Apparatus, method, and program product for facilitating game play in an electronic lottery game network

• US 20040209664A1
• Filed: 05/10/2004
• Published: 10/21/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Everi Games Inc. (Everi Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Clifton Lind, Jefferson C. Lind, Joseph R. Enzminger
• Inventors: Lind, Jefferson C., Enzminger, Joseph R., Lind, Clifton
• Granted Patent: US 7,326,111 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/17
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3227 Configuring a gaming machine, e.g. downloading personal settings, selecting working parameters
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/329 Regular and instant lottery, e.g. electronic scratch cards

Abstract

At least one pool (22) of game play records (23) is stored at a central processing system (12). Each game play record includes a record index (24) selected from a set of unique index values, each associated with a different result type. A record index (24) associated with a particular game play record (23) is communicated from the central processing system (12) to the player terminal (14) in response to a game play request which a player has entered at the player terminal. The player terminal (14) responds to the received record index (24) by generating display commands using data at the player terminal to produce a graphic representation at the player terminal. This graphic representation is consistent with the result type associated with the index value comprising the particular record index (24) which has been communicated to the player terminal (14).

Claims

1. A method for facilitating game play in an electronic lottery game network in which a player terminal communicates with a central processing system which stores at least one pool of game play records, each game play record associated with a predetermined result, the method comprising steps of:

(a) storing at least one pool of game play records at the central processing system, each game play record including a record index selected from a set of index values, each respective index value in the set being associated with a respective result type, the record index for each respective game play record being distinct from any outcome associated with the respective game play record;

(b) in response to a game play request at the player terminal, communicating a record index associated with a particular game play record from the central processing system to the player terminal; and

(c) in response to the receipt of the record index at the player terminal, generating display commands at the player terminal to produce a graphic representation at the player terminal, the graphic representation being consistent with the result type associated with the index value which comprises the record index.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

(a) storing an index table at the player terminal, the index table including a different table entry for each index value included in the set of index values, each respective table entry also including a prize amount; and

(b) in response to the record index communicated to the player terminal, querying the index table to determine the prize amount associated with the record index.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein each game play record further includes a table identifier, and the method further comprises the steps of:

(a) maintaining at least one additional index table at the player terminal, each respective index table being identified by a particular table identifier; and

(b) in response to the game play request, communicating to the player terminal the table identifier associated with the particular game play record; and

(c) selecting one of the index tables based on the table identifier communicated to the player terminal in response to the game play request.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

(a) storing a plurality of pools of additional level game play records at the central processing system, each different pool of additional level game play records being associated with a permissible response which may be entered through the player terminal after the graphic representation is produced at the player terminal, each additional level game play record including an additional level record index selected from the set of index values, the additional level record index for each respective additional level game play record being distinct from any outcome associated with the respective additional level game play record;

(b) in response to one of the permissible responses made at the player terminal, communicating the additional level index associated with a particular additional level game play record from the central processing system to the player terminal; and

(c) in response to the receipt of the additional level index at the player terminal, generating additional level display commands at the player terminal to produce an additional level graphic representation at the player terminal, the additional level graphic representation being consistent with the result type associated with the respective additional level index communicated to the player terminal and with the permissible response made at the player terminal.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein each respective result type defines a possible result in a casino game.

5. An apparatus for facilitating game play in an electronic lottery game network in which a player terminal communicates with a central processing system which stores at least one pool of game play records, each game play record being associated with a predetermined result, the apparatus comprising:

(a) a game play storage device at the central processing system, the game play storage device storing at least one pool of game play records, each game play record including a record index selected from a set of index values, each index value in the set being associated with a respective result type, and the record index included in each respective game play record being distinct from any outcome associated with the respective game play record;

(b) a play request processor at the central processing system for receiving a game play request from a player terminal and for responding to the game play request by communicating the record index associated with a particular game play record from the central processing system to the player terminal; and

(c) a player terminal processor and display device at the player terminal, the player terminal processor being adapted to receive the record index communicated to the player terminal, and to generate display commands at the player terminal in response to the receipt of the record index, the display commands producing a graphic representation on the player terminal display device consistent with the result type associated with the respective record index communicated to the player terminal.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 further comprising:

(a) an index table storage device at the player terminal, the index table storage device storing an index table which includes a different table entry for each respective index value included in the set of index values, each table entry also including a prize amount associated with the respective index value; and

(b) wherein the player terminal processor is adapted to respond to the record index communicated to the player terminal by querying the index table with the record index to determine the prize amount associated with the respective record index.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein:

(a) each game play record further includes a table identifier;

(b) the index table storage device stores at least one additional index table, each additional index table being identified by a particular table identifier;

(c) the play request processor further responds to the game play request by communicating to the player terminal the table identifier associated with the particular game play record; and

(d) the player terminal processor selects one of the plurality of index tables based on the table identifier communicated to the player terminal in response to the game play request.

8. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein:

(a) the game play storage device also stores a plurality of pools of additional level game play records, each different pool of additional level game play records being associated with a permissible response which may be entered through the player terminal after the graphic representation is displayed at the player terminal, and each additional level game play record including an additional level index selected from the set of index values, the additional level index included in each respective additional level game play record being distinct from any outcome associated with the respective additional level game play record;

(b) the game play processor is adapted to respond to one of the permissible responses made at the player terminal by communicating the additional level index associated with a particular additional level game play record from the central processing system to the player terminal; and

(c) the player terminal processor is adapted to respond to the additional level index communicated to the player terminal by generating additional level display commands at the player terminal to produce an additional level graphic representation at the player terminal display device, the additional level graphic representation being consistent with the result type associated with the respective additional level index communicated to the player terminal and being consistent with the permissible response made at the player terminal.

14. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein each respective result type defines a possible result in a casino game.

9. A program product stored on a computer readable medium for facilitating game play in an electronic lottery game network in which a player terminal communicates with a central processing system which stores at least one pool of game play records, each game play record being associated with a predetermined result, the program product comprising:

(a) record storage program code for causing at least one pool of game play records to be stored at the central processing system, each game play record including a record index selected from a set of index values, each index value in the set being associated with a respective result type, the record index included in each respective game play record being distinct from any outcome associated with the respective game play record;

(b) play request processing program code for responding to a game play request at a player terminal by communicating the record index associated with a particular game play record from the central processing system to the player terminal; and

(c) display control program code for responding to the receipt of the record index at the player terminal by generating display commands at the player terminal to produce a graphic representation at a player terminal display device, the graphic representation being consistent with the result type associated with the respective record index communicated to the player terminal.

10. The program product of claim 9 further comprising:

(a) index table program code for causing an index table to be stored at the player terminal, the index table including a different table entry for each respective index value included in the set of index values, each table entry also including a prize amount associated with the respective index value; and

(b) index table look-up program code for responding to the record index communicated to the player terminal by looking up the record index in the index table to determine the prize value associated with the communicated record index.

11. The program product of claim 10 wherein:

(a) each game play record further includes a table identifier, and wherein the index table program code causes at least one additional index table to be stored at the player terminal, each additional index table being identified by a particular table identifier;

(b) the play request program code also responds to the game play request by communicating to the player terminal the table identifier associated with the particular game play record; and

(c) the display control program code further includes index table selection program code for selecting one of the index tables based on the table identifier communicated to the player terminal in response to the game play request.

12. The program product of claim 9 further comprising:

(a) additional level record storage program code for causing a plurality of pools of additional level game play records to be stored at the central processing system, each different pool of additional level game play records being associated with a permissible response which may be entered through the player terminal after the graphic representation is displayed at the player terminal, and each additional level game play record including an additional level index selected from the set of index values, the additional level index included in each respective additional level game play record being distinct from any outcome associated with the respective additional level game play record;

(b) wherein the game play request processing program code includes additional level game processing program code for responding to one of the permissible responses made at the player terminal by communicating the additional level index associated with a particular additional level game play record from the central processing system to the player terminal; and

(c) wherein the display control program code includes additional level display code for responding to the receipt of the additional level index at the player terminal by generating additional level display commands at the player terminal to produce an additional level graphic representation at the player terminal display device consistent with the result type associated with the respective additional level index communicated to the player terminal and with the permissible response made at the player terminal.

15. The computer program product of claim 9 wherein each respective result type defines a possible result in a casino game.