INFORMATION AGGREGATION GAMES

• US 20170148270A1
• Filed: 08/01/2016
• Published: 05/25/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CFPH LLC (Cantor Fitzgerald, L.P.)
• Original Assignee: CFPH LLC (Cantor Fitzgerald, L.P.)
• Inventors: Miller, Mark, Alderucci, Dean P., Plott, Charles
• Granted Patent: US 10,229,558 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/322 Casino tables, e.g. tables having integrated screens, chip detection means
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/323 wherein the player is informed, e.g. advertisements, odds, instructions
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3258 Cumulative reward schemes, e.g. jackpots
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3288 Betting, e.g. on live events, bookmaking
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/329 Regular and instant lottery, e.g. electronic scratch cards
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3293 Card games, e.g. poker, canasta, black jack
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/34 depending on the stopping of moving members in a mechanical slot machine, e.g. "fruit" machines

Abstract

Games related to the aggregation of information are described.

Claims

1-44. -44. (canceled)

45. A method comprising:

determining, by a computing device, an outcome that occurs for an event, in which the event has a plurality of possible outcomes;

determining, by the computing device, a set of pieces of information about the outcome, in which each piece of information identifies a respective characteristic of the outcome;

providing, by the computing device, a first piece of information of the set of pieces of information to a first player, in which the first piece of information identifies a first characteristic;

receiving, by the computing device, a wager related to the event from the first player after the first piece of information was provided to the first player, in which the wager includes an amount bet that a particular outcome of the plurality of possible outcomes is the outcome;

in response to receiving the wager, determining, by the computing device, if that the wager is inconsistent with the first piece of information, in which determining that the wager is inconsistent includes determining that the particular outcome includes a second characteristic that cannot occur at the same time as the first characteristic;

requiring, by the computing device, a payment of a cost to place the wager based on the determination that the wager is inconsistent with the first piece of information, in which the cost to place the wager includes an additional amount over the amount bet; and

determining, by the computing device, a payout of a monetary award for the wager in response to a determination that the wager is a winning wager.

46. The method of claim 45, further comprising:

requiring a payment of the bet amount.

47. The method of claim 45, in which the event includes a pari-mutuel game.

48. The method of claim 47, in which the pari-mutuel game includes at least one of a card game, a race, a sporting event, and a casino game.

49. The method of claim 45, in which the event includes a non-pari-mutuel game.

50. The method of claim 45, in which the event includes an event occurring in at least one of a card game, a slot game, a lottery game, a casino game, a race, and a sporting event.

51. The method of claim 45, in which the method includes:

determining that the wager includes a winning wager, in which determining that the wager includes a winning wager includes determining that the particular outcome includes the outcome.

52. The method of claim 45, in which determining the payout includes determining the payout based, at least in part on at least one of a time the wager was placed, a number of wagers placed before the wager, and an amount of information known by the player.

53. The method of claim 52, in which determining the payout includes determining the payout based on the time the wager was placed.

54. The method of claim 53, in which determining the payout based on the time the wager was placed includes:

determining a first time when the outcome will be revealed as occurring;

determining the time the wager was placed; and

determining the payout such that the payout is in proportion to an amount of time between the time and the first time.

55. The method of claim 53, in which determining the payout includes determining an odds for the wager based on the time.

56. The method of claim 52, in which determining the payout includes determining the payout based on the number of wagers placed before the wager.

57. The method of claim 56, in which the number of wagers includes wagers related to the event placed by the first player and a plurality of other players.

58. The method of claim 52, in which determining the payout includes determining the payout based on the amount of information known by the player.

59. The method of claim 58, in which determining the payout based on the amount of information known by the player includes:

determining a number of pieces of information of the set of information provided to the first player by the computing device; and

determining the payout such that the payout is inversely proportional to the number of pieces of information.

60. The method of claim 45, further comprising providing, to the first player, an indication of a distribution of wagers related to the event that have been placed.

61. The method of claim 60, in which the distribution of wagers includes a distribution of wagers related to the event placed by the first player and a plurality of other players prior to the wager being placed.

62. The method of claim 45, in which the first piece of information includes at least one of a value of a card, a suit of a card, a color of a card, a characteristic of a ball, a color of a horse, a characteristic of a horse, and a characteristic of a participant in a sporting event.

63. The method of claim 45, further comprising allowing the first player to purchase a second piece of the information of the set of pieces of information before receiving the wager and after providing the first piece of information.

64. The method of claim 63, in which the method includes:

receiving a request from the first player for the second piece of information after providing the first piece of information to the first player and before receiving the wager; and

in response to receiving the request and before receiving the wager, determining that the first player should be charged a cost for the second piece of information, and providing the first player with the second piece of information.

65. The method of claim 64, in which the method includes determining whether the wager is consistent with the second piece of information and basing the payment for the cost to place the wager on the determination of whether the wager is consistent with the second piece of information.

66. The method of claim 45 comprising:

providing a second piece of information of the set of pieces of information that is different from the first piece of information to a second player, in which the second piece of information identifies a second characteristic;

receiving a second wager related to the event from the second player after the second piece of information was provided to the second player, in which the second wager includes a second amount bet that a second particular outcome of the plurality of possible outcomes is the outcome;

in response to receiving the second wager, determining that the second wager is consistent with the second piece of information, in which determining that the second wager is consistent includes determining that the second particular outcome includes a third characteristic that can occur at the same time as the first characteristic; and

determining that a second payment of the cost to place the second wager is not required based on the determination of that the second wager is consistent with the second piece of information.

67. The method of claim 66, further comprising:

receiving a request from the second player for an additional piece of information after providing the second piece of information to the second player and before receiving the second wager; and

in response to receiving the request and before receiving the second wager, charging the second player a cost for the additional piece of information, and providing the second player with the additional piece of information, in which the additional piece of information includes the first piece of information.

68. The method of claim 67, in which the method includes:

in response to receiving the second wager, determining that the second wager is inconsistent with the first piece of information, in which determining that the wager is inconsistent includes determining that the second particular outcome includes a fourth characteristic that cannot occur at the same time as the first characteristic; and

requiring a second payment of the cost to place the second wager based on the determination that the second wager is inconsistent with the first piece of information.

69. The method of claim 45, in which the method includes:

identifying to the first player a first time and a second time;

identifying to the first player that no wagers related to the event will be accepted after a time that falls between the first time and the second time without identifying the time to the first player;

determining the time; and

preventing further wagers related to the event after the time without identifying the time to the first player.

70. An apparatus comprising:

a computing device; and

a non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon a set of instructions that are configured such that when the set of instructions are executed by a processor of the computing device, the computing device is caused to;

determine an outcome that occurs for an event, in which the event has a plurality of possible outcomes;

determine a set of pieces of information about the outcome, in which each piece of information identifies a respective characteristic of the outcome;

provide a first piece of information of the set of pieces of information to a first player, in which the first piece of information identifies a first characteristic;

receive a wager related to the event from the first player after the first piece of information was provided to the first player, in which the wager includes an amount bet that a particular outcome of the plurality of possible outcomes is the outcome;

in response to receiving the wager, determine that the wager is inconsistent with the first piece of information, in which determining that the wager is inconsistent includes determining that the particular outcome includes a second characteristic that cannot occur at the same time as the first characteristic;

require a payment of a cost to place the wager based on the determination that the wager is inconsistent with the first piece of information, in which the cost to place the wager includes an addition amount over the amount be;

determine a payout of a monetary award for the wager in response to a determination that the wager is a winning wager.