Integrating social contact identifiers into wagering games

• US 8,974,289 B2
• Filed: 12/17/2012
• Issued: 03/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LNW Gaming Incorporated
• Original Assignee: WMS Gaming Incorporated (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Inventors: Allen, Jeffrey L., Gura, Damon E., Hornik, Jeremy M.
• Primary Examiner(s): McClellan, James S
• Application Number:
  US13/717,222
• Publication Number:
  US 20130150150A1
• Time in Patent Office: 813 Days
• Field of Search: 463/16, 463/20
• US Class Current: 463/20
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3218 wherein at least part of the system is portable
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3225 Data transfer within a gaming system, e.g. data sent between gaming machines and users
• 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 17/3281 wherein game attributes are transferred between players, e.g. points, weapons, avatars

Abstract

Described herein are processes and devices that integrate social contact identifiers into wagering games. Some embodiments include providing game play elements configured for use in presentation of possible outcomes for a wagering game, wherein the wagering game is associated with a first player account stored on an account server. Some embodiments further include selecting, via one or more processors, a second player account indicated in the first player account as a social contact of a player associated with the first player account. Some embodiments further include, via at least one of the one or more processors, providing a social contact identifier of the second player account for use in the wagering game to represent at least a portion of at least one of the game play elements.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

determining a first player account and one or more other player accounts that are social contacts of the first player account;

detecting, during a wagering game, an event triggering use of a social contact identifier in the wagering game;

selecting, from the one or more other player accounts, a second player account;

determining a social contact identifier associated with the second player account; and

via at least one or more processors, providing the social contact identifier associated with the second player account to represent at least a portion of a game play element of the wagering game.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the providing the social contact identifier associated with the second player account to represent a game play element of the wagering game, comprises using the social contact identifier associated with the second player account as a wild symbol for the wagering game.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 further comprising:

assigning a value to the social contact identifier associated with the second player account, wherein the value assigned to the social contact identifier associated with the second player account results in a winning outcome for the wagering game.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the providing the social contact identifier associated with the second player account to represent the game play element of the wagering game, comprises replacing the game play element of the wagering game with the social contact identifier associated with the second player account.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein the replacing the game play element of the wagering game with the social contact identifier associated with the second player account represents a change to an outcome of the wagering game.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the providing the social contact identifier associated with the second player account to represent a game play element of the wagering game, comprises integrating the social contact identifier associated with the second player account with the game play element of the wagering games.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a reward to award to the second player account based on the providing the social contact identifier associated with the second player account; and

notifying the second player account of the reward.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the selecting, from the one or more other player accounts, the second player account is in response to detecting input, associated with the first player account, wherein the input indicates a selection of the second player account.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the social contact identifier associated with the second player account comprises one or more of an avatar, a picture, user account name, a nickname, an identifying number, a serial number, a number sequence, a network address, a sound bite, a jingle, a catch-phrase, a spoken name, and an identifying sound.

10. One or more non-transitory machine-readable storage devices having instructions stored thereon, which when executed by a set of one or more processors causes the set of one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

determining a first player account and one or more other player accounts that are social contacts of the first player account;

detecting, during a wagering game, an event triggering use of a social contact identifier in the wagering game;

selecting, from the one or more other player accounts, a second player account;

determining a social contact identifier associated with the second player account;

providing the social contact identifier associated with the second player account for use instead of a game play element of the wagering game, wherein use of the social contact identifier instead of the game play element of the wagering game represents a change to an outcome of the wagering game.

11. The one or more non-transitory machine-readable storage devices of claim 10, said operations further comprising:

assigning a value to the social contact identifier associated with the second player account, wherein the value assigned to the social contact identifier associated with the second player account results in a winning outcome for the wagering game.

12. The one or more non-transitory machine-readable storage devices of claim 10, wherein use of the social contact identifier associated with the second player account within the wagering game affects a pay-out calculation of the wagering game.

13. The one or more non-transitory machine-readable storage devices of claim 10, said operations further comprising:

prior to the selecting the second player account, updating, in response to user input, a list of the one or more other player accounts that are social contacts of the first player account; and

selecting the second player account from the list of the one or more other player accounts.

14. The one or more non-transitory machine-readable storage devices of claim 10, wherein the social contact identifier associated with the second player account comprises one or more of an avatar, a picture, user account name, a nickname, an identifying number, a serial number, a number sequence, a network address, a sound bite, a jingle, a catch-phrase, a spoken name, and an identifying sound.

15. A system comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory unit configured to store instructions, wherein the instructions,

when executed by the at least one processors, cause the system to detect a first outcome for a wagering game, wherein the wagering game includes at least one game play element configured for use in presentation of the first outcome for the wagering game, wherein the wagering game is associated with a first player account,

select a second player account indicated in the first player account as a social contact of a player associated with the first player account, and

replace the at least one game play element with a social contact identifier of the second player account such that the first outcome changes to a second outcome different from the first outcome.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the instruction to replace the at least one game play element with the social contact identifier of the second player account such that the first outcome changes to a second outcome different from the first outcome, comprises an instruction to use the social contact identifier as a wild symbol for the wagering game.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the second player account is one of a plurality of player accounts indicated in the first player account and wherein the instruction to select the second player account comprises an instruction to select the second player account, from the plurality of player accounts, according to criteria other than randomness.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the at least one memory unit is configured to store instructions which, when executed by the at least one processors, cause the system to

gather a plurality of social contact identifiers from a social network server,

store the plurality of social contact identifiers on a client device, and

select the social contact identifier from the group of social contact identifiers stored on the client device.

19. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor; and

a memory unit configured to store instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to

determine a first player account and one or more other player accounts that are social contacts of the first player account,

detect, during a wagering game, an event triggering use of a social contact identifier in the wagering game,

select, from the one or more other player accounts, a second player account,

determine a social contact identifier associated with the second player account, and

integrate the social contact identifier associated with the second player account with at least one game play element configured for use in presentation of an outcome of the wagering game.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the memory unit is configured to store instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the apparatus to integrate the social contact identifier associated with the second player account to represent a change to the outcome of the wagering game.

21. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the memory unit is configured to store instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the apparatus to use the social contact identifier associated with the second player account as a wild symbol for the wagering game.

22. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the memory unit is configured to store instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the apparatus to assign a value to the social contact identifier associated with the second player account, wherein the value assigned to the social contact identifier associated with the second player account results in a winning outcome for the wagering game.