Entertainment internet/network site and contest method

• US 20030040363A1
• Filed: 07/22/2002
• Published: 02/27/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/23/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Jonathan E. Sandberg
• Original Assignee: Jonathan E. Sandberg
• Inventors: Sandberg, Jonathan E.
• Application Number:
  US10/200,347
• Publication Number:
  US 20030040363A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/42
• 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 17/3248 involving non-monetary media of fixed value, e.g. casino chips of fixed value

Abstract

An Internet/network game site is provided whereby site-users may spend digital tickets in order to compete in site-games having a prize that is awarded to the game winner. Site-visitors may become site-users by submitting user-identification that includes a credit card method of payment for the purchase of digital tickets. A site-user may thereafter purchase digital tickets after supplying site-user-identification, whereupon purchased digital tickets are recorded for the site-user, and whereupon purchased digital tickets are paid for using the specified credit card method. A plurality of site-games are provided to be played by site-users. A merchant may contribute a product/service having a stated monetary value as a prize for a game. The Internet site automatically increases this stated monetary value to a higher monetary value, assigns the prize to the game, and that assigns a number of digital tickets to the game so that a total monetary value of the digital tickets assigned to the game equals the higher monetary value. When a site-user elects to participate in the game, the site-user is charged a digital ticket monetary amount that is based upon the higher monetary value of the prize assigned to the game, and the purchased digital ticket quantity recorded for the site-user is accordingly reduced. The site monitors a number of digital tickets used to compete in the game, and terminates the game when a total monetary value of digital tickets used to compete in the game equals the total monetary value of digital tickets assigned to the game. A winner of the terminated game is determined, the prize is delivered from the merchant to the winner, and the merchant is paid a monetary value that is greater than the stated monetary value, but is less than the total monetary value of digital tickets assigned to the terminated game.

Claims

1. The method of providing a network wherein prizes can be won by participants who compete in competitive games, comprising the steps of:

providing a network-facility having plurality of competitive games that are played on a pay-per-game basis;

providing a network-facility whereby participants may purchase digital tickets for use in playing said games;

providing a network-facility whereby merchants may provide merchant-items to be offered as prizes in said games;

providing a network-facility whereby a merchant-item is assigned to each of said games, and whereby a total ticket monetary value is assigned to each of said games;

providing a network-facility whereby a participant elects to be a competitor in a given game by authorizing that a ticket quantity for said given game be subtracted from tickets purchased by said participant;

providing a network-facility for monitoring a total monetary value of tickets utilized in competing in each of said games;

providing a network-facility that terminates a game when a total ticket monetary value utilized in competing in a game equals a total monetary value of tickets assigned to said game;

providing a network-facility that determines a winner for terminated competitive games; and

awarding a merchant item to said winner.

2. The method of claim 1 including the step of:

paying a monetary amount to a merchant relative to a terminated game, said monetary amount being based upon a total monetary ticket value assigned to said terminated game.

3. The method of claim 2 including the steps of:

providing that a merchant submit a monetary value of a merchant-item; and

providing that a total monetary value of a ticket quantity assigned to a merchant-item be greater than said monetary value of said merchant-item submitted by a merchant.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein said monetary amount paid to a merchant is less than said greater monetary value and is greater than said monetary value of said merchant-item submitted by a merchant.

5. The method of claim 1 including the step of:

providing a network-facility whereby competitive games may be submitted for consideration to be included in said plurality of competitive games.

6. The method of claim 1 including the steps of:

providing a network-facility accounting for a quantity of tickets purchased by individual participants; and

reducing said quantity of tickets as individual participants compete in competitive games.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein tickets may be awarded to winners of competitive games, and wherein said awarded tickets are added to a quantity of tickets held in an account of said winners.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein merchant-items that are won as prizes are supplied to winners by merchants who provide said items.

9. The method of claim 8 including the steps of:

providing that a merchant submit a monetary value of said item,

providing that a total monetary value of a ticket quantity assigned to a game awarding said item is greater than said submitted monetary value of said item; and

paying a monetary value to a merchant providing an item to a terminated game, said paid monetary value being less than a total monetary value of a ticket quantity assigned to said terminated game and being greater than said monetary value of said item.

10. The method of claim 9 including the steps of:

providing a network-facility that tracks items won by winners as said items are shipped to winners by merchants who providing said items, and

providing a network-facility that accounts for a quantity of tickets purchased by individual participants, and reduces said quantity of tickets as individual participants compete in competitive games.

11. The method of claim 10 including the step of:

providing that participants are awarded points for the purchase of tickets; and

provided that said points may be accumulated in an account of said participants for use in purchasing items from merchants without winning competitive games.

12. The method of providing a computer network site wherein prizes may be won by site-users, comprising the steps of:

providing a site-facility having competitive games to be played by a plurality of site-users on a pay-per-game basis;

providing a site-facility whereby site-users digitally purchase tickets for use in playing said competitive games;

providing a site-facility that records tickets that are purchased by individual site users;

providing a site-facility whereby merchant-prizes are offered in said competitive games, said prizes having monetary values assigned thereto by offering-merchants;

providing a site-facility for increasing said assigned monetary values to a higher monetary value;

providing a site-facility for assigning prizes to said competitive games, for assigning a per-game ticket quantity to said competitive games, and for assigning a total quantity of competitors to said competitive games;

providing a site-facility whereby a site-user becomes a competitor in a given competitive game, as a per-game ticket quantity assigned to said given competitive game is subtracted from tickets recorded for said site-user;

providing a site-facility for monitoring a number of competitors who have competed in said competitive games;

providing a site-facility that terminates a competitive game when a number of competitors who have competed in a competitive game equals a total quantity of competitors assigned to said competitive game;

providing a site-facility that determines at least one winner for terminated competitive games;

providing that merchants supply merchant-prizes to at least one winner of terminated games; and

providing that merchants supplying merchant-prizes to terminated games are paid a monetary value that is greater than said assigned monetary value and is less than said higher monetary value.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein said merchant-prizes may be tangible products and/or intangible services.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein site-users are awarded points for said purchase of tickets, and wherein said points may be used to purchase said tangible products and/or intangible services.

15. The method of claim 12 wherein site-users are awarded points as tickets are purchased, and wherein said points may be used to purchase prizes from merchants.

16. The method of claim 14 including the step of:

providing a site-facility whereby competitive games may be submitted for consideration to be included in said competitive games.

17. The method of claim 14 including the step of:

providing to site-users a list of winners and/or prizes that have been won.

18. The method of claim 14 including the step of:

providing a site-facility whereby site-users may use tickets to purchase prizes from said merchants in the absence of competing in said games.

19. A method providing an Internet game site wherein site-users spend digital tickets in order to compete in site-games having a prize to be awarded to winners of said site-games, comprising the steps of:

providing a site-facility whereby site-visitors may become site-users by submitting user-identification information that includes a method of payment for purchase of said digital tickets;

providing a site-facility whereby site-users may purchase said digital tickets after supplying said user-identification, whereby purchased digital tickets are recorded for said site-user, and whereby purchased digital tickets are paid for using said method of payment,

providing a site-facility having a plurality of site-games to be played by site-users;

providing a site-facility whereby a merchant may contribute a product/service having a stated monetary value as a prize for a game;

providing a site-facility that increases said stated monetary value of said prize to a higher monetary value, that assigns said prize to said game, and that assigns a number of digital tickets to said game so that a total monetary value of digital tickets assigned to said game equals said higher monetary value;

providing a site-facility whereby site-users may elect to participate in said game, whereupon said site-users are charged a digital ticket amount that is based upon said higher monetary value of said prize assigned to said game, and whereupon said purchased digital tickets recorded for said site-users are accordingly reduced,

providing a site-facility that monitors a number of digital tickets used to compete in said game, and that terminates said game when a monetary value of digital tickets used to compete in said game equals said total monetary value of digital tickets assigned to said game;

determining a winner of said terminated game;

delivering a prize from said merchant to said winner of said terminated game; and

paying a monetary value to said merchant, said paid monetary value being greater than said stated monetary value and being less than said total monetary value of digital tickets assigned to said terminated game.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein said method of payment includes a method of payment for purchase~of said digital tickets is payment by credit card.

21. The method of claim 20 including the step of:

providing a site-facility whereby a site-user may elect to have a monetary value of digital tickets recorded for said site-user credited to a credit card of said site-user.

22. An Internet/network game site whereby site-users may use digital tickets in order to compete in site-games having a prize to be awarded to winners of said site-games, comprising.

a site facility whereby site-visitors become site-users by submitting user-identification information that includes a method of payment for purchase of said digital tickets;

a site facility whereby site-users purchase said digital tickets after supplying said user-identification, whereby purchased digital tickets are recorded for said site-user, and whereby purchased digital tickets are paid for using said method of payment;

a site facility having a plurality of site-games to be played by site-users;

a site facility whereby a merchant contributes a product/service having a stated monetary value as a prize for a game;

a site facility that increases said stated monetary value of said prize to a higher monetary value, that assigns said prize to said game, and that assigns a number of digital tickets to said game so that a total monetary value of digital tickets assigned to said game equals said higher monetary value;

a site facility whereby site-users elect to participate in said game, whereupon said site-users are charged a digital ticket amount that is based upon said higher monetary value of said prize assigned to said game, and whereupon said purchased digital tickets recorded for said site-users are accordingly reduced;

a site facility that monitors a number of digital tickets used to compete in said game, and that terminates said game when a monetary value of digital tickets used to compete in said game equals said total monetary value of digital tickets assigned to said game;

a site facility that determines a winner of said terminated game;

a site facility that requests said prize be delivered from said merchant to said winner of said terminated game; and

a site facility that pays a monetary value to said merchant, said paid monetary value being greater than said stated monetary value and being less than said total monetary value of digital tickets assigned to said terminated game.

23. An Internet/network game site whereby site-users may spend digital tickets in order to compete in site-games having a prize that is awarded to a game winner, comprising:

a site facility whereby site-visitors may become site-users by submitting user-identification that includes a credit card method of payment for purchase of digital tickets;

a site facility whereby a site-user may purchase digital tickets after supplying said site-user-identification, whereupon purchased digital tickets are recorded for said site-user, and whereupon said purchased digital tickets are paid for using said specified credit card method;

a site facility having a plurality of site-games to be played by site-users;

a site facility whereby a merchant may contribute a product/service having a stated monetary value for use as a prize in one of said games,

a site facility for automatically increasing said stated monetary value to a higher monetary value, for assigning said prize to said one of said games, and for assigning a total number of digital tickets to said one of said games so that a total monetary value of said digital tickets assigned to said one of said games equals said higher monetary value;

a site facility for enabling a site-user to elect to participate in said one of said games, for charging said site-user a digital ticket monetary amount that is based upon said higher monetary value of the prize assigned to said one of said games and for reducing said purchased digital ticket quantity recorded for said site-user;

a site facility that monitors a total number of digital tickets used to compete in said one of said games, and for terminating said one of said games when a total monetary value of digital tickets used to compete in said one of said games equals said total monetary value of digital tickets assigned to said one of said games;

a site facility for determining, a winner of said terminated game, and for directing that said prize be delivered to said winner; and

a site facility for direction that said merchant be paid a monetary value that is greater than said stated monetary value, but is less than said total monetary value of digital tickets assigned to said terminated game.

24. The Internet/network game site of claim 23 including:

a site facility for specifying that a charitable organization share in the profits of a terminated game.