Control of mobile game play on a mobile vessel

• US 9,630,096 B2
• Filed: 10/01/2012
• Issued: 04/25/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/03/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aristocrat Technologies Incorporated (Aristocrat Leisure Limited)
• Original Assignee: Nguyen Gaming LLC
• Inventors: Nguyen, Binh T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lewis, David L
• Assistant Examiner(s): WILLIAMS, ROSS A
• Application Number:
  US13/632,828
• Publication Number:
  US 20140094295A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,667 Days
• Field of Search: 463 40- 42
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/12 involving interaction between a plurality of game devices, e.g. transmisison or distribution systems protocols for networked virtual reality, networked games H04L29/06034
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/216 using geographical information, e.g. location of the game device or player using GPS
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/25 Output arrangements for video game devices
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/30 Interconnection arrangements between game servers and game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/35 Details of game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/73 Authorising game programs or game devices, e.g. checking authenticity
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/92 Video game devices specially adapted to be hand-held while playing
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/405 being a wireless ad hoc network, e.g. Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Pico net
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/406 Transmission via wireless network, e.g. pager or GSM
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/516 connected to a local network, e.g. in a plane, hotel
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/00 Security arrangements; Authentication; Protecting privacy or anonymity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/61 Time-dependent
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/64 using geofenced areas
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/42 for mass transport vehicles, e.g. buses, trains or aircraft

Abstract

In one embodiment, a system and method for controlling mobile gaming on a vessel may have a plurality of mobile gaming devices, a location server operable to track a device position of each of the plurality of mobile gaming devices and track a vessel position of the vessel, and a mobile gaming management server configured to communicate with the location server and a gaming server, the mobile gaming management server operable to individually control whether each of the plurality of mobile gaming devices is permitted to play a game of chance based on the device position and the vessel position.

Claims

1. A system for controlling mobile gaming on a vessel, comprising:

a plurality of mobile gaming devices, each of the plurality of mobile gaming devices associated with a player, each of the plurality of mobile gaming devices having a location receiver;

a location server operable to;

receive device location data from the location receiver;

determine if at least one of the plurality of mobile gaming devices is located on the vessel based on the received device location data;

track a device position of the at least one of the plurality of mobile gaming devices, the device position based on the received device location data and being relative to the vessel;

determine if the device position is located in at least one game play vessel region;

track a vessel position, the vessel position being a global location relative to earth; and

determine if the vessel position is located in at least one game play geographic region; and

a mobile gaming management server configured to;

communicate with the location server and a gaming server, and

permit a game of chance to be played on the at least one of the plurality of mobile gaming devices if (i) the vessel position is determined to be located in at least one game play geographic region, (ii) the at least one of the plurality of mobile gaming devices is determined to be located on the vessel, and (iii) the device position of the at least one of the plurality of mobile gaming devices is determined to be located in at least one game play vessel region.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the mobile gaming management server is further operable to individually control whether each of the plurality of mobile gaming devices is permitted to play the game of chance based on a predefined time rule.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the mobile gaming management server is further operable to automatically terminate or deny permission to play of the game of chance based on the device position and/or the vessel position.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the mobile gaming management server includes a gaming rules database, the gaming rules database including at least one predetermined gaming region and at least one control parameter associated with the at least one predetermined gaming region.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the at least one control parameter determines whether the player can play a game of chance based upon at least a predetermined time rule or the device position of each of the plurality of mobile gaming devices.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the game server is configured to transmit at least one game of chance to the mobile gaming management server.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the game server further includes or communicates with a player database configured to store player information.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the mobile gaming management server is further operable to individually control whether each of the plurality of mobile gaming devices is permitted to play the game of chance based on the stored player information.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the location server includes a global position server operable to track the vessel position.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the location server includes a position server operable to track the device position.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the location server is configured to periodically obtain the device position and the vessel position.

12. A method for controlling mobile gaming on a vessel, comprising:

tracking a vessel position of the vessel;

determining if the vessel position is located in a game play geographic region;

determining if at least one of a plurality of mobile gaming devices is located on the vessel based on device location data for the at least one of the plurality of mobile gaming devices corresponding thereto;

tracking a device position for the at least one of a plurality of mobile gaming devices if it is determined that the at least one of the plurality of mobile gaming devices is located on the vessel, the device position based on the device location data for the at least one of the plurality of mobile gaming devices corresponding thereto;

determining if the at least one of the plurality of mobile gaming devices is located in a game play vessel region based on the device location data for the at least one of the plurality of mobile gaming devices corresponding thereto;

receiving a request to play a game of chance from at least one of the plurality of mobile gaming devices; and

enabling the game of chance to be played on the at least one of the plurality of mobile gaming devices if the determining determines that the vessel position is located in a game play geographic region, the at least one of the plurality of mobile gaming devices is located on the vessel based on device location data, and the at least one of the plurality of mobile gaming devices is located in a game play vessel region based on device location data.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

periodically updating the vessel position and the device position of each of the plurality of mobile gaming devices.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

determining whether the game of chance is permitted to be played on each of the plurality of mobile gaming devices based on the updated vessel position and the updated device position; and

automatically terminating the game of chance currently played on each of the plurality of mobile gaming devices if the determining determines that the game of chance is not permitted to be played on each of the plurality of mobile gaming devices based on the updated vessel position and the updated device position.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the method comprises:

determining whether the game of chance is permitted to be played on the at least one of the plurality of mobile gaming devices based on a predefined time rule; and

enabling the game of chance on the at least one of the plurality of mobile gaming devices if the determining determines that the game of chance is permitted to be played based on the predefined time rule.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the method comprises:

determining whether the game of chance is permitted to be played on the at least one of the plurality of mobile gaming devices based on player information; and

enabling the game of chance to be played on the at least one of the plurality of mobile gaming devices if the determining determines that the game of chance is permitted to be played based on the player information.

17. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

transmitting a deny message to the at least one of the plurality of mobile gaming devices if the game of chance is not enabled to be played on the at least one of the plurality of mobile gaming devices.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein the vessel position of the vessel is a global location relative to earth.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein the device position of each of the plurality of mobile gaming devices is a position relative to the vessel.

20. The method of claim 12, wherein the method comprises:

obtaining a control parameter associated with the device position, wherein the control parameter determines whether the player can play the game of chance based upon at least a predetermined time rule or the device position.