Method and apparatus for conducting a first and second level game and a game of chance

• US 8,727,867 B2
• Filed: 12/30/2004
• Issued: 05/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Scientific Games Corporation
• Original Assignee: Scientific Games Corporation
• Inventors: Kane, Steven N., Hardy, Dow K., Herrmann, Mark E., LaRocca, Paul, Sabet, Bijan, Yanowitz, Jason
• Primary Examiner(s): Suhol, Dmitry
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kim, Andrew
• Application Number:
  US11/027,007
• Publication Number:
  US 20050250574A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,428 Days
• Field of Search: 463 16- 22, 463/25, 463/30, 463/42, 463/43
• US Class Current: 463/25
• 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 2300/8094 Unusual game types, e.g. virtual cooking
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3267 Game outcomes which determine the course of the subsequent game, e.g. double or quits, free games, higher payouts, different new games
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/329 Regular and instant lottery, e.g. electronic scratch cards
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3295 Games involving skill, e.g. dexterity, memory, thinking

Abstract

A system and method are provided for playing a game of chance. The game of chance may include, for example, a lottery-type game. A result of the game of chance is revealed to a player in another medium. In one example, the result is revealed during multiple game instances of one or more online games. In one example, the online game includes a maze-based game similar to the well-known game of PAC-MAN.

Claims

1. A method for playing a game of chance comprising acts of:

issuing a ticket to a player, the ticket including a code printed on a surface of the ticket;

accepting on a server a connection request;

displaying in response to the connection request a web page;

displaying within the web page a computer-based interface configured to permit a player to access a first level game, the first level game comprising a maze game involving a collection of items positioned in a maze;

determining results of the game of chance after issuance of the ticket but prior to play of the game of chance;

accepting, by the computer-based interface, the code printed on the surface of the issued ticket, wherein the act of accepting includes an act of permitting the user to enter the code printed on the surface of the ticket into the computer-based interface;

providing security access to the web page in response to processing the code printed on the surface of the issued ticket;

displaying the first level game in response to the act of providing security access to the web page, wherein access to the first level game is restricted until security access is granted;

permitting the player to play the first level game;

obtaining the results of the game of chance using the code printed on the surface of the ticket in response to the act of providing security access to the web page;

determining an outcome of the first level game in response to the player initiating play of the first level game, wherein the first level game is configured to permit the skill of the player to determine the outcome of the first level game;

permitting the player to collect items displayed within an interface of the first level game;

permitting the player to play a second level game regardless of the outcome of the first level game;

requiring that the player use at least one of any items collected during play of the first level game in the second level game;

revealing one or more prizes during play of the second level game, wherein the act of revealing includes an act of accessing reveal elements in the second level game using the at least one of any items collected in the first level game, wherein the outcome of the first level game is independent of the act of revealing one or more prizes in the second level game; and

providing the results of the game of chance through the act of revealing one or more prizes.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the act of issuing a ticket includes issuing at least one of a lottery ticket, a scratch ticket, and a pull-tab ticket.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising an act of downloading a computer-based game, wherein the act of downloading occurs in response to providing security access to the web page in response to processing the code printed on the surface of the ticket.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the act of obtaining the results of the game of chance further comprises an act of permitting access to the results of the game of chance by using the code as a decryption key.

5. The method according to claim 3, further comprising acts of:

storing, in a database of a computer system, a portion of a decryption key;

obtaining the portion of the decryption key from the database;

generating the decryption key from the portion of the decryption key and at least a portion of the code; and

wherein the act of obtaining the results of the game of chance includes using the decryption key by the computer system to obtain the results.

6. The method according to claim 5, further comprising an act of obtaining, from the database of the computer system, the portion of the decryption key based on an identifier printed on the ticket.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the identifier is a serial number associated with the ticket.

8. The method according to claim 3, further comprising an act of providing a uniform resource locator (URL) on the surface of the issued ticket, and wherein the web page is identified by the URL on the surface of the issued ticket.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising an act of storing, on a server, the results of the ticket-based game.

10. The method according to claim 1, further comprising an act of associating the results of the game of chance with the ticket in response to the act of issuing the ticket to the player.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the maze game includes a display for the second level game in which one or more prizes are revealed, and wherein the maze game includes a collection of items positioned in a maze, and the act of permitting the player to collect items displaying within an interface of the first level game, includes permitting the player to collect the items positioned in the maze.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein the ticket discloses the number of game instances of the first level game awarded to the player.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein a prize total for the ticket is predetermined, and the method further comprises an act of presenting the prize total as a sequence of reveals in the second level game.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the sequence;

of reveals is predetermined.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the sequence of reveals is stored in a database of a server.

16. The method according to claim 13, wherein the reveals are randomly determined by the client.

17. The method according to claim 13, wherein the sequence of reveals is determined by a predetermined game script.

18. The method according to claim 17, further comprising an act of determining a predetermined game script where a magnitude of prizes awarded for reveals associated with later win opportunities are progressively greater than the magnitude of prizes associate with reveals associated with earlier win opportunities.

19. The method according to claim 17, further comprising an act of determining, for an issued ticket indicated as a losing ticket, a game script comprising an indication that the player was substantially close to winning.

20. The method according to claim 13, wherein the sequence of reveals is determined dynamically by a game playing computer system.

21. The method according to claim 1, wherein the reveal element is used by the player to reveal a prize won by the player.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein the prize won by the player is at least one of cash, merchandise, and credit.

23. The method according to claim 21, wherein an indication of the prize won by the player is stored in a database of a server, and is downloaded to a computer presenting the computer-based game to the player.

24. The method according to claim 1, wherein the reveal element associated with the second level game is an item collected in the first level game, and wherein the method further comprises acts of:

permitting the player, in the second level game, to select among a plurality of objects;

upon selecting, by the player, a particular one of the plurality of objects, performing acts of;

if the particular one of the plurality of objects is associated with a prize, awarding the prize to the player; and

displaying an indication of the awarded prize to the player.

25. The method according to claim 24, further comprising an act of associating a set of items collected in the first level game with corresponding pay table entries in the second level game.

26. The method according to claim 25, further comprising an act of displaying, upon the selection of the particular one of the plurality of objects, a pay table entry associated with the collected item.

27. The method according to claim 24, wherein the awarded prize is predetermined.

28. The method according to claim 24, wherein the act of selecting the particular one of the plurality of objects is independent of an act of determining what prize is awarded by the act of awarding.

29. The method according to claim 1, further comprising an act of associating, with the ticket, additional opportunities to win.

30. The method according to claim 29, wherein the additional opportunities to win include one or more additional reveals of results associated with the game of chance.

31. The method according to claim 30, wherein the one or more additional reveals of results are presented during play of an online game.

32. The method according to claim 1, further comprising an act of providing, by a first server associated with the first level game, a result associated with the game of chance.

33. The method according to claim 32, wherein the first server further comprises a random number generator, and the random number generator performs an act of determining a set of numbers associated with the issued ticket.

34. The method according to claim 33, wherein the game of chance includes a least one Keno game and a bingo game, and the act of determining a set of numbers associated with the issued ticket comprises an act of selecting a predetermined number of numbers from a predetermined set of numbers.

35. The method according to claim 32, further comprising an act of determining a set of winning numbers associated with the game of chance.

36. The method according to claim 35, further comprising an act of determining the result of the game of chance based on a comparison of the set of numbers associated with the issued ticket and the set of winding numbers.

37. The method according to claim 1, wherein the code printed on the surface of the ticket is unique among indicators of a plurality of tickets.

38. The method according to claim 1, further comprising an act of permitting the player to redeem the issued ticket without playing the game on a different medium.

39. The method according to claim 38, wherein the player must wait a predetermined time period before redeeming the ticket.

40. The method according to claim 38, wherein the player must wait until a specific event has been completed before redeeming the ticket.

41. The method according to claim 38, wherein the player is permitted to redeem the ticket online.

42. The method according to claim 41, wherein the player is permitted to redeem the ticket to play one or more additional games.

43. The method according to claim 42, further comprising an act of receiving an access code for playing the one or more additional online games.

44. The method according to claim 43, wherein the access code is transmitted electronically to the player.

45. The method according to claim 1, wherein the player must wait until a specific event has been completed before gaining access to obtain results associated with the ticket.

46. The method according to claim 1, wherein the issued ticket discloses a number of game instances awarded to the player.

47. The method according to claim 1, wherein the prize total for the ticket is determined after the ticket is issued to the player.

48. The method according to claim 47, further comprising an act of determining an outcome associated with the ticket based on a drawing.

49. The method according to claim 48, further comprising an act of permitting the player to play another game in response to the act of determining the outcome.

50. The method according to claim 1, wherein the prize total for the ticket is determined prior to issuing the ticket to the player.

51. The method according to claim 1, wherein the maze game is a multiplayer game.

52. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first level game is played by at least one player over the Internet.

53. The method according to claim 1, further comprising acts of downloading a list of high scores associated with the play of the first level game and displaying the list to the player.

54. The method according to claim 1, further comprising an act of downloading a game program, the game program, when executed, renders an interface of the first level game in an interface of a game-playing computer system.

55. The method according to claim 54, wherein the game program does not require an installation of one or more components on the game-playing computer system.

56. The method according to claim 54, wherein the game program executes within a browser program window in an interface of the game-playing computer system.

57. The method according to claim 54, wherein the game program is programmed using Macromedia Flash programming.