ELECTRONIC FUND TRANSFER FOR MOBILE GAMING

• US 20140094273A1
• Filed: 10/01/2012
• Published: 04/03/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/03/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Binh T. Nguyen
• Original Assignee: Nguyen Gaming LLC
• Inventors: Nguyen, Binh T.
• Granted Patent: US 9,672,686 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/25
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/123 Shopping for digital content
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3223 Realising banking transactions through M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3224 Transactions dependent on location of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3209 Input means, e.g. buttons, touch screen
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3211 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3218 wherein at least part of the system is portable
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3225 Data transfer within a gaming system, e.g. data sent between gaming machines and users
• 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 17/3251 involving media of variable value, e.g. programmable cards, programmable tokens
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3288 Betting, e.g. on live events, bookmaking

Abstract

In one embodiment, a system and method to transfer money may include a mobile device associated with a player, a location server designed to: track a device position of the mobile device and track a vessel position, and a mobile gaming management server designed to: receive a fund transfer request from a gaming server for the mobile device, the fund transfer request including a fund amount; determine if the fund amount can be transferred to the mobile device based on the device position and the vessel position; and transfer the fund amount to the mobile device if it is determined that the fund amount can be transferred to the mobile device.

Claims

1. A system for transferring money, comprising:

a plurality of mobile devices, each of the plurality of mobile devices associated with a player;

a location server operable to;

track a device position of each of the plurality of mobile devices, the device position being relative to the vessel; and

track a vessel position, the vessel position being a global location relative to earth; and

a mobile gaming management server configured to communicate with the location server and a gaming server, the mobile gaming management server operable to;

receive a fund transfer request from the gaming server, the fund transfer request associated with at least one mobile device, the fund transfer request including a fund amount used to play a game of chance;

determine if the fund amount can be transferred to the associated mobile device based on the device position and the vessel position; and

transfer the fund amount to the associated mobile device if it is determined that the fund amount can be transferred to the associated mobile device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the mobile gaming management server is further operable to determine whether the game of chance is permitted to be played on the at least one requesting mobile device prior to the transfer of the fund amount, the determination based on the device position and the vessel position.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the mobile gaming management server is further operable to deny the transfer of the fund amount if it is determined that the fund amount can not be transferred to the mobile device.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the mobile gaming management server includes a gaming rules database, the gaming rules database including at least one predetermined gaming region and at least one control parameter associated with the at least one predetermined gaming region.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the at least one control parameter determines whether the player can play a game of chance based upon at least a predetermined time rule or the device position of each of the plurality of mobile devices.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the location server is configured to periodically obtain the device position and the vessel position.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the mobile gaming management server is further operable to:

create a player game account for the player; and

accumulate funds for the player in the player game account, the accumulated funds obtained from any wins generated from the game of chance.

8. A method for transferring funds on a vessel, comprising:

receiving a request to play a game of chance from at least one of the plurality of mobile devices, the request including a fund amount used to play the game of chance;

determining whether the fund amount may be transferred to the mobile device based on at least a vessel position of the vessel and a device position of the mobile device; and

transferring the fund amount to the mobile device if it is determined that the fund amount be transferred to the mobile device based on at least a vessel position of the vessel and a device position of the mobile device.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the determining further comprises:

determining whether the game of chance is permitted to be played on the mobile device based on at least the vessel position of the vessel and the device position of the mobile device; and

enabling the game of chance on the mobile device if the determining determines that the game of chance is permitted to be played on the mobile device.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the vessel position of the vessel is a global location relative to earth, and wherein the device position of each of the plurality of mobile devices is a position relative to the vessel.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

periodically updating the vessel position and the device position of each of the plurality of mobile devices.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving a fund request, the fund request including a fund amount used to play the game of chance;

determining whether the fund amount may be transferred to the mobile device based on at least the updated vessel position and the updated device position; and

transferring the fund amount to the mobile device if it is determined that the fund amount be transferred to the mobile device based on at least the updated vessel position and the updated device position.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

determining whether the game of chance is permitted to be played on each of the plurality of mobile devices based on the updated vessel position and the updated device position;

enabling the game of chance on the mobile device if the determining determines that the game of chance is permitted to be played on the mobile device based on the updated vessel position and the updated device position; and

automatically terminating the game of chance currently played on each of the plurality of mobile devices if the determining determines that the game of chance is not permitted to be played on each of the plurality of mobile devices based on the updated vessel position and the updated device position.

14. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

transmitting a denial message to the mobile device if it is determined that the fund amount cannot be transferred to the mobile device based on at least the vessel position and the device position.

15. The method of claim 8, wherein the determining further comprises:

obtaining a control parameter associated with the device position, wherein the control parameter determines whether the player can play a game of chance based upon at least a predetermined time rule or the device position of each of the plurality of mobile devices.

16. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

creating a player game account associated with the mobile device; and

accumulating funds in the player game account, the accumulated funds obtained from any wins generated from playing the game of chance.

17. A mobile gaming management device configured to transfer funds for passengers on a vessel, the mobile gaming management server comprising:

at least one memory configured to store at least one passenger gaming account; and

a processor configured to;

track gaming funds for use by at least one user of a mobile device;

receive a fund request including a fund amount;

obtain the fund amount, the fund amount used to play an on-board game of chance on the mobile device;

transfer the fund amount to the mobile device;

separately manage usage of the fund amount in a passenger gaming account, the passenger gaming account associated with the user playing the on-board game of chance;

accumulate any gaming wins from the on-board game of chance in the passenger gaming account; and

close the gaming account for the passenger at the conclusion of the vessel route.

18. The device of claim 17, wherein the processor is further configured to:

receive a vessel position and a device position from a location server; and

determine whether to transfer the amount of funds to the mobile device based upon the vessel position and device position,

wherein the device position is a position of the mobile device relative to the vessel, and wherein the vessel position is a global position of the vessel.

19. The device of claim 17, wherein the processor is configured to communicate with a vessel management device, the vessel management device having a main account including credit or debit account information for the at least one user of the mobile device from which the funds can be obtained.

20. The device of claim 17, wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine when the on-board game of chance is completed;

determine whether there are any gaming wins from playing the on-board game of chance.