Electronic fund transfer for mobile gaming

• US 10,586,425 B2
• Filed: 04/24/2017
• Issued: 03/10/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/03/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aristocrat Technologies Incorporated (Aristocrat Leisure Limited)
• Original Assignee: Nguyen Gaming LLC
• Inventors: Nguyen, Binh T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Deodhar, Omkar A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Williams, Ross A
• Application Number:
  US15/495,973
• Publication Number:
  US 20170228979A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,051 Days
• Field of Search: 463 40- 42
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/123 Shopping for digital content
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3223 Realising banking transactions through M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3224 Transactions dependent on location of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3209 Input means, e.g. buttons, touch screen
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3211 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3218 wherein at least part of the system is portable
• 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 17/3244 Payment aspects of a gaming system, e.g. payment schemes, setting payout ratio, bonus or consolation prizes
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3251 involving media of variable value, e.g. programmable cards, programmable tokens
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3288 Betting, e.g. on live events, bookmaking

Abstract

In one embodiment, a system and method to transfer money may include a mobile device associated with a player, a location server designed to: track a device position of the mobile device and track a vessel position, and a mobile gaming management server designed to: receive a fund transfer request from a gaming server for the mobile device, the fund transfer request including a fund amount; determine if the fund amount can be transferred to the mobile device based on the device position and the vessel position; and transfer the fund amount to the mobile device if it is determined that the fund amount can be transferred to the mobile device.

Claims

1. A method for transferring funds for playing a wager-based game on a vessel, comprising:

receiving a request to play the wager-based game from at least one of a plurality of mobile devices, the request including a fund amount for use in playing the wager-based game;

determining a vessel position of the vessel via a vessel tracker;

determining a device position of the at least one of a plurality of mobile devices;

determining whether the fund amount may be made available to the at least one of the plurality of mobile devices based on at least the vessel position of the vessel and the device position of the at least one of the plurality of mobile devices; and

rendering the fund amount available to the at least one of the plurality of mobile devices if it is determined that the fund amount is to be made available to the at least one of the plurality of mobile devices based on at least a vessel position of the vessel and the device position of the at least one of the plurality of mobile devices,

wherein the vessel position of the vessel is a global location relative to earth, and wherein the device position of each of the plurality of mobile devices is a position relative to the vessel.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising:

periodically updating the vessel position and the device position.

3. The method of claim 2, comprising:

automatically terminating play of the wager-based game if it is determined that the wager-based game is not permitted to be played on the at least one of the plurality of mobile devices based on at least the updated vessel position and the updated device position.

4. The method of claim 1, comprising:

determining whether the wager-based game is permitted to be played on the at least one of the plurality of mobile devices; and

enabling the wager-based game on the at least one of the plurality of mobile devices if the determining determines that the wager-based game is permitted to be played on the at least one of the plurality of mobile devices.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the determining whether the fund amount may be made available further comprises:

obtaining at least one vessel gaming rule from a rules database; and

determining whether the fund amount may be made available to the at least one of the plurality of mobile devices based on at least the at least one vessel gaming rule.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the at least one vessel gaming rule is a predefined time rule permitting play of the wager-based game.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the at least one vessel gaming rule includes at least one predefined gaming region.

8. The method of claim 1, comprising:

automatically terminating play of the wager-based game if it is determined that the wager-based game is not permitted to be played on the at least one of the plurality of mobile devices.

9. The method of claim 1, comprising:

transmitting a denial message to the at least one of the plurality of mobile devices the determining whether the fund amount may be made available to the at least one of the plurality of mobile devices determined that the fund amount may not be made available to the at least one of the plurality of mobile devices.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the rendering of the fund amount is based on a time stamp.

11. A system for transferring funds to play a game of chance on a mobile device, said system comprising:

a location server operable to;

obtain a vessel position of a vessel, the vessel position being a global location relative to earth; and

obtain a device position of the mobile device relative to the vessel; and

a funds management server operable to;

receive a fund transfer request from the mobile device, the fund transfer request including a fund amount;

determine if the fund amount is permitted to be made available to the mobile device based on at least the vessel position and the device position; and

render the fund amount available to the mobile device if it is determined that the fund amount is permitted to be made available to the mobile device.

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

a gaming management server operable to determine whether the game of chance is permitted to be played on the mobile device prior to the render of the fund amount, the determination of whether the game of chance is permitted to be played on the mobile device based on at least the device location and the vessel location.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the gaming management server is operable to communicate with a rules database having at least one vessel gaming rule, and wherein the determination of whether the game of chance is permitted to be played on the mobile device is based on at least the at least one vessel gaming rule.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the at least one vessel gaming rule includes at least one predetermined gaming region and at least one control parameter associated with the at least one predetermined gaming region.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the at least one control parameter is a predefined time rule permitting play of the game of chance.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the gaming management server is further configured to:

enable play of the game of chance on the mobile device if the determining determines that the game of chance is permitted to be played on the mobile device.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the location server is operable to periodically update the vessel position and the device position.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the gaming management server is further configured to:

determine if play of the game of chance is permitted to be played on the mobile device based on the updated vessel position and the updated device position; and

automatically terminate play of the game of chance on the mobile device if it is determined that the game of chance is not permitted to be played on the mobile device.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein the funds management server is configured to deny the render of the fund amount if it is determined that the fund amount is not permitted to be made available to the mobile device.

20. The system of claim 11, wherein the fund amount is rendered to the mobile device based on a time stamp.