Game system using tokens

• US 7,344,443 B2
• Filed: 10/24/2002
• Issued: 03/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Folio Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Junichi Yamagishi, Unirec Company Limited
• Inventors: Yamagishi, Junichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Pezzuto; Robert E.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hoel; Matthew D.
• Application Number:
  US10/279,552
• Publication Number:
  US 20040082379A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,972 Days
• Field of Search: 463/25, 463 40- 43, 463/16, 463 20- 22, 463/29, 463/39, 902/23, 379/91.01, 340/5.4, 340/5.41, 340/5.42
• US Class Current: 463/25
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/12 involving interaction between a plurality of game devices, e.g. transmisison or distribution systems protocols for networked virtual reality, networked games H04L29/06034
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/30 Interconnection arrangements between game servers and game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/335 using Internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/48 Starting a game, e.g. activating a game device or waiting for other players to join a multiplayer session
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/792 for payment purposes, e.g. monthly subscriptions
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/407 Data transfer via internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/50 characterized by details of game servers
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3244 Payment aspects of a gaming system, e.g. payment schemes, setting payout ratio, bonus or consolation prizes

Abstract

A game system using tokens allows a user to play a game on a mobile communication terminal at a location remote from a game hall. The game system includes a game hall (1) to lend tokens to a player so that the player may play game machines (3) installed in the game hall with the tokens, keep tokens deposited by the player after the play, and return the kept tokens to the player so that the player may play the game machines with the tokens, a management unit (7) provided for the game hall, connectable to the Internet and having a database (9) to store and update data on the kept tokens, a mobile communication terminal (13) connectable to the Internet to receive game content and allow the player to play a game on the mobile communication terminal, and a game content provider (11) to provide the game content to the Internet. Gains and losses of tokens of the player on playing the game on the mobile communication terminal are transmitted to the management unit, which updates the data on the kept tokens in the database accordingly.

Claims

1. A game system using tokens, comprising:

a game ball, lending tokens to a player so that the player may play at least one game machine installed in the game ball with the lent tokens;

said game ball accepting from the player and keeping tokens deposited by the player including remaining ones of the lent tokens and tokens won by the player, and said game ball returning the kept tokens to the player upon request only for enabling the player to play the game machines with the tokens wherein said tokens of the system are enabling only for playing said at least one game machine;

a management unit provided for the game ball and connecting to the Internet, said management unit including a database for storing and updating combined data, the combined data including data representing tokens available for play, said tokens available for play including the kept tokens including won tokens, and the combined data also including the lent tokens and spent tokens;

a portable communication terminal which is hand portable and embodied as a cellular phone connecting to the Internet for receiving game content, said portable communication terminal being configured so as to function concurrently as a portable game terminal and a settlement medium device for making a settlement for said lent tokens, said game content being playable by the player on the portable communication terminal, said cellular phone being operable by the player via an agreement between the player and a communications company;

a game content provider for accessing the database to read the combined data and for providing the game content configured for the cellular phone together with the combined data to the portable communication terminal via the Internet;

cellular phone transmitting to said management unit gains and losses of the player from playing the game on the portable communication terminal, said management unit updating combined data on the tokens of the player in the database;

a communications company relaying means for relaying the game content between the game content provider and the cellular phone transmit the game content from the game content provider to the cellular phone;

the management unit automatically lending tokens to the player in response to a communication of the settlement medium device when the tokens available for play stored in the database reaches zero and the player continues to play a game on the portable communication terminal, whereby the player continues to play the game without concomitantly providing more tokens, concomitantly authorizing a purchase of tokens or concomitantly expressly requesting to borrow tokens;

an accounting server provided with the communications company for accounting for the automatically lent tokens as soon as said tokens have been spent by the player while relaying between the game content provider and the portable communication terminal through the communications company relaying means, and for assembling and providing accounting information for the communications company to charge cellular phone charges together with charges for the automatically lent tokens; and

the communications company charging the player for the cellular phone charges together with the charges for the automatically lent tokens accounted for by the accounting server based on initiation by the cellular phone functioning the settlement medium device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the game content provider retrieves the data on the kept tokens of the player from the database and continues to provide the game content to the player without automatic lending as long as losses of tokens of the player are within the kept tokens.

3. The game system of claim 1, wherein said game ball keeps tokens won by the player after playing said game machine without returning money and returns the kept tokens to the player only for playing the game machine with the tokens.

4. A game system for managing tokens, used in playing games in at least one game ball, based on agreement between the game ball and a communications company, the game system comprising:

a token dispensing unit dispensing tokens to a player so that the player may play at least one game machine installed in the game ball with the dispense tokens wherein said tokens are of use limited to enabling operation of devices of the game ball including said at least one game machine;

said token dispensing unit accepting from the player and keeping tokens deposited by the player including remaining ones of the dispensed tokens and tokens won by the player, and said token dispensing unit returning the kept tokens to the player upon request for enabling said at least one game for the player to play;

a management unit provided for the game ball and connecting to the Internet, said management unit including a database for storing and updating combined data, the combined data including data representing tokens available for play, said tokens available for play including the kept tokens including said tokens won, and the combined data also including the dispensed tokens and spent tokens;

a cellular phone connecting to the Internet for receiving game content, said cellular phone being configured so as to function concurrently as a portable game terminal operating using said game content and a settlement medium device for making a settlement for value of tokens allotted to the player, said cellular phone being operable by the player via an agreement between the player and the communications company;

a game content provider for accessing the database to read the combined data and for providing the game content configured for the cellular phone together with the combined data to the portable communication terminal via the Internet;

the cellular phone transmitting to said management unit gains and losses of the player from playing a game on the cellular phone based on said game content, said management unit updating combined data on the tokens of the player in the database;

a communications company relaying means for relaying the game content between the game content provider and the cellular phone to transmit the game content from the game content provider to the cellular phone;

the management unit automatically lending tokens to the player as tokens available for play in response to a communication of the settlement medium device when the tokens available for play stored in the database reaches zero and the player continues to play the game on the cellular phone, whereby the player continues to play the game without concomitantly providing more tokens, concomitantly authorizing a purchase of tokens or concomitantly expressly requesting to borrow tokens;

an accounting server provided with the communications company for accounting for the automatically lent tokens as soon as said tokens have been spent by the player while relaying between the game content provider and the portable communication terminal through the communications company relaying means, and for assembling and providing accounting information for the communications company to charge cellular phone charges together with charges for the automatically lent tokens; and

the communications company charging the player for the cellular phone charges together with the charges for the automatically lent tokens accounted for by the accounting server based on initiation by the cellular phone functioning the settlement medium device.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the game content provider retrieves the data on the kept tokens of the player from the database and continues to provide the game content to the player without automatic lending as long as losses of tokens of the player are within the kept tokens.