Patents by Inventor Mark C. Nicely

Mark C. Nicely has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20110281631
    Abstract: A gaming table, method and device including a plurality of rotors interchangeably operable in a decoupled mode and a coupled mode. The system includes a rotor coupler and a coupler actuator. The system provides an award associated with an indication of a combination of symbols of the rotors.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 21, 2011
    Publication date: November 17, 2011
    Applicant: IGT
    Inventors: David K. Bontempo, Mark C. Nicely, Benjamin J. Zoltewicz
  • Publication number: 20110269522
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus for providing an award based on a multiplicity of game outcomes. In one implementation the invention provides a method for providing a game. The method includes placing a bet by a player, playing of a game to produce a game outcome, evaluating a primary game outcome, paying a direct award if the primary outcome merits it, advancing a bonus accumulator if the primary outcome merits it, and if the bonus accumulator has advanced sufficiently, paying a bonus award to the player and clearing the bonus accumulator.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 7, 2011
    Publication date: November 3, 2011
    Applicant: IGT
    Inventors: Mark C. Nicely, Kathleen Bolich
  • Publication number: 20110269523
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus for providing an award based on a multiplicity of game outcomes. In one implementation the invention provides a method for providing a game. The method includes placing a bet by a player, playing of a game to produce a game outcome, evaluating a primary game outcome, paying a direct award if the primary outcome merits it, advancing a bonus accumulator if the primary outcome merits it, and if the bonus accumulator has advanced sufficiently, paying a bonus award to the player and clearing the bonus accumulator.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 7, 2011
    Publication date: November 3, 2011
    Applicant: IGT
    Inventors: Mark C. Nicely, Kathleen Bolich
  • Publication number: 20110263308
    Abstract: A gaming system having a five card draw poker game is provided. An initial five card hand is dealt and a first draw card is revealed. The player may keep or discard the first draw card. After the player decides whether to keep or discard the first draw card, the player may replace cards in the initial hand. If the player selects to discard the first draw card, this card is not used as a replacement card to form a final hand. In certain implementations, the player first selects cards in the initial hand to replace. If the player elects to keep the first draw card, the gaming system displays a second draw card and the player may keep or discard the second draw card. This process continues until all discarded cards in the initial hand have been replaced or the player elects to discard one of the draw cards.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 30, 2011
    Publication date: October 27, 2011
    Applicant: IGT
    Inventors: Anthony M. Evans, Mark C. Nicely, John F. Daley, Bryan D. Wolf, Scott A. Caputo
  • Publication number: 20110263307
    Abstract: A gaming system having a five card draw poker game is provided. An initial five card hand is dealt and a first draw card is revealed. The player may keep or discard the first draw card. After the player decides whether to keep or discard the first draw card, the player may replace cards in the initial hand. If the player selects to discard the first draw card, this card is not used as a replacement card to form a final hand. In certain implementations, the player first selects cards in the initial hand to replace. If the player elects to keep the first draw card, the gaming system displays a second draw card and the player may keep or discard the second draw card. This process continues until all discarded cards in the initial hand have been replaced or the player elects to discard one of the draw cards.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 30, 2011
    Publication date: October 27, 2011
    Applicant: IGT
    Inventors: Anthony M. Evans, Mark C. Nicely, John F. Daley, Bryan D. Wolf, Scott A. Caputo
  • Publication number: 20110230251
    Abstract: One embodiment provides a gaming system having a plurality of gaming devices. Each of the gaming devices enables a player to make wagers on plays of a primary game. For each gaming device, for each occurrence of a designated accumulation outcome, the player of that gaming device accumulates one or more positions on a bonus game display matrix. When a bonus game trigger occurs, the triggering gaming device is identified. In the bonus game, a plurality of symbols are displayed in the plurality of positions of the bonus game display matrix. The player of the triggering gaming device is provided with any awards associated with any winning symbol combinations formed by the displayed symbols. Additionally, for each assigned position of the bonus game display matrix that displays a symbol which is part of a winning symbol combination, a participation award is provided to the player assigned to that position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 17, 2010
    Publication date: September 22, 2011
    Applicant: IGT
    Inventors: Mark C. Nicely, Scott A. Caputo, Bryan D. Wolf, Anthony J. Baerlocher
  • Patent number: 8006978
    Abstract: A gaming table, method and device including a plurality of rotors interchangeably operable in a decoupled mode and a coupled mode. The system includes a rotor coupler and a coupler actuator. The system provides an award associated with an indication of a combination of symbols of the rotors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2011
    Assignee: IGT
    Inventors: David K. Bontempo, Mark C. Nicely, Benjamin J. Zoltewicz
  • Patent number: 8002620
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus for providing an award based on a multiplicity of game outcomes. In one implementation the invention provides a method for providing a game. The method includes placing a bet by a player, playing of a game to produce a game outcome, evaluating a primary game outcome, paying a direct award if the primary outcome merits it, advancing a bonus accumulator if the primary outcome merits it, and if the bonus accumulator has advanced sufficiently, paying a bonus award to the player and clearing the bonus accumulator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2011
    Assignee: IGT
    Inventors: Mark C. Nicely, Kathleen Bolich
  • Patent number: 7993191
    Abstract: A gaming system having a five card draw poker game is provided. The gaming system causes an initial five card hand to be dealt to the player and also causes a first draw card to be revealed to the player. The player has the option to keep or discard the first draw card. After the player has decided whether or not to keep the first draw card, the gaming system enables the player to replace cards in the initial player hand. If the player selected to discard the first draw card, this card will not be used as a replacement or draw card to form the final player hand. In certain implementations, the player first selects cards to replace in the initial player hand. In these implementations, if the player elects to keep the first draw card, the gaming system will cause the display of a second card and the player has the option of keeping or discarding the second draw card.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2011
    Assignee: IGT
    Inventors: Anthony M. Evans, Mark C. Nicely, John F. Daley, Bryan D. Wolf, Scott A. Caputo
  • Publication number: 20110111843
    Abstract: A gaming system enables players of a group of gaming devices to wager on progressive or other awards for that group and tracks an amount of player activity at the group. If player activity of the group exceeds an upper reconfiguration threshold, the gaming system disassociates one or more gaming devices from the group to reduce the amount of player activity. If the player activity of the group falls below a lower reconfiguration threshold, the gaming system associates one or more additional gaming devices with that group to increase player activity. Reallocation of gaming devices can occur following a player winning the award for the group. The system can incrementally increase an award reset amount, while reducing the odds of winning the award, to maintain a desired range of gaming experiences. The system can also enable a player to select an initial groups based on a characteristic of that player.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 12, 2009
    Publication date: May 12, 2011
    Applicant: IGT
    Inventors: Mark C. Nicely, Ernest M. Lafky
  • Publication number: 20110111827
    Abstract: A gaming system displays a plurality of spaced-apart selections each associated with a masked award. One or more selectors are each associated with one or more players, and are visible to each player. The selectors are moveable amongst the spaced-apart selections based on a plurality of player inputs. For a play of the game, the players provide inputs to move the selectors amongst the spaced-apart selections. During such movement, the gaming system temporarily reveals the award associated with any spaced-apart selection in the vicinity of any selector to at least one player, such as the player whose selector is near the selection. After the play of the game has ended (e.g., based on an amount of elapsed time), the gaming system provides awards to the players based on the ending positions of the one or more selectors with respect to the plurality of spaced-apart selections.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 11, 2009
    Publication date: May 12, 2011
    Applicant: IGT
    Inventors: Mark C. Nicely, Scott A. Caputo
  • Publication number: 20110039613
    Abstract: A gaming table, method and device including a plurality of rotors interchangeably operable in a decoupled mode and a coupled mode. The system includes a rotor coupler and a coupler actuator. The system provides an award associated with an indication of a combination of symbols of the rotors.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 28, 2010
    Publication date: February 17, 2011
    Applicant: IGT
    Inventors: David K. Bontempo, Mark C. Nicely, Benjamin J. Zoltewicz
  • Publication number: 20110018194
    Abstract: The disclosure relates generally to different devices, methods, systems, and computer program products for a self-contained dice shaker assembly. The self-contained dice shaker assembly may include a container device defining an opening into an interior configured for receipt of one or more dice and a sensor assembly in communication with the container interior. The sensor assembly may be configured to monitor, in accordance with one or more predetermined parameters, the shake quality of the dice in the container during a shaking event. The self-contained dice shaker assembly may include an identification assembly operable to identify the outcome of a respective outcome face of each die associated with the outcome of a shaking event.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 27, 2009
    Publication date: January 27, 2011
    Applicant: IGT
    Inventors: Mark C. Nicely, William R. Wells
  • Publication number: 20110014969
    Abstract: An award frequency analysis auditor is employed in wager based gaming systems and reduces the time necessary to detect award frequency and return to player that is out of a desired range. User configurable thresholds may be set with the auditor and user configurable actions may also be configured to be performed when the thresholds are reached. Increased accuracy and reduction of false positives are achieved.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 16, 2009
    Publication date: January 20, 2011
    Applicant: IGT
    Inventor: Mark C. Nicely
  • Patent number: 7867080
    Abstract: Techniques for providing a streak game are described. A streak wager on a streak game is received and a representation of the streak wager is displayed. The streak game is made up of a number of consecutive main games and a selected outcome for each main game. An outcome of a main game is received. Whether the received outcome is the same as the selected outcome for the main game associated with the streak game is determined. The number of received consecutive outcomes that are the same as the selected outcomes for the main game associated with the streak game is tracked. If more than one streak game is in play at the same time, the streak games are each individually tracked. A new streak wager can be placed at any time, such that one streak wager need not be completed before a new streak wager is received.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2011
    Assignee: IGT
    Inventors: Mark C. Nicely, Doug Schwarz
  • Publication number: 20110003627
    Abstract: A gaming system which provides a persistence game which utilizes predetermined game outcomes. One or more predetermined game outcomes include a persistence game award value. If a predetermined game outcome including such a persistence game award value is selected to be provided to the player in association with a current play of a primary game, the gaming system determines whether to provide this persistence game award value to a player in association with the current play of the primary game, or to store this persistence game award value to be subsequently provided to a player in association with a subsequent play of the primary game. The determination of whether to provide or store the persistence game award value is based on the then current progress of the persistence game (i.e., the current state of an accumulation meter).
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 2, 2009
    Publication date: January 6, 2011
    Applicant: IGT
    Inventors: Mark C. Nicely, Bryan D. Wolf
  • Patent number: 7862417
    Abstract: A card game and method of playing the card game is disclosed. The card game involves placing cards into pre-defined card positions in the form of grids or matrices. For example, a 3×3 grid is filled with nine cards. Game outcome combinations are defined by three horizontal, three vertical and two diagonal pay lines. Another grid arrangement includes a 3×3 grid with each row and column having an extra card position at each end thereof. Accordingly, after the 3×3 grid is filled with random cards, a player may select one or more pay lines after which the two extra card positions are filled. The player is paid for any winning hands formed of the five card defined by the selected pay lines. Countless grid arrangements and pay lines are conceivable. In other versions, the player may replace one or more initially dealt, displayed or otherwise provided cards. The card game and method disclosed herein may be played through an electronic gaming device, over the Internet or at a live gaming table with a dealer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2011
    Assignee: IGT
    Inventor: Mark C. Nicely
  • Patent number: 7850171
    Abstract: A gaming table, method and device including a plurality of rotors interchangeably operable in a decoupled mode and a coupled mode. The system includes a rotor coupler and a coupler actuator. The system provides an award associated with an indication of a combination of symbols of the rotors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2010
    Assignee: IGT
    Inventors: David K. Bontempo, Mark C. Nicely, Benjamin J. Zoltewicz
  • Patent number: 7828294
    Abstract: A gaming system and method involving a dice game. The gaming system displays a plurality of wager areas. Each wager area is associated with a wager area value. The gaming system indicates a plurality of different reward ratios associated with the wager areas. One or more of the wager areas are selectable by the player for wagering. A plurality of dice are simulated as rolled. If the sum of the stopped dice is equal to the value of any of the wagered upon areas, the gaming system provides an award. If a bonus condition is satisfied, the gaming system provides a bonus outcome.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 9, 2010
    Assignee: IGT
    Inventors: Mark C. Nicely, Paul D. Miltenberger
  • Publication number: 20100227665
    Abstract: A gaming device including a game operable upon one or more wagers. The game is operable for a first play and a second play. Each one of the plays involves a spin of a rotor. The rotor has a plurality of symbols and a plurality of ball landings adjacent to the symbols. A first quantity of the ball landings is available for the first play, and a lower, second quantity of the ball landings is available for the second play. The gaming device also includes an indicator that is operable to indicate information relating to the availability of the second quantity of ball landings.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 25, 2010
    Publication date: September 9, 2010
    Applicant: IGT
    Inventor: Mark C. Nicely