Jukebox entertainment system having multiple choice games relating to music

• US 7,549,919 B1
• Filed: 10/17/2000
• Issued: 06/23/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: TouchTunes Music Corporation (The Octave Music Group, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: TouchTunes Music Corporation (The Octave Music Group, Inc.)
• Inventors: Nathan, Guy, Mastronardi, Tony
• Primary Examiner(s): Jones; Scott E
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shah; Milap
• Application Number:
  US09/688,698
• Time in Patent Office: 3,171 Days
• Field of Search: 463/1, 463/9, 463/25, 463 40- 43, 273236-237, 273/301, 273429-430, 273/432, 273459-461, 434/322, 434/332, 434335-336, 434350-352, 705/14, 705/1, 705/10, 700/74, 345/716, 345/727
• US Class Current: 463/9
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/00 Video games, i.e. games using an electronically generated display having two or more dimensions gaming systems which provide a financial reward G07F17/32
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/35 Details of game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/53 involving additional visual information provided to the game scene, e.g. by overlay to simulate a head-up display [HUD] or displaying a laser sight in a shooting game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/406 Transmission via wireless network, e.g. pager or GSM
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/407 Data transfer via internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/409 Data transfer via television network
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/50 characterized by details of game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 9/183 electric

Abstract

Entertainment system based on a multiple choice competition games, including: a remote server and at least one terminal operable to communicate with the server over a communications network, wherein the terminal includes an audio system for playing in connection with a game at least a portion of a musical recording, a duration controller for controlling the duration of play of the musical recording, a display that displays information in the form of a question and suggests multiple choice answers to the question, wherein the question relates to the musical recording that has been played, a user interface that enables a user to select an answer from the displayed multiple choice answers, and a scorer for recording the answer selected by the user and determining if the answer corresponds to a correct answer.

Claims

1. An entertainment system based on multiple choice competition games, comprising:

a remote server, at least one terminal operable to communicate with the server over a communications network, wherein the terminal includes an audio system for playing, for the needs of a game, at least a portion of a musical recording, a display that displays information in the form of a question and displays multiple choice answers to the question, wherein the question relates to the portion of musical recording that has been played, a user interface that enables a user to select an answer from the displayed multiple choice answers, and a scorer for recording the answer selected by the user and determining if the answer corresponds to a correct answer;

wherein the terminal is configured as a jukebox system that includes a storage device that stores a library of musical recordings that can be played in full on the terminal for a fee, and further wherein the library of musical recordings can be updated with additional musical recordings through communication with the server, thereby defining a customized library of musical recordings on the jukebox system;

wherein the entertainment system comprises a game module configured to automatically control, for the needs of the game, the updating of the customized library of musical recordings stored in the jukebox system, with musical recordings stored on the server or on another jukebox system connected to the server, through communications of the jukeboxes with the server;

wherein the jukebox system is configured to randomly select the musical recording to be used for the game from the customized library of musical recordings, where if the randomly selected musical recording is associated with a flag indicating that the musical recording cannot be used for the game, then the jukebox system is configured to automatically ignore that musical recording and randomly select another musical recording from the customized library, wherein the jukebox system is further configured to repeat the random selection until a musical recording is randomly selected where the associated flag indicating that the musical recording cannot be used for the game is not present; and

wherein the jukebox system is configured to randomly generate and display the question about the selected recording, to provide and display the correct answer relating to the question, and to randomly generate and display a number of wrong answers relating to the question.

2. The entertainment system of claim 1, wherein the terminal sends information to the server regarding how the user performed during the game.

3. The entertainment system of claim 2, wherein the server is configured to collect game performance information for a plurality of different users and ranks the users according to their performance.

4. The entertainment system of claim 3, wherein the server is configured to send user ranking information to the terminal, and the terminal is configured to display the ranking information.

5. The entertainment system of claim 4, wherein the system includes a plurality of said terminals at different locations, each of said terminals being configured to communicate with the server, and wherein the server is configured to collect performance information on users who play the game on any of the terminals and to send user ranking information to each of the terminals.

6. The entertainment system of claim 1, wherein the jukebox system is further configured to randomly select a question about the selected recording from a list of predetermined questions.

7. The entertainment system of claim 1, wherein the jukebox system is further configured to randomly select a portion of the selected recording for playback to a user.

8. The entertainment system of claim 1, wherein the jukebox system is further configured to select a portion of the selected recording for playback to a user based on at least one predetermined criteria.

9. The entertainment system of claim 1, wherein the storage device further stores and categorizes information relating to each musical recording and wherein a randomly generated question relates to at least one category of information, wherein the randomly generated wrong answers are selected from within the same category stored in reference to different songs.

10. An entertainment system comprising:

at least one terminal capable of operating as a jukebox, including a storage device that stores an electronic library of musical recordings, said terminal enabling a song selected by a user to be played in full without engaging a game function operable on said terminal;

a remote server configured to communicate with said terminal via a communications network;

a game module configured to automatically control, for the needs of the game, the updating of said library of musical recordings with additional musical recordings stored on the server or on another terminal, through communication of the terminals with said server to define a customized library of musical recordings; and

said terminal being configured to function to play a game related to said customized library of musical recordings, wherein a display of the terminal displays information in the form of questions and possible answers related to a musical recording in said customized library, and said terminal including means for providing scoring for said game based on answers to said questions provided by the user;

wherein said terminal is configured to randomly select the musical recording from the customized library of musical recordings, where if the randomly selected musical recording is associated with a flag indicating that the musical recording cannot be used for the game, then the terminal is configured to automatically ignore that musical recording and randomly select another musical recording from the customized library, wherein the terminal is further configured to repeat the random selection until a musical recording is randomly selected where the associated flag indicating that the musical recording cannot be used for the game is not present; and

wherein the terminal is operable to randomly generate and display a question about the selected recording, to provide and display a correct answer relating to the question, and to randomly generate and display a number of wrong answers relating to the question.