Systems and methods for integrated game play through the use of barcodes on smart phones and hand held devices

• US 9,227,136 B2
• Filed: 09/04/2013
• Issued: 01/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: e2Interactive Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Linq3 Technologies, LLC
• Inventors: Cage, Daniel, Tashjian, David, Leach, Roy
• Primary Examiner(s): Elisca, Pierre E
• Application Number:
  US14/018,276
• Publication Number:
  US 20140066194A1
• Time in Patent Office: 853 Days
• Field of Search: 463/29
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0609 Buyer or seller confidence or verification
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3218 wherein at least part of the system is portable
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3223 Architectural aspects of a gaming system, e.g. internal configuration, master/slave, wireless communication
• 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 17/3237 about the players, e.g. profiling, responsible gaming, strategy/behavior of players, location of players
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3255 Incentive, loyalty and/or promotion schemes, e.g. comps, gaming associated with a purchase, gaming funded by advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/329 Regular and instant lottery, e.g. electronic scratch cards

Abstract

A user device in a system for selling gaming products receives a game play request from a user. Barcode information associated with a barcode at a location is obtained. The user device sends a gaming request associated with the game play request over a wireless network. The barcode information provides for verification that the gaming transaction occurs in a geographical location that is within the jurisdiction of the appropriate gaming authority.

Claims

1. A device for selling gaming products, comprising:

a barcode interface;

a communication interface that communicates over a wireless network; and

a processor configured to

receive a game play request from a user,

conduct a barcode transaction including barcode information using the barcode interface, and

upon completing the barcode transaction, send a gaming request associated with the game play request and including the barcode information over the communication interface,

wherein the gaming request is approved based on;

determining, based on the barcode information, a location of the user at the time of conducting the barcode transaction,

determining the user is located in an approved jurisdiction associated with a gaming authority for the gaming request,

determining a period of validity associated with the barcode information, and

determining the period of validity associated with the barcode information has not lapsed, and

wherein the location of the user is determined after the game play request is received from the user.

2. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

a display that displays an option to complete a gaming transaction; and

a user interface that detects the user selecting the option, wherein

the processor is configured to conduct the barcode transaction after the user selects the option.

3. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

a memory, wherein

the processor is configured to store the game play request in the memory.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein

the barcode interface is an imaging device configured to read a barcode, and

the processor is configured to

obtain barcode information encoded in the barcode, and

send the barcode information over the communication interface.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein the imaging device is a camera integrated in a mobile device or a dedicated barcode reader.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the gaming request is approved further based on:

determining a merchant associated with the location of the user at the time of conducting the barcode transaction;

cross-referencing a list of approved merchants associated with the gaming request at the location; and

determining the merchant is present on the list of approved merchants.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein

the barcode interface is a display configured to display a barcode readable by a terminal configured to read the barcode, and

the processor is configured to generate the barcode encoding the barcode information.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the device is a smart phone.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the communication interface is a cellular interface or a Wi-Fi interface.

10. A device for facilitating the sale of gaming products, comprising:

a first communication interface that communicates with a user device over a network;

a second communication interface that communicates with a gaming authority over a second network; and

a processor configured to;

receive a game play request from the user device over the first communication interface,

receive barcode information from the user device,

determine, based on the barcode information, a location of the user device,

determine the user device is located in an approved jurisdiction associated with the gaming authority,

determine a period of validity associated with the barcode information, and

determine the period of validity associated with the barcode information has not lapsed,

wherein the location of the user device is determined after the game play request is received from the user device.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein the device further comprises or further interacts with a gas pump.

12. The device according to claim 10, wherein the processor is configured to

send a ticketing request corresponding with the game play request to the gaming authority over the second network, and

send a notification including a result of the ticketing request to the user device over the first network.

13. The device according to claim 10, wherein

the user device includes a barcode interface,

the game play request includes information identifying a barcode, and

the processor is configured to verify the location of the user device based on the information identifying the barcode.

14. The device according to claim 10, further comprising

a barcode interface, wherein

the user device is configured to operate with the barcode interface,

the device and the user device share barcode information using the barcode interface.

15. A method for selling gaming product, comprising:

receiving, by a user device, a game play request from a user;

obtaining barcode information associated with a barcode at a location;

sending a gaming request associated with the game play request to a gaming facilitator;

sending the barcode information to the gaming facilitator;

determining a location of the user device based on the barcode information;

determining the user device is located in an approved jurisdiction associated with a gaming authority for the gaming request

determining a period of validity associated with the barcode information;

determining the period of validity associated with the barcode information has not lapsed;

obtaining payment authorization associated with the game play request;

sending a ticketing request corresponding with the gaming request to the gaming authority; and

sending a result of game play associated with the ticketing request to the user device,

wherein the location of the user device is determined after the game play request is received from the user device.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

reading, by an imaging device includes in the user device, the barcode to obtain the barcode information.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the user device sends the barcode information to the gaming facilitator.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein

the user device displays the barcode associated with the barcode information,

a terminal reads the barcode to obtain the barcode information, and

the terminal sends the barcode information to the gaming facilitator.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising

maintaining a list of approved barcode information, wherein

the determining the user device is located in the approved jurisdiction comprises determining that the barcode information that has been sent to the gaming facilitator is included in the list of approved barcode information.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the user device is a smart phone.

21. A non-transitory computer readable medium encoded thereon with a program that when executed by a processor of a user device, causes the processor to perform a method comprising:

receiving a game play request from a user,

obtaining barcode information associated with a barcode at a location, and

sending a gaming request including the barcode information and associated with the game play request over a wireless network to a gaming facilitator,

wherein the gaming request is approved based on;

determining, based on the barcode information, a location of the user at the time of obtaining the barcode information,

determining the user is located in an approved jurisdiction associated with a gaming authority for the gaming request,

determining a period of validity associated with the barcode information, and

determining the period of validity associated with the barcode information has not lapsed, and

wherein the location of the user is determined after the game play request is received from the user.