Dynamic Gaming Device Grouping for Progressive Award Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing gaming systems face challenges in providing a consistent gaming experience across varying numbers of players, as they often exhibit limited progressive award incrementation and frequency, failing to meet player expectations for both large awards and frequent hits, and are not scalable to accommodate changes in player activity.
Innovation Solution
A gaming system that dynamically allocates gaming devices or players into groups based on activity levels, adjusting progressive award parameters such as initial amounts, growth rates, and winning probabilities to maintain a desired gaming experience, by disassociating or associating devices when player activity exceeds or falls below predefined thresholds.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a progressive award is allocated to a fixed group of gaming machines, then the system structure is simple and stable, but the system cannot adapt to changes in player activity and provides inconsistent gaming experience
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic grouping where gaming machines are automatically assigned to different groups based on real-time player activity thresholds. The system continuously monitors player activity and reconfigures groups when thresholds are exceeded, transforming the static group structure into a dynamic one that adapts to changing conditions without requiring manual intervention.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs self-configuration by automatically detecting when player activity thresholds are exceeded and autonomously reconfiguring the groups of gaming machines. This self-service mechanism eliminates the need for manual system administrator intervention to add or remove machines from groups, allowing the system to adapt to player activity changes independently.
2Quantity of substance
If the number of gaming machines in a group is increased to accommodate more players, then player capacity is improved, but the progressive award incrementation and hit frequency decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the population of gaming machines into multiple dynamic groups based on player activity thresholds. When a group exceeds its threshold, additional machines are automatically assigned to new groups rather than expanding existing groups. This segmentation maintains smaller, more manageable group sizes that preserve progressive award hit frequency while accommodating increased player capacity through parallel groups.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of increasing the size of existing groups horizontally, the system creates additional groups as a new dimension. When player activity exceeds thresholds, the system spawns new groups rather than expanding current ones, effectively adding vertical depth to the group structure. This dimensional approach maintains optimal group sizes while scaling overall system capacity.
3Ease of operation
If manual addition or removal of gaming machines is performed, then system control is precise, but the process is time-consuming and labor-intensive
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically monitors player activity levels and performs self-configuration by adding or removing gaming machines from groups based on predefined thresholds. This eliminates the need for manual system administrator intervention, allowing the system to adapt to changing player activity patterns instantly without time-consuming manual configuration processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors player activity as feedback and uses this information to automatically trigger group reconfiguration events. When activity thresholds are exceeded or fallen below, the system receives feedback and autonomously adjusts group compositions, creating a closed-loop control system that responds dynamically to player behavior without manual intervention.
4Adaptability or versatility
If progressive award parameters are kept fixed, then system management is simple, but the gaming experience becomes inconsistent under varying player participation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic parameter adjustment where progressive award parameters such as initial amounts, growth rates, and winning probabilities are automatically modified based on group size and player activity. This transforms static parameter settings into dynamic ones that adapt to current system conditions, maintaining consistent gaming experience across varying player participation levels.
Solution Approach 2:
The system automatically changes progressive award parameters including initial award amounts, growth rates, and winning probabilities based on the size and activity level of gaming machine groups. These parameter changes are triggered dynamically when groups are created or modified, ensuring that each group has parameters optimized for its specific characteristics and player activity level.
Data Source
AI summary
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.