Method and apparatus for telephone prize opportunities

• US 5,608,785 A
• Filed: 09/23/1993
• Issued: 03/04/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Kasday, Leonard R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chan, Wing F.
• Application Number:
  US08/125,973
• Time in Patent Office: 1,258 Days
• Field of Search: 379/90, 379/91, 379/93-99, 379/110, 379/144, 379/201, 364/401, 364/406, 364/408, 364/410, 364/412, 902/23, 235/383, 235/375, 273/236, 273/237, 273/269, 273/138 A, 273/148 R
• US Class Current: 379/93.13
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements

Abstract

A telephone network is modified so that callers making telephone calls can engage in a game of chance to win a prize without having had to specially dial the game processor, i.e., the telephone numbers of the telephone calls are independent of the game processor. In one embodiment of the invention, the game processor is part of the switch that processes calls through a telecommunications network. Upon conclusion of the game, the caller is supplied with an indication as to whether or not he is a winner and will receive a prize. The determination that a caller is a winner need be made only if the call was successfully completed, that is, routed to a destination at which the call is answered. Advantageously, a) games of chance are attractive to people, especially when it costs nothing to enter, b) the determination that a caller is a winner can be immediately conveyed to him, and c) by proper selection of the odds of winning and the value of prizes, the game can be arranged so that its cost to a telecommunications carder is less than that carrier'"'"'s present discounting program.

Claims

1. A method for use in processing a call for a caller by a telephone service provider, said call being processed in a telephone network having a plurality of destinations to which said call may be connected, the method comprising the steps of:

said telephone service provider completing said call for said caller through said telephone network to a third party destination of said telephone network;

in response to termination of a portion of said call by said third party in said telephone network, entering said caller in a game of chance having predetermined rules for winning, said destination to which said caller'"'"'s call was completed being other than a processor for engaging said caller in said game of chance;

determining, using said rules, whether said caller is a winner in said game; and

supplying information to said caller to inform him that he is a winner if it is determined in said determining step that said caller is a winner.

2. The invention as defined in claim 1 further including the step of receiving in said telephone network a signal from said caller indicating that he wishes determine if he is a winner and wherein said entering, determining and supplying steps are responsive to said signal.

3. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein said call is a card call.

4. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein the chances of winning said game are based on the length of said call.

5. The invention as defined, in claim 1 wherein the value of a prize to be awarded if said caller is a winner is based on the length of said call.

6. A telephone network provided by a telephone service provider for processing a telephone call from a caller, comprising:

means for playing at least one game having predetermined rules and for the winning of which said caller will receive a prize;

means for completing said telephone call by said telephone service provider from said caller to a third party telephone number independent of said game playing means; and

means for engaging said caller in said at least one game as a result of completion of the portion of said telephone call to said third party.

7. The invention as defined in claim 6 further wherein said means for engaging is responsive to the termination of said completed telephone call by said third party.

8. The invention as defined in claim 6 wherein said call is a card call.

9. The invention as defined in claim 6 wherein said call is a non-card call.

10. The invention as defined in claim 6 further including means responsive to said game playing means for indicating to said caller that he has won said at least one game.

11. The invention as defined in claim 6 wherein the probability of winning said at least one game is adjustable by said game playing means based on the values of a set of parameters.

12. The invention as defined in claim 6 wherein the value of the prize to be awarded for the winning of said at least one game is adjustable by said game playing means based on the values of a set of parameters.

13. The invention as defined in claim 6 further including means for printing the name of the prize won by said caller.

14. Apparatus for playing a game in using a telephone system provided by a telephone service provider, comprising:

a telephone network for completing a caller'"'"'s call by said telephone service provider to a third party;

means for playing a game in accordance with predetermined rules;

means, responsive to completion of the portion of said caller'"'"'s call to said third party using said network to a telephone number independent of said game playing means, for activating said game playing means to enter said caller in said game; and

means for transmitting the result of the game to said caller.

15. The invention as defined in 14 wherein said call is a card call.

16. A method for use in playing a game in a telephone network provided by a telephone service provider, comprising the steps of:

processing a call by said telephone service provider for a caller to a third party; and

upon the conclusion of processing for said call to said third party, connecting said caller to a game processor for playing a game;

wherein said call was not dialed by said caller to a telephone number assigned to reach said game processor.

17. The invention as defined in claim 16 wherein said processing is concluded because said call terminated by said third party.

18. The invention as defined in claim 17 wherein said call was successfully completed prior to its termination.

19. A method for use in a telephone network processing a call by a telephone service provider for a caller to a third party, comprising the step of:

said telephone service provider automatically connecting said caller to a game processor upon completion of the portion of said call to said third party, said call not having been specially dialed by said caller to reach said game processor.

20. The invention as defined in claim 19 further including the step of activating said game processor on said call in response to a signal from said caller to engage said caller in a game.

21. The invention as defined in claim 19 further including the step of automatically activating said game processor on said call upon its connection to said call to engage said caller in a game.

22. The invention as defined in claim 19 further including the steps of:

automatically activating said game processor upon its connection to said call to engage said caller in a game; and

deactivating said game processor on said call in response to a signal from said caller so as to prevent said caller from engaging in said game.

23. The invention as defined in claim 19 further including the steps of:

engaging said caller in a game played on said game processor; and

indicating to said caller whether he is a winner.

24. A method for use in processing a call by a telephone service provider for a caller in a telephone network to multiple third parties having a plurality of destinations to which said call may be connected, said call being the last of a predetermined number of calls processed for said caller in said telephone network within a predetermined time period, the method comprising the steps of:

completing said call to said third parties for said caller through said telephone network to a destination of said telephone network by said telephone service provider;

in response to termination of said calls to said third parties in said telephone network, entering said caller in a game of chance having predetermined rules for winning, said destination to which said caller'"'"'s call was completed being other than a machine for engaging said caller in said game of chance;

determining, using said rules, whether said caller is a winner in said game; and

supplying information to said caller to inform him that he is a winner if it is determined in said determining step that said caller is a winner.

25. A method for use in playing a game in a telephone network provided by a telephone service provider, comprising the steps of:

processing a plurality of calls to third parties for a caller, said plurality of calls including a predetermined number of calls; and

upon the conclusion of processing for the last call of said plurality of calls to said third parties, said telephone service provider automatically entering said caller in a game of chance having predetermined rules for winning;

wherein said plurality of calls were not dialed by said caller to any telephone number assigned to reach a game processor implementing said game.

26. A method for use in playing a game in a telephone network, provided by a telephone service provider comprising the steps of:

processing a plurality of calls originated from a particular telephone line to a plurality of third parties said plurality of calls including a predetermined number of calls; and

upon the conclusion of processing for the last call of said plurality of calls, said telephone service provider automatically connecting said telephone line to a game processor;

wherein said calls were not dialed to any telephone number assigned to reach said game processor.