Game at cash register

• US 10,127,770 B2
• Filed: 11/14/2016
• Issued: 11/13/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CFPH LLC (Cantor Fitzgerald, L.P.)
• Original Assignee: CFPH LLC (Cantor Fitzgerald, L.P.)
• Inventors: Lutnick, Howard W., Gelman, Geoffrey M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Shah, Milap
• Assistant Examiner(s): PINHEIRO, JASON PAUL
• Application Number:
  US15/350,668
• Publication Number:
  US 20170061736A1
• Time in Patent Office: 729 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/202 Interconnection or interaction of plural electronic cash registers [ECR] or to host computer, e.g. network details, transfer of information from host to ECR or from ECR to ECR
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/327 Short range or proximity payments by means of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/387 Payment using discounts or coupons relating to marketing G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0209 Incentive being awarded or redeemed in connection with the playing of a video game
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3223 Architectural aspects of a gaming system, e.g. internal configuration, master/slave, wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3225 Data transfer within a gaming system, e.g. data sent between gaming machines and users
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/323 wherein the player is informed, e.g. advertisements, odds, instructions
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3237 about the players, e.g. profiling, responsible gaming, strategy/behavior of players, location of players
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3241 Security aspects of a gaming system, e.g. detecting cheating, device integrity, surveillance computer security G06F21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3244 Payment aspects of a gaming system, e.g. payment schemes, setting payout ratio, bonus or consolation prizes
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3253 involving articles, e.g. paying in bottles, paying out toys
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3255 Incentive, loyalty and/or promotion schemes, e.g. comps, gaming associated with a purchase, gaming funded by advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3272 Games involving multiple players
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/329 Regular and instant lottery, e.g. electronic scratch cards
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 5/24 with change-giving

Abstract

In various embodiments, a method may include receiving an indication of a price of an item to be purchased by a person from a merchant, receiving an indication of an amount tendered by the person, determining an amount of change due to the person based on the price and based on the amount tendered, determining the rules of a game, generating a first outcome of the game using a random number generator, determining based on the rules whether the first outcome is winning or losing, authorizing, if the first outcome is winning, that the amount tendered be returned to the person and that the person be allowed to keep the item, and authorizing, if the first outcome is losing, that the amount tendered be kept by the merchant.

Claims

1. A point of sale apparatus comprising:

a memory;

at least one processor to;

detect a plurality of mobile devices within a predetermined proximity of the point of sale apparatus;

transmit a signal to each of the plurality of mobile devices;

receive the signal from each of the plurality of mobile devices;

identify which mobile device is nearest to the point of sale apparatus based on an elapsed time between transmission of each signal and receipt of each signal;

select the mobile device nearest to the point of sale apparatus for an opportunity to play a game, based on the elapsed time;

receive an indication that an item is being purchased via the mobile device nearest to the point of sale apparatus;

transmit, to the selected mobile device, information indicative of the opportunity to play the game in which a payout of the game comprises a reduction in or elimination of a purchase price of the item;

receive from the mobile device an instruction to initiate the game;

in response to detecting that the mobile device won the game, receive payment or partial payment for the item from a remote counterparty via a network; and

in response to detecting that the mobile device lost the game, forward a wager amount from the mobile device to the remote counterparty via the network.

2. The point of sale apparatus of claim 1, wherein the remote counterparty is a casino server.

3. The point of sale apparatus of claim 1, wherein the predetermined proximity is approximately thirty feet.

4. The point of sale apparatus of claim 1, wherein the network comprises a retail network and a casino network.

5. A method comprising:

detecting, by at least one processor, a plurality of mobile devices within a predetermined proximity of a point of sale apparatus;

transmitting, by the at least one processor, a signal to each of the plurality of mobile devices;

receiving, by the at least one processor, the signal from each of the plurality of mobile devices;

identifying, by the at least one processor, which mobile device is nearest to the point of sale apparatus based on an elapsed time between transmission of each signal and receipt of each signal;

selecting, by the at least one processor, the mobile device nearest to the point of sale apparatus for an opportunity to play a game, based on the elapsed time;

receiving, by the at least one processor, an indication that an item is being purchased via the mobile device nearest to the point of sale apparatus;

transmitting, by the at least one processor to the selected mobile device, information indicative of the opportunity to play the game in which a payout of the game comprises a reduction in or elimination of a purchase price of the item;

receiving, by the at least one processor, from the mobile device an instruction to initiate the game;

in response to detecting that the mobile device won the game, receiving, by the at least one processor, payment or partial payment for the item from a remote counterparty via a network; and

in response to detecting that the mobile device lost the game, forwarding, by the at least one processor, a wager amount from the mobile device to the remote counterparty via the network.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the remote counterparty is a casino server.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the predetermined proximity is approximately thirty feet.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the network comprises a retail network and a casino network.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable medium with instructions stored therein which upon execution cause at least one processor to:

detect a plurality of mobile devices within a predetermined proximity of a point of sale apparatus;

transmit a signal to each of the plurality of mobile devices;

receive the signal from each of the plurality of mobile devices;

identify which mobile device is nearest to the point of sale apparatus based on an elapsed time between transmission of each signal and receipt of each signal;

select the mobile device nearest to the point of sale apparatus for an opportunity to play a game, based on the elapsed time;

receive an indication that an item is being purchased via the mobile device nearest to the point of sale apparatus;

transmit, to the selected mobile device, information indicative of the opportunity to play the game in which a payout of the game comprises a reduction in or elimination of a purchase price of the item;

receive from the mobile device an instruction to initiate the game;

in response to detecting that the mobile device won the game, receive payment or partial payment for the item from a remote counterparty via a network; and

in response to detecting that the mobile device lost the game, forward a wager amount from the mobile device to the remote counterparty via the network.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the remote counterparty is a casino server.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the predetermined proximity is approximately thirty feet.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the network comprises a retail network and a casino network.