METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR OPERATING INSTANCES OF A GAME

• US 20150019744A1
• Filed: 02/08/2013
• Published: 01/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rational Intellectual Holdings Limited
• Original Assignee: Rational Intellectual Holdings Limited
• Inventors: Bourenkov, Serguei, Ligoum, Dmitri, Sheikhman, Vadim
• Granted Patent: US 10,672,231 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/227
• 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 17/323 wherein the player is informed, e.g. advertisements, odds, instructions
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3237 about the players, e.g. profiling, responsible gaming, strategy/behavior of players, location of players
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/326 Game play aspects of gaming systems
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3267 Game outcomes which determine the course of the subsequent game, e.g. double or quits, free games, higher payouts, different new games
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3269 Timing aspects of game play, e.g. blocking/halting the operation of a gaming machine
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3276 wherein the players compete, e.g. tournament
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3293 Card games, e.g. poker, canasta, black jack
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/141 Setup of application sessions admission control or resource allocation in data switching networks H04L47/70

Abstract

Disclosed is a computer-implemented method of (and system for) operating instances of a game having a plurality of game positions that can be occupied by players, such as a poker-type game. The method comprises assigning a player a plurality of weights relating to game positions, where each weight indicates a bias towards placement of the player at a game position. When a player has played in a first game at a given position, the weights are updated to indicate an altered bias towards placement at each position. The player is then assigned to a second game based on the updated weights.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of operating instances of a game, the method comprising:

connecting a client application associated with a player to a first game instance operated by a server;

in response to cessation of participation of the player in the first game instance, assigning the player to a second game instance;

connecting the client application to the second game instance; and

maintaining the connection of the client application to the first game instance during participation of the player in the second game instance.

2. A method according to claim 1, comprising:

receiving an indication at the client application that the game in the first game instance has finished; and

in response to the indication, terminating the client application'"'"'s connection to the first game instance.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the assigning is performed in response to a user interaction indicating a desire to withdraw from the game.

4. A method according to claim 3, wherein the assigning is performed in response to a user interaction indicating a desire to withdraw from the game out of turn.

5. A computer-readable medium comprising software code adapted, when executed on a data processing apparatus, to perform a method, comprising:

connecting a client application associated with a player to a first game instance operated by a server;

in response to cessation of participation of the player in the first game instance, assigning the player to a second game instance;

connecting the client application to the second game instance; and

maintaining the connection of the client application to the first game instance during participation of the player in the second dame instance.

6. A system comprising:

means for connecting a client application associated with a player to a first game instance operated by a server;

means for assigning the player to a second game instance, in response to cessation of participation of the player in the first game instance;

means for connecting the client application to the second game instance; and

means for maintaining the connection of the client application to the first game instance during participation of the player in the second game instance.

7. (canceled)

8. (canceled)

9. (canceled)