System and method for communicating game session information

• US 8,206,210 B2
• Filed: 06/08/2006
• Issued: 06/26/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: Walker Digital LLC (Walker Innovation Inc. (f/k/a Patent Properties, Inc.))
• Inventors: Walker, Jay S., Jorasch, James A., Gelman, Geoffrey M., Fincham, Magdalena M., Santisi, Steven M., Gilman, Norman C., Sparico, Thomas M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lewis, David L
• Assistant Examiner(s): McCulloch, William H
• Application Number:
  US11/423,055
• Publication Number:
  US 20060223629A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,210 Days
• Field of Search: 463/20, 463/21, 463/25
• US Class Current: 463/20
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3232 wherein the operator is informed
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3244 Payment aspects of a gaming system, e.g. payment schemes, setting payout ratio, bonus or consolation prizes
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3262 Player actions which determine the course of the game, e.g. selecting a prize to be won, outcome to be achieved, game to be played

Abstract

According to one or more embodiments of the present invention, a contract is established for a session comprising two or more plays of at least one gaming device. Information about the game play session, such as outcomes generated at the at least one gaming device, is communicated to a player device. The information is presented to a player via the player device.

Claims

1. A method of operating a gaming system comprising:

establishing, using a computing device operable to facilitate wagering games and over an electronic network, a contract with a player for a session of two of more plays of a gaming device,

the session being defined by at least one session parameter, the at least one session parameter including at least a contract price of the session, the contract price being less than a sum of wagers associated with the two or more plays comprising the session; and

the two or more plays comprising two or more distinct and random outcomes generated by the gaming device;

after establishing the contract, initiating, at the gaming device and using the computing device, the session;

determining, using the computing device, a symbol that denotes the session,

the symbol thereby denoting the at least one session parameter and not being a symbol that comprises one of the two or more distinct and random outcomes comprising the session, and

the symbol uniquely identifying the session for the player associated therewith;

determining, using at least one of the computing device and the gaming device, session information that is based on at least one play of the session; and

causing the symbol and the session information to be displayed on a display of a remote computing device associated with the player.

2. The method of claim 1, in which the contract price is a flat rate price.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an amount of funds from the player, the amount of funds for use in executing the session.

4. The method of claim 1, in which determining the symbol comprises:

receiving an indication of the symbol from the player.

5. The method of claim 1, in which causing the symbol and the session information to be displayed comprises:

causing the symbol and the session information to be displayed to the player simultaneously.

6. The method of claim 1, in which the remote computing device is a television.

7. The method of claim 1, in which the remote computing device is a personal computer.

8. The method of claim 1, in which the remote computing device is a personal digital assistant.

9. The method of claim 1, in which the remote computing device comprises a telephone.

10. The method of claim 1, in which causing the symbol and the session information to be displayed comprises:

causing the symbol to be displayed as in motion on the display of the remote computing device.

11. The method of claim 1, in which causing the symbol and the session information to be displayed comprises:

causing the symbol to be displayed; and

after causing the symbol to be displayed, causing the session information to be displayed.

12. The method of claim 1, in which the symbol comprises alphanumeric characters.

13. The method of claim 12, in which the symbol comprises less than six alphanumeric characters.

14. The method of claim 12, in which the symbol consists of four alphanumeric characters.

15. The method of claim 12, in which the symbol comprises a sequence of capitalized letters.

16. The method of claim 1, in which the session information comprises a credit balance that is associated with the session.

17. The method of claim 1, in which the session information comprises an amount won during the session.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a payout amount corresponding to at least one outcome of the session, and

in which the session information comprises the payout amount.

19. The method of claim 1, in which the at least one session parameter comprises at least one of:

a manner in which the session information is to be displayed at the remote computing device;

a time at which the session information is to be displayed at the remote computing device;

a time at which the session information is to be transmitted to the remote computing device; and

an indication of the remote computing device at which the session information is to be displayed.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of initiating comprises:

initiating the session on the gaming device on behalf of the player, such that at least one of the two or more random and distinct outcomes of the session are generated on behalf of the player without a direct initiation of a generation of the at least one outcome by the player.

21. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing an indication of at least one outcome of the two or more distinct and random outcomes.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein storing comprises:

storing the indication of the at least one outcome of the two or more distinct and random outcomes in a memory of the computing device that performs the establishing step.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

receiving a request from a player to display the at least one outcome at the remote computing device; and

causing, in response to receiving the request, the at least one outcome to be displayed via the display of the remote computing device.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein storing comprises:

causing an indication of the at least one outcome of the two or more distinct and random outcomes to be stored in a memory of the remote computing device.

25. A method of operating a gaming system comprising:

causing, using a processor of a computing device operable to facilitate a wagering game, a session of flat rate play of a gaming device to be initiated in accordance with at least one price parameter,

the session comprising two or more distinct and random outcomes of the wagering game and being defined by at least one session parameter, the at least one session parameter including at least a contract price of the session, the contract price being less than a sum of wagers associated with the two or more distinct and random outcomes;

determining, using the processor, a symbol that denotes the session of flat rate play,

the symbol thereby denoting the at least one session parameter and not being a symbol that comprises one of the two or more distinct and random outcomes, and

the symbol uniquely identifying the session for a player associated therewith;

determining, using the processor, session information that is associated with the session of flat rate play; and

causing the symbol and the session information to be displayed on a display of a remote computing device associated with the player.

26. The method of claim 25, in which the session of flat rate play is for a pre-established number of distinct and random outcomes of the gaming device.

27. The method of claim 25, in which the session of flat rate play is for a pre-established number of winning distinct and random outcomes of the gaming device.

28. The method of claim 25, in which the session of flat rate play is for a pre-established duration of play of the gaming device.

29. The method of claim 25, in which the flat rate play session comprises a period of game play during which the player need not make funds available for an individual game play.

30. The method of claim 25, further comprising:

determining at least one player selected price parameter comprising the at least one price parameter;

determining at least one operator price parameter comprising the at least one price parameter; and

in which causing the flat rate play session to be initiated comprises;

causing a flat rate play session to be initiated based on at least one of the at least one player selected price parameter and the at least one operator price parameter.

31. The method of claim 25, further comprising:

determining at least one player selected price parameter comprising the at least one price parameter;

determining at least one operator price parameter comprising the at least one price parameter;

determining the contract price based at least on at least one of the at least one player selected price parameter and the at least one operator price parameter; and

receiving an indication of acceptance of the contract price,

in which initiating the flat rate play session comprises;

initiating the flat rate play session after receiving the indication of acceptance of the contract price.

32. The method of claim 25, in which the at least one session parameter comprises at least one of:

a number of distinct and random outcomes,

a number of winning distinct and random outcomes,

a duration of time, and

a flat rate price package.

33. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions for directing a processor to perform a method, the method comprising:

establishing a contract with a player for a session of two or more plays of a gaming device,

the session being defined by at least one session parameter, the at least one session parameter including at least a contract price of the session, the contract price being less than a sum of wagers associated with the two or more plays comprising the session; and

the two or more plays comprising two or more distinct and random outcomes generated by the gaming device;

after establishing the contract, initiating the session;

determining a symbol that denotes the session, the symbol thereby denoting the at least one session parameter and not being a symbol that comprises one of the two or more distinct and random outcomes comprising the session, and the symbol uniquely identifying the session for the player associated therewith;

determining session information that is based on at least one play of the session; and

causing the symbol and the session information to be displayed on a display of a remote computing device associated with the player.

34. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions for directing a processor to perform a method, the method comprising:

causing a session of flat rate play of a gaming device to be initiated in accordance with at least one price parameter,

the session comprising two or more distinct and random outcomes of a wagering game and being defined by at least one session parameter, the at least one session parameter including at least a contract price of the session, the contract price being less than a sum of wagers associated with the two or more distinct and random outcomes;

determining a symbol that denotes the session of flat rate play, the symbol thereby denoting the at least one session parameter and not being a symbol that comprises one of the two or more distinct and random outcomes, and the symbol uniquely identifying the session for a player associated therewith;

determining session information that is associated with the session of flat rate play; and

causing the symbol and the session information to be displayed on a display of a remote computing device associated with the player.