AUTOMATED POINT-BASED ENTERTAINMENT BETTING

• US 20140150007A1
• Filed: 11/27/2012
• Published: 05/29/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: CBS Interactive Inc. (ViacomCBS Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: CBS Interactive Inc. (ViacomCBS Incorporated)
• Inventors: Randall, Jason, Leung, Steven
• Application Number:
  US13/686,505
• Publication Number:
  US 20140150007A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/23
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3288 Betting, e.g. on live events, bookmaking
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4758 for providing answers, e.g. voting
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4784 receiving rewards

Abstract

Various embodiments are generally directed to automated provision of online interactive activities to members of the audience of an audio/visual program (e.g., a program comprising audio and/or video). An apparatus comprises a processor circuit and a storage communicatively coupled to the processor circuit and arranged to store instructions operative on the processor circuit to receive a signal from a presentation server that indicates a selected possibility of multiple possibilities of an aspect of an episode of an audio/visual program; determine whether a bet placed on one possibility of the multiple possibilities was placed on the selected possibility; and update an individual account associated with the bet to add a quantity of points won to a quantity of accrued points of the individual account if the one possibility on which the bet was placed matches the selected possibility. Other embodiments are described and claimed herein.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a processor circuit; and

a storage communicatively coupled to the processor circuit and arranged to store instructions operative on the processor circuit to;

receive a signal from a presentation server that indicates a selected possibility of multiple possibilities of an aspect of an episode of an audio/visual program;

determine whether a bet placed on one possibility of the multiple possibilities was placed on the selected possibility; and

update an individual account associated with the bet to add a quantity of points won to a quantity of accrued points of the individual account if the one possibility on which the bet was placed matches the selected possibility.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, comprising an interface operative to communicatively couple the processor circuit to a network, the signal received from the presentation server via the network.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, comprising controls, the signal indicative of operation of the controls.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, the instructions operative on the processor circuit to transmit a signal to at least one presentation device to trigger the at least one presentation device to present an indication of an opportunity to place the bet on the aspect of the episode of the program.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, the instructions operative on the processor circuit to transmit a signal to the at least one presentation device to present odds for each possibility of the multiple possibilities.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, the instructions operative on the processor circuit to receive a signal from the at least one presentation device that indicates placement of the bet on the one possibility and that indicates the quantity of points.

7. The apparatus of claim 4, the instructions operative on the processor circuit to transmit a signal to the at least one presentation device to trigger the at least one presentation device to present an indication that the bet was won.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, the instructions operative on the processor circuit to receive a signal that conveys profile information of a member of an audience of the program, and store the profile information in the storage as associated with the individual account.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, the instructions operative on the processor circuit to add points to the quantity of accrued points based on participation by the member in an online activity provided by the processor circuit.

10. An apparatus comprising:

a processor circuit; and

a storage communicatively coupled to the processor circuit and arranged to store instructions operative on the processor circuit to;

transmit a signal to a presentation server that indicates a selected possibility of multiple possibilities of an aspect of an episode of an audio/visual program;

determine whether a bet placed on one possibility of the multiple possibilities was placed on the selected possibility; and

update an individual account associated with the bet to add a quantity of points won to a quantity of accrued points of the individual account if the one possibility on which the bet was placed matches the selected possibility.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, comprising an interface operative to communicatively couple the processor circuit to a network, the signal transmitted to the presentation server via the network.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, the instructions operative on the processor circuit to transmit a signal to at least one presentation device to trigger the at least one presentation device to present an indication of an opportunity to vote on the aspect of the episode of the program.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, the instructions operative on the processor circuit to receive a signal from the at least one presentation device that indicates a vote for the one possibility.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, the instructions operative on the processor circuit to determine the selected possibility from indications of multiple votes for at least the one possibility received from the at least one presentation device.

15. The apparatus of claim 10, the instructions operative on the processor circuit to transmit a signal to at least one presentation device to trigger the at least one presentation device to present an indication of an opportunity to place the bet on the aspect of the episode of the program.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, the instructions operative on the processor circuit to receive a signal from the at least one presentation device that indicates placement of the bet on the one possibility and that indicates the quantity of points.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, the instructions operative on the processor circuit to transmit a signal to the at least one presentation device to trigger the at least one presentation device to present an indication that the bet was won.

18. The apparatus of claim 10, the instructions operative on the processor circuit to receive a signal that conveys profile information of a member of an audience of the program, and store the profile information in the storage as associated with the individual account.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, the instructions operative on the processor circuit to add points to the quantity of accrued points based on participation by the member in an online activity provided by the processor circuit.

20. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving a signal via a network that indicates a selected possibility of multiple possibilities of an aspect of an episode of an audio/visual program;

determining whether a bet placed on one possibility of the multiple possibilities was placed on the selected possibility; and

updating an individual account associated with the bet to add a quantity of points won to a quantity of accrued points of the individual account if the one possibility on which the bet was placed matches the selected possibility.

21. The computer-implemented method of claim 20, comprising transmitting a signal to at least one presentation device to trigger the at least one presentation device to present an indication of an opportunity to place the bet on the aspect of the episode of the program.

22. The computer-implemented method of claim 21, comprising transmitting a signal via the network to the at least one presentation device to present odds for each possibility of the multiple possibilities.

23. The computer-implemented method of claim 21, comprising receiving a signal via the network from the at least one presentation device that indicates placement of the bet on the one possibility and that indicates the quantity of points.

24. The computer-implemented method of claim 21, comprising transmitting a signal via the network to the at least one presentation device to trigger the at least one presentation device to present an indication that the bet was won.

25. The computer-implemented method of claim 20, comprising transmitting a signal to at least one presentation device to trigger the at least one presentation device to present an indication of an opportunity to vote on the aspect of the episode of the program.

26. The computer-implemented method of claim 25, comprising receiving a signal from the at least one presentation device that indicates a vote for the one possibility.

27. The computer-implemented method of claim 26, comprising determining the selected possibility from indications of multiple votes for at least the one possibility received from the at least one presentation device.

28. The computer-implemented method of claim 20, comprising transmitting a signal via the network to a presentation server that indicates the selected possibility as selected to be transmitted in transmitting the episode.

29. At least one machine-readable storage medium comprising instructions that when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to:

receive via network a signal from a presentation server that indicates a selected possibility of multiple possibilities of an aspect of an episode of an audio/visual program;

determine whether a bet placed on one possibility of the multiple possibilities was placed on the selected possibility; and

update an individual account associated with the bet to add a quantity of points won to a quantity of accrued points of the individual account if the one possibility on which the bet was placed matches the selected possibility.

30. The at least one machine-readable storage medium of claim 29, the computing device caused to transmit a signal to at least one presentation device to trigger the at least one presentation device to present an indication of an opportunity to place the bet on the aspect of the episode of the program.

31. The at least one machine-readable storage medium of claim 30, the computing device caused to receive a signal from the at least one presentation device that indicates placement of the bet on the one possibility and that indicates the quantity of points.

32. The at least one machine-readable storage medium of claim 30, the computing device caused to transmit a signal to the at least one presentation device to trigger the at least one presentation device to present an indication that the bet was won.

33. The at least one machine-readable storage medium of claim 29, the computing device caused to receive a signal that conveys profile information of a member of an audience of the program, and store the profile information in the storage as associated with the individual account.

34. The at least one machine-readable storage medium of claim 33, the computing device caused to add points to the quantity of accrued points based on participation by the member in an online activity provided by the processor circuit.