Systems and methods for promoting game play frequency

• US 9,511,279 B2
• Filed: 03/17/2014
• Issued: 12/06/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Roxor Gaming Limited
• Original Assignee: Gamesys, Ltd.
• Inventors: Elias, Hans, Young, Alexander Sandford Todd, Aicken, Thomas David James, Reeves, Robeson Mandela
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuff, Michael
• Application Number:
  US14/215,277
• Publication Number:
  US 20140274385A1
• Time in Patent Office: 995 Days
• Field of Search: 463/42, 463/40, 463/25
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/00 Video games, i.e. games using an electronically generated display having two or more dimensions gaming systems which provide a financial reward G07F17/32
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/44 involving timing of operations, e.g. performing an action within a time slot
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3211 Display means
• 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 17/3255 Incentive, loyalty and/or promotion schemes, e.g. comps, gaming associated with a purchase, gaming funded by advertisements

Abstract

The present invention provides methods, systems and apparatus for promoting game play frequency of online games. Embodiments include displaying a plurality of positioned game elements, wherein each positioned game element is associated with a game time period; displaying a game indicia associated with a positioned game element if a player has acquired a game piece during the game time period associated with the positioned game element; selecting one or more positioned game elements after a game duration; and awarding one or more prizes if the selected positioned game elements are associated with a game indicia. Numerous additional aspects are disclosed.

Claims

1. An online gaming system for managing game play frequency for a plurality of networked player devices, the online gaming system comprising:

a game server cluster comprising a plurality of game application servers configured to provide programming routines of a game play engine;

a load balancer configured to route communications from player devices to one or more game application servers of the game server cluster;

a game broadcaster server configured to transmit a broadcast feed of selected positioned game elements for an online secondary game;

a web server configured to provide graphical elements of an online gaming interface; and

an application delivery controller in communication with a plurality of player devices, the game broadcaster server, the game server cluster, and the web server, the application delivery controller comprising;

a processor; and

a memory storing instructions, the instructions adapted to execute on the processor to;

receive a call from a player device for an online gaming interface for an online game;

transmit a call to a game application server of the game server cluster, in accordance with the load balancer, to access programming routines of the game play engine;

receive, from the web server, a plurality of positioned game elements for the online gaming interface;

display, at the player device using the online gaming interface, the plurality of positioned game elements for an online secondary game, wherein each positioned game element is associated with a game time period;

display, at the player device using the online gaming interface and based on the game play engine, a game indicia associated with a positioned game element for the online secondary game if a game piece is acquired during the game time period associated with the positioned game element;

receive, from the game broadcaster server, a broadcast feed of selected positioned game elements for the online secondary game;

select, using the online gaming interface, one or more positioned game elements, after a game duration, based on the broadcast feed; and

award, using the online gaming interface, one or more prizes for the online secondary game for the selected positioned game elements that are associated with a game indicia.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the positioned game elements are grid positions.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the grid positions correspond to a calendar.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the game time period is at least one of an hour, a day, a week, and a month.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein a game piece can be acquired by accessing or playing an online primary game.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the instructions are further adapted to display the selected positioned game elements that include associated game indicia and to display the selected positioned game elements that do not include associated game indicia.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the instructions are further adapted to allow a player, using the online gaming interface, to reveal the prizes for the selected positioned game elements that are associated with game indicia.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein awarding one or more prizes comprises at least one of the following:

awarding a prize multiplier in response to determining that the player acquired a respective game piece for each of at least two consecutive game time periods; and

awarding a prize multiplier in response to determining that the player acquired a respective game piece for at least one special game time period.

9. A method for managing game play frequency for a plurality of networked player devices, the method comprising:

receiving, by an application delivery controller, a call from a player device for an online gaming interface for an online game,

wherein the application delivery controller is in communication with;

a game server cluster comprising a plurality of game application servers configured to provide programming routines of a game play engine,

a game broadcaster server configured to transmit a broadcast feed of selected positioned game elements for an online secondary game, and

a web server configured to provide graphical elements of an online gaming interface;

transmitting, by the application delivery controller to the game application server of the game server cluster, a call to access programming routines of the game play engine, in accordance with a load balancer configured to route communications from player devices to one or more game application servers of the game server cluster;

receiving, by the application delivery controller from the web server, a plurality of positioned game elements for the online gaming interface;

displaying, by the application delivery controller at the player device using the online gaming interface, the plurality of positioned game elements for an online secondary game, wherein each positioned game element is associated with a game time period;

displaying, by the application delivery controller at the player device using the online gaming interface and based on the game play engine, a game indicia associated with a positioned game element for the online secondary game if a game piece is acquired during the game time period associated with the positioned game element;

receiving, by the application delivery controller from the game broadcaster server, a broadcast feed of selected positioned game elements for the online secondary game;

selecting, by the application delivery controller using the online gaming interface and the game play engine, one or more positioned game elements, after a game duration, based on the broadcast feed; and

awarding, by the application delivery controller using the online gaming interface, one or more prizes for the online secondary game for the selected positioned game elements that are associated with a game indicia.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the positioned game elements are grid positions.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein the grid positions correspond to a calendar.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein the game time period is at least one of an hour, a day, a week, and a month.

13. The method of claim 9 wherein a game piece can be acquired by accessing or playing an online primary game.

14. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

displaying the selected positioned game elements that include associated game indicia and to display the selected positioned game elements that do not include associated game indicia.

15. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

allowing a player, using the online gaming interface, to reveal the prizes for the selected positioned game elements that are associated with game indicia.