Method and apparatus for outputting a result of a game via a container

• US 7,553,234 B2
• Filed: 04/29/2004
• Issued: 06/30/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: James Jorasch
• Original Assignee: Walker Digital LLC (Walker Innovation Inc. (f/k/a Patent Properties, Inc.))
• Inventors: Jorasch, James A., Tedesco, Robert C., Walker, Jay S., Packes, John M. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Coburn; Corbett
• Assistant Examiner(s): Deodhar; Omkar
• Application Number:
  US10/835,422
• Publication Number:
  US 20040236944A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,888 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 463/43
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 7/04 Arrangements for time indication or reminder for taking medicine, e.g. programmed dispensers
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3218 wherein at least part of the system is portable
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/06 by returnable containers , i.e. reverse vending systems in which a user is rewarded for returning a container that serves as a token of value, e.g. bottles
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/13 delivered from dispensers
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/56 Financial cryptography, e.g. electronic payment or e-cash
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/805 Lightweight hardware, e.g. radio-frequency identification [RFID] or sensor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3297 involving time stamps, e.g. generation of time stamps

Abstract

A method and apparatus is disclosed that documents and authenticates cap removal data. According to a first aspect of the present invention, the apparatus measures a parameter indicative of the number of times that a cap has been removed by a user. The apparatus also encodes at least the parameter indicative of the cap removal data, thereby deriving encoded cap removal data. The apparatus outputs the encoded cap removal data to a user. According to a second aspect of the present invention, another apparatus receives the encoded cap removal data and decodes it to authenticate the cap removal data. According to a third aspect of the present invention, a medicine container is operable to output a result of a game based on cap removal data associated with the medicine container.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

determining that a cap removal requirement of a container has been satisfied; and

storing, in a memory of the container, an indication of the satisfaction of the cap removal requirement;

causing, in response to the determination, a result of a game to be displayed via the container.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein causing comprises:

causing, in response to the determination, a result of a game to be displayed via a display device of the container.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein causing comprises:

causing, in response to the determination, a result of a game to be displayed via a computing device in communication with the container.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

causing an indication of a prize associated with the result to be output via the container.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

causing a code to be output via the container, the code comprising encrypted data indicative of at least one of the result and the satisfaction of the cap removal requirement.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the container comprises a medicine container.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the container comprises at least one of a food and drink container.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining the result of the game.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein determining the result of the game comprises:

determining a random number;

determining a result that corresponds to the random number.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein determining the result of the game comprises:

retrieving from memory a predetermined result.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein determining the result of the game comprises:

determining, based on an identity of a user of the container, a result of the game.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the result of the game comprises a plurality of symbols displayed along a payline of a plurality of virtual reels of a slot machine interface.

13. A method, comprising:

determining a compliance status of a medicine container, the compliance status indicating whether a cap removal requirement associated with the medicine container has been satisfied; and

outputting a result of a game via the medicine container if the compliance status indicates that the cap removal requirement has been satisfied;

wherein the result of the game comprises a plurality of symbols displayed along a payline of a plurality of virtual reels of a slot machine interface; and

wherein the slot machine interface is displayed on a display device of the medicine container.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

determining the result of the game.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein determining the result of the game comprises:

receiving an input from a user of the medicine container; and

incorporating the input into the determination of the result of the game.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein determining the result of the game comprises:

determining the result of the game based on a frequency of winning associated with a user of the medicine container.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

determining the frequency of winning.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein determining the frequency of winning comprises:

determining the frequency of winning based on a duration over which the compliance status has indicated that the cap removal requirement has been satisfied.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein determining the frequency of winning comprises:

determining the frequency of winning based on a duration of time for which a user of the medicine container has been subject to the cap removal requirement.

20. The method of claim 13, wherein determining a compliance status of a medicine container comprises:

determining whether the cap of the medicine container has been removed a minimum number of times within a predetermined unit of time.

21. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

outputting an indication of the compliance status.

22. The method of claim 13, wherein determining a compliance status comprises:

determining that a cap of the medicine container has not been removed a minimum number of times within a predetermined unit of time; and

wherein outputting comprises;

outputting a warning indicating noncompliance.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein outputting a warning comprises:

activating at least one of a visual output device and an audio output device of the medicine container.

24. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

storing in a memory an indication of the compliance status.

25. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

detecting each removal of a cap of the medicine container, for purposes of determining the compliance status.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising:

storing in a memory an indication of each cap removal that is used to determine the compliance status.

27. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

determining a number of units of time for which the compliance status indicates that the cap removal requirement has been satisfied, thereby determining a number of successes; and

determining a number of units of time for which the compliance status indicates that the cap removal requirement has not been satisfied, thereby determining a number of failures.

28. The method of claim 27, further comprising:

outputting a warning of an impending penalty if a ratio of the number of successes to the number of failures is less than a predetermined ratio.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the impending penalty comprises at least one of an ineligibility to obtain a game result and an ineligibility to claim a prize associated with a game result.

30. The method of claim 13, wherein determining a compliance status comprises:

determining whether a cap of the medicine container has been removed during a predetermined period of time; and

wherein outputting a result comprises;

outputting a result of a game via the medicine container upon determining that the cap of the medicine container has been removed during the period of time.

31. The method of claim 13, wherein determining a compliance status comprises:

determining an end of a predetermined period of time;

determining a number of times a cap of the medicine container was required to be removed during the predetermined period of time;

determining a number of times the cap of the medicine container was actually removed during the predetermined period of time; and

determining whether the number of times the cap was actually removed is within a predetermined range of the number of times the cap was required to be removed;

and wherein outputting the result comprises;

outputting, at the end of the period of time, the result of the game if it is determined that the number of times the cap of the medicine container was actually removed is within a predetermined range of the number of times the cap was required to be removed.

32. The method of claim 13, wherein outputting comprises:

outputting a plurality of symbols along a payline of a virtual set of reels on a slot machine interface.

33. A system, comprising:

a processing device operable to determine that a cap removal requirement of a container is satisfied;

a memory device in communication with the processing device, the memory device operable to store an indication of the satisfaction of the compliance status; and

an output device in communication with the processing device, the output device operable to output, in response to the determining, an indication of a result of a game;

wherein the processing device, output device, and memory device are embodied in the container.

34. The system of claim 33, wherein the memory device comprises Flash RAM.

35. The system of claim 33, wherein the memory device is further operable to store the indication of the result of the game.

36. The system of claim 33, wherein the container comprises a medicine container.

37. The system of claim 33, wherein the container comprises one or more of a food and a drink container.

38. The system of claim 33, wherein the output device is further operable to output the indication of the result of the game upon the expiration of a time period associated with the cap removal requirement.

39. The system of claim 38, wherein the expiration of the time period associated with the cap removal requirement coincides with a pre-determined time at which a medication stored in the container is supposed to be taken.

40. The system of claim 33, wherein the output device is further operable to output the indication of the result of the game as a collection of slot machine-like graphical symbols.

41. The system of claim 33, wherein the indication of the result of the game comprises audio output indicative of the result of the game.

42. The system of claim 33, wherein the output device is further operable to output one or more questions to a user.

43. The system of claim 42, further comprising:

an input device operable to receive, from the user, an indication of one or more answers provided in response to the one or more questions.

44. The system of claim 43, wherein the output device is further operable to output the indication of the result of the game in response to the receiving of the indication of the one or more answers from the user.

45. The system of claim 43, wherein the processing device is further operable to determine whether the one or more answers are correct.

46. The system of claim 42, wherein the processing device is further operable to determine the one or more questions.

47. The system of claim 33, wherein the output device is further operable to output a menu of a plurality of available games.

48. The system of claim 47, further comprising:

an input device operable to receive, from the user, an indication of a selection of the game from the plurality of available games.

49. The system of claim 48, wherein the output device is further operable to output the indication of the result of the game in response to the receiving of the indication of the selection of the game from the plurality of available games.

50. A system, comprising:

a processing device operable to determine a compliance status of a medicine container, the compliance status indicating whether a cap removal requirement associated with the medicine container has been satisfied;

a memory device in communication with the processing device, the memory device operable to store an indication of the satisfaction of the compliance status; and

an output device operable to output a result of a game if the compliance status indicates that the cap removal requirement has been satisfied;

wherein the processing device, output device, and memory device are embodied in the container.

51. The system of claim 50, wherein the memory device comprises Flash RAM.

52. The system of claim 50, wherein the memory device is further operable to store the indication of the result of the game.

53. The system of claim 50, wherein the container comprises a medicine container.

54. The system of claim 50, wherein the container comprises one or more of a food and a drink container.

55. The system of claim 50, wherein the output device is further operable to output the indication of the result of the game upon the expiration of a time period associated with the cap removal requirement.

56. The system of claim 55, wherein the expiration of the time period associated with the cap removal requirement coincides with a pre-determined time at which a medication stored in the container is supposed to be taken.

57. The system of claim 50, wherein the output device is further operable to output the indication of the result of the game as a collection of slot machine-like graphical symbols.

58. The system of claim 50, wherein the indication of the result of the game comprises audio output indicative of the result of the game.

59. The system of claim 50, wherein the output device is further operable to output one or more questions to a user.

60. The system of claim 59, further comprising:

an input device operable to receive, from the user, an indication of one or more answers provided in response to the one or more questions.

61. The system of claim 60, wherein the output device is further operable to output the indication of the result of the game in response to the receiving of the indication of the one or more answers from the user.

62. The system of claim 60, wherein the processing device is further operable to determine whether the one or more answers are correct.

63. The system of claim 59, wherein the processing device is further operable to determine the one or more questions.

64. The system of claim 50, wherein the output device is further operable to output a menu of a plurality of available games.

65. The system of claim 64, further comprising:

an input device operable to receive, from the user, an indication of a selection of the game from the plurality of available games.

66. The system of claim 65, wherein the output device is further operable to output the indication of the result of the game in response to the receiving of the indication of the selection of the game from the plurality of available games.

67. A container, comprising:

a processor; and

a storage device in communication with said processor and storing instructions adapted to be executed by said processor to;

determine that a cap removal requirement of the container has been satisfied; and

display, in response to the determination, a result of a game.

68. A medium storing instructions adapted to be executed by a processor to:

determine that a cap removal requirement of a container has been satisfied; and

cause, in response to the determination, a result of a game to be displayed via the container.

69. A medicine container, comprising:

a processor; and

a storage device in communication with said processor and storing instructions adapted to be executed by said processor to;

determine a compliance status of the medicine container, the compliance status indicating whether a cap removal requirement associated with the medicine container has been satisfied; and

output a result of a game if the compliance status indicates that the cap removal requirement has been satisfied.

70. A medium storing instructions adapted to be executed by a processor to:

determine a compliance status of a medicine container, the compliance status indicating whether a cap removal requirement associated with the medicine container has been satisfied; and

output a result of a game via the medicine container if the compliance status indicates that the cap removal requirement has been satisfied.