Location and user identification for online gaming

• US 20060095790A1
• Filed: 11/03/2004
• Published: 05/04/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/03/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Paulsen, Craig, Nguyen, Binh
• Granted Patent: US 7,577,847 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/186
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3224 Transactions dependent on location of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3206 Player sensing means, e.g. presence detection, biometrics
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3223 Architectural aspects of a gaming system, e.g. internal configuration, master/slave, wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3237 about the players, e.g. profiling, responsible gaming, strategy/behavior of players, location of players
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/001 Interfacing with vending machines using mobile or wearable devices
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/026 for alarm, monitoring and auditing in vending machines or means for indication, e.g. when empty

Abstract

The present invention provides methods and devices for determining the location, identity and age of a user who desires to initiate a gaming session from an uncontrolled environment such as a home, a gaming kiosk or a hotel room. In some implementations, the user'"'"'s location is determined in part by reference to a database of land telephone lines and corresponding addresses. The location may be verified by reference to a location determined by other methods, e.g., by determining the location of an Internet service provider'"'"'s network device that is near a user'"'"'s host device. In other implementations, the user'"'"'s location is determined by information provided by a cellular telephone network. The user may be asked to input a confirmation number and/or make an oral response during a telephone call to a telephone number associated with the uncontrolled environment. These the oral response may be analyzed to verify the user'"'"'s identity. The user may also be prompted to make statements verifying his or her identity, age, a maximum amount available for wagering or other statements, which are preferably recorded and stored.

Claims

1. A gaming authentication method, comprising:

receiving a request to initiate a gaming session from a user, the gaming session comprising;

receiving a wager on a game;

determining an outcome for the game; and

presenting the outcome of the game;

ascertaining whether the user is in a location for which the gaming session would be permitted;

determining a telephone number associated with the location;

placing a telephone call to the telephone number;

prompting the user for a biometric response; and

verifying whether the user is an authorized user based in part on the biometric response.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

prompting the user to enter a confirmation number; and

verifying that the user has entered the confirmation number.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the verifying step comprises making a first recording of the biometric response.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the verifying step comprises:

analyzing the biometric response to determine first characteristics; and

comparing the first characteristics with second characteristics of the user.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising initiating the gaming session when the user is an authorized user.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the verifying step comprises verifying that the user is old enough to participate in the gaming session according to laws applicable to the location.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the ascertaining step comprises determining positioning data associated with a cellular telephone.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the ascertaining step comprises determining an address associated with the telephone number.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the ascertaining step comprises:

determining a user location; and

comparing the user location with a list of locations for which gaming may be conducted from an uncontrolled gaming environment.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the biometric response comprises one of a voice response, fingerprint data, retinal scan data, facial recognition data and hand shape data.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the verifying step comprises verifying that a bet size, a session time, a maximum prize allowed, a time of day for gaming or a purse size is permissible according to laws applicable to the location.

12. The method of claim 3, wherein the prompting step comprises prompting the user to state an amount of money that the user will authorize for the gaming session.

13. The method of claim 3, wherein the prompting step comprises prompting the user to state the user'"'"'s identity.

14. The method of claim 3, wherein the prompting step comprises prompting the user to state a maximum amount of time that the user will be authorized to spend for the gaming session.

15. The method of claim 3, wherein the prompting step comprises prompting the user to make sounds that were not recorded during a user registration process.

16. The method of claim 3, wherein the prompting step comprises prompting the user to say words that were not recorded during a user registration process.

17. The method of claim 3, wherein the prompting step comprises prompting the user to say words in a first sequence that were recorded in a second sequence during a user registration process.

18. The method of claim 8, wherein the step of determining a user location comprises:

determining a location of a network device in the vicinity of a host device operated by the user; and

comparing the location of the network device with the address associated with the telephone number.

19. The method of claim 12, further comprising the step of determining whether an account associated with the user contains the amount of money authorized by the user.

25. The computer program of claim 1, wherein the biometric response comprises one of a voice response, fingerprint data, retinal scan data, facial recognition data and hand shape data.

20. A computer program embodied in a machine-readable medium, the computer program including instructions for controlling at least one network device to perform the following steps:

receive a request to initiate a gaming session from a user, the gaming session comprising;

receiving a wager on a game;

determining an outcome for the game; and

presenting the outcome of the game;

ascertain whether the user is in a location for which the gaming session would be permitted;

determine a telephone number associated with the location;

place a telephone call to the telephone number;

prompt the user for a biometric response; and

verify whether the user is an authorized user based in part on the biometric response.

21. The computer program of claim 20, further comprising instructions for controlling at least one network device to perform the following steps:

prompt the user to enter a confirmation number; and

verify that the user has entered the confirmation number.

22. The computer program of claim 20, wherein the verifying step comprises making a first recording of the biometric response.

23. The computer program of claim 20, wherein the verifying step comprises:

analyzing the biometric response to determine first characteristics; and

comparing the first characteristics with second characteristics of the user.

24. The computer program of claim 20, further comprising instructions for controlling at least one network device to initiate the gaming session when the user is an authorized user.

26. An integrated circuit operable to control a network device to perform the following steps:

receive a request to initiate a gaming session from a user, the gaming session comprising;

receiving a wager on a game;

determining an outcome for the game; and

presenting the outcome of the game;

ascertain whether the user is in a location for which the gaming session would be permitted;

determine a telephone number associated with the location;

place a telephone call to the telephone number;

prompt the user for a biometric response; and

verify whether the user is an authorized user based in part on the biometric response.

27. The integrated circuit of claim 26, wherein the integrated circuit comprises an application-specific integrated circuit.

28. A set of semiconductor processing masks representative of at least a portion of the integrated circuit of claim 26.

29. The integrated circuit of claim 26, wherein the biometric response comprises one of a voice response, fingerprint data, retinal scan data, facial recognition data and hand shape data.

30. A network device, comprising:

at least one port configured for communication with a network; and

at least one logic device configured to perform the following steps;

receive a request to initiate a gaming session from a user, the gaming session comprising;

receiving a wager on a game;

determining an outcome for the game; and

presenting the outcome of the game;

ascertain whether the user is in a location for which the gaming session would be permitted;

determine a telephone number associated with the location;

place a telephone call to the telephone number;

prompt the user for a biometric response;

verify whether the user is an authorized user based in part on the biometric response; and

initiate the gaming session when the user is an authorized user.

31. The network device of claim 30, wherein at least one logic device is further configured to perform the following steps:

prompt the user to enter a confirmation number; and

verify that the user has entered the confirmation number.

32. The network device of claim 30, wherein the verifying step comprises making a first recording of the biometric response.

33. The network device of claim 30, wherein the verifying step comprises:

analyzing the biometric response to determine first characteristics; and

comparing the first characteristics with second characteristics of the user.

34. The network device of claim 30, wherein the biometric response comprises one of a voice response, fingerprint data, retinal scan data, facial recognition data and hand shape data.

35. A network device, comprising:

at least one port configured for communication with a network; and

at least one logic device configured to perform the following steps;

receive a request from a gaming server to authenticate a user who has made a request to initiate a gaming session from an uncontrolled gaming environment, the gaming session comprising;

receiving a wager on a game;

determining an outcome for the game; and

presenting the outcome of the game;

ascertain whether the user is in a location for which the gaming session would be permitted;

determine a telephone number associated with the location;

place a telephone call to the telephone number;

prompt the user for a biometric response;

verify whether the user is an authorized user based in part on the biometric response; and

send a message to the gaming server indicating whether the user is an authorized user and whether the user is in a location for which the gaming session would be permitted.

36. The network device of claim 35, wherein at least one logic device is further configured to perform the following steps:

prompt the user to enter a confirmation number; and

verify that the user has entered the confirmation number.

37. The network device of claim 35, wherein the verifying step comprises making a first recording of the biometric response.

38. The network device of claim 35, wherein the verifying step comprises:

analyzing the biometric response to determine first characteristics; and

comparing the first characteristics with second characteristics of the user.

39. The network device of claim 35, wherein the biometric response comprises one of a voice response, fingerprint data, retinal scan data, facial recognition data and hand shape data.

40. A network device, comprising:

at least one port configured for communication with a network; and

at least one logic device configured to perform the following steps;

receive a request to initiate a gaming session, the request being from a user in an uncontrolled gaming environment, the gaming session comprising;

receiving a wager on a game;

determining an outcome for the game; and

presenting the outcome of the game;

send an authentication request regarding the user to a verification server, the authentication request including a telephone number associated with the uncontrolled gaming environment;

receive an authentication response from the verification server; and

initiate the gaming session when the authentication response indicates that the user is an authorized user and that the uncontrolled gaming environment is an authorized location.