Interactive wagering system with automatic runner selection

• US 7,628,695 B2
• Filed: 02/01/2008
• Issued: 12/08/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: ODS Properties Incorporated (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: ODS Properties Incorporated (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Lee, Christopher A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Laneau; Ronald
• Assistant Examiner(s): HARPER, TRAMAR YONG
• Application Number:
  US12/012,316
• Publication Number:
  US 20080214290A1
• Time in Patent Office: 676 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 463/25
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3288 Betting, e.g. on live events, bookmaking

Abstract

An interactive wagering application is provided that automatically picks horses for a user to use when creating a wager for a race to be run. The interactive wagering application may select the numbers using a random number generation application implemented on computer equipment at a transaction processing and subscription management system 24. The user may direct the interactive wagering application to automatically select the horses for the race by selecting an on-screen option or the like.

Claims

1. A method for placing interactive wagers on races using an interactive wagering application implemented at least in part on electronic user equipment, the method comprising:

receiving, with the interactive wagering application, a user input to automatically select a race and at least one runner to be used in a wager;

accessing racing data comprising the available races and the available runners for those races;

in response to receiving the user input, randomly selecting a race from the available races and randomly selecting at least one runner from the available runners for the selected race; and

placing the wager for the selected race and selected at least one runner using the interactive wagering application on said electronic user equipment.

2. The method defined in claim 1 further comprising using the interactive wagering application to randomly select a wager criterion, wherein the wager criterion is selected from the group consisting of a racetrack, a wager type, and a wager amount.

3. The method defined in claim 1 further comprising using the interactive wagering application to manually select a wager criterion, wherein the wager criterion is selected from the group consisting of a racetrack, a wager type, and a wager amount.

4. The method defined in claim 1 further comprising using the interactive wagering application to reselect a wager criterion at any point before placing the wager, wherein the wager criterion is selected from the group consisting of a racetrack, a race, at least one runner, a wager type, and a wager amount.

5. The method defined in claim 1, wherein randomly selecting the race and randomly selecting the at least one runner comprises using a random-number generator.

6. The method defined in claim 1 further comprising processing the wager with equipment remote from the user equipment after placing the wager.

7. The method defined in claim 1, wherein the wager is associated with a wager type, and wherein the interactive wagering application automatically selects the appropriate number of runners for the wager type.

8. The method defined in claim 1, wherein receiving a user input comprises receiving a single user input to automatically select all the wager criteria for a wager, wherein the wager criteria comprises a racetrack, a race, at least one runner, a wager type, and a wager amount, wherein each wager criterion is selected randomly.

9. The method defined in claim 1 further comprising displaying a screen on the user equipment that includes an onscreen option that allows the user to direct the interactive wagering application to automatically select the race and the at least one runner.

10. The method defined in claim 1, wherein the user equipment is selected from the group consisting of user television equipment, user computer equipment, user telephone equipment, cellular telephone equipment with a display, and handheld computer equipment.

11. An interactive wagering system for placing wagers on races using an interactive wagering application, comprising:

user equipment configured to;

receive, using the interactive wagering application, a user input to automatically select a race and at least one runner to be used in a wager;

access racing data comprising the available races and the available runners for those races;

randomly select, in response to receiving the user input, a race from the available races

randomly select at least one runner from the available runners for the selected race; and

place the wager for the selected race and selected at least one runner using the interactive wagering application.

12. The system defined in claim 11, wherein the user equipment is further configured to receive, using the interactive wagering application, a user input to randomly select a wager criterion, wherein the wager criterion is selected from the group consisting of a racetrack, a wager type, and a wager amount.

13. The system defined in claim 11, wherein the user equipment is further configured to receive, using the interactive wagering application, a user input to manually select a wager criterion, wherein the wager criterion is selected from the group consisting of a racetrack, a wager type, and a wager amount.

14. The system defined in claim 11, wherein the user equipment is further configured to receive, using the interactive wagering application, a user input to reselect a wager criterion at any point before placing the wager, wherein the wager criterion is selected from the group consisting of a racetrack, a race, at least one runner, a wager type, and a wager amount.

15. The system defined in claim 11, wherein the system further comprises a random-number generator, and wherein the user equipment is further configured to randomly select the race and randomly select the at least one runner using the random-number generator.

16. The system defined in claim 11, wherein the system further comprises equipment remote from the user equipment configured to process the wager after placing the wager.

17. The system defined in claim 11, wherein the wager is associated with a wager type, and wherein the interactive wagering application automatically selects the appropriate number of runners for the wager type.

18. The system defined in claim 11, wherein receiving a user input comprises receiving a single user input to automatically select all the wager criteria for a wager, wherein the wager criteria comprises a racetrack, a race, at least one runner, a wager type, and a wager amount, wherein each wager criterion is selected randomly.

19. The system defined in claim 11, wherein the user equipment is further configured to display a screen that includes an onscreen option that allows the user to direct the interactive wagering application to automatically select the race and the at least one runner.

20. The system defined in claim 11, wherein the user equipment is selected from the group consisting of user television equipment, user computer equipment, user telephone equipment, cellular telephone equipment with a display, and handheld computer equipment.

21. A computer-readable medium encoded with computer-readable instructions for use in placing interactive wagers on races using an interactive wagering application implemented at least in part on user equipment, the computer readable instructions comprising:

receiving, with the interactive wagering application, a user input to automatically select a race and at least one runner to be used in a wager;

accessing racing data comprising the available races and the available runners for those races;

in response to receiving the user input, randomly selecting a race from the available races and randomly selecting at least one runner from the available runners for the selected race; and

placing the wager for the selected race and selected at least one runner using the interactive wagering application on said user equipment.