Adaptive mobile device gaming system

• US 9,600,976 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2014
• Issued: 03/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aristocrat Technologies Incorporated (Aristocrat Leisure Limited)
• Original Assignee: Nguyen Gaming LLC
• Inventors: Nguyen, Binh T., Thomas, C. Douglass
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim, Kevin Y
• Application Number:
  US14/211,536
• Publication Number:
  US 20140274342A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,103 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3211 Display means
• 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 17/3237 about the players, e.g. profiling, responsible gaming, strategy/behavior of players, location of players
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3241 Security aspects of a gaming system, e.g. detecting cheating, device integrity, surveillance computer security G06F21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3288 Betting, e.g. on live events, bookmaking

Abstract

Embodiments disclosed herein concern mobile gaming environments. Portable electronic devices can be supported by the mobile gaming environments. The locations of the portable electronic device can influence how the portable electronic devices operate or what services or features are available to the portable electronic device or their users. According to one embodiment, a mobile gaming system can concern gaming/betting opportunities that can be secured using a portable electronic device even when an individual is located in a location where betting or games of chance are not permitted. According to another embodiment, a mobile gaming system can concern an application program operating on a portable electronic device that supports multiple modes of operation depending upon whether the portable electronic device is in a location where betting or games of chance are permitted.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer readable medium including at least computer program code for an application program stored thereon, the application program being executable by a computing device, said non-transitory computer readable medium comprising:

computer program code for causing presentment of a betting opportunity via the application program, the betting opportunity pertaining to an available wager having characteristics that may change over time;

computer program code for determining whether a user of the application program desires to pursue the betting opportunity;

computer program code for determining whether the computing device is in a gaming authorized location or a gaming unauthorized location;

computer program code for permitting a bet based on the betting opportunity to be placed for the user of the computing device, when it is determined that the user of the application program desires to pursue the betting opportunity and the computing device is determined to be in a gaming authorized location; and

computer program code for initiating locking in the betting opportunity for future execution for the user of the computing device, when it is determined that the user of the application program desires to pursue the betting opportunity and the computing device is determined to be in a gaming unauthorized location, the locking in the betting opportunity preserves the betting opportunity for the user but does not place a bet based on the betting opportunity such that the user is later able to make the available wager with its characteristics as existed when the betting opportunity was locked even though the characteristics of the available wager have since changed,

wherein the computing device includes a wireless transceiver configured to communicate over a wireless network.

2. A non-transitory computer readable medium as recited in claim 1, said non-transitory computer readable medium comprising:

computer program code for executing a bet corresponding to the betting opportunity that has been previously locked for the user of the computing device when the location of the computing device is later located in a gaming authorized location, the executing the bet operates to place the bet.

3. A non-transitory computer readable medium as recited in claim 1, said non-transitory computer readable medium comprising:

computer program code for determining whether the computing device is in a gaming authorized location at least after the betting opportunity has been locked in;

computer program code for displaying a betting activation confirmation if the location of the computing device is located in a gaming authorized location;

computer program code for determining whether a betting confirmation has been received in response to the betting activation confirmation; and

computer program code for initiating execution of a bet corresponding to the betting opportunity for the user of the computing device if it is determined that the betting confirmation has been received and if the location of the computing device is located in a gaming authorized location, the initiating execution of the bet operates cause the bet to be placed.

4. A non-transitory computer readable medium as recited in claim 3, wherein the computer program code for determining whether the computing device is in a gaming authorized location operates to periodically determine whether the computing device is in a gaming authorized location.

5. A non-transitory computer readable medium as recited in claim 1, wherein the computing device is a portable electronic device, and wherein said non-transitory computer readable medium comprises:

computer program code for displaying a betting opportunity to the user via the portable electronic device associated with the user;

computer program code for receiving, using the portable electronic device, a bet amount for the betting opportunity;

computer program code for displaying a bet option fee for locking in a bet option to make the bet amount;

computer program code for receiving, using the portable electronic device, an acceptance of the bet option fee; and

computer program code for initiating locking of the bet option to make the bet amount for the user.

6. A non-transitory computer readable medium as recited in claim 5, said non-transitory computer readable medium comprising:

computer program code for initiating activation of a bet corresponding to the bet option once the determining determines that the portable electronic device is in a gaming authorized location.

7. A non-transitory computer readable medium as recited in claim 5, wherein the bet option has an expiration time, and said non-transitory computer readable medium comprises:

computer program code for closing the bet option at the expiration time.

8. A non-transitory computer readable medium as recited in claim 5, said non-transitory computer readable medium comprises:

computer program code for periodically determining whether the portable electronic device is in a gaming authorized location, so long as the bet option has not been closed; and

computer program code for initiating activation of a bet corresponding to the bet option once the determining determines that the portable electronic device is in a gaming authorized location.

9. An electronic wager management system for managing wagers of a game of chance by for a user, said electronic wager management system comprising:

a portable electronic device operatively connectable to the one or more networks, the portable electronic device including a memory storing at least computer program code for an application program, the at least computer program code for the application program being executable by a processor of the portable electronic device, and the computer program code stored in the memory comprises;

computer program code for causing presentment of a betting opportunity via the application program, the betting opportunity pertaining to an available wager having characteristics that may change over time;

computer program code for determining whether a user of the application program desires to pursue the betting opportunity;

computer program code for determining whether the computing device is in a gaming authorized location or a gaming unauthorized location;

computer program code for permitting a bet based on the betting opportunity to be placed for the user of the computing device, when it is determined that the user of the application program desires to pursue the betting opportunity and the computing device is determined to be in a gaming authorized location; and

computer program code for initiating locking in the betting opportunity for future execution for the user of the computing device, when it is determined that the user of the application program desires to pursue the betting opportunity and the computing device is determined to be in a gaming unauthorized location, the locking in the betting opportunity preserves the betting opportunity for the user but does not place a bet based on the betting opportunity such that the user is later able to make the available wager with its characteristics as existed when the betting opportunity was locked even though the characteristics of the available wager have since changed, wherein the bet preserved by the betting opportunity being locked is able to be subsequently placed by unlocking the previously preserved betting opportunity when the computing device is later determined to be in a gaming authorized location.

10. A non-transitory computer readable medium including at least computer program code for an application program stored thereon, the application program being executable by a computing device, said non-transitory computer readable medium comprising:

computer program code for causing presentment of a betting opportunity via the application program, the betting opportunity pertaining to an available wager having characteristics that may change over time; and

computer program code for initiating locking in the betting opportunity for future execution for the user of the computing device, when it is determined that the user of the application program desires to pursue the betting opportunity, the locking in the betting opportunity preserves the betting opportunity for the user but does not place a bet based on the betting opportunity such that the user can later make the available wager with its characteristics as existed when the betting opportunity was locked even though the characteristics of the available wager have since changed.

11. A non-transitory computer readable medium as recited in claim 10, said non-transitory computer readable medium comprising:

computer program code for subsequently initiating executing a bet corresponding to the betting opportunity that has been previously locked for the user of the computing device, the executing the bet operates to place the bet.

12. A non-transitory computer readable medium as recited in claim 10, said non-transitory computer readable medium comprising:

computer program code for determining whether the computing device is in a gaming authorized location at least after the betting opportunity has been locked in;

computer program code for displaying a betting activation confirmation if the location of the computing device is located in a gaming authorized location;

computer program code for determining whether a betting confirmation has been received in response to the betting activation confirmation; and

computer program code for initiating execution of a bet corresponding to the betting opportunity for the user of the computing device if it is determined that the betting confirmation has been received and if the location of the computing device is located in a gaming authorized location, the initiating execution of the bet operates cause the bet to be placed.

13. A non-transitory computer readable medium including at least computer program code for an application program stored thereon, the application program being executable by a computing device, said non-transitory computer readable medium comprising:

computer program code for causing presentment of a betting opportunity via the application program, the betting opportunity pertaining to an available wager having characteristics that may change over time;

computer program code for initiating locking in the betting opportunity for future execution for the user of the computing device, when it is determined that the user of the application program desires to pursue the betting opportunity, the locking in the betting opportunity preserves the betting opportunity for the user but does not place a bet based on the betting opportunity such that the user can later make the available wager with its characteristics as existed when the betting opportunity was locked even though the characteristics of the available wager may have since changed;

computer program code for monitoring whether the computer device is in a gaming authorized location; and

computer program code for automatically initiating executing a bet corresponding to the betting opportunity that has been previously locked for the user of the computing device, the executing the bet operates to initiate placing of the bet when the location of the computing device is located in a gaming authorized location.