Data delivery and management system and method for game machines

• US 20040152516A1
• Filed: 09/15/2003
• Published: 08/05/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Incredible Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Incredible Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Blatter, Karl T., Demsetz, Randy S., Kniaz, Andrew J., Smikun, Leonid, Hallenberg, Peter G., Morrison, R. Scott, Hodgson, Lawrence J.
• Application Number:
  US10/662,891
• Publication Number:
  US 20040152516A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/42
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/12 involving interaction between a plurality of game devices, e.g. transmisison or distribution systems protocols for networked virtual reality, networked games H04L29/06034
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/30 Interconnection arrangements between game servers and game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/35 Details of game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/53 involving additional visual information provided to the game scene, e.g. by overlay to simulate a head-up display [HUD] or displaying a laser sight in a shooting game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/79 involving player-related data, e.g. identities, accounts, preferences or play histories
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/407 Data transfer via internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/50 characterized by details of game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/552 for downloading to client devices, e.g. using OS version, hardware or software profile of the client device
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements

Abstract

A system and method of organizing and administering contests or other promotions for physically dispersed currency, card, or ticket video games enable an organizer to conduct such contests or promotions from a single location. Software executable locally enables the organizer to define a contest, transmit contest or promotional information to the various video games, and stage the contest or promotion at a plurality of such games during a predetermined time interval. Contest results can be retrieved by the organizer at the location. The organizer can determine contest or promotion winners and transmit those results to the various video games.

Claims

1. A method of conducting multi-player contests where the contestants participate via video game, the method comprising:

arranging for a plurality of contestants to interact with the video game thereby producing respective contestant data associated with each contestant;

up-loading at least some of the contestant data to at least one selected location for storage;

downloading at least part of the contestant data to a second location and combining the downloaded data with additional data for storage at the second location;

formatting at least some of the data at the second location to facilitate determining which contestant should be declared a winner of the contest.

2. A method as in claim 1 which includes establishing a set of criteria usable to determine the winner of the contest.

3. A method as in claim 1 which includes up-loading data pertaining to the winning contestant from the second location to the at least one location for storage.

4. A method as in claim 3 which includes down-loading data pertaining to the winning contestant to the video game and presenting same thereat for review by an audience.

5. A method as in claim 1 which includes selecting some of the contestant data from available contestant data at the second location.

6. A method as in claim 5 where the formatting process includes arranging the requested data in a predetermined configuration.

7. A method as in claim 5 where the selected contestant data originates during a predetermined time interval.

8. A method as in claim 5 which includes providing, at least intermittently, a communications path for up-loading the contestant data.

9. A method as in claim 8 where contestant data includes contestant identifier, game identifier and game play data.

10. A method as in claim 9 including formatting respective information into a plurality of game play records.

11. A method as in claim 10 including associating selected game play records with a common video game owner.

12. A method as in claim 10 which includes down-loading contest results to a plurality of video games.

13. A method as in claim 12 including presenting contest results at respective video games.

14. A method as in claim 12 including forming and downloading visual indicators concerning contest results to respective video games.

64. A method as in claim 1 which includes analyzing a received request and in response thereto selecting the requested contestant data from available contestant data at the second location.

65. A method as in claim 64 where the formatting process includes arranging the requested data in a predetermined configuration for a requester.

66. A method as in claim 64 where the selected contestant data originates during a predetermined time interval.

67. A method as in claim 64 which includes providing, at least intermittently, a communications path for up-loading the contestant data.

68. A method as in claim 67 where contestant data includes contestant identifier, game identifier and game play data.

15. Software recorded on a computer readable medium comprising:

software enabling a user to specify data pertaining to results of carrying out of a pre-specified contest, or promotion;

software to obtain updates of the specified data, the updates correspond to contest or promotion data accumulated during a selected time interval, from a displaced source;

software to format the data in accordance with user inputs.

16. Software as in claim 15 permitting the user to specify contest or promotion determining criteria.

17. Software as in claim 16 to prioritize the criteria.

18. Software as in claim 16 to specify a contest or promotion time frame.

19. Software as in claim 16 enabling the user to select one of a plurality of games for a contest.

20. Software as in claim 15 enabling the user to specify features of the contest or promotion.

21. Software as in claim 20 enabling the user to forward contest or promotion features for presentation at a plurality of locations.

22. Software as in claim 21 enabling the user to forward contest results to the plurality of locations.

23. Software as in claim 15 permitting a user to log on.

24. Software as in claim 15 enabling the user to receive performance information from at least one coin operated video game.

25. Software as in claim 15 which enables a user to incorporate advertisements or promotional materials into player perceivable displays at a plurality of spaced apart, coin operated video games.

26. A system for management of contests among players at a plurality of spaced apart, video games, the system comprising:

circuitry enabling a manager to specify features of a contest;

circuitry enabling the manager to forward at least some contest features for display at a plurality of video games;

circuitry enabling the manager to conduct the contest during a predetermined time interval;

circuitry enabling the manager to define at least one report relative to performance of the players in the contest;

circuitry enabling the manager to obtain game play data for the report.

27. A system as in claim 26 which includes executable instructions enabling the manager to define and forward advertisements to at least some of the games.

28. A system as in claim 27 with instructions to store characteristics of a plurality of different contests

29. A system as in claim 28 with instructions to retrieve and revise a pre-stored contest.

30. Game tournament administration software recorded on a computer readable medium comprising:

first software enabling an operator to create a contest.

second software enabling the operator to create and to transmit contest promotional announcements to a plurality of spaced apart game machines;

third software enabling the operator to post game results on at least some of the game machines which participated in the contest.

31. Software as in claim 30 which includes additional software enabling the operator to define at least one report, and, to retrieve contest game play related information from at least one displaced source.

32. Software as in claim 30 which includes additional software enabling the operator to specify at lest one contest winner and to transmit winner related information to at least some of the game machines which participated in the tournament.

33. Software as in claim 30 which includes additional software enabling an operator to transmit at least one advertisement to a second plurality of spaced apart game machines.

34. Software as in claim 30 which includes additional software to create and store a plurality of different tournaments.

35. A contest management system, software recorded on a computer readable medium, the system comprising:

first software to obtain up-dated game play data from a remote data base, via an electronic network;

second software to up-date a local data base with the updated game play data;

third software for identifying a selected, on-going contest and for viewing contest status;

fourth software for creating at least one contest status message and for forwarding it to a plurality of spaced apart games via the network.

36. A system as in claim 35 which includes fifth software for defining a new contest.

37. A system as in claim 35 which includes additional software for creating at least one advertisement and for forwarding it to be displayed on a plurality of spaced apart games via the network.

38. A system as in claim 35 where the fourth software comprises additional software to create game specific messages identifying selected participants n the contest.

39. A system as in claim 38 where the additional software accesses the local data base and extracts game specific information therefrom for use with the game specific messages.

40. A system as in claim 38 where the game specific messages comprise leader boards for a predefined golf tournament.

41. A system as in claim 39 where the game specific messages comprise information relating to status of players of a game of skill participating in a contest.

42. A system comprising:

a plurality of network enabled games of skill;

at least one game server with a data base in at least intermittent communication, via an electronic network, with the members of the plurality, the members of the plurality providing contestant performance information to the database as to an on-going, predefined contest;

computer executable contest administration software which at least intermittently accesses the database via the electronic network, for updated contestant performance information including software which enables an operator to visually review contest status information while off-line.

43. A system as in claim 42 where the administration software includes software to create contest-related promotional messages and to forward the messages to the game server for subsequent downloading to, and, display by at least some of the games.

44. A system as in claim 42 where the administration software includes software to create contest-related status messages and to forward the messages to the game server for subsequent downloading to, and, display by at least some of the games.

45. A system as in claim 42 where the administration software includes contest definition software to create and store a new contest.

46. A system as in claim 45 which includes software for downloading information as to a newly created contest to at least some of the games.

47. A system as in claim 46 where the administration software comprises additional software to create advertisements to be downloaded via the network, to and displayed on at least some of the games.

48. A system as in clam 47 where the games comprise one of a sports game, a hunting game, a puzzle or a vehicular driving game.

49. A system as in claim 48 where the sports game comprises a golf game with the contest comprising golf tournaments.

50. Video game contest management software recorded on a computer readable medium comprising:

software to update a data base of contest related game play information; and

software to create and save a plurality of video game related contests.

51. Software as in claim 50 which includes additional software to create messages for presentation at a plurality of displaced video game machines.

52. Software as in claim 50 which includes additional software to establish contest defining rules.

53. Software as in claim 50 which includes additional software to establish indicia associated with respective video game machines for grouping machines according to at least one criteria.

54. Software as in claim 51 where the additional software enables a user to create at least one of an audio message or a video message.

55. Software as in claim 50 including additional software for intermittent communication with a displaced data base and for transmission of messages for storage at that data base for subsequent presentation at selected game machines.

56. A system comprising:

a plurality of network enabled games of skill;

at least one game processor with a data base in at least intermittent communication, via an electronic network, with at least some of the members of the plurality, the members of the plurality providing contestant performance information to the database as to an on-going, predefined contest;

computer executable contest administration software which intermittently accesses the database via the electronic network, for updated contestant performance information including software which enables an operator to visually review contest status information while off-line.

57. A system as in claim 56 where the administration software includes software to create contest-related promotional messages, while off-line and to forward the messages to the game processor for subsequent downloading to, and, display by at least some of the games.

58. A system as in claim 57 where the administration software includes software to create contest-related status messages and to forward the messages to the game processor for subsequent downloading to, and, display by at least some of the games.

59. A system as in claim 57 where the administration software includes contest definition software to create and store a new contest at a second, different data base.

60. A system as in claim 59 where the administration software includes additional software for downloading information as to a newly created contest to at least some of the games.

61. A system as in claim 60 where the administration software comprises additional software to create advertisements to be downloaded via the network, to and displayed on at least some of the games.

62. A system as in clam 61 where the games comprise one of a sports game, a hunting game or a vehicular driving game.

63. A system as in claim 62 where the sports game comprises a golf game with the contest comprising golf tournaments.