SPONSORED HYBRID GAMES

• US 20130296031A1
• Filed: 07/03/2013
• Published: 11/07/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gamblit Gaming, LLC (Hard 8 Games, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Gamblit Gaming, LLC (Hard 8 Games, LLC)
• Inventors: Arnone, Miles, Ross, Caitlyn
• Granted Patent: US 8,602,881 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/25
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/25 Integrating or interfacing systems involving database management systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/34 Betting or bookmaking, e.g. Internet betting
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3227 Configuring a gaming machine, e.g. downloading personal settings, selecting working parameters
• 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 17/3262 Player actions which determine the course of the game, e.g. selecting a prize to be won, outcome to be achieved, game to be played
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3272 Games involving multiple players

Abstract

Systems and methods in accordance with embodiments of the invention operate a sponsored hybrid game that includes: a gambling game; an entertainment game; a game world engine constructed to communicate gameplay gambling event occurrences based upon a player'"'"'s skillful execution of the entertainment game that trigger at least one wager in the gambling game; and a sponsorship module integrated with the game world engine constructed to: receive sponsorship terms involving allocation of gameplay resources during sponsored gameplay of the sponsored hybrid game between at least one player profile and at least one sponsor profile; allocate gameplay resources associated with at least one sponsor profile to at least one player profile based on the sponsorship terms for use in sponsored gameplay; and allocate gameplay resources resulting from a payout of gameplay resources during the sponsored gameplay using the sponsorship terms.

Claims

1. A sponsored hybrid game, comprising:

a real world engine constructed to provide a randomly generated payout of real world credits from a wager in a gambling game;

an entertainment software engine constructed to execute an entertainment game providing outcomes upon a player'"'"'s skillful execution of the entertainment game to earn a payout of game world credits; and

a game world engine constructed to manage the entertainment software engine and communicate gameplay gambling event occurrences based upon the player'"'"'s skillful execution of the entertainment game that trigger the wager in the gambling game to the gambling game, wherein the game world engine integrates a sponsorship module constructed to access a database containing a player profile and a sponsor profile, and the sponsorship module is constructed to;

receive sponsorship terms involving allocation of gameplay resources during sponsored gameplay of the sponsored hybrid game between the player profile and the sponsor profile, wherein the gameplay resources are elements that are of limited quantity and the consumption of which during play of the entertainment game triggers a wager in a gambling game;

allocate gameplay resources associated with the sponsor profile to the player profile based on the sponsorship terms for use in sponsored gameplay; and

allocate gameplay resources resulting from a payout of gameplay resources during the sponsored gameplay using the sponsorship terms.

2. The sponsored hybrid game of claim 1, wherein the sponsorship module is further constructed to allocate gameplay resources resulting from a payout of real world credit during the sponsored gameplay by allocating at least a portion of the gameplay resources to at the player profile based on the sponsorship terms.

3. The sponsored hybrid game of claim 1, wherein the sponsorship module is further constructed to allocate gameplay resources resulting from a payout of real world credit during the sponsored gameplay by allocating at least a portion of the gameplay resources to at least one sponsor profile based on the sponsorship terms.

4. The sponsored hybrid game of claim 1, wherein the sponsorship module is further constructed to allocate gameplay resources resulting from a real world credit during the sponsored gameplay by allocating at least a portion of the gameplay resources to a profile associated with an operator that hosts the sponsored hybrid game based on the sponsorship terms.

5. The sponsored hybrid game of claim 1, wherein the sponsorship module is constructed to execute on a sponsorship server and communicate with the game world engine via a network.

6. The sponsored hybrid game of claim 1, wherein the gameplay resources are selected from the group consisting of real world credits and game world credits.

7. The sponsored hybrid game of claim 1, wherein the gameplay resources are elements that are not restorable during entertainment gameplay.

8. The sponsored hybrid game of claim 1, wherein sponsorship terms are generated using a non-player interface constructed to present information associated with a sponsor profile and received by the sponsorship module.

9. The sponsored hybrid game of claim 1, wherein the sponsorship terms require acceptance prior to commencing the sponsored gameplay by receiving an indication of the acceptance of the sponsorship terms from at least one player profile and at least one sponsor profile.

10. A method of operating a sponsored hybrid game, the method comprising:

receiving sponsorship terms involving allocation of gameplay resources during sponsored gameplay of the sponsored hybrid game between at least one player profile and at least one sponsor profile using a sponsorship module that is utilized by a game world engine, wherein the gameplay resources are elements that are of limited quantity and the consumption of which during play of the entertainment game triggers a wager in a gambling game;

the sponsorship module is constructed to access a database containing at least one player profile and at least one sponsor profile; and

the game world engine is constructed to communicate gameplay gambling event occurrences based upon a player'"'"'s skillful execution of an entertainment game to earn a payout of game world credits as detected by an entertainment software engine that triggers at least one wager in a gambling game to the gambling game comprising a real world engine constructed to provide at least one wager as a randomly generated payout of real world credits for the gambling game;

allocating gameplay resources associated with at least one sponsor profile to at least one player profile based on the sponsorship terms for use in sponsored gameplay using the sponsorship module; and

allocating gameplay resources resulting from a payout of gameplay resources during the sponsored gameplay according to the sponsorship terms using the sponsorship module.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the sponsorship module is further constructed to allocate gameplay resources resulting from a payout of gameplay resources during the sponsored gameplay by allocating at least a portion of the gameplay resources to at least one player profile based on the sponsorship terms.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the sponsorship module is further constructed to allocate gameplay resources resulting from a payout of gameplay resources during the sponsored gameplay by allocating at least a portion of the gameplay resources to at least one sponsor profile based on the sponsorship terms.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the sponsorship module is further constructed to allocate gameplay resources resulting from a payout of gameplay resources during the sponsored gameplay by allocating at least a portion of the gameplay resources to a profile associated with an operator that hosts the sponsored hybrid game based on the sponsorship terms.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the sponsorship module is constructed to execute on a sponsorship server and communicate with the game world engine via a network.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the gameplay resources are selected from the group consisting of real world credits and game world credits.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein sponsorship terms are generated using a non-player interface constructed to present information associated with a sponsor profile and received by the sponsorship module.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein the sponsorship terms require acceptance prior to commencing the sponsored gameplay by receiving an indication of the acceptance of the sponsorship terms from at least one player profile and at least one sponsor profile.

18. A machine readable medium containing processor instructions, where execution of the instructions by a processor causes the processor to perform a process comprising:

receiving sponsorship terms involving allocation of gameplay resources during sponsored gameplay of a sponsored hybrid game between at least one player profile and at least one sponsor profile using a sponsorship module that is utilized by a game world engine, wherein the gameplay resources are elements that are of limited quantity and the consumption of which during play of the entertainment game triggers a wager in a gambling game;

the sponsorship module is constructed to access a database containing at least one player profile and at least one sponsor profile; and

the game world engine is constructed to communicate gameplay gambling event occurrences based upon a player'"'"'s skillful execution of an entertainment game to earn a payout of game world credits as detected by an entertainment software engine that triggers at least one wager in a gambling game to the gambling game comprising a real world engine constructed to provide at least one wager as a randomly generated payout of real world credits for the gambling game;

allocating gameplay resources associated with at least one sponsor profile to at least one player profile based on the sponsorship terms for use in sponsored gameplay using the sponsorship module; and

allocating gameplay resources resulting from a payout of gameplay resources during the sponsored gameplay according to the sponsorship terms using the sponsorship module.