Patent Abstract:
Embodiments of the present invention are directed to a gaming device with unlockable features. The unlockable features can change default settings in the game environment of the gaming device and provide game mode changes, vanity features, and external features to the player. The unlockable game environment features can be different sound schemes, different static images, flashing images, and animations. The unlockable features can be triggered based on various player statistics and can be managed in a player account. The player can manage the unlockable features interactively on the gaming device.

Full Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    This disclosure relates generally to gaming devices, and more particularly to gaming devices with unlockable features. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    Playing games of chance is a popular recreational activity. There are many types of games of chance including table games where players wager against a live dealer such as blackjack, Pai Gow, roulette, Baccarat. Other types of games of chance are offered as automated machines. Examples include slots, poker, bingo, etc. Still other types of games of chance allow players to wager against one another, such as a poker table. In return for a wager, games of chance generate randomly determined outcomes, some of which result in a winning event. Games of chance are often played with wagers having financial value but some games of chance are played with points or other freely available currency having no fiscal worth. 
         [0003]    Games of chance may be played in casinos, or at home using electronic devices or mechanical equipment. Gambling via Internet, whether for fun or for money, is also a popular activity. 
         [0004]    Automated gaming machines typically have a single game environment. For example, gaming machines will have a specific color scheme, specific symbols, etc; in other words, a specific ‘look and feel’. 
         [0005]    One of the problems with conventional automated gaming machines is that the player may become bored with the game environment on a certain gaming machine and decide to stop playing for that reason. Further, there is no incentive for the player to continue to play on any certain gaming machine because the game environment will never change. Consequently, a need remains for a mechanism by which the game environment can be changed over time. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0006]      FIG. 1A  is a functional block diagram that illustrates a gaming device according to embodiments of the invention. 
           [0007]      FIG. 1B  is an isometric view of the gaming device illustrated in  FIG. 1A . 
           [0008]      FIGS. 2A ,  2 B, and  2 C are detail diagrams of exemplary types of gaming devices according to embodiments of the invention. 
           [0009]      FIG. 3  is a functional block diagram of networked gaming devices according to embodiments of the invention. 
           [0010]      FIG. 4  illustrates an example video slot machine according to some embodiments of the invention. 
           [0011]      FIG. 5  illustrates an unlockable feature management screen according to some embodiments of the invention. 
           [0012]      FIG. 6  illustrates an unlockable feature acceptance screen according to some embodiments of the invention. 
           [0013]      FIG. 7  illustrates a conditional unlockable feature acceptance screen according to some embodiments of the invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0014]      FIGS. 1A and 1B  illustrate example gaming devices according to embodiments of the invention. 
         [0015]    Referring to  FIGS. 1A and 1B , a gaming device  10  is an electronic gaming machine. Although an electronic gaming machine or “slot” machine is illustrated, various other types of devices may be used to wager monetarily based credits on a game of chance in accordance with principles of the invention. The term “electronic gaming device” is meant to include various devices such as electro-mechanical spinning-reel type slot machines, video slot machines, and video poker machines, for instance. Other gaming devices may include computer-based gaming machines, wireless gaming devices, multi-player gaming stations, modified personal electronic gaming devices (such as cell phones), personal computers, server-based gaming terminals, and other similar devices. Although embodiments of the invention will work with all of the gaming types mentioned, for ease of illustration the present embodiments will be described in reference to the electronic gaming machine  10  shown in  FIGS. 1A and 1B . 
         [0016]    The gaming device  10  includes a cabinet  15  housing components to operate the gaming device  10 . The cabinet  15  may include a gaming display  20 , a base portion  13 , a top box  18 , and a player interface panel  30 . The gaming display  20  may include mechanical spinning reels ( FIG. 2A ), a video display ( FIGS. 2B and 2C ), or a combination of both spinning reels and a video display (not shown). The gaming cabinet  15  may also include a credit meter  27  and a coin-in or bet meter  28 . The credit meter  27  may indicate the total number of credits remaining on the gaming device  10  that are eligible to be wagered. In some embodiments, the credit meter  27  may reflect a monetary unit, such as dollars. However, it is often preferable to have the credit meter  27  reflect a number of ‘credits,’ rather than a monetary unit. The bet meter  28  may indicate the amount of credits to be wagered on a particular game. Thus, for each game, the player transfers the amount that he or she wants to wager from the credit meter  27  to the bet meter  28 . In some embodiments, various other meters may be present, such as meters reflecting amounts won, amounts paid, or the like. In embodiments where the gaming display  20  is a video monitor, the information indicated on the credit meters may be shown on the gaming display itself  20  ( FIG. 2B ). 
         [0017]    The base portion  13  may include a lighted panel  14 , a coin return (not shown), and a gaming handle  12  operable on a partially rotating pivot joint  11 . The game handle  12  is traditionally included on mechanical spinning-reel games, where the handle may be pulled toward a player to initiate the spinning of reels  22  after placement of a wager. The top box  18  may include a lighted panel  17 , a video display (such as an LCD monitor), a mechanical bonus device (not shown), and a candle light indicator  19 . The player interface panel  30  may include various devices so that a player can interact with the gaming device  10 . 
         [0018]    The player interface panel  30  may include one or more game buttons  32  that can be actuated by the player to cause the gaming device  10  to perform a specific action. For example, some of the game buttons  32  may cause the gaming device  10  to bet a credit to be wagered during the next game, change the number of lines being played on a multi-line game, cash out the credits remaining on the gaming device (as indicated on the credit meter  27 ), or request assistance from casino personnel, such as by lighting the candle  19 . In addition, the player interface panel  30  may include one or more game actuating buttons  33 . The game actuating buttons  33  may initiate a game with a pre-specified amount of credits. On some gaming devices  10  a “Max Bet” game actuating button  33  may be included that places the maximum credit wager on a game and initiates the game. The player interface panel  30  may further include a bill acceptor  37  and a ticket printer  38 . The bill acceptor  37  may accept and validate paper money or previously printed tickets with a credit balance. The ticket printer  38  may print out tickets reflecting the balance of the credits that remain on the gaming device  10  when a player cashes out by pressing one of the game buttons  32  programmed to cause a ‘cashout.’ These tickets may be inserted into other gaming machines or redeemed at a cashier station or kiosk for cash. 
         [0019]    The gaming device  10  may also include one or more speakers  26  to transmit auditory information or sounds to the player. The auditory information may include specific sounds associated with particular events that occur during game play on the gaming device  10 . For example, a particularly festive sound may be played during a large win or when a bonus is triggered. The speakers  26  may also transmit “attract” sounds to entice nearby players when the game is not currently being played. 
         [0020]    The gaming device  10  may further include a secondary display  25 . This secondary display  25  may be a vacuum fluorescent display (VFD), a liquid crystal display (LCD), a cathode ray tube (CRT), a plasma screen, or the like. The secondary display  25  may show ancillary information to the player. For example, the secondary display  25  may show player tracking information, secondary bonus information, advertisements, or player selectable game options. 
         [0021]    The gaming device  10  includes a microprocessor  40  that controls operation of the gaming device  10 . If the gaming device  10  is a standalone gaming device, the microprocessor  40  may control virtually all of the operations of the gaming devices and attached equipment, such as operating game logic stored in memory (not shown) as firmware, controlling the display  20  to represent the outcome of a game, communicate with the other peripheral devices (such as the bill acceptor  37 ), and orchestrating the lighting and sound emanating from the gaming device  10 . In other embodiments where the gaming device  10  is coupled to a network  50 , as described below, the microprocessor  40  may have different tasks depending on the setup and function of the gaming device. For example, the microprocessor  40  may be responsible for running the base game of the gaming device and executing instructions received over the network  50  from a bonus server or player tracking server. In a server-based gaming setup, the microprocessor  40  may act as a terminal to execute instructions from a remote server that is running game play on the gaming device. 
         [0022]    The microprocessor  40  may be coupled to a machine communication interface (MCI)  42  that connects the gaming device  10  to a gaming network  50 . The MCI  42  may be coupled to the microprocessor  40  through a serial connection, a parallel connection, an optical connection, or in some cases a wireless connection. The gaming device  10  may include memory  41  (MEM), such as a random access memory (RAM), coupled to the microprocessor  40  and which can be used to store gaming information, such as storing total coin-in statistics about a present or past gaming session, which can be communicated to a remote server or database through the MCI  42 . The MCI  42  may also facilitate communication between the network  50  and the secondary display  25  or a player tracking unit  45  housed in the gaming cabinet  15 . 
         [0023]    The player tracking unit  45  may include an identification device  46  and one or more buttons  47  associated with the player tracking unit  45 . The identification device  46  serves to identify a player, by, for example, reading a player-tracking device, such as a player tracking card that is issued by the casino to individual players who choose to have such a card. The identification device  46  may instead, or additionally, identify players through other methods. Player tracking systems using player tracking cards and card readers  46  are known in the art. Briefly summarizing such a system, a player registers with the casino prior to commencing gaming. The casino issues a unique player-tracking card to the player and opens a corresponding player account that is stored on a server or host computer, described below with reference to  FIG. 3 . The player account may include the player&#39;s name and mailing address and other information of interest to the casino in connection with marketing efforts. Prior to playing one of the gaming devices in the casino, the player inserts the player tracking card into the identification device  46  thus permitting the casino to track player activity, such as amounts wagered, credits won, and rate of play. 
         [0024]    To induce the player to use the card and be an identified player, the casino may award each player points proportional to the money or credits wagered by the player. Players typically accrue points at a rate related to the amount wagered, although other factors may cause the casino to award the player various amounts. The points may be displayed on the secondary display  25  or using other methods. In conventional player tracking systems, the player may take his or her card to a special desk in the casino where a casino employee scans the card to determine how many accrued points are in the player&#39;s account. The player may redeem points for selected merchandise, meals in casino restaurants, or the like, which each have assigned point values. In some player tracking systems, the player may use the secondary display  25  to access their player tracking account, such as to check a total number of points, redeem points for various services, make changes to their account, or download promotional credits to the gaming device  10 . In other embodiments, the identification device  46  may read other identifying cards (such as driver licenses, credit cards, etc.) to identify a player and match them to a corresponding player tracking account. Although  FIG. 1A  shows the player tracking unit  45  with a card reader as the identification device  46 , other embodiments may include a player tracking unit  45  with a biometric scanner, PIN code acceptor, or other methods of identifying a player to pair the player with their player tracking account. 
         [0025]    During typical play on a gaming device  10 , a player plays a game by placing a wager and then initiating a gaming session. The player may initially insert monetary bills or previously printed tickets with a credit value into the bill acceptor  37 . The player may also put coins into a coin acceptor (not shown) or a credit card into a card reader/authorizer (not shown). The credit meter  27  displays the numeric credit value of the money inserted dependent on the denomination of the gaming device  10 . That is, if the gaming device  10  is a nickel slot machine and a $20 bill inserted into the bill acceptor  37 , the credit meter will reflect 400 credits or one credit for each nickel of the inserted twenty dollars. For gaming devices  10  that support multiple denominations, the credit meter  27  will reflect the amount of credits relative to the denomination selected. Thus, in the above example, if a penny denomination is selected after the $20 is inserted the credit meter will change from 400 credits to 2000 credits. 
         [0026]    A wager may be placed by pushing one or more of the game buttons  32 , which may be reflected on the bet meter  28 . That is, the player can generally depress a “bet one” button (one of the buttons on the player interface panel  30 , such as  32 ), which transfers one credit from the credit meter  27  to the bet meter  28 . Each time the button  32  is depressed an additional single credit transfers to the bet meter  28  up to a maximum bet that can be placed on a single play of the electronic gaming device  10 . The gaming session may be initiated by pulling the gaming handle  12  or depressing the spin button  33 . On some gaming devices  10 , a “max bet” button (another one of the buttons  32  on the player interface panel  30 ) may be depressed to wager the maximum number of credits supported by the gaming device  10  and initiate a gaming session. 
         [0027]    If the gaming session does not result in any winning combination, the process of placing a wager may be repeated by the player. Alternatively, the player may cash out any remaining credits on the credit meter  27  by depressing the “cash-out” button (another button  32  on the player interface panel  30 ), which causes the credits on the credit meter  27  to be paid out in the form of a ticket through the ticket printer  38 , or may be paid out in the form of returning coins from a coin hopper (not shown) to a coin return tray. 
         [0028]    If instead a winning combination (win) appears on the display  20 , the award corresponding to the winning combination is immediately applied to the credit meter  27 . For example, if the gaming device  10  is a slot machine, a winning combination of symbols  23  may land on a played payline on reels  22 . If any bonus games are initiated, the gaming device  10  may enter into a bonus mode or simply award the player with a bonus amount of credits that are applied to the credit meter  27 . 
         [0029]      FIGS. 2A to 2C  illustrate exemplary types of gaming devices according to embodiments of the invention.  FIG. 2A  illustrates an example spinning-reel gaming machine  10 A,  FIG. 2B  illustrates an example video slot machine  10 B, and  FIG. 2C  illustrates an example video poker machine  10 C. 
         [0030]    Referring to  FIG. 2A , a spinning-reel gaming machine  10 A includes a gaming display  20 A having a plurality of mechanical spinning reels  22 A. Typically, spinning-reel gaming machines  10 A have three to five spinning reels  22 A. Each of the spinning reels  22 A has multiple symbols  23 A that may be separated by blank areas on the spinning reels  22 A, although the presence of blank areas typically depends on the number of reels  22 A present in the gaming device  10 A and the number of different symbols  23 A that may appear on the spinning reels  22 A. Each of the symbols  22 A or blank areas makes up a “stop” on the spinning reel  22 A where the reel  22 A comes to rest after a spin. Although the spinning reels  22 A of various games  10 A may have various numbers of stops, many conventional spinning-reel gaming devices  10 A have reels  22 A with twenty two stops. 
         [0031]    During game play, the spinning reels  22 A may be controlled by stepper motors (not shown) under the direction of the microprocessor  40  ( FIG. 1A ). Thus, although the spinning-reel gaming device  10 A has mechanical based spinning reels  22 A, the movement of the reels themselves is electronically controlled to spin and stop. This electronic control is advantageous because it allows a virtual reel strip to be stored in the memory  41  of the gaming device  10 A, where various “virtual stops” are mapped to each physical stop on the physical reel  22 A. This mapping allows the gaming device  10 A to establish greater awards and bonuses available to the player because of the increased number of possible combinations afforded by the virtual reel strips. 
         [0032]    A gaming session on a spinning reel slot machine  10 A typically includes the player pressing the “bet-one” button (one of the game buttons  32 A) to wager a desired number of credits followed by pulling the gaming handle  12  ( FIGS. 1A ,  1 B) or pressing the spin button  33 A to spin the reels  22 A. Alternatively, the player may simply press the “max-bet” button (another one of the game buttons  32 A) to both wager the maximum number of credits permitted and initiate the spinning of the reels  22 A. The spinning reels  22 A may all stop at the same time or may individually stop one after another (typically from left to right) to build player anticipation. Because the display  20 A usually cannot be physically modified, some spinning reel slot machines  10 A include an electronic display screen in the top box  18  ( FIG. 1B ), a mechanical bonus mechanism in the top box  18 , or a secondary display  25  ( FIG. 1A ) to execute a bonus. 
         [0033]    Referring to  FIG. 2B , a video gaming machine  10 B may include a video display  20 B to display virtual spinning reels  22 B and various other gaming information  21 B. The video display  20 B may be a CRT, LCD, plasma screen, or the like. It is usually preferable that the video display  20 B be a touchscreen to accept player input. A number of symbols  23 B appear on each of the virtual spinning reels  22 B. Although  FIG. 2B  shows five virtual spinning reels  22 B, the flexibility of the video display  20 B allows for various reel  22 B and game configurations. For example, some video slot games  10 B spin reels for each individual symbol position (or stop) that appears on the video display  20 B. That is, each symbol position on the screen is independent of every other position during the gaming sessions. In these types of games, very large numbers of pay lines or multiple super scatter pays can be utilized since similar symbols could appear at every symbol position on the video display  20 B. On the other hand, other video slot games  10 B more closely resemble the mechanical spinning reel games where symbols that are vertically adjacent to each other are part of the same continuous virtual spinning reel  22 B. 
         [0034]    Because the virtual spinning reels  22 B, by virtue of being computer implemented, can have almost any number of stops on a reel strip, it is much easier to have a greater variety of displayed outcomes as compared to spinning-reel slot machines  10 A ( FIG. 2A ) that have a fixed number of physical stops on each spinning reel  22 A. 
         [0035]    With the possible increases in reel  22 B numbers and configurations over the mechanical gaming device  10 A, video gaming devices  10 B often have multiple paylines  24  that may be played. By having more paylines  24  available to play, the player may be more likely to have a winning combination when the reels  22 B stop and the gaming session ends. However, since the player typically must wager at least a minimum number of credits to enable each payline  24  to be eligible for winning, the overall odds of winning are not much different, if at all, than if the player is wagering only on a single payline. For example, in a five line game, the player may bet one credit per payline  24  and be eligible for winning symbol combinations that appear on any of the five played paylines  24 . This gives a total of five credits wagered and five possible winning paylines  24 . If, on the other hand, the player only wagers one credit on one payline  24 , but plays five gaming sessions, the odds of winning would be identical as above: five credits wagered and five possible winning paylines  24 . 
         [0036]    Because the video display  20 B can easily modify the image output by the video display  20 B, bonuses, such as second screen bonuses are relatively easy to award on the video slot game  10 B. That is, if a bonus is triggered during game play, the video display  20 B may simply store the resulting screen shot in memory and display a bonus sequence on the video display  20 B. After the bonus sequence is completed, the video display  20 B may then retrieve the previous screen shot and information from memory, and re-display that image. 
         [0037]    Also, as mentioned above, the video display  20 B may allow various other game information  21 B to be displayed. For example, as shown in  FIG. 2B , banner information may be displayed above the spinning reels  22 B to inform the player, perhaps, which symbol combination is needed to trigger a bonus. Also, instead of providing a separate credit meter  27  ( FIG. 1A ) and bet meter  28 , the same information can instead be displayed on the video display  20 B. In addition, “soft buttons”  29 B such as a “spin” button or “help/see pays” button may be built using the touch screen video display  20 B. Such customization and ease of changing the image shown on the display  20 B adds to the flexibility of the game  10 B. 
         [0038]    Even with the improved flexibility afforded by the video display  20 B, several physical buttons  32 B and  33 B are usually provided on video slot machines  10 B. These buttons may include game buttons  32 B that allow a player to choose the number of paylines  24  he or she would like to play and the number of credits wagered on each payline  24 . In addition, a max bet button (one of the game buttons  32 B) allows a player to place a maximum credit wager on the maximum number of available paylines  24  and initiate a gaming session. A repeat bet or spin button  33 B may also be used to initiate each gaming session when the max bet button is not used. 
         [0039]    Referring to  FIG. 2C , a video poker gaming device  10 C may include a video display  20 C that is physically similar to the video display  20 B shown in  FIG. 2B . The video display  20 C may show a poker hand of five cards  23 C and various other player information  21 C including a paytable for various winning hands, as well as a plurality of player selectable soft buttons  29 C. The video display  20 C may present a poker hand of five cards  23 C and various other player information  21 C including a number of player selectable soft (touch-screen) buttons  29 C and a paytable for various winning hands. Although the embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 3C  shows only one hand of poker on the video display  20 C, various other video poker machines  10 C may show several poker hands (multi-hand poker). Typically, video poker machines  10 C play “draw” poker in which a player is dealt a hand of five cards, has the opportunity to hold any combination of those five cards, and then draws new cards to replace the discarded ones. All pays are usually given for winning combinations resulting from the final hand, although some video poker games  10 C may give bonus credits for certain combinations received on the first hand before the draw. In the example shown in  FIG. 2C  a player has been dealt two aces, a three, a six, and a nine. The video poker game  10 C may provide a bonus or payout for the player having been dealt the pair of aces, even before the player decides what to discard in the draw. Since pairs, three of a kind, etc. are typically needed for wins, a player would likely hold the two aces that have been dealt and draw three cards to replace the three, six, and nine in the hope of receiving additional aces or other cards leading to a winning combination with a higher award amount. After the draw and revealing of the final hand, the video poker game  10 C typically awards any credits won to the credit meter. 
         [0040]    The player selectable soft buttons  29 C appearing on the screen respectively correspond to each card on the video display  20 C. These soft buttons  29 C allow players to select specific cards on the video display  20 C such that the card corresponding to the selected soft button is “held” before the draw. Typically, video poker machines  10 C also include physical game buttons  32 C that correspond to the cards in the hand and may be selected to hold a corresponding card. A deal/draw button  33 C may also be included to initiate a gaming session after credits have been wagered (with a bet button  32 C, for example) and to draw any cards not held after the first hand is displayed. 
         [0041]    Although examples of a spinning reel slot machine  10 A, a video slot machine  10 B, and a video poker machine  10 C have been illustrated in  FIGS. 2A-2C , gaming machines various other types of gaming devices known in the art are contemplated and are within the scope of the invention. 
         [0042]    Each of the gaming devices in  FIGS. 2A through 2C  has a game environment. The game environment can include sounds emitted from the gaming device and any portion of the visual information displayed to a player. 
         [0043]      FIG. 3  is a block diagram illustrating networked gaming devices according to embodiments of the invention. Referring to  FIG. 3 , multiple electronic gaming devices (EGMs)  70 ,  71 ,  72 ,  73 ,  74 , and  75  may be coupled to one another and coupled to a remote server  80  through a network  50 . For ease of understanding, gaming devices or EGMs  70 ,  71 ,  72 ,  73 ,  74 , and  75  are generically referred to as EGMs  70 - 75 . The term EGMs  70 - 75 , however, may refer to any combination of one or more of EGMs  70 ,  71 ,  72 ,  73 ,  74 , and  75 . Additionally, the gaming server  80  may be coupled to one or more gaming databases  90 . These gaming network  50  connections may allow multiple gaming devices  70 - 75  to remain in communication with one another during particular gaming modes such as tournament play or remote head-to-head play. Although some of the gaming devices  70 - 75  coupled on the gaming network  50  may resemble the gaming devices  10 ,  10 A,  10 B, and  10 C shown in  FIGS. 1A-1B  and  2 A- 2 C, other coupled gaming devices  70 - 75  may include differently configured gaming devices. For example, the gaming devices  70 - 75  may include traditional slot machines  75  directly coupled to the network  50 , banks of gaming devices  70  coupled to the network  50 , banks of gaming devices  70  coupled to the network through a bank controller  60 , wireless handheld gaming machines  72  and cell phones  73  coupled to the gaming network  50  through one or more wireless routers or antennas  61 , personal computers  74  coupled to the network  50  through the internet  62 , and banks of gaming devices  71  coupled to the network through one or more optical connection lines  64 . Additionally, some of the traditional gaming devices  70 ,  71 , and  75  may include electronic gaming tables, multi-station gaming devices, or electronic components operating in conjunction with non-gaming components, such as automatic card readers, chip readers, and chip counters, for example. 
         [0044]    Gaming devices  71  coupled over an optical line  64  may be remote gaming devices in a different location or casino. The optical line  64  may be coupled to the gaming network  50  through an electronic to optical signal converter  63  and may be coupled to the gaming devices  71  through an optical to electronic signal converter  65 . The banks of gaming devices  70  coupled to the network  50  may be coupled through a bank controller  60  for compatibility purposes, for local organization and control, or for signal buffering purposes. The network  50  may include serial or parallel signal transmission lines and carry data in accordance with data transfer protocols such as Ethernet transmission lines, firewire lines, USB lines, or other communication protocols. Although not shown in  FIG. 3 , substantially the entire network  50  may be made of optical lines  64  or may be a wireless network. 
         [0045]    As mentioned above, each gaming device  70 - 75  may have an individual processor  40  ( FIG. 1A ) and memory  41  to run and control game play on the gaming device  70 - 75 , or some of the gaming devices  70 - 75  may be terminals that are run by a remote server  80  in a server based gaming environment. Server based gaming environments may be advantageous to casinos by allowing fast downloading of particular game types or themes based on casino preference or player selection. Additionally, tournament based games, linked games, and certain game types, such as BINGO or keno may benefit from at least some server  80  based control. 
         [0046]    Thus, in some embodiments, the network  50 , server  80 , and database  90  may be dedicated to communications regarding specific game or tournament play. In other embodiments, however, the network  50 , server  80 , and database  90  may be part of a player tracking network. For player tracking capabilities, when a player inserts a player tracking card in the card reader  46  ( FIG. 1A ), the player tracking unit  45  sends player identification information obtained on the card reader  46  through the MCI  42  over the network  50  to the player tracking server  80 , where the player identification information is compared to player information records on in the player database  90  to provide the player with information regarding their player accounts or other features at the gaming device  10  where the player is wagering. Additionally, multiple databases  90  and/or servers  80  may be present and coupled to one or more networks  50  to provide a variety of gaming services, such as both game/tournament data and player tracking data. 
         [0047]    The various systems described with reference to  FIGS. 1-3  can be used in a number of ways. For instance, the systems can be used to track data about various players. The tracked data can be used by the casino to provide additional benefits to players, such as extra bonuses or extra benefits such as bonus games and other benefits as described above. These added benefits further entice the players to play at the casino that provides the benefits. 
         [0048]      FIG. 4  illustrates an example video slot machine according to some embodiments of the invention. 
         [0049]    Referring to  FIG. 4 , a video slot machine  110  includes unlockable symbols  123 B- 1 ,  123 B- 2 , and  123 B- 3  that are different from the default symbols (i.e., symbols  23 B shown in  FIG. 2B ) displayed on the machine. Unlockable symbol  123 B- 1  is a static symbol that is different from the default symbols ordinarily displayed on the video slot machine  110 . For example, unlockable symbol  123 B- 1  could be a gold coin that is displayed in place of a specific default symbol on the reels  122 B. Unlockable symbol  123 B- 2  is an animated symbol that is different from the default symbols ordinarily displayed on the video slot machine  110 . For example, unlockable symbol  123 B- 2  could be a stick figure that moves within a pre-defined area of each of the reels  122 B (as shown by the dotted figures and arrows) and that is displayed in place of a specific default symbol on the reels  122 B. Unlockable symbol  123 B- 3  is a modified presentation of one of the default symbols ordinarily displayed on the video slot machine  110 . For example, unlockable symbol  123 B- 3  could be a default symbol that has been modified to flash on and off (as shown by dotted accent lines). 
         [0050]    A person of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that unlockable symbols  123 B- 1 ,  123 B- 2 , and  123 B- 3  are just a few examples of many possible unlockable symbols that fall within the scope of the invention. Further, according to some embodiments of the invention, the unlockable symbol  123 B could be the same as one of the default symbols, such that triggering the unlockable symbols  123 B results in replacement of one of the default symbols with another one of the default symbols. The net effect of such a change is to decrease the total number of symbols present on the reels  122 B. The player may perceive this change as increasing the chances of obtaining a win result, but the chances of obtaining a win result are not necessarily increased. 
         [0051]    Unlocking of the unlockable features on the video slot machine  110  can be associated with many possible triggers. For example, triggering of a specific unlockable feature can be associated with a pre-set number of consecutive plays by a single player on the video slot machine  110 . Many other triggers can lead to unlocking of the unlockable features including, but not limited to: a specific amount of credits wagered by a player; an amount of time the player has spent on a single machine; an amount of credits won by the player on a specific machine; a number of plays without a payout on a specific machine; and trend data associated with the player. Each trigger has an underlying basis. For instance, when the trigger is 500 credits wagered by a player, the underlying basis for the trigger is the number of credits wagered by the player. Also, the unlockable features can be tiered such that a first unlockable feature is unlocked when a first condition is reached, a second unlockable feature is unlocked when a second condition is reached, and so on. The unlockable features can be cumulative, such that the second unlockable feature adds to the first unlockable feature, or the unlockable features can be sequential, such that the second unlockable feature replaces the first unlockable feature. 
         [0052]    The triggers that result in unlocking of unlockable features can be machine specific and/or player specific. In other words, the triggers can be tied to the player&#39;s use of a specific machine or the triggers can be tied to the player&#39;s use of many different machines over time. In the latter case, the player&#39;s status with respect to the triggers can be maintained in the player&#39;s account. As an example, a trigger for an unlockable feature could be a total amount wagered by a player on a given day, independent of which machines the wagers were placed on. The total amount wagered can be tracked in the player&#39;s account such that when the trigger is met, the unlockable feature is unlocked on whichever machine the player is using at that particular time. The unlocked feature can then be available on any machine that the player uses, as long as the player is using their player account on the machine. 
         [0053]    The video slot machine  110  can determine whether any unlockable features have been triggered on an ongoing basis as a player sequentially initiates gaming sessions on the machine. If the player provides identifying information to the video slot machine  110 , the machine can determine if any unlockable features are available to the player based on the player account associated with the player before the player initiates a first gaming session. Then, video slot machine  110  can determine whether any unlockable features have been triggered on an ongoing basis as the player sequentially initiates gaming sessions on the machine. 
         [0054]    As shown in  FIG. 4 , gaming information  121 B can display the status of unlockable features on the video slot machine  110 . For example, the gaming information  121 B can display a message indicating new unlockable features (new from the player&#39;s perspective) have been unlocked. Further, the gaming information  121 B can display a message indicating that unlockable features are available and also indicating the conditions upon which the unlockable features can be unlocked. 
         [0055]    Many aspects of the game environment on the video slot machine  110  can be altered by unlockable features. For example, the color scheme of the gaming display  1   20 B can be tied to an unlockable feature such that when the unlockable feature is triggered, the colors of different elements in the gaming display  120 B can be changed. As another example, the number of reels  122 B can be changed when an unlockable feature is triggered. Additionally, the flow of a gaming session can also be altered by unlockable features. For instance, a ‘multiple stops’ unlockable feature can be activated so that the player can stop each reel  122 B on a video slot machine  110  independently by sequentially pressing a stop button. Although the player may perceive that the ‘multiple stops’ unlockable feature improves the player&#39;s chances of obtaining a win result, this is not necessarily the case. 
         [0056]    A person of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that many other types of unlockable features could be provided and the unlockable features do not have to be specific to the game environment. For example, an unlockable feature could unlock a different game on a particular gaming device, different music (which could be designated in the player account), television programming, and/or drink service. Also, unlockable features could provide features outside the context of the gaming device such as free food (a steak dinner at a particular venue), a free night stay at a particular venue, a ticket to a show, etc. Further, an unlockable feature could be recognition on a public display of the player&#39;s accomplishment. For instance, a particular venue may have a display showing a ‘Lucky Players List’ and an unlockable feature could allow the player&#39;s name, picture, an animated likeness of the player, etc. to be added to the list. 
         [0057]    Another aspect of the game environment that can be modified by the unlockable features is the sound scheme. For example, the background music associated with the video slot machine  110  and the sounds associated with particular events can both be altered by an unlockable feature. Also, event sounds can be tied to the unlockable symbols  123 B. In one example, an unlockable symbol  123 B could be an animated face that has moving lips timed to correspond with sounds emitted from the speaker  26  to give the impression that the animated face is ‘talking’ to the player. The animated face can provide words of encouragement (i.e., “Give it another try; your luck is bound to change”) or taunt the player (i.e., “Give up now; you&#39;re never gonna win”) dependent upon trend data associated with the player. Alternatively, the animated face can simply provide statements that are not tied to any particular trend data (i.e., “Nice weather we&#39;re having”). 
         [0058]    The unlockable features can be organized into unlockable feature packages. Each unlockable feature package can include multiple unlockable features including, but not limited to: a different color scheme in the gaming display  120 B; different unlockable symbols  123 B; and a different sound scheme. For example, a ‘stick figure’ unlockable feature package could replace multiple default symbols with animated stick figures performing various activities and sounds corresponding to the various activities. As another example, an ‘animated faces’ unlockable feature package could replace one or more default symbols with animated faces, which may or may not ‘talk’ to the player as described above. 
         [0059]    Although it may be advantageous to the casino to identify to the player what unlockable features are available on a machine, this does not have to be the case. Unlockable features can be triggered without any prior knowledge by the player. Further, even if the player does know what unlockable features are available, it is not necessary that the player even know what the triggers are for the unlockable features, or in what order the features will unlock. From the player&#39;s perspective, the triggering of the unlockable features could be tied to unknown events or even have the appearance of being random. Further, a player could opt out of unlockable features altogether either on a particular gaming device or through an opt-out feature in the associated player account. 
         [0060]    The video slot machine  110  can also include an unlockable feature management button  129 B. The unlockable feature management button  129 B can be displayed in the gaming display  120 B whenever an unlockable feature is active on the video slot machine  110 . The unlockable feature management button  129 B can be activated by the player (by touching the button on a touch screen, for example) to cause the video slot machine  110  to display an alternate screen as shown in  FIG. 5 . 
         [0061]      FIG. 5  illustrates an unlockable feature management screen according to some embodiments of the invention. 
         [0062]    Referring to  FIG. 5 , upon activation of an unlockable feature management button  129 B by a player, the video slot machine  110  can display an unlockable feature management screen in the gaming display  120 B. The unlockable feature management screen can include: a list of active unlockable features  129 B- 1 ; a list of available unlockable features  129 B- 2 ; and/or a close button  129 B- 3 . The list of active unlockable features  129 B- 1  can display to the player all of the unlockable features that are currently active on the gaming machine. The player can disable any or all of the active unlockable features from the list of active unlockable features  129 B- 1  by, for example, touching the feature in the list. 
         [0063]    The list of available unlockable features  129 B- 2  can display to the player all of the unlockable features that are available on the machine along with the trigger for unlocking each of the available unlockable features. Alternatively, the list of available unlockable features  129 B- 2  can display only those unlockable features for which the player is likely to achieve the trigger within a pre-set time interval. For example, if a player has wagered 95 credits on a specific machine and a first unlockable feature is triggered when the player wagers 100 credits, the first unlockable feature may be displayed in the list of available unlockable features  129 B- 2 . On the other hand, if a second unlockable feature is not triggered until the player wagers 1000 credits, the second unlockable feature might not be displayed in the list of available unlockable features  129 B- 2 . 
         [0064]    The close button  129 B- 3  can be used to close the unlockable feature management screen and return to the gaming screen, as shown in  FIG. 4 . The close button  129 B- 3  does not necessarily have the word “Close” on it; the button could have any other word that would indicate to the player that they will be returned to the previous screen, such as: “Cancel”, “Return”, or “Back”. 
         [0065]    According to some embodiments of the invention, when an unlockable feature is triggered, the gaming device  110  can prompt the player to accept or decline the unlockable feature. The gaming device  110  can prompt the player by, for example, displaying an alternate screen in the gaming display  120 , as shown in  FIG. 6 . 
         [0066]      FIG. 6  illustrates an unlockable feature acceptance screen according to some embodiments of the invention. 
         [0067]    Referring to  FIG. 6 , during the course of game play, if a player triggers an unlockable feature, the video slot machine  110  can display an unlockable feature acceptance screen. The unlockable feature acceptance screen can include: an identifier  129 B- 4  for the triggered unlockable feature; a description  129 B- 5  of the triggered unlockable feature; an accept button  129 B- 6 ; and a decline button  129 B- 7 . The identifier  129 B- 4  can indicate to the player which unlockable feature has been triggered. The description  129 B- 5  can provide a brief description of the effect that the triggered unlockable feature will have on the game environment. The accept button  129 B- 6  and the decline button  129 B- 7  can be used by the player to either activate the unlockable feature or decline to activate the feature. The accept button  129 B- 6  and the decline button  129 B- 7  do not necessarily have the words “Activate” and “Decline” on them. The buttons could have any other words on them that convey to the player that the unlockable feature can be activated or declined including: “Accept”, “Reject”, “Cancel”, or “Continue”. 
         [0068]    The triggers for the unlockable features can be linear, non-linear, or a combination of both. For example, a new unlockable feature can be triggered at each linear increment of an underlying basis (i.e. 50, 100, 150 . . . credits wagered on a given machine). Alternatively, a new unlockable feature can be triggered at non-linear intervals of the underlying basis (i.e. 50, 150, 500 . . . credits wagered on a given machine). 
         [0069]    According to some embodiments of the invention, the unlockable features can be conditional. As used here, the term conditional means that by choosing to activate a first unlockable feature the trigger point for a second unlockable feature becomes more remote from the player&#39;s current status. As an example, the trigger for a first unlockable feature might be 5 minutes of play time on a given machine and the trigger for a second unlockable feature might be 10 minutes of play time on the machine. However, if the player chooses to activate the first unlockable feature when it is triggered, the time is reset, so that the player will have to play for an additional 10 minutes in order to trigger the second unlockable feature. Thus, when the unlockable features are conditional, the player has to play for 15 minutes to unlock both the first and second unlockable features, but if the unlockable features are not conditional, the player would only have to play for 10 minutes to unlock both the first and second unlockable features. When the unlockable features are conditional, the player can activate only the second unlockable feature by declining to activate the first unlockable feature after 5 minutes and accepting the activation of the second unlockable feature after 10 minutes. 
         [0070]      FIG. 7  illustrates a conditional unlockable feature acceptance screen according to some embodiments of the invention. 
         [0071]    Referring to  FIG. 7 , a conditional unlockable feature acceptance screen includes similar features to those described above with respect to  FIG. 6 . However, the conditional unlockable feature acceptance screen also includes a tempt message  129 B- 8 . The tempt message  129 B- 8  notifies the player of what unlockable feature will next become available if the player does not activate the currently triggered unlockable feature. 
         [0072]    Conditional unlockable features can be especially suited for situations in which later unlockable features are perceived to be ‘better’ by the player than earlier unlockable features in a non-linear fashion. This is the case independent of the validity of the player&#39;s perception. For example, the player may perceive that a second unlockable feature, such as ‘fewer number of reels’, is more likely to result in wins for the player than a first unlockable feature, such as a blue color scheme. Therefore, the player may be willing to forego the first unlockable feature so that the second unlockable feature can be triggered sooner. The validity of the player&#39;s perception regarding the fewer number of reels is not important. Conditional unlockable features can increase the perception of ‘scarcity’ of the later unlockable features and thus increase the player&#39;s excitement at having triggered the later unlockable features. 
         [0073]    In some cases, the player may not know which unlockable features become available later, but the player may know that by foregoing the earlier unlockable features, the player increases the chances of triggering the later unlockable features (or decreases the trigger point for the later unlockable features). Additionally, the player may perceive that the later unlockable features are ‘better’ than the earlier unlockable features. Thus, the player may choose to gamble on foregoing the earlier unlockable features in the hopes of triggering the later unlockable features. Such behavior by the player can be termed meta-gambling, as the player is gambling about gambling. Conditional unlockable features can be used to encourage meta-gambling because in addition to the desired outcome of payouts from the gaming machine, the player has a secondary desired outcome of achieving later unlockable features. This meta-gambling effect can be used to encourage a player to prolong play on a given machine or in a given venue, as opposed to changing machines and/or venues. 
         [0074]    According to some embodiments of the invention, unlockable features can be managed through the use of unlocking points. A player can accumulate unlocking points on an individual machine basis or on a player account basis. Specifically, the player can accumulate unlocking points while playing on a given machine and the unlocking points can be used to unlock features only on the given machine. Alternatively, the player can accumulate unlocking points on their player account from play on multiple gaming machines and the unlocking points can be redeemed to unlock features on any of the gaming machines. The current number of unlocking points available to a player can be displayed in the gaming display  120 B of the video slot machine  110 . Alternatively, the player may not even be aware of the existence of the locking points. The number of unlocking points necessary to trigger the next available unlockable feature can also be displayed in the gaming display  120 B, as player information  121 B for example. Unlocking points can be used to enforce conditional unlockable features because when the player chooses to activate a conditional unlockable feature that has been triggered, the appropriate amount of unlocking points can be deducted from the player account (or the number of unlocking points accumulated on the machine). It should be noted that unlocking points (and unlockable features in general) do not need to be tied to positive player statistics. In other words, a player could accumulate unlocking points even when the player is not getting ‘win’ results from their gaming. 
         [0075]    Unlocking points can also be used to tally multiple player statistics into a single value that can be easily redeemed by the player for unlockable features. For example, specified amounts of play time can be tallied as a specific number of unlocking points and the amount wagered by a player on a given day can also be tallied as another specific number of unlocking points. In this way, the unlocking points can represent an aggregate of the many player statistics that can lead to triggering unlockable features. 
         [0076]    Alternatively, each player statistic can be tallied as a separate pool of unlocking points. For example, a player account can accumulate first unlocking points that are associated with an amount of time played and second unlocking points that are associated with an amount wagered on a given day. These different unlocking points can be redeemed cumulatively or separately to unlock unlockable features. 
         [0077]    A person of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that different unlockable features can be available on different types of gaming machines. For example, a ‘reduced number of reels’ unlockable feature would be applicable to a video slot machine, but not applicable to a video poker machine. Similarly, an ‘animated card faces’ unlockable feature would be applicable to the video poker machine, but not applicable to the video slot machine. Consequently, the same trigger point for a particular underlying basis can lead to different unlockable features being triggered on different machines. For example, if the underlying basis is amount of credits wagered by a player, at a trigger point of 50 credits, a ‘reduced number of reels’ unlockable feature could be triggered if the player is playing a video slot machine, while an ‘animated card faces’ unlockable feature could be triggered if the player is playing a video poker machine. 
         [0078]    Unlockable features can also be organized into levels. In other words, instead of unlocking a specific feature when a certain trigger point is reached, the trigger could be used to set a player level (i.e., Level One, Level Two, Silver Level, Gold Level, etc). The player level can then be used as a proxy for the unlockable features. For example, a Level Two player can have certain unlockable features available, while a Level Three player can have certain additional or different unlockable features available. The player levels can be managed locally on a specific gaming device or they can be managed in the player account. 
         [0079]    Also, unlockable features can be organized into categories. For example, unlockable features could include: gaming machine play modes (that affect play on game, reels, etc.); visual or aural game environment features (colors, sounds, etc.); external features (free drink service, steak dinner, show tickets, etc.); and vanity features (overhead displays, recognition messages emanating from the gaming device, etc.). A player could choose which category of unlockable features the player would like to have available either on a machine-specific basis or in the player account. 
         [0080]    According to embodiments of the invention, unlockable features can be used to change the game environment on a gaming machine. The unlockable features can be triggered by many different player statistics accumulated on a single machine or multiple machines using a player account. 
         [0081]    Some embodiments of the invention have been described above, and in addition, some specific details are shown for purposes of illustrating the inventive principles. However, numerous other arrangements may be devised in accordance with the inventive principles of this patent disclosure. Further, well known processes have not been described in detail in order not to obscure the invention. Thus, while the invention is described in conjunction with the specific embodiments illustrated in the drawings, it is not limited to these embodiments or drawings. Rather, the invention is intended to cover alternatives, modifications, and equivalents that come within the scope and spirit of the inventive principles set out in the appended claims.

Technology Classification (CPC): 6