Computer graphics processing and display of selectable items

• US 8,858,326 B2
• Filed: 09/12/2012
• Issued: 10/14/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CG Technology Development, LLC (Cantor Fitzgerald, L.P.)
• Original Assignee: Andrew Garrood, Anthony Storm, Foster Barton, Heather Parks, Lee Amaitis, Mike Colbert, Thomas D. Bradshaw
• Inventors: Amaitis, Lee, Garrood, Andrew, Colbert, Mike, Parks, Heather, Barton, Foster, Bradshaw, Thomas D., Storm, Anthony
• Primary Examiner(s): McClellan, James S
• Application Number:
  US13/612,084
• Publication Number:
  US 20130144410A1
• Time in Patent Office: 762 Days
• Field of Search: 463/21, 463/25, 463/29, 463/30, 463/31, 463/42
• US Class Current: 463/31
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/40 Data acquisition and logging for input to computer G06F3/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/34 Betting or bookmaking, e.g. Internet betting
• 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 17/3288 Betting, e.g. on live events, bookmaking

Abstract

Methods and systems are provided herewith for creating and managing wagers on possible states within a live event, such as possible outcomes of subparts of a sporting event or other possible occurrences within the event. An initial state and multiple possible future states of a performance parameter of the event is determined based on state information of the event. A betting market may be created by determining probabilities and odds for the possible future states. The betting market is closed after bets are received and before an end of an initial state of the performance parameter. A payout may be made to a winner who selected the correct outcome of the performance parameter.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving by at least one processor state information of a live event in real time, in which the live event comprises a sporting event played by human players in a playing area according to predetermined rules that are used to determine at least one winner of the sporting event;

determining by the at least one processor an initial state and a plurality of possible future states of a performance parameter of the live event based on the state information;

creating by the processor a first betting market for betting on at least one of the plurality of possible future states, in which the plurality of users comprises a first user, and in which the act of creating a first betting market comprises;

determining by the processor probabilities for the plurality of possible future states; and

based at least in part on the probabilities, determining by the processor odds for betting on at least one of the plurality of possible future states;

after creating the first betting market, receiving by the processor from a first of a plurality of users a first bet comprising a selection of one of the plurality of possible future states corresponding to a location in the playing area, in which the act of receiving the first bet comprises receiving an indication that the first of the plurality of users selected a portion of an image of at least a portion of the playing area, the selected portion corresponding to the location in the playing area;

after receiving the first bet, closing by the processor the first betting market prior to an end time of the initial state;

sending from the processor an instruction signal to close the first betting market;

determining by the processor an actual future state of the performance parameter;

determining by the processor that the possible future state selected by the first user is the actual future state; and

automatically paying a payout to the first user based on the first bet and the act of determining that the possible future state selected by the first user is the actual future state.

2. The method of claim 1,

in which the act of determining an actual future state of the performance parameter comprises automatically determining by a computer processor the actual future state of the performance parameter based on the state information received in real time, and

in which the act of determining probabilities for the plurality of possible future states comprises determining by the processor probabilities for the plurality of possible future states based at least in part on information received during the sporting event about an injury of a player in the sporting event.

3. The method of claim 1, in which the act of determining an actual future state of the performance parameter comprises receiving an identification of the actual future state from a manual input device.

4. The method of claim 1, the plurality of users comprises a second user and a third user, further comprising:

receiving from the second user a request to make a bet mutually exclusive to a bet of a third user.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

based on the request to bet against the third user, transmitting to the third user a request to make a bet mutually exclusive to a bet of the second user; and

receiving from the third user an acceptance of the request to make a bet mutually exclusive to a bet of the second user, in which the acceptance comprises a selection by the third user of a possible future state that is contrary to a possible future state selected by the second user.

6. The method of claim 5, in which the request to bet against the third user comprises a proposed first bet amount.

7. The method of claim 6, and the acceptance comprises a bet amount equal to the proposed first bet amount.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

determining that the possible future state selected by the second user is the actual future state;

paying a payout to the second user based on the proposed first bet amount.

9. The method of claim 7, in which the payout to the second user comprises an amount substantially equal to the proposed first bet amount, further comprising:

receiving the proposed first bet amount from the third user.

10. The method of claim 7, and the acceptance comprises a proposed second bet amount different from the proposed first bet amount.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

transmitting to the second user the proposed second bet amount;

receiving from the second user an acceptance of the proposed second bet amount;

determining that the possible future state selected by the second user is the actual future state;

paying a payout to the second user based on the proposed second bet amount.

12. The method of claim 4, further comprising prompting the second user to place a bet only if another user places an equal and opposite bet to the second user'"'"'s bet.

13. The method of claim 1, in which the act of opening the first betting market comprises:

automatically transmitting to the first user an offer to bet on at least one of the plurality of possible future states,

in which the sporting event occurs during an event time duration such that the sporting event begins at the beginning of the event time duration and ends at the end of the event time duration, the sporting event comprising a plurality of portions of the event occurring during sequential portions of the event time duration, in which a plurality of possible future states comprises a possible future state occurring at the end of one of the sequential time periods, and in which at least one betting market is created for each of the sequential time periods.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

automatically transmitting to the plurality of users event information in real time,

in which the act of receiving an indication that the first of the plurality of users selected a portion of an image of at least a portion of the playing area comprises receiving an indication that the first of the plurality of users selected the portion of the image on a user touch-screen device, and in which the image comprises a live image of the playing area.

15. The method of claim 14,

in which the act of transmitting comprises transmitting a live video of the live event to the plurality of users in real time,

in which the playing area comprises a football field, and

in which the first bet comprises a bet associated with a team reaching a yard line associated with the selected portion of the image.

16. The method of claim 1, in which the first bet is received from a first user gaming device, further comprising:

causing the first user gaming device to output first user bet information to other users.

17. The method of claim 16, in which the act of causing the first user gaming device to output first use bet information to other users comprises causing the first user gaming device to output first user bet information as at least one of light and sound at the first user gaming device.

18. The method of claim 16, in which the first user bet information is output as light of a particular color, in which the particular color corresponds to a type of the first user'"'"'s bet.

19. An apparatus comprising:

a processor; and

a memory, in which the memory stores instructions which, when executed by the processor, direct the processor to;

receive by the processor state information of a live event in real time, the live event comprising a sporting event played by human players according to predetermined rules that are used to determine at least one winner of the sporting event;

determine by the processor an initial state and a plurality of possible future states of a performance parameter of the live event based on the state information;

create by the processor a first betting market for betting on at least one of the plurality of possible future states, in which the plurality of users comprises a first user, in which the act of creating a first betting market comprises;

determining by the processor probabilities for the plurality of possible future states based at least in part on information received during the sporting event about an injury of a player in the sporting event; and

based on the probabilities, determining by the processor odds for betting on at least one of the plurality of possible future states;

after creating the first betting market, receive by the processor from a first of a plurality of users a first bet comprising a selection of one of the plurality of possible future states;

after receiving the first bet, close by the processor the first betting market prior to an end time of the initial state;

send from the processor an instruction signal to close the first betting market;

determine by the processor an actual future state of the performance parameter;

determine by the processor that the possible future state selected by the first user is the actual future state; and

automatically pay a payout to the first user based on the first bet and the act of determining that the possible future state selected by the first user is the actual future state.

20. An apparatus comprising:

a touch-sensitive display device comprising a user input device;

a processor operably connected to the display; and

a memory operably connected to the processor and the display, in which the memory stores instructions which, when executed by the processor, direct the processor to;

receive state information of a live event in real time, the live event comprising a sporting event played by human players on a playing field;

determine an initial state and a plurality of possible future states of a performance parameter of the live event based on the state information;

create a first betting market for betting on at least one of the plurality of possible future states, in which the plurality of users comprises a first user, in which the act of creating a first betting market comprises;

determining probabilities for the plurality of possible future states; and

based on the probabilities, determining odds for betting on at least one of the plurality of possible future states;

after creating the first betting market, receive from a first of a plurality of users a first bet comprising a selection of one of the plurality of possible future states;

after receiving the first bet, close the first betting market prior to an end time of the initial state;

send an instruction signal to close the first betting market;

determine an actual future state of the performance parameter;

determine that the possible future state selected by the first user is the actual future state; and

pay a payout to the first user based on the first bet and the act of determining that the possible future state selected by the first user is the actual future state;

cause the touch-sensitive display device to display an image of the playing field;

receive from the display device an indication that a user touched a portion of the image of the playing field on the touch-sensitive display, the portion of the playing field corresponding to a location or position on the playing field;

in response to receiving the indication, cause the touch-sensitive display device to output a selectable betting option related to the location or position on the playing field; and

receiving from the user a selection of the betting option related to the location or position on the playing field.