GROUP GAMES AND REWARDS IN WAGERING SYSTEMS

• US 20100279764A1
• Filed: 12/26/2008
• Published: 11/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LNW Gaming Incorporated
• Original Assignee: WMS Gaming Incorporated (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Inventors: Gura, Damon E., Hornik, Jeremy M., Allen, Jeffrey L.
• Granted Patent: US 9,235,956 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/25
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/45 Controlling the progress of the video game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/87 Communicating with other players during game play, e.g. by e-mail or chat
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5553 user representation in the game field, e.g. avatar
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3239 Tracking of individual players

Abstract

Described herein are processes and devices that determine and assign rewards as a group in a wagering game system utilizing social contacts. One of the devices described herein, a wagering game system, determines a first player account associated with a wagering game and looks at the first player account to determine a second player account associated with the first player account as a social network contact. The first player account and the second player account comprise a group of members in a group game or challenge. The wagering game system determines a reward that can be assigned to the group members. The wagering game system determines one or more tasks that must be performed before assigning the reward. The wagering game system presents the one or more tasks to the group members. The wagering game system detects when the tasks are completed and assigns the reward to the group members.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining a first player account associated with a wagering game;

presenting the wagering game;

determining a second player account that is associated with the first player account as a social network contact;

determining a reward associated with the wagering game, the reward to be assigned to any one of the first player account and the second player account;

determining one or more tasks that must be performed before assigning the reward;

presenting the one or more tasks to the first player account and the second player account;

determining that the one or more tasks have been completed by any one of the first player account and the second player account; and

assigning the reward to any one of the first player account and the second player accounts.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the second player account is referenced in the first player account by one or more social contact identifiers belonging to the second player account.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein determining the second player account comprising presenting the one or more social contact identifiers during the wagering game to indicate that the second player account is eligible to perform the one or more tasks.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

presenting one or more options to the first player account to determine any one or more of the second player account, task types and reward types.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein presenting the one or more tasks comprises presenting the one or more tasks during the wagering game.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

presenting completion statistics of the one or more tasks in any one of the first player account and the second player account.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein assigning the reward comprises proportioning the reward amongst the first player account and the second player account based on a percentage of the one or more tasks respectively completed by the first player account or the second player account.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining the second player account based on any one or more of past group game performance of the second player account, similarities to preferences between the first player account and the second player account, similarities to game play history between the first player account and the second player account, and a login locality of the second player account.

9. A network, comprising:

a machine configured to present a wagering game, wherein the wagering game is associated with a first player account;

a wagering game server configured to determine and integrate a social contact identifier, from a second player account, into the wagering game, wherein the second player account is associated with the first player account as a social network contact; and

a reward server comprising,

a reward generator configured to determine a reward associated with the wagering game, the reward to be assigned to any one of the first player account and the second player accounts;

a task generator configured to determine one or more tasks that must be performed before assigning the reward and to present the one or more tasks to the first player account and the second player account;

a task completion tracker configured to determine that the one or more tasks have been completed by any one of the first player account and the second player account; and

a reward distributor configured to assign the reward to any one of the first player account and the second player accounts.

10. The network of claim 9, wherein the wagering game server communicates with the reward server to present, on the machine, any one or more of the social contact identifier, instructions regarding the one or more tasks, and instructions regarding the reward.

11. The network of claim 9, wherein the machine comprises a task detection unit configured to detect completion of the one or more tasks, and wherein the wagering game server is configured to convey task completion information from the machine to the reward server.

12. The network of claim 9, further comprising an account server configured to control any one of the first player account and the second player account, wherein the account server comprises

an account settings store configured to store information about preferred task types and reward types;

a player identity store to store identifying information about any one of the first player account and the second player account;

a social contact identity store configured to store information about social contacts related to any one of the first a player account and the second player account; and

a player location unit configured to determine a geographical location of the machine associated with the first player account.

13. One or more machine-readable media having instructions stored thereon, which when executed by a set of one or more processors causes the set of one or more processors to perform operations that comprise:

determining a first player account associated with a wagering game;

determining a second player account that is associated with the first player account as a social network contact;

determining a reward associated with the wagering game, the reward to be assigned to any one of the first player account and the second player account;

determining one or more tasks that must be performed before assigning the reward;

presenting the one or more tasks to the first player account and the second player account;

determining that the one or more tasks have been completed by any one of the first player account and the second player account; and

assigning the reward to any one of the first player account and the second player accounts.

14. The machine-readable media of claim 13, wherein the second player account is referenced in the first player account by one or more social contact identifiers belonging to the second player account.

15. The machine-readable media of claim 14, wherein the operation of determining the second player account comprises presenting the one or more social contact identifiers during the wagering game to indicate that the second player account is eligible to perform the one or more tasks.

16. The machine-readable media of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise presenting one or more options to the first player account to determine any one or more of the second player account, task types and reward types.

17. The machine-readable media of claim 13, wherein the operation for presenting the one or more tasks further comprises presenting the one or more tasks during the wagering game.

18. The machine-readable media of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise presenting completion statistics of the one or more tasks in any one of the first player account and the second player account.

19. The machine-readable media of claim 13, wherein the assigning operation comprises proportioning the reward amongst the first player account and the second player account based on a percentage of the one or more tasks respectively completed by the first player account or the second player account.

20. The machine-readable media of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise presenting any one or more of a group reward indicator, a group member display, a task display, and a reward display.