Game presentation in a retail establishment

• US 20040140352A1
• Filed: 10/21/2003
• Published: 07/22/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Inventor Holdings LLC (Walker Innovation Inc. (f/k/a Patent Properties, Inc.))
• Original Assignee: Walker Digital LLC (Walker Innovation Inc. (f/k/a Patent Properties, Inc.))
• Inventors: Golden, Andrew P., Fincham, Magdalena M., Gelman, Geoffrey M., Bemer, Keith, Alderucci, Dean P., Walker, Jay S., Gilman, Norman C.
• Granted Patent: US 7,168,617 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/383
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• 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: G06Q 30/0212 Chance discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0224 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0234 Rebates after completed purchase
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0236 Incentive or reward received by requiring registration or ID from user
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0238 at point-of-sale [POS]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0247 Calculate past, present or future revenues
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0268 at point-of-sale [POS]
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• 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 9/02 Devices for alarm or indication, e.g. when empty; Advertising arrangements in coin-freed apparatus alarms or warning devices indicating the interruption of flow to be metered G07F15/10
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/01 Details for indicating displaying information in general G09F, G09G
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/14 Systems including one or more distant stations co-operating with a central processing unit data transmission in general H04L; telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station H04Q9/00

Abstract

A game presentation such as a virtual slot machine is displayed by a display device associated with a point of sale (POS) terminal. The game presentation includes images of products for which product identifying codes are entered at the POS terminal. The game presentation indicates to a customer an outcome of a random process pursuant to which the customer may be awarded a benefit such as a free product, a discount on a product selected for purchase, a coupon or an upsell offer.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a plurality of product identifiers, each corresponding to a respective product selected for purchase by a customer;

generating a plurality of random outcomes, each random outcome representing the possibility of; and

determining which one of the selected products is won.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the product identifiers are received by scanning bar codes on the products.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising presenting the random outcome to the customer.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the random outcome is displayed to the customer.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the random outcome is displayed in an entertainment interface.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the entertainment interface includes an image of at least one of the products corresponding to the received product identifiers.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a customer identifier for identifying the customer.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the customer identifier is received by swiping a magnetic stripe card through a card reader.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying an image that represents at least one of the products that correspond to the received product identifiers.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the random outcome is generated by a server computer that communicates the random outcome to the POS terminal.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying an image that represents the corresponding product.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the image is provided as an indicia on a virtual slot machine reel.

13. An apparatus comprising:

a processor; and

a storage device,

in which the storage device stores a program which is operable to direct the processor to perform the method of claim 1.

14. A computer readable medium that stores a program which is operable to direct the processor to perform the method of claim 1.

15. An apparatus comprising:

means for receiving a plurality of product identifiers, each corresponding to a respective product selected for purchase by a customer;

means for generating a plurality of random outcomes, each random outcome representing the possibility of; and

means for determining which one of the selected products is won.