Method and System for Localized Mobile Gaming

• US 20140274319A1
• Filed: 09/03/2013
• Published: 09/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aristocrat Technologies Incorporated (Aristocrat Leisure Limited)
• Original Assignee: Binh T. Nguyen
• Inventors: NGUYEN, BINH T.
• Granted Patent: US 11,030,851 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/25
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3223 Architectural aspects of a gaming system, e.g. internal configuration, master/slave, wireless communication
• 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 17/3239 Tracking of individual players
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3241 Security aspects of a gaming system, e.g. detecting cheating, device integrity, surveillance computer security G06F21/00

Abstract

In one embodiment, a system and method to facilitate playing games of chance on a MGD includes a game zone, having: a) at least one portable transceiver configured to: i) detect the MGD; ii) obtain MGD data from the MGD; and iii) periodically re-detect the MGD within the game zone, the at least one portable transceiver repositionable to form the game zone; b) a portable controller configured to receive MGD data; and c) a gaming server configured to: i) receive the MGD data from the portable controller; ii) determine if the MGD is authorized to place a monetary wager to play games of chance based on the MGD data; iii) periodically receive detection confirmation from the portable controller if the MGD is present in the game zone; iv) transmit and/or receive game of chance data to/from the MGD, wherein the game zone is repositionable and configurable.

Claims

1. A system to facilitate playing games of chance in a game zone for a mobile gaming device (MGD), comprising:

a game zone, having;

at least one portable transceiver configured to;

i) detect presence of the MGD;

ii) obtain MGD data from the MGD; and

iii) periodically re-detect presence of the MGD within the game zone, the at least one portable transceiver repositionable to form the game zone;

a portable controller configured to receive MGD data from each of the at least one portable transceiver; and

a gaming server configured to;

receive the MGD data from the portable controller;

determine if the MGD is authorized to place a monetary wager to play games of chance based on the MGD data;

periodically receive detection confirmation from the portable controller if the MGD is present in the game zone; and

transmit and/or receive game of chance data to/from the MGD if the MGD is authorized to play games of chance and detection confirmation is received,

wherein the game zone is repositionable to any desired location and wherein the game zone is configurable to form an arbitrary size or shape.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the gaming establishment has a plurality of game zones positioned throughout a gaming establishment.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the game zones includes at least one camera for security and audit.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the gaming server is further configured to:

receive a game of chance selection;

permit the MGD to provide a monetary wager amount to play the selected game of chance;

transmit game of chance data to the MGD based on the selected game of chance, the monetary wager amount, and detection confirmation.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the gaming server is further configured to:

prevent transmission of the monetary wager from the MGD if the MGD is not authorized to play games of chance or no detection confirmation is received from the portable transceiver.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the gaming server is further configured to:

convert the monetary wager to a point-based wager if the MGD is not authorized to play games of chance or no detection confirmation is received from the portable transceiver.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one portable transceiver detects the MGD via a radio frequency identification tag, a near field communication tag, Bluetooth connection, or a wireless connection.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the game zone is configured in any desired shape, and wherein the presence of the MGD is detected by detection of a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag or a near field communication (NFC) tag.

9. A method for facilitating game of chance play on a mobile gaming device (MGD), the method comprising:

forming a game zone at a gaming establishment, the game zone formed by at least one repositionable wireless zone portable controller;

detecting, using the wireless zone portable controller, presence of the MGD in the game zone;

receiving MGD data from the MGD;

transmitting, by the wireless zone portable controller, the MGD data to a gaming server to determine if the MGD is authorized to play games of chance;

subsequently re-detecting, by the at least one portable transceiver, presence of the MGD within the game zone; and

transmitting presence data to the gaming server if the MGD is re-detected by the portable transceiver,

wherein the MGD is permitted to place monetary wagers to play games of chance within the game zone if the MGD is authorized to play games of chance and while the MGD is re-detected within the game zone.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the gaming establishment has a plurality of game zones in the gaming establishment.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the plurality of game zones are proportionally smaller in size than the gaming establishment, wherein the plurality of game zones are reconfigurable to any desired shape and size, and wherein the plurality of game zones are repositionable to any desired location within the gaming establishment.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising transmitting a termination notification to the gaming server if it is determined that the MGD is not re-detected.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising transmitting a money-to-point conversion notification to the MGD if no presence data is received at the gaming server.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the MGD data includes at least device identification and player tracking data.

15. The method of claim 9, further comprising determining whether the MGD is authorized to place monetary wagers to play games of chance based on the MGD data.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein the periodically re-detecting occurs at predetermined time intervals, wherein the time intervals are between about 1 second to 60 seconds.

17. The method of claim 9, wherein the MGD is not permitted to place monetary wagers to play games of chance within the game zone if the MGD is not authorized to play games of chance or presence of the MGD is not re-detected within the game zone.

18. A program storage device readable by a machine tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform a method for facilitating game of chance play on a mobile gaming device (MGD), the method comprising:

forming a game zone at a gaming establishment, the game zone formed by at least one repositionable wireless zone portable controller;

detecting, using the wireless zone portable controller, presence of the MGD in the game zone;

receiving MGD data from the MGD;

transmitting, by the wireless zone portable controller, the MGD data to a gaming server to determine if the MGD is authorized to play games of chance;

periodically re-detecting, by the at least one portable transceiver, presence of the MGD within the game zone; and

transmitting presence data to the gaming server if the MGD is re-detected by the portable transceiver,

wherein the MGD is permitted to place monetary wagers to play games of chance within the game zone if the MGD is authorized to play games of chance and while the MGD is re-detected within the game zone.

19. A system to facilitate playing games of chance on a mobile gaming device (MGD), comprising:

a wireless zone portable controller configured to provide a game zone proximate to a gaming establishment, the wireless zone portable controller being configured to at least;

i) detect presence of the MGD;

ii) obtain MGD data from the MGD; and

iii) periodically re-detect presence of the MGD within the game zone; and

a gaming server configured to;

receive the MGD data from the wireless zone portable controller;

determine if the MGD is authorized to place monetary wagers to play games of chance based on the MGD data;

periodically receive detection confirmation from the wireless zone portable controller if presence of the MGD is within the game zone; and

transmit and/or receive game of chance data to/from the MGD if the MGD is authorized to place monetary wagers to play games of chance and detection confirmation is received.

20. A system as recited in claim 19, wherein the game zone is proportionally smaller in size than the gaming establishment.

21. A system as recited in claim 19, wherein the game zone is reconfigurable to any desired shape and size, and wherein the game zone is repositionable to any desired location in the gaming establishment.

22. A system of claim 19, wherein the presence of the MGD is detected by detection of a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag or a near field communication (NFC) tag.