LOTTERIZED ONLINE GAMING WITH MULTIPLE VIRTUAL CURRENCIES

• US 20120178515A1
• Filed: 01/09/2012
• Published: 07/12/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Interprovincial Lottery Corporation
• Original Assignee: Interprovincial Lottery Corporation
• Inventors: ADAMS, Cameron, RASSIAS, George, ROY, Eric, LAM, Jason, SCHULZKE, Ken, LUSSIER, Louis-Philippe, ROY, Serge, HEINTZ, Todd
• Granted Patent: US 8,784,178 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/17
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3244 Payment aspects of a gaming system, e.g. payment schemes, setting payout ratio, bonus or consolation prizes
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3295 Games involving skill, e.g. dexterity, memory, thinking

Abstract

There is an interactive video game having a lotterized aspect incorporated therein. In addition to the traditional interactive video game, instant and future win opportunities are presented to the player throughout the game. The game and win opportunities are played with a plurality of virtual currencies, the virtual currencies comprising credits for purchasing virtual goods in the game play instance, tokens applicable within the game play instance for participating in the real world lottery, and gifts representative of virtual goods exchangeable between players.

Claims

1. A system for executing an interactive video game having a lotterized component, the system comprising:

at least one computer server communicable with at least one client computing device over a network, the server having a processor and a memory;

a gaming engine module stored on the memory and executable by the processor, the gaming engine module having program code that when executed, generates an interactive game play instance playable on the client computing device;

a lottery services module stored on the memory and executable by the processor, the lottery services module having program code that when executed, conducts a real world lottery transaction within the game play instance; and

a virtual currency module stored on the memory and executable by the processor, the virtual currency module having program code that when executed, issues and manages separately credits for purchasing virtual goods in the game play instance, tokens applicable within the game play instance for participating in the real world lottery, and gifts representative of virtual goods exchangeable between players.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the virtual currency module further comprises program code that when executed, issues the credits, tokens, and gifts as virtual currency bundles.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the virtual currency module further comprises program code that when executed, allocates the credits, tokens, and gifts in the virtual currency bundles in accordance with pre-defined combinations.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the virtual currency module further comprises program code that when executed, issues gifts representative of virtual goods that cannot be purchased using the credits within the game play instance and are required to advance in the interactive video game.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the gaming engine module further comprises program code that when executed, generates the game play instance as a collecting game of the virtual goods to form pre-defined sets thereof.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the lottery services module further comprises program code that when executed, generates a real lottery ticket by receiving a real lottery ticket transaction request within the game play instance, and wherein the gaming engine module further comprises program code that when executed, generates the real lottery ticket request as a result of an action taken by at least one of the players in the collecting game.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the gaming engine module further comprises program code that when executed, generates the real lottery ticket request when at least one of the tokens is applied to a completed one of the pre-defined sets of virtual goods.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the lottery services module further comprises program code that when executed, sets as a prize for the real world lottery transaction a real world equivalent of at least one of the virtual goods from the completed one of the pre-defined.

9. The system of claim 5, wherein the gaming engine module further comprises program code that when executed, generates the game play instance for the collecting game as a simulated environment where the players may enter and exit different venues to purchase the virtual goods, and the players are free to circulate within the simulated environment.

10. The system of claim 5, wherein the gaming engine module further comprises program code that when executed, requires the players to purchase virtual goods of increasing value as the game progresses, and provides the player with opportunities to win real world equivalents of the virtual goods after each completion of a pre-defined set via the real world lottery transaction.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the lottery services module further comprises program code that when executed, generates a real lottery ticket issued from a government sanctioned lottery authority.

12. A computer-implemented method for providing an interactive video game having a lotterized component, the method comprising executing on a processor program code for:

generating an interactive game play instance playable on the client computing device;

conducting a real world lottery transaction within the game play instance; and

issuing and managing separately virtual currency in the interactive video game, the virtual currency comprising credits for purchasing virtual goods in the game play instance, tokens applicable within the game play instance for participating in the real world lottery, and gifts representative of virtual goods exchangeable between players.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, wherein issue and managing the virtual currency comprises issuing the credits, tokens, and gifts as virtual currency bundles.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein issuing the credits, tokens, and gifts as virtual currency bundles comprises allocating the credits, tokens, and gifts in the virtual currency bundles in accordance with pre-defined combinations.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, wherein the gifts comprises issuing gifts representative of virtual goods that cannot be purchased using the credits within the game play instance and are required to advance in the interactive video game.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, wherein generating the interactive game play instance comprises generating the game play instance as a collecting game of the virtual goods to form pre-defined sets thereof.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 16, wherein conducting the real world lottery transaction comprises generating a real lottery ticket by receiving a real lottery ticket transaction request within the game play instance, and wherein generating the interactive game play instance comprises generating the real lottery ticket request as a result of an action taken by at least one of the players in the collecting game.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 17, wherein generating the real lottery ticket request comprises generating the real lottery ticket request when at least one of the tokens is applied to a completed one of the pre-defined sets of virtual goods.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 18, wherein conducting the real world lottery transaction comprises setting as a prize for the real world lottery transaction a real world equivalent of at least one of the virtual goods from the completed one of the pre-defined.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 16, wherein generating the game play instance as a collecting game comprises generating the game play instance for the collecting game as a simulated environment where the players may enter and exit different venues to purchase the virtual goods, and the players are free to circulate within the simulated environment.

21. The computer-implemented method of claim 16, wherein generating the game play instance comprises requiring the players to purchase virtual goods of increasing value as the game progresses, and providing the player with opportunities to win real world equivalents of the virtual goods after each completion of a pre-defined set via the real world lottery transaction.

22. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, wherein conducting a real world lottery transaction comprises generating a real lottery ticket issued from a government sanctioned lottery authority.

23. A computer readable medium having stored thereon program code executable by a processor for providing an interactive video game having a lotterized component, the program code executable for:

generating an interactive game play instance playable on the client computing device;

conducting a real world lottery transaction within the game play instance; and

issuing and managing separately virtual currency in the interactive video game, the virtual currency comprising credits for purchasing virtual goods in the game play instance, tokens applicable within the game play instance for participating in the real world lottery, and gifts representative of virtual goods exchangeable between players.