System and Method For Facilitating Responsible Behaviour

• US 20080199838A1
• Filed: 08/27/2004
• Published: 08/21/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: John Thomas Flanagan
• Original Assignee: John Thomas Flanagan
• Inventors: Flanagan, John Thomas
• Granted Patent: US 8,696,358 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 434/236
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• 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 17/3239 Tracking of individual players
• 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 7/0866 by active credit-cards adapted therefor G07F7/1008 takes precedence

Abstract

A system (2) for facilitating responsible behaviour by an entity comprising an identification means (32) for identifying the entity, a facility (4) for verifying the identification means and facilitating pursuit of the behaviour, a storage means (18) coupled to be in communication with the facility (4) for storing information related to the pursuit of the behaviour by the entity, a modeler module (24) for comparing the information related to the pursuit of the behaviour by the entity with a behaviour model to determine a category of behaviour of the entity and a resolver module (22) for determining one or more actions to be initiated in relation to the entity and their pursuit of the behaviour such as initiating a change to one or more operating parameters of the facility (4) in response to the activation of one or more limits, blocks or triggers related to the entity.

Claims

1. A system for facilitating responsible behaviour by an entity, said system comprising:

an identification means for identifying the entity;

a facility for verifying the identification means and facilitating pursuit of the behaviour;

a storage means coupled to be in communication with the facility for storing information related to the pursuit of the behaviour by the entity; and

a modeler module for comparing the information related to the pursuit of the behaviour by the entity with a behaviour model to determine a category of behaviour of the entity.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the behaviour model describes one or more categories of the behaviour.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the modeler module compares the information related to the pursuit of the behaviour by the entity with a model describing earlier behaviour of the entity.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the modeler module compares the information related to the pursuit of the behaviour by the entity with a model describing behaviour of a distribution of other entities.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the behaviour model comprises one or more criteria related to the behaviour.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the criteria include one or more of:

an acceleration criterion, a chasing losses criterion, a frequency criterion, a duration criterion, an inter-behaviour criterion, an income proportion criterion, an age criterion, a sex criterion, an override criterion, a disposable income criterion, a proportion of time spent employed criterion.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the modeler module considers whether any limits, blocks, triggers and/or exclusions related to the entity have been activated in determining the category of behaviour of the entity.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the modeler module considers whether any limits, blocks, triggers and/or exclusions related to the entity have been overridden or have been attempted to be overridden by the entity in determining the category of behaviour of the entity.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the modeler module attributes a different weight to the entity overriding a limit, trigger, block and/or exclusion generated by the behaviour model than to the entity overriding a self-imposed limit, trigger, block and/or exclusion.

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising a resolver module for checking whether limits, blocks or triggers related to the entity have been activated.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein in response to the activation of one or more limits, blocks or triggers related to the entity, a targeted message is sent to the entity.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the targeted message is one or more of:

an electronic message sent to the facility, an SMS message sent to a portable communication device of the entity, an email sent to an email address of the entity, mail sent to a mailing address of the entity, a verbal message delivered in person to the entity.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein in response to the activation of one or more limits, blocks or triggers related to the entity, the resolver module initiates a change to one or more operating parameters of the facility.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the changes to one or more operating parameters of the facility include:

preventing pursuit of the behaviour, periodically preventing pursuit of the behaviour, limiting a maximum monetary amount spent for each pursuit of the behaviour, limiting a maximum length of time the behaviour can be pursued, limiting a number of times the behaviour can be pursued simultaneously, limiting a number of times the behaviour can be pursued consecutively, reducing the speed at which the behaviour can be pursued.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the behaviour is gambling and the changes to one or more operating parameters include:

preventing play, periodically preventing play, limiting a maximum monetary amount gambled per play, limiting a maximum length of time gambling can be pursued, limiting a number of games played simultaneously, limiting a number of games played consecutively, limiting a number of lines or hands or spins or throws of play, reducing the speed at which games are played.

16. The system of claim 1, further comprising a referrer module for updating information stored in relation to an entity where the entity has been referred for assistance in relation to their behaviour.

17. The system of claim 1, further comprising a reporter module for generating reports about the pursuit of the behaviour of an entity.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the identification means stores only a unique identifier for identifying the entity and no other information relating to the entity.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein funds required to pursue the behaviour are stored electronically by the storage means.

20. The system of claim 1, wherein the identification means electronically stores funds required to pursue the behaviour.

21. A method for facilitating responsible behaviour by an entity, said method including the steps of:

verifying an identification means identifying the entity;

facilitating pursuit of the behaviour via a facility;

storing information related to the pursuit of the behaviour by the entity in a storage means coupled to be in communication with the facility;

comparing the information related to the pursuit of the behaviour by the entity with a behaviour model; and

determining a category of behaviour of the entity.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the step of comparing includes comparing the information related to the pursuit of the behaviour by the entity with a model describing earlier behaviour of the entity.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the step of comparing includes comparing the information related to the pursuit of the behaviour by the entity with a model describing behaviour of a distribution of other entities.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein the step of comparing includes comparing the information related to the pursuit of the behaviour by the entity with one or more criteria related to the behaviour.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the criteria include one or more of:

an acceleration criterion, a chasing losses criterion, a frequency criterion, a duration criterion, an inter-behaviour criterion, an income proportion criterion, an age criterion, a sex criterion, an override criterion, a disposable income criterion, a proportion of time spent employed criterion.

26. The method of claim 21, wherein the step of determining includes considering whether any limits, blocks, triggers and/or exclusions related to the entity have been activated.

27. The method of claim 21, wherein the step of determining includes considering whether any limits, blocks, triggers and/or exclusions related to the entity have been overridden or have been attempted to be overridden.

28. The method of claim 21, wherein the step of determining includes attributing a different weight to the entity overriding a limit, trigger, block and/or exclusion generated by the behaviour model than a weight attributed to the entity overriding a self-imposed limit, trigger, block and/or exclusion.

29. The method of claim 21, further including the step of sending a targeted message to the entity in response to the activation of one or more limits, blocks and/or triggers related to the entity.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the targeted message is one or more of:

an electronic message sent to the facility, an SMS message sent to a portable communication device of the entity, an email sent to an email address of the entity, mail sent to a mailing address of the entity, a verbal message delivered in person to the entity.

31. The method of claim 21, further including the step of initiating a change to one or more operating parameters of the facility in response to the activation of one or more limits, blocks and/or triggers related to the entity.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the changes to one or more operating parameters of the facility include:

preventing pursuit of the behaviour, periodically preventing pursuit of the behaviour, limiting a maximum monetary amount spent for each pursuit of the behaviour, limiting a maximum length of time the behaviour can be pursued, limiting a number of times the behaviour can be pursued simultaneously, limiting a number of times the behaviour can be pursued consecutively, reducing the speed at which the behaviour can be pursued.

33. The method of claim 31, wherein the behaviour is gambling and the changes to one or more operating parameters of the facility include:

preventing play, periodically preventing play, limiting a maximum monetary amount gambled per play, limiting a maximum length of time the gambling can be pursued, limiting a number of games played simultaneously, limiting a number of games played consecutively, limiting a number of lines or hands or spins or throws of play, reducing the speed at which games are played.

34. The method of claim 21, further including the step of referring the entity for assistance in relation to their behaviour.

35. The method of claim 21, wherein the entity is referred for assistance following categorization of the behaviour of the entity as being at risk behaviour, problem behaviour or compulsive/addictive behaviour or a sub-category thereof.

36. The method of claim 21, further including the step of generating reports about the pursuit of the behaviour of an entity.

37. The method of claim 21, further including the step of the identification means storing only a unique identifier for identifying the entity and no other information relating to the entity.

38. The method of claim 21, further including the step of storing money electronically in the storage means for pursuit of the behaviour.

39. The method of claim 21, further including the step of storing money electronically on the identification means for pursuit of the behaviour.