COMPUTER PROGRAM, METHOD, AND SYSTEM FOR PROVIDING REDEEMABLE PROMOTIONAL-VALUED CREDITS

• US 20140141869A1
• Filed: 11/20/2013
• Published: 05/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DK Crown Holdings Incorporated (DraftKings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dlyte, LLC
• Inventors: Shore, Barry
• Granted Patent: US 9,646,461 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/25
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/065 using e-cash
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/387 Payment using discounts or coupons relating to marketing G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0209 Incentive being awarded or redeemed in connection with the playing of a video game
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0233 Method of redeeming a frequent usage reward
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• 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 17/3255 Incentive, loyalty and/or promotion schemes, e.g. comps, gaming associated with a purchase, gaming funded by advertisements

Abstract

An ecommerce platform, available via an interactive electronic resource, allows a user to purchase products and services from the resource, receive promotional-valued credits in return for the purchase, and play games to earn additional promotional-valued credits. The user can purchase products and services at the electronic resource with either or both of a government-issued legal tender, such as the U.S. dollar, or a virtual currency used by the electronic resource, such as the promotional-valued credits. In embodiments of the invention, the user is guaranteed that an amount of legal tender (e.g., the U.S. dollar) paid-in to the ecommerce platform is the same as or less than a fair market value of the products or services purchased via the ecommerce platform.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having a computer program stored thereon for execution by a processor, the computer program operable to provide to a user an electronic resource where the user can purchase at least one product or service, receive promotional-valued credits in response to the purchase of the product or service, and participate in at least one game, wherein execution of the computer program by the processor performs the following steps:

providing the electronic resource accessible by the user;

receiving user information from the user, wherein the user information is associated with an account for the user accessible at the electronic resource;

presenting, via the electronic resource and to the user, the at least one product or service available for purchase by the user,

wherein each product or service is associated with a purchase amount representing a cost to purchase the product or service, and an award amount representing an award provided to the user for purchasing the product or service,

wherein the award amount corresponds to a first amount of promotional-valued credits;

receiving, via the electronic resource and from the user, a selection of the at least one product or service that the user desires to purchase;

awarding the user the award amount representing the award provided to the user for purchasing the product or service and corresponding to the first amount of promotional-valued credits;

providing, via the electronic resource and to the user, at least one game that the user may play,

wherein the user must exchange a second amount of promotional-valued credits to play the game;

allowing the user to play the at least one game in exchange for the user providing the second amount of promotional-valued credits to play the game,

wherein play of the game results in an outcome; and

awarding to the user a third amount of promotional-valued credits based on the outcome of the user'"'"'s play of the game.

2. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein subsequent to the user playing the game, execution of the computer program by the processor performs the step of debiting or crediting the user'"'"'s account based on a difference between the second and third amounts of promotional-valued credits.

3. The computer-readable medium of claim 2, wherein if the user'"'"'s account has a credit after play of the game and the subsequent debiting or crediting of the user'"'"'s account, execution of the computer program by the processor performs the step of receiving, via the electronic resource and from the user, either a selection by the user to purchase another product or service or a selection by the user to play another game.

4. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the second amount of promotional-valued credits is either less than the third amount, the same as the third amount, or more than the third amount.

5. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the user may purchase promotional-valued credits using fiat currency, digital currency, or virtual currency.

6. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the purchase amount representing the cost to purchase the product or service is less than or equal to a fair market value for the product or service.

7. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the purchase amount representing the cost to purchase the product or service is either a pre-set amount of fiat currency, a pre-set amount of the promotional-valued credits, or a combination of both fiat currency and an amount of the promotional-valued credits,

8. The computer-readable medium of claim 7, wherein the user is provided an option, for each product or service, of purchasing the product or service with either the pre-set amount of fiat currency or the pre-set amount of the promotional-valued credits.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein for a user who has not previously purchased a good or service, a first occurrence of the user purchasing the good or service requires the user to purchase the good or service using a fiat currency.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the first amount of promotional-valued credits awarded to the user for purchasing the product or service is dependent on characteristics of the user purchasing the product or service.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the characteristics of the user are selected from the group consisting of:

a length of time the user has been accessing the electronic resource, a frequency the user accesses the electronic resource, and a qualification level of the user.

12. A method of providing to a user a commerce platform where the user can purchase at least one product or service, receive promotional-valued credits in response to the purchase of the product or service, and participate in at least one game, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving user information from the user, wherein the user information is associated with an account for the user;

presenting to the user the at least one product or service available for purchase by the user,

wherein each product or service is associated with a purchase amount representing a cost to purchase the product or service, and an award amount representing an award provided to the user for purchasing the product or service,

wherein the award amount corresponds to a first amount of promotional-valued credits;

receiving from the user a selection of the at least one product or service that the user desires to purchase;

awarding the user the award amount representing the award provided to the user for purchasing the product or service and corresponding to the first amount of promotional-valued credits;

providing to the user at least one game that the user may play,

wherein the user must exchange a second amount of promotional-valued credits to play the game;

allowing the user to play the at least one game in exchange for the user providing the second amount of promotional-valued credits to play the game,

wherein play of the game results in an outcome; and

awarding to the user a third amount of promotional-valued credits based on the outcome of the user'"'"'s play of the game.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein subsequent to the user playing the game, further performing the step of debiting or crediting the user'"'"'s account based on a difference between the second and third amounts of promotional-valued credits.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein if the user'"'"'s account has a credit after play of the game and the subsequent debiting or crediting of the user'"'"'s account, further performing the step of receiving either a selection by the user to purchase another product or service or a selection by the user to play another game.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the purchase amount representing the cost to purchase the product or service is less than or equal to a fair market value for the product or service.

16. A system for providing to a user an electronic resource where the user can purchase at least one product or service, receive promotional-valued credits in response to the purchase of the product or service, and participate in at least one game, the system comprising:

a memory component for storage of a non-transitory computer-readable medium having a computer program stored thereon; and

a processor for execution of the computer program, wherein execution of the computer program by the processor performs the following steps;

providing the electronic resource accessible by the user;

receiving user information from the user, wherein the user information is associated with an account for the user accessible at the electronic resource;

presenting, via the electronic resource and to the user, the at least one product or service available for purchase by the user,

wherein each product or service is associated with a purchase amount representing a cost to purchase the product or service, and an award amount representing an award provided to the user for purchasing the product or service,

wherein the award amount corresponds to a first amount of promotional-valued credits;

receiving, via the electronic resource and from the user, a selection of the at least one product or service that the user desires to purchase;

awarding the user the award amount representing the award provided to the user for purchasing the product or service and corresponding to the first amount of promotional-valued credits;

providing, via the electronic resource and to the user, at east one game that the user may play,

wherein the user must exchange a second amount of promotional-valued credits to play the game;

allowing the user to play the at least one game in exchange for the user providing the second amount of promotional-valued credits to play the game,

wherein play of the game results in an outcome; and

awarding to the user a third amount of promotional-valued credits based on the outcome of the user'"'"'s play of the game.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein subsequent to the user playing the game, execution of the computer program by the processor further performs the step of debiting or crediting the user'"'"'s account based on a difference between the second and third amounts of promotional-valued credits.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein if the user'"'"'s account has a credit after play of the game and the subsequent debiting or crediting of the user'"'"'s account, execution of the computer program by the processor further performs the step of receiving either a selection by the user to purchase another product or service or a selection by the user to play another game.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the purchase amount representing the cost to purchase the product or service is less than or equal to a fair market value for the product or service.