1. A method of operating a gaming system, including a plurality of gaming machines, wherein each of the gaming machines is in an active state upon a wager by a player on said gaming machine, said method comprising:
(a) enabling one or more players to place a wager;
(b) determining which gaming machines are in an active state;
(c) enabling the player of each active gaming machine to play the interactive game;
(d) determining and displaying an interactive game outcome from a plurality of different interactive game outcomes for the interactive game for each active gaming machine;
(e) determining, for each active gaming machine, a paytable from a plurality of different paytables to employ in a same play of a wagering game, wherein said determination is based, at least in part, on the displayed interactive game outcomes;
(f) for said same play of the wagering game for all of said active gaming machines;
(i) displaying the play of the wagering game to each of the players of each active gaming machine;
(ii) determining a same wagering game outcome for each active gaming machine;
(iii) causing each active gaming machine to display said same wagering game outcome; and
(iv) determining any award to provide to the players of each active gaming machine, wherein said determination is based on the paytable for said gaming machine and based on said same wagering game outcome, wherein awards for the players of the active gaming machines can be different for said play of the game; and
(g) providing any determined awards to the players of the active gaming machines.
2. The method of claim 1, which includes funding an interactive game pool with a portion of the wagers and providing the player of the gaming machine with an interactive game designated outcome an interactive game award based on the interactive game pool.
3. The method of claim 2, wherein the portion of the wagers that funds the interactive game pool is a predetermined percentage of each of the wagers.
4. The method of claim 2, wherein the portion of the wagers that funds the interactive game pool is a predetermined amount of each of the wagers.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein the interactive game is a competition game.
6. The method of claim 1, which includes basing the interactive game outcomes on one of the group consisting of: point accumulations, lengths of time and a predefined event.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein at least two of the paytables have different volatilities.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein at least two of the paytables have a same or substantially a same average expected payout and said paytables have different volatilities.
9. The method claim 1, which is provided to the player through a data network.
10. The method of claim 9, wherein the data network is an internet.
11. A gaming system comprising:
a plurality of gaming machines, wherein each of the gaming machines is in an active state upon a wager by a player on said gaming machine;
a plurality of different interactive game outcomes for an interactive game;
a controller in communication with each of said gaming machines, wherein the controller is operable with the gaming machines to:
(a) enable each of one or more players to place a wager;
(b) determine which gaming machines are in an active state;
(c) enable the player of each active gaming machine to play the interactive game;
(d) determine and display one of the interactive game outcomes for each active gaming machine;
(e) determine, for each active gaming machine, a paytable from a plurality of different paytables to employ in a same play of a wagering game, wherein said determination is based, at least in part, on the displayed interactive game outcomes;
(f) for said same play of the wagering game for all of said active gaming machines:
(i) display the play of the wagering game to the player of each active gaming machine;
(ii) determine a same wagering game outcome for each active gaming machine;
(iii) cause each active gaming machine to display said same award; and
(iv) determine any award to provide to the players of each active gaming machine, wherein said determination is based on the paytable for said gaming machine and based on said same wagering game outcome, wherein awards for the players of the active gaming machines can be different for said play of the game;
(g) provide any determined awards to the players.
12. The gaming system of claim 11, wherein the controller is operable with the gaming machines to fund an interactive game pool with a portion of the wagers and provide the player of the gaming machine with an interactive game designated outcome an interactive game award based on the interactive game pool.
13. The gaming system of claim 12, wherein the portion of the wagers to fund the interactive game pool is a predetermined percentage of each of the wagers.
14. The gaming system of claim 12, wherein the portion of the wagers to fund the interactive game pool is a predetermined amount of each of the wagers.
15. The gaming system of claim 11, wherein the interactive game is a competition game.
16. The gaming system of claim 11, wherein the interactive game outcomes on one of the group consisting of: point accumulations, lengths of time and a predefined event.
17. The gaming system of claim 11, wherein at least two of the paytables have different volatilities.
18. The gaming system of claim 11, wherein at least two of the paytables have a same or substantially a same average expected payout.
19. A method of operating a gaming system, said method comprising:
(a) enabling one or more players to each place a wager;
(b) funding an interactive game pool with a portion of the wagers;
(c) enabling the players who placed wagers to play an interactive game;
(d) determining and displaying interactive game outcomes from a plurality of different interactive game outcomes for said play of the interactive game, said displayed interactive game outcomes including an interactive game designated outcome, wherein the interactive game designated outcome is obtained by one of the players who placed the wagers;
(e) providing the player who obtained the interactive game designated outcome an interactive game award based on the interactive game pool;
(f) for each player who placed the wager, determining a paytable from a plurality of different paytables to employ in a same play of a wagering game, wherein said determination is based, at least in part, on the displayed interactive game outcomes;
(g) for said play of the wagering game for each of said players:
(i) displaying the play of the wagering game;
(ii) determining a same wagering game outcome for each of the players for said wagering game;
(iii) displaying said same wagering game outcome to said players; and
(iv) determining any award for each of said players, wherein said determination is based on the paytable for said player and based on said same wagering game outcome, wherein awards for the players can be different for said play of the game; and
(h) providing any determined awards to the player.
20. The method of claim 19, wherein the interactive game award is equal or substantially equal to the total of the interactive game pool.
21. The method of claim 19, wherein the portion of the wagers that fund the interactive game pool is a predetermined percentage of each of the wagers.
22. The method of claim 19, wherein the portion of the wagers that fund the interactive game pool is a predetermined amount of each of the wagers.
23. The method of claim 19, wherein the interactive game is a competition game.
24. The method of claim 19, which includes basing the interactive game outcomes on one of the group consisting of: point accumulations, lengths of time and a predefined event.
25. The method of claim 19, wherein at least two of the paytables have different volatilities.
26. The method of claim 19, wherein at least two of the paytables have a same or substantially a same average expected payout and said paytables have different volatilities.
27. The method claim 19, which is provided to the players through a data network.
28. The method of claim 27, wherein the data network is an internet.
29. A gaming system comprising:
a plurality of gaming machines;
a plurality of different interactive game outcomes for an interactive game, wherein the interactive game outcomes include an interactive game designated outcome; and
a controller in communication with each of said gaming machines, wherein the controller is operable with the gaming machines to:
(a) enable one or more players to each place a wager;
(b) fund an interactive game pool with a portion of the placed wagers;
(c) enable the players who placed wagers to play the interactive game;
(d) determine and display interactive game outcomes for said play of the interactive game, wherein the interactive game designated outcome is obtained by one of the players who placed the wagers;
(e) provide the player who obtained the interactive game designated outcome an interactive game award based on the interactive game pool;
(f) for each player who placed the wager, determine a paytable from a plurality of different paytables to employ in a same play of a wagering game, wherein said determination is based, at least in part, on the displayed interactive game outcomes;
(g) for said play of said wagering game for each of the players:
(i) display the play of the wagering game;
(ii) determine a same wagering game outcome for said wagering game;
(iii) cause a display of said same wagering game outcome to said players; and
(iv) determine any award to provide for each player, wherein said determination is based on the paytable for said player and based on said same wagering game outcome, wherein awards for the players can be different for said play of the game; and
(h) provide any determined awards to the players.
30. The gaming system of claim 29, wherein interactive game award is equal or substantially equal to the total of the interactive game pool.
31. The gaming system of claim 29, wherein the portion of the wagers to fund the interactive game pool is a predetermined percentage of each of the wagers.
32. The gaming system of claim 29, wherein the portion of the wagers to fund the interactive game pool is a predetermined amount of each of the wagers.
33. The gaming system of claim 29, wherein the interactive game is a competition game.
34. The gaming system of claim 29, wherein the interactive game outcomes are based on one of the group consisting of: point accumulations, lengths of time and a predefined event.
35. The gaming system of claim 29, wherein at least two of the paytables have different volatilities.
36. The gaming system of claim 29, wherein at least two of the paytables have a same or substantially a same average expected payout.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
What is claimed is:
1. An automatic vending machine comprising:
a commodity storage for storing a number of items to be sold;
a refrigerating circuit having a cooling unit connected to said commodity storage for cooling said items;
a defrosting unit connected to said cooling unit for intermittently carrying out a defrosting operation for said cooling unit;
a temperature sensor connected to said commodity storage for detecting a storage temperature within said commodity storage to produce a temperature signal;
a calculating unit connected to said temperature sensor and responsive to said temperature signal for calculating a temperature variation rate prior to said defrosting operation; and
a defrost control part connected to said calculating unit and said defrosting unit for controlling said defrosting operation with reference to said temperature variation rate.
2. An automatic vending machine as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:
an operation limiting part connected to said refrigerating circuit for limiting a predetermined operation of said automatic vending machine; and
a limitation canceling part connected to said calculating unit and said operation limiting part for canceling a limitation of said predetermined operation when said temperature variation rate is not smaller than a predetermined rate.
3. An automatic vending machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein said defrosting unit carries out said defrosting operation at a preselected time interval for a preselected time period, said defrost limiting part controlling said predetermined time period.
4. An automatic vending machine as claimed in claim 3, further comprising a suspension time setting part connected to said defrosting unit for setting said preselected time interval.
5. An automatic vending machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein said calculating unit comprises:
a first calculating part connected to said temperature sensor and responsive to said temperature signal for calculating a predetermined number of variation rates of temperature per unit time; and
a second calculating part connected to said first calculating part and said defrost control part for calculating an average value of said variation rates to supply said average value as said temperature variation rate to said defrost control part.
6. An automatic vending machine as claimed in claim 5, further comprising a unit time setting part connected to said first calculating part for setting said unit time.
7. An automatic vending machine as claimed in claim 6, further comprising a number setting part for setting said predetermined number.
8. An automatic vending machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein said defrost control part comprises:
a comparing part connected to said calculating unit for carrying out a comparison operation between said temperature variation rate with a reference value; and
a local control part connected to said comparing part and said defrosting unit for controlling an operation of said defrosting unit in response to a result of said comparison operation.
9. An automatic vending machine as claimed in claim 8, further comprising a reference value setting part connected to said defrost control part for setting said reference value to supply said reference value to said defrost control part.
10. An automatic vending machine as claimed in claim 8, further comprising a local calculating part connected to said defrost control part for calculating said reference value based on predetermined conditions related to said commodity storage to supply said reference value to said defrost control part.
11. An automatic vending machine as claimed in claim 8, further comprising:
a desired value setting part for setting a desired value related to said temperature variation rate;
a value calculating part for calculating a calculated value based on predetermined conditions related to said commodity storage; and
a value selecting part connected to said desired value setting part, said value calculating part, and said defrost control part for selecting, as said reference value, one of said desired and said calculated values to supply said reference value to said defrost control part.
12. An automatic vending machine as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a cooling control part connected to said refrigerating circuit and said calculating unit for controlling an operation of said refrigerating circuit in response to said temperature variation rate.