Social gaming

• US 10,657,762 B2
• Filed: 12/07/2017
• Issued: 05/19/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aristocrat Technologies Incorporated (Aristocrat Leisure Limited)
• Original Assignee: Nguyen Gaming LLC
• Inventors: Nguyen, Binh T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hylinski, Steven J
• Application Number:
  US15/835,448
• Publication Number:
  US 20180102024A1
• Time in Patent Office: 894 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/335 using Internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/80 Special adaptations for executing a specific game genre or game mode
• 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 17/3248 involving non-monetary media of fixed value, e.g. casino chips of fixed value
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3251 involving media of variable value, e.g. programmable cards, programmable tokens
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3253 involving articles, e.g. paying in bottles, paying out toys
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3269 Timing aspects of game play, e.g. blocking/halting the operation of a gaming machine
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3272 Games involving multiple players
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3281 wherein game attributes are transferred between players, e.g. points, weapons, avatars

Abstract

In one embodiment, a system, apparatus, and method for social gaming may include a gaming machine configured to play a game of chance and produce game information. A social gaming server can be configured to communicate with the gaming machine, may establish a remote gaming session between the gaming machine and a user device, and may distribute the portion of the game information to the user device.

Claims

1. A social gaming system for concurrent play of a game of chance, comprising:

at least one gaming device configured to play a game of chance and produce game information; and

a social game session manager configured to;

establish a social game session between the gaming device and at least one remote user device;

initiate transfer of at least a portion of the gaming information to the at least one remote user device,

wherein the game of chance is played by a player via the gaming device, and wherein the player receives a monetary award for success with the game of chance,

wherein the game of chance is played by a remote user via the remote user device, and wherein the remote user receives a non-monetary award for success with the game of chance, and

wherein the game of chance being played on the gaming device is concurrently played by the player and the remote user such that (i) the player, via interaction with the gaming device, is able to affect play of the game of chance being played on the gaming device, and (ii) the remote user, via the remote user device, is able to affect play of the game of chance being played on the gaming device.

2. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the gaming device is a table game.

3. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the initiate transfer includes sending the at least a portion of the game information to a social networking server.

4. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the at least a portion of the game information being transferred is streamed to the at least one remote user device.

5. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the gaming device is a gaming machine.

6. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the gaming device is a table game.

7. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the at least a portion of the game information is streamed to the at least one remote user device.

8. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the at least a portion of the game information being transferred is transmitted to a social networking server for distribution via one or more networks.

9. The system as recited in claim 8, wherein the remote user is able to play the game of chance using the remote user device via the social gaming server.

10. The system as recited in claim 9, wherein the remote user device is a personal computing device.

11. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the social game session manager comprises:

processing the game information to separate significant events from non-significant events; and

posting the significant events of the game information to a social networking server and not posting the non-significant events of the game information to the social networking server.

12. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the social game session manager comprises:

sending at least a subset of the game information to a social networking server; and

initiating streaming of a least a portion of the subset of the game information from the social networking server to electronic device associated with at least one social user.

13. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the least a portion of the subset of the game information being streamed to the electronic device associated with at least one social user is provided in real time and is configured to reproduce a visual representation of the game of chance on a display associated with the electronic device associated with at least one social user.

14. A program storage device readable by a machine tangibly embodying computer program code that on execution by the machine provides concurrent play of a game of chance, the program storage device comprising:

computer program code configured to operate a game of chance on a gaming device to produce game information;

computer program code configured to identify at least one remote user device;

computer program code configured to distribute at least a portion of the game information from the game of chance to the at least one remote user device;

computer program code configured to for concurrently play the game of chance by the gaming device and the remote user device; and

computer program code configured to determine (i) whether a wager player of the game of chance operating on the gaming device, via the gaming device, has been successful and has earned an award, and (ii) whether a social player of the game of chance operating on the gaming device, via the remote user device associated with the social player, has been successful and has earned an award,

wherein the award earned by the wager player is a monetary award for success with the game of chance,

wherein the award earned by the social player is a non-monetary award for success with the game of chance, and

wherein concurrent play of the game of chance on the gaming device by the wager player and the social player is such that (i) the wager player, via interaction with the gaming device, is able to affect play of the game of chance on the gaming device, and (ii) the social user, via the remote user device, is able to affect play of the game of chance on the gaming device.

15. The program storage device as recited in claim 14, wherein the computer program code configured to distribute includes posting the at least a portion of the game information to a social networking server.

16. The program storage device as recited in claim 14, wherein the at least a portion of the game information being distributed by the computer program code configured to distribute is streamed to the at least one remote user device associated with the social player.

17. The program storage device as recited in claim 14, wherein the gaming device is a gaming machine.

18. The program storage device as recited in claim 14, wherein the gaming device is a table game.

19. The program storage device as recited in claim 14, wherein the non-monetary award includes a virtual good or a digital enhancement.

20. The program storage device as recited in claim 14, wherein the at least a portion of the game information being distributed by the computer program code configured to distribute is transmitted to a social networking server via one or more networks.

21. The program storage device as recited in claim 20, wherein the social user is able to play the game of chance using the remote user device via the social gaming server.

22. The program storage device as recited in claim 14, wherein the remote user device identified is associated with the social player that was previously included on a social contact list of the wager player.

23. The program storage device as recited in claim 14, wherein the program storage device comprises:

computer program code for processing the game information to separate significant events from non-significant events; and

computer program code for posting the significant events of the game information to a social networking server and not posting the non-significant events of the game information to the social networking server.