Systems and methods for cash payments for online gaming

• US 10,192,407 B2
• Filed: 01/12/2015
• Issued: 01/29/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/10/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Paynearme Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Handle Financial Inc.
• Inventors: Capps, Stephen
• Primary Examiner(s): Garner, Werner G
• Application Number:
  US14/594,565
• Publication Number:
  US 20150199873A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,478 Days
• 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 17/3246 involving coins and/or banknotes
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/329 Regular and instant lottery, e.g. electronic scratch cards

Abstract

Disclosed herein are systems and methods for facilitating cash payment for online gaming including systems and methods for generating a player input screen for a game provider; receiving information for a player via the player input screen; presenting one or more points-of-service to the player; generating a token that is a reference to the player information; providing the token to the player; receiving a confirmation that the player presented the token and a payment having a payment amount at one of the points-of-service; receiving a portion of the payment amount received at the point-of-service; and transmitting a portion of the payment amount received at the point-of-service and a portion of the player information to the game provider.

Claims

1. A method to facilitate transactions with a game provider, the method comprising:

generating an inline frame element at a service provider system, the inline frame element representing a proposed transaction to provide a game from a game provider to a player system;

sending the inline frame element to the game provider to be nested in a frame of a game provider page that is sent to the player system by the game provider;

receiving a player identification information about a player of the player system at the service provider system through the inline frame element;

presenting information regarding a point-of-service to the player system from the service provider system based on the player identification information, the point-of-service being an establishment selected from among a plurality of points-of-service that is local to the player and that is equipped to accept cash payments;

generating a token that is optically readable for use by the point-of-service, the token being linked to the player identification information;

providing the token to the player system from the service provider system;

receiving a token information, a payment information and a confirmation that the player presented the token and a payment from the point-of-service at the service provider system, the confirmation indicating that the player has provided the payment to the point-of-service;

sending the player identification information and the payment information from the service provider system to the game provider in response to receiving the confirmation to indicate completing the transaction to the game provider.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the inline frame element is a player input screen.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the player identification information comprises receiving a player alias.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the player identification information comprises receiving identification of the game provider and of a game.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the token indicates a game selection from the player system and wherein the game selection is received at the service provider system from the player system before generating the token.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the token comprises a reference to the point-of-service.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a selection of the point-of service from the player system before presenting the information about the point-of-service.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending an authorization from the service provider system to the point-of-service to accept the payment from the player for the token in response to receiving the token information and the payment information and before receiving the payment from the player.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising requesting and receiving the authorization from the game provider before sending the authorization to the point-of-sale.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an authorization call at the service provider system from the point-of-service;

requesting authorization from the game provider based on the authorization call;

receiving the requested authorization from the game provider including multiple game entry numbers, wherein generating the token comprises generating the token for each game entry number.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving multiple game entry number selections at the service provider system from the player system;

requesting authorization from the game provider for the multiple game entry number selections;

receiving the requested authorization from the game provider, wherein generating the token comprises generating the token for each game entry number selection.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving at the service provider system winnings information from the game provider associated with the player information;

determining an allocation of winnings to the player based on payments received from the player;

distributing with the service provider system funds to the player according to the determined allocation.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving location information for the point-of-service at the service provider system;

determining if the point-of-service is located in a geographic region authorized to make payments to the game provider based on the received location information; and

notifying the point-of-service to reject the payments from the player system if the point-of-service is not located in a geographic region authorized to make the payments from the player system to the game provider.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a spending limit associated with the player at the service provider system;

storing prior payment amounts associated with the player at the service provider system;

storing a payment amount of the payment received at the point-of-service at the service provider system;

determining if the payment amount together with the prior payment amounts exceed the spending limit;

transmitting from the service provider system to the point-of-service a notification that the spending limit has been exceeded if the service provider system determines that the payment amount together with the prior payment amounts exceed the spending limit.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein receiving the spending limit comprises receiving the spending limit from the game provider.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising;

receiving a second payment from the point-of-service at the service provider system, the second payment being less than the first payment; and

sending a third payment from the service provider system to the game provider, the third payment being less than the second payment.

17. A non-transitory machine-readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon that, when operated on by a machine, cause the machine to perform operations to facilitate transactions with a game provider, the operations comprising:

generating an inline frame element at the machine, the machine being comprised by a service provider system, the inline frame element representing a proposed transaction to provide from the game provider to a player system;

sending the inline frame element to the game provider to be nested in a frame of a game provider page that is sent to the player system by the game provider;

receiving a player identification information about a player of the player system through the inline frame element;

presenting information regarding a point-of-service to the player system based on the player identification information, the point-of-service being an establishment selected from among a plurality of points-of-service that is local to the player and that is equipped to accept cash payments;

generating the token for use by the point-of-service, the token being linked to the player identification information;

providing the token to the player system;

receiving a token information, a payment information and a confirmation that the player presented the token and a payment from the point-of-service, the confirmation indicating that the player has provided the payment to the point-of-service;

sending the player identification information and the payment information to the game provider in response to receiving the confirmation to indicate completing the transaction to the game provider.

18. The medium of claim 17, the operations further comprising:

receiving multiple game entry number selections from the player system;

requesting authorization from the game provider for the game entry number selections;

receiving the requested authorization from the game provider, wherein generating the token comprises generating the token for each game entry number selection.

19. The medium of claim 17, the operations further comprising:

receiving winnings information from the game provider associated with the player information;

determining an allocation of winnings to the player based on payments received from the player;

distributing funds to the player according to the determined allocation.

20. A service provider system to facilitate transactions with a game provider, the service provider system comprising:

a processor to generate an inline frame element, the inline frame element representing a proposed transaction to provide a game from a game provider to a player system;

a communications interface to send the inline frame element to the game provider to be nested in a frame of a game provider page that is sent to the player system by the game provider, to receive a player identification information about a player of the player system through the inline frame element, to present information regarding a point-of-service to the player system based on the player identification information, the point-of-service being an establishment selected from among a plurality of points-of-service that is local to the player and that is equipped to accept cash payments;

the processor further to generate a token for use by the point-of-service, the token being linked to the player identification information and provided to the player system through the communications interface;

the communications interface further to receive a token information, a payment information and a confirmation that the player presented the token and a payment from the point-of-service at the service provider system, the confirmation indicating that the player has provided the payment to the point-of-service, and to send the player identification information and the payment information to the game provider in response to receiving the confirmation to indicate completing the transaction to the game provider.

21. The service provider system of claim 20, wherein the communications interface is further to receive a spending limit associated with the player and to transmit to the point-of-service a notification that the spending limit has been exceeded,

the service provider system further comprising a secondary memory to store prior payment amounts associated with the player and to store an amount of the payment received at the point-of-service,

wherein the processor is further to determine if the first payment amount together with the prior payment amounts exceed the spending limit to cause transmitting the notification if the service provider system determines that the payment amount together with the prior payment amounts exceeds the spending limit.

22. The service provider system of claim 21, wherein the spending limit is received from the game provider.

23. A method to facilitate transactions with a game provider, the method comprising:

receiving an inline frame element at a player system from a game provider, the inline frame element representing a proposed transaction to provide a game from the game provider to the player system, the inline frame element being generated by a service provider system and nested in a frame of a game provider page that is received at the player system;

sending a player identification information about a player of the player system to the service provider system through the inline frame element;

receiving information regarding a point-of-service at the player system from the service provider system in response to sending the player identification information, the point-of-service being an establishment selected from among a plurality of points-of-service that is local to the player and that is equipped to accept cash payments;

receiving a token that is optically readable at the player system for use by the point-of-service, the token being linked to the player identification information;

presenting the token and a payment at the point-of-service from the player system;

receiving the game from the game provider at the player system in response to presenting the token and the payment.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein receiving information regarding a point-of-service comprises:

transmitting location information to the service provider system;

receiving information regarding one or more points-of-service of the plurality of points-of-service based on the location information;

sending a selection of one of the one or more points-of-service of the plurality of points-of-service to the service provider system; and

receiving the token based on the selection.

25. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

sending multiple game entry number selections to the service provider system; and

receiving a number selection token for each of the game entry number selections.

26. A non-transitory machine-readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon that, when operated on by a machine, cause the machine to perform operations to facilitate transactions with a game provider, the operations comprising:

receiving an inline frame element at a player system from a game provider, the inline frame element representing a proposed transaction to provide a game from the game provider to the player system, the inline frame element being generated by a service provider system and nested in a frame of a game provider page that is received at the player system;

sending a player identification information about a player of the player system to the service provider system through the inline frame element;

receiving information regarding a point-of-service at the player system from the service provider system in response to sending the player identification information, the point-of-service being an establishment selected from among a plurality of points-of-service that is local to the player and that is equipped to accept cash payments;

receiving a token that is optically readable at the player system for use by the point-of-service, the token being linked to the player identification information;

presenting the token and a payment at the point-of-service from the player system;

receiving the game from the game provider at the player system in response to presenting the token and the payment.

27. The medium of claim 26, wherein receiving the information regarding the point-of-service comprises:

transmitting a location information to the service provider system;

receiving information regarding one or more points-of-service of the plurality of points-of-service based on the location information;

sending a selection of one of the one or more points-of-service of the plurality of points-of-service to the service provider system; and

receiving the token based on the selection.

28. The medium of claim 27, the operations further comprising receiving a notification from the service provider system that the point-of-service is not located in a geographic region authorized to make payments to the game provider.

29. A method to facilitate transactions with a game provider, the method comprising:

generating a player input screen at a service terminal, the player input screen representing a proposed transaction to provide a game from a game provider to a player system;

receiving an indication of an intention to perform the proposed transaction from the player through the player input screen from the player system, the indication including an identification of the game, an identification of the player system, and a player identification of the player;

sending information regarding a point-of-service to the player system from the service terminal based on the player identification, the point-of-service being selected from among a plurality of points-of-service that is an establishment local to the player and that is equipped to accept cash payments;

staging an order for the proposed transaction at the service terminal by generating a token for the proposed transaction, the token being linked to the player system, the service terminal, the game provider and the game that is to be provided by the proposed transaction, the token being optically readable at the point-of-service;

sending the token to the player system;

receiving a service confirmation at the service terminal from the selected point-of service, the confirmation including the token and a payment information;

notifying the game provider to fulfill the transaction in response to receiving the confirmation from the point-of-service.

30. The method of claim 29, further comprising:

receiving an authorization call from the point-of-service;

transmitting the authorization call to the game provider; and

receiving a game entry number from the game provider, and

wherein generating the token includes linking the token to the game entry number.

31. The method of claim 29, further comprising

receiving location information from the player system;

sending a list to the player system including one or more points-of-service of the plurality of points-of-service based on the location information; and

receiving a selection of a single point-of service from the player system before staging the order and wherein the point-of-service is based on the received selection.

32. A service terminal to facilitate transactions with a game provider, the terminal comprising:

a processor of the service terminal to generate a player input screen, the player input screen representing a proposed transaction to provide a game from a game provider to a player system;

a communications interface to receive an indication of an intention to perform the proposed transaction from the player through the player input screen from the player system, the indication including an identification of the game, an identification of the player system, and a player identification of the player, to send information regarding a selected point-of-service to the player system based on the player identification, the selected point-of-service being selected from among a plurality of points-of-service that is an establishment local to the player and that is equipped to accept cash payments, to send a token to the player system, to receive a service confirmation at the service terminal from the selected point-of service, the confirmation including the token and a payment information, and to notify the game provider to fulfill the transaction in response to receiving the confirmation from the selected point-of-service,

wherein the processor is further to stage an order for the proposed transaction by generating the token for the proposed transaction, the token being linked to the player system, the service terminal, the game provider and the game that is to be provided by the proposed transaction, the token being optically readable at the selected point-of-service.

33. The terminal of claim 32, wherein the game provider is a lottery provider, the communications interface further to receive a selection of lottery numbers from the player, and wherein the processor generates the token to include a reference to the selection of lottery numbers from the player, and to serve as a receipt of purchase of an entry in a lottery of the lottery provider.