System and method to support gaming in an electronic network

• US 6,884,162 B2
• Filed: 07/12/2001
• Issued: 04/26/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Storz, Oliver D., Efstratiou, Christos, Davies, Nigel A. J., Raverdy, Pierre-Guillaume
• Primary Examiner(s): ONEILL, MICHAEL W
• Application Number:
  US09/904,385
• Publication Number:
  US 20020068631A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,384 Days
• Field of Search: 463 40- 44, 463 23- 26, 463/1, 709/230, 709/222, 709/297, 709/203, 709/219, 709/227
• US Class Current: 463/1
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3223 Architectural aspects of a gaming system, e.g. internal configuration, master/slave, wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/323 wherein the player is informed, e.g. advertisements, odds, instructions

Abstract

A system and method to support electronic gaming in an electronic network includes an event server that provides restricted access to various types of game services. One or more system users may utilize corresponding wireless portable user devices for connecting to the event server to thereby gain access to the foregoing game services as game participants. The system users may thereby utilize the user devices to access the event server for accessing appropriate gaming services and related information. In addition, a source system user may utilize a source user device to perform a transfer procedure for transferring ownership rights of an electronic certificate related to the electronic gaming to a target system user through a target user device. The foregoing transfer procedure may be conducted through the event server, or may occur directly from the source user device to the target user device.

Claims

1. A system for supporting electronic gaming, comprising:

an event server configured to manage a game service, said event server providing a restricted access to said game service over an electronic network; and

one or more user devices configured to communicate with said event server over said electronic network by performing a wireless communications procedure to thereby allow one or more system users to participate in said electronic gaming, said one or more system users each utilizing a respective one of said one or more user devices to perform a trading transaction for negotiating a transfer of ownership rights of an electronic certificate that represents a non-monetary based prize awarded as a part of said electronic gaming, said non-monetary based prize being unrelated to and unredeemable for money or monetary instruments, said trading transaction being conducted directly between a source device from said one or more user devices and a target device from said one or more user devices;

wherein said certificate includes owner information that identifies said ownership rights of said certificate, a certificate usage history that includes a chronological listing of various uses of said certificate, a certificate transfer history that includes a chronological listing of ownership transfers of said certificate, a certificate description that includes identification and authentication information for said certificate, security information that prevents unauthorized persons or entities from accessing said certificate, and data that includes at least one digital object that is related to said electronic gaming.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein said one or more user devices are implemented as at least one of a personal digital assistant device, a cellular telephone device, a computer device, and a portable wireless telecommunications device.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein said game service includes restricted information that is related to a particular electronic game, a specified event, an event location, and one or more participants in said specified event.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein said one or more user devices communicate with said event server through one or more wireless base station transceivers and one or more local area networks, said one or more user devices alternately communicating with said event server through a first direct path from said one or more local area networks, an indirect path from said one or more local area networks through an Internet network, and a second direct path from said user device directly through said Internet network.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein said one or more user devices each include a processor, a display, a device memory, a sound module, one or more user interfaces, and input/output interfaces, said input/output interfaces including a wireless communications interface, a network interface, and a removable memory interface, said device memory including application software, an operating system, device content information, user data, a login/configuration module for providing an access code to said event server, a download module for updating device software, a profile module, an access rights module, video streaming support services, a metadata module for managing ancillary data related to said game service, a game module, a user communication module, a certificate handling module, a certificate repository module, and a trading module.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein said event server includes a processor, a display, a server memory, one or more user interfaces, and input/output interfaces, said input/output interfaces including at least one of a wireless communications interface and a network interface, said server memory including application software, an operating system, server content information, users information, a login/configuration manager, an upload module for updating device software, a profile manager, an access rights manager for managing said restricted access to said game service, a video streaming manager, a metadata manager for managing ancillary data related to said game service, a user communication manager, a certificate matching manager, a certificate handling manager, a trading manager, and said game service.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein said game service includes a registration module for registering said one or more system users as game participants, a game manager, a user interaction module for supporting bi-directional communications between said one or more user devices, a certificate distribution module for awarding prize certificates to said one or more system users based upon predetermined award criteria, and a certificate upload module for receiving certificate uploads from said one or more user devices.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein said one or more system users utilize said one or more user devices to access and register with said game service, said event server responsively providing a list of current game participants to said one or more user devices, said one or more system users then participating in said electronic gaming.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein selected ones of said one or more system users utilize said one or more user devices to perform bi-directional communications only to said selected ones of said one or more system users during said electronic gaming by utilizing audio headsets and user interfaces on said one or more user devices.

10. The system of claim 8 wherein said one or more system users utilize said one or more user devices to pay game fees that are related to participating in said electronic gaming.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein said system users periodically utilize said one or more user devices to place wagers for gambling activities related to a live event, said wagers being of variable values depending upon wager amount choices selected by said system users.

12. The system of claim 10 wherein said event server determines whether to award a prize certificate to a selected one of said one or more system users based upon predetermined award criteria, said event server then creating said prize certificate, and transferring said prize certificate to said selected one of said one or more user devices.

13. The system of claim 1 wherein a source system user from said one or more system users utilizes a source user device to access a trading service for performing a transfer procedure to transfer said certificate to a target system user through a target user device.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein said source user device accesses a certificate list of one or more stored certificates that are currently located in a certificate repository module of said source user device.

15. The system of claim 13 wherein said source system user utilizes said source user device to locate and connect with said target system user through said target user device.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein said source system user and said target system user negotiate satisfactory trade terms for said transfer procedure, said source system user and said target system user then each formally accepting said satisfactory trade terms.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein said source user device and said target user device determine whether adequate security means are available for completing said transfer procedure, said source user device and said target user device downloading appropriate security software from said event server if said adequate security means are not currently available for completing said transfer procedure.

18. The system of claim 16 wherein said source user device and said target user device finalyze said transfer procedure by transferring said ownership rights of said certificate from said source system user to said target system user, said certificate being updated to reflect a change of said ownership rights.

19. The system of claim 13 wherein said transfer procedure is alternately performed using an indirect transfer path and a direct transfer path, said indirect transfer path passing from said source user device, through said event server, to said target user device, said direct transfer path passing directly from said source user device to said target user device.

20. A method for supporting electronic gaming, comprising the steps of:

managing a game service by utilizing an event server that provides a restricted access to said game service over an electronic network; and

communicating with said event server over said electronic network by performing a wireless communications procedure with one or more user devices to thereby allow one or more system users to participate in said electronic gaming, said one or more system users each utilizing a respective one of said one or more user devices to perform a trading transaction for negotiating a transfer of ownership rights of an electronic certificate that represents a non-monetary based prize awarded as a part of said electronic gaming, said non-monetary based prize being unrelated to and unredeemable for money or monetary instruments, said trading transaction being conducted directly between a source device from said one or more user devices and a target device from said one or more user devices;

wherein said certificate includes owner information that identifies said ownership rights of said certificate, a certificate usage history that includes a chronological listing of various uses of said certificate, a certificate transfer history that includes a chronological listing of ownership transfers of said certificate, a certificate description that includes identification and authentication information for said certificate, security information that prevents unauthorized persons or entities from accessing said certificate, and data that includes at least one digital object that is related to said electronic gaming.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein said one or more user devices are implemented as at least one of a personal digital assistant device, a cellular telephone device, a computer device, and a portable wireless telecommunications device.

22. The method of claim 20 wherein said game service includes restricted information that is related to a particular electronic game, a specified event, an event location, and one or more participants in said specified event.

23. The method of claim 20 wherein said one or more user devices communicate with said event server through one or more wireless base station transceivers and one or more local area networks, said one or more user devices alternately communicating with said event server through a first direct path from said one or more local area networks, an indirect path from said one or more local area networks through an Internet network, and a second direct path from said user device directly through said Internet network.

24. The method of claim 20 wherein said one or more user devices each a processor, a display, a device memory, a sound module, one or more user interfaces, and input/output interfaces, said input/output interfaces including a wireless communications interface, a network interface, and a removable memory interface, said device memory including application software, an operating system, device content information, user data, a login/configuration module for providing an access code to said event server, a download module for updating device software, a profile module, an access rights module, video streaming support services, a metadata module for managing ancillary data related to said game service, a game module, a user communication module, a certificate handling module, a certificate repository module, and a trading module.

25. The method of claim 20 wherein said event server includes a processor, a display, a server memory, one or more user interfaces, and input/output interfaces, said input/output interfaces including at least one of a wireless communications interface and a network interface, said server memory including application software, an operating system, server content information, users information, a login/configuration manager, an upload module for updating device software, a profile manager, an access rights manager for managing said restricted access to said game service, a video streaming manager, a metadata manager for managing ancillary data related to said game service, a user communication manager, a certificate matching manager, a certificate handling manager, a trading manager, and said game service.

26. The method of claim 20 wherein said game service includes a registration module for registering said one or more system users as game participants, a game manager, a user interaction module for supporting bi-directional communications between said one or more user devices, a certificate distribution module for awarding prize certificates to said one or more system users based upon predetermined award criteria, and a certificate upload module for receiving certificate uploads from said one or more user devices.

27. The method of claim 20 wherein said one or more system users utilize said one or more user devices to access and register with said game service, said event server responsively providing a list of current game participants to said one or more user devices, said one or more system users then participating in said electronic gaming.

28. The method of claim 27 wherein selected ones of said one or more system users utilize said one or more user devices to perform bi-directional communications only to said selected ones of said one or more system users during said electronic gaming by utilizing audio headsets and user interfaces on said one or more user devices.

29. The method of claim 27 wherein said one or more system users utilize said one or more user devices to pay game fees that are related to participating in said electronic gaming.

30. The method of claim 29 wherein said system users periodically utilize said one or more user devices to place wagers for gambling activities related to said electronic gaming, said wagers being of variable values depending upon wager amount choices selected by said system users.

31. The method of claim 29 wherein said event server determines whether to award a prize certificate to a selected one of said one or more system users based upon predetermined award criteria, said event server then creating said prize certificate, and transferring said prize certificate to said selected one of said one or more user devices.

32. The method of claim 20 wherein a source system user from said one or more system users utilizes a source user device to access a trading service for performing a transfer procedure to transfer said certificate to a target system user through a target user device.

33. The method of claim 32 wherein said source user device accesses a certificate list of one or more stored certificates that are currently located in a certificate repository module of said source user device.

34. The method of claim 32 wherein said source system user utilizes said source user device to locate and connect with said target system user through said target user device.

35. The method of claim 34 wherein said source system user and said target system user negotiate satisfactory trade terms for said transfer procedure, said source system user and said target system user then each formally accepting said satisfactory trade terms.

36. The method of claim 35 wherein said source user device and said target user device determine whether adequate security means are available for completing said transfer procedure, said source user device and said target user device downloading appropriate security software from said event server if said adequate security means are not currently available for completing said transfer procedure.

37. The method of claim 35 wherein said source user device and said target user device finalyze said transfer procedure by transferring said ownership rights of said certificate from said source system user to said target system user, said certificate being updated to reflect a change of said ownership rights.

38. The method of claim 32 wherein said transfer procedure is alternately performed using an indirect transfer path and a direct transfer path, said indirect transfer path passing from said source user device, through said event server, to said target user device, said direct transfer path passing directly from said source user device to said target user device.

39. A system for supporting electronic gaming comprising:

an event server configured to manage a game service, said event server providing a restricted access to said game service over an electronic network; and

one or more user devices configured to communicate with said event server over said electronic network by performing a wireless communications procedure to thereby allow one or more system users to participate in said electronic gaming, said one or more system users each utilizing a respective one of said one or more user devices to perform a trading transaction for negotiating a transfer of ownership rights of an electronic certificate that represents a non-monetary based prize awarded as a part of said electronic gaming, said non-monetary based prize being unrelated to and unredeemable for money or monetary instruments, said non-monetary based prize being implemented as a game object for use by said one or more system users as a gaming element in a particular computer game during said electronic gaming, said trading transaction being conducted directly between a source device from said one or more user devices and a target device from said one or more user devices;

wherein said certificate includes owner information that identifies said ownership rights of said certificate, a certificate usage history that includes a chronological listing of various uses of said certificate, a certificate transfer history that includes a chronological listing of ownership transfers of said certificate, a certificate description that includes identification and authentication information for said certificate, security information that prevents unauthorized persons or entities from accessing said certificate, and data that includes at least one digital object that is related to said electronic gaming.