Television interactive gaming having local storage of game portal

• US 8,025,571 B2
• Filed: 10/14/2003
• Issued: 09/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DIRECTV, LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: The DIRECTV Group, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Klimczak, Peter, Mata, Jesus F., Cisneros, Shahla C., Soloff, Steven M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bumgarner; Melba
• Assistant Examiner(s): HARPER, TRAMAR YONG
• Application Number:
  US10/687,474
• Publication Number:
  US 20040198495A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,905 Days
• Field of Search: 463/42, 463/40, 463/25, 705/11
• US Class Current: 463/42
• 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 13/338 using television networks
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/46 Computing the game score
• 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 13/67 adaptively or by learning from player actions, e.g. skill level adjustment or by storing successful combat sequences for re-use
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/77 involving data related to game devices or game servers, e.g. configuration data, software version or amount of memory
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/798 for assessing skills or for ranking players, e.g. for generating a hall of fame computing the game score A63F13/46
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/80 Special adaptations for executing a specific game genre or game mode
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/401 Secure communication, e.g. using encryption or authentication
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/409 Data transfer via television network
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/532 using secure communication, e.g. by encryption, authentication
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5546 using player registration data, e.g. identification, account, preferences, game history
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/558 by assessing the players' skills or ranking
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/61 Score computation
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3295 Games involving skill, e.g. dexterity, memory, thinking

Abstract

The present invention relates to a system and method for interactive gaming comprising: a central broadcast center (10) transmitting signals over a first communications network; a gaming system (25) residing within the central broadcast center (10); a plurality of users who access the gaming system (25) via the first communication network. The gaming system (25) provides a plurality of games that incorporate a scoring protocol that provides real time scoring data transmitting from the plurality of users back to the gaming system via a second communication network. The plurality of users may review the real time scoring data via the first communications network.

Claims

1. A method of interactive gaming comprising:

transmitting a gaming application from a gaming system to a plurality of receivers via a first communications network, and storing the gaming application at the receiver, wherein each receiver in the plurality of receivers allows for a plurality of users to use the gaming application;

selecting a game from a plurality of games in the gaming system, wherein each game in the plurality of games is playable from a beginning of the selected game at the time of selection, the time of selection being after a time of transmission;

initiating the beginning of a game selected from the plurality of games from the gaming application at a time after a time of transmission of the gaming application;

submitting a user identification;

generating a plurality of questions per skill level;

initiating a question answer sequence;

incrementing through the plurality of questions while progressing through the question answer sequence;

incrementing each skill level upon completion of the question answer sequence for the plurality of questions;

calculating a time based score component for each skill level;

calculating a bonus score component for each skill level based on consecutive correct answers;

summing the time based score component and the bonus score component in order to determine a total level score for each skill level;

calculating a real time total user score associated with results of the question answer sequence by summing the total level score for each skill level completed by each user;

transmitting the real time total user score to the gaming system via a second communications network; and

transmitting a ranking of real time total user scores to each user via the first communications network.

2. The method of interactive gaming according claim 1, where the step of, calculating the time base score component, includes the steps of:

recording a total time to submit an answer to a question of the plurality of questions;

calculating an output score for said question based upon a ratio of the total time to submit an answer over a total time allotted to compete a question on the respective skill level;

summing the output scores for each question of the plurality of questions and outputting a question sum total; and

multiplying a question sum total times a skill level factor times a base question score.

3. The method of interactive gaming according claim 1, where the step of, calculating the bonus score component, includes the steps of:

incrementing a total number of questions asked Q(i)_asked by 1 for each iteration of the question answer sequence;

incrementing a total number of questions correct Q(i)_correct by 1 for each correct answer supplied by the user;

calculating a percentage correct based upon the ratio of Q(i)_correct over Q(i)_asked;

multiplying the percentage correct time a skill level factor times a base level bonus.

4. The method of interactive gaming according claim 1, where the step of, initiating the game, includes the steps of:

initiating communication with a gaming portal over the communications network;

selecting a game from a plurality of games accessible through the gaming portal; and

transmitting a gaming application and a database of questions associated with the gaming application.

5. The method of interactive gaming according claim 1, where the step of, generating the plurality of questions, includes the steps of:

collecting and selectively storing a plurality of system questions on a question database residing on the gaming system where step of selectively storing includes

associating each question of said plurality of system questions with a skill level for a gaming application; and

transmitting a portion of said plurality of system questions to a user upon request.

6. The method of interactive gaming according claim 1, where the step of, initiating the question answer sequence, includes the steps of:

activating a gaming application residing on a user controlled device;

reviewing a question on a user output device; and

inputting an answer using a user input device.

7. The method of interactive gaming according to claim 1, further including the steps of:

maintaining a question database within the gaming system;

supplementing the question database with new questions; and

constantly receiving new questions for completing the step of supplementing the question database.