Jukebox entertainment system having multiple choice games relating to music

• US 7,819,734 B2
• Filed: 05/12/2009
• Issued: 10/26/2010
• 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): Vo; Peter DungBa
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shah; Milap
• Application Number:
  US12/453,467
• Publication Number:
  US 20090280884A1
• Time in Patent Office: 532 Days
• Field of Search: 463/1, 463/9, 463/25, 463 40- 43
• 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 multiple choice competition games, characterized in that it comprises at least one terminal including connection means to a dedicated remote server (1), the system also comprising means of playing an extract of a recording with a configurable duration on at least one terminal (2, 3) comprising means of reproducing the recording, means of interaction with a user and means (21, 31) of connection with a dedicated remote server (1), means of asking a terminal user a question and suggesting multiple choice answers, the question being related to information characteristic of the extract of the recording, and the recording being selected by means independent of the terminal user.

Claims

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

a remote server; and

at least one terminal operable to communicate with the server over a communications network, the at least one terminal including;

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 to operate as a jukebox system, the terminal including a storage device that stores a library of musical recordings that are playable in full on the terminal for a fee, the library of musical recordings being updated with additional musical recordings through communication with the server so as to define a customized library of musical recordings on the jukebox system,

wherein the entertainment system comprises a game module operable 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 operable to randomly select the musical recording to be used for the game from a subset of musical recordings in the customized library of musical recordings, each musical recording in the subset lacking a flag indicating that the musical recording cannot be used for the game, and

wherein the jukebox system is operable 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 is operable to send information to the server regarding how the user performed during the game.

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

4. The entertainment system of claim 3, wherein the server is operable to send user ranking information to the terminal, and the terminal is operable 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 operable to communicate with the server, and wherein the server is operable 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 operable 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 operable 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 operable 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 configured to operate as a jukebox, the at least one terminal including a storage device that stores an electronic library of musical recordings, the at least one terminal enabling a song selected by a user to be played in full without engaging a game function operable on the at least one terminal;

a remote server operable to communicate with the at least one terminal via a communications network; and

a game module operable 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,

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

wherein the at least one terminal is operable to randomly select the musical recording to be used for the game from a subset of musical recordings in the customized library of musical recordings, each musical recording in the subset lacking a flag indicating that the musical recording cannot be used for the game, and

wherein the at least one 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.