claim 1 wherein said gaming machines are video poker machines and include display means for displaying simultaneously at least five jackpot values corresponding to winning poker hands.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
28 words
The system of Claim 1 wherein said control means includes inhibit means responsive to a predetermined jackpot signal for inhibiting the operation of all of said gaming machines.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
53 words
The system of Claim 1 wherein said communication unit receives a coin-in signal from each of said gaming machines and said control means responds to a poll signal from said progressive controller to transmit said coin-in information to said progressive controller which represents a set of said coin-in signal for a predetermined time.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
34 words
The system of Claim 1 wherein said control means includes means to receive a release signal from said gaming machines indicating that a manual jackpot has been paid for one of said gaming machines.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
20 words
The system of Claim 6 wherein said control means includes means to transmit said release signal to said progressive controller.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
25 words
The system of Claim 1 wherein said control means includes acknowledgment means for insuring said jackpot value signals are received correctly by said gaming machines.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
36 words
The system of claim 1 wherein said control means responds to a poll signal from said progressive controller by selectively transmitting to said progressive controller said coin-in information, said jackpot signal or a machine release signal.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
38 words
The system of Claim 1 wherein said communication unit includes a memory operatively connected to said control means and wherein said control means stores in said memory a summation of said coin-in information received from said gaming machines.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
33 words
The system of Claim 10 wherein said control means in response to a poll message from said progressive controller transmits as a representation of said coin-in information said summation to said progressive controller.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
31 words
The system of Claim 1 wherein said control means after receiving a jackpot signal from one of said gaming machines transmits an identification of that gaming machine to said progressive controller.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
24 words
The system of Claim 12 wherein said identification is transmitted by said control means in response to a polling signal from said progressive controller.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
50 words
The system of Claim 1 wherein said gaming machines transmit a release signal to said control means after a jackpot has been released at one of said gaming machines and said control means transmits a release message to said progressive controller after receiving said release signal from that gaming machine.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
21 words
The system of Claim 14 wherein said release message includes an identification of said gaming machine that generated said release signal.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
43 words
The system of Claim 1 wherein said progressive controller transmits a lockup instruction to said control means in response to a jackpot signal and said control means transmits a lockup signal to one of said gaming machines in response to said lockup instruction.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
37 words
The system of Claim 16 wherein said control means responds to a poll signal from said progressive controller by transmitting an acknowledgment signal to said progressive controller indicating whether or not said lockup instruction has been executed.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
29 words
The system of Claim 1 wherein each of said gaming machines transmits an ID message identifying itself to said control means when the progressive communication system is powered up.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
65 words
The system of Claim 1 wherein said communication unit includes a memory and said coin-in information includes the number of coins bet for games played one each of said gaming machines and wherein said control means stores a summation of said coin-in information from each of said gaming machines in said memory and wherein said coin-in information transmitted to said progressive controller includes said summation.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
36 words
The system of Claim 1 wherein said gaming machines include jackpot means for identifying at least 5 jackpots and wherein said jackpot signal includes an indication of the one of said jackpots generated by the machine.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
39 words
The system of Claim 22 wherein said communication unit includes means to detect a fault in said progressive controller and to transmit a disable signal to said gaming machines in response to said fault detection over said enable line.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
45 words
The system of Claim 22 wherein said communication unit includes means to detect a fault in communication between said progressive controller and said communication unit and to transmit a disable signal over said enable line to said gaming machines in response to said fault detection.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
90 words
The system of Claim 22 wherein a coin-in signal, a jackpot signal and game machine identification signal are transmitted to said communication unit over a first of said data lines by said gaming machines; a jackpot value signal is transmitted to said gaming machines over a second of said data lines from said communication unit; a lockup signal is transmitted to said gaming machines over said enable line from said communication unit and a connect signal is transmitted over said connect line from said gaming machines to said communication unit.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
32 words
The system of Claim 1 wherein said communication unit includes broadcast means responsive to said jackpot signal for transmitting jackpot values for a plurality of jackpots to all of said gaming machines.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
34 words
The system of Claim 29 wherein said gaming machines include acknowledgment means for transmitting an acknowledgment message to said communication unit indicating that said jackpot values have been properly received by said gaming machines.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
71 words
The system of Claim 1 wherein gaming machines transmit said jackpot signal to said communication unit indicating that a particular jackpot has been hit includes a portion identifying the particular gaming machine where the jackpot was hit and said communication unit transmits, in response to said jackpot signal, as part of said jackpot value signal, a current value message representing the current value of that jackpot to said particular gaming machine.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
36 words
The system of Claim 1 wherein said jackpot value signal includes a portion indicating which one of plurality of jackpots has been hit and a portion indicating the current value of said one of said jackpots.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
51 words
The system of Claim 1 wherein each of said gaming machines includes means for displaying a plurality of jackpots and means for transmitting to said communication unit a coin-in signal having a portion representing which of said jackpots is being played and a portion representing the value of the coins played.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
16 words
The system of Claim 35 wherein said coin-in signal includes a signal specifying a progressive rate.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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