Processing of a mobile device game-playing transaction based on the mobile device location

• US 9,672,687 B2
• Filed: 12/03/2015
• Issued: 06/06/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: e2Interactive Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Linq3 Technologies, LLC
• Inventors: Leach, Roy, Cage, Daniel, Tashjian, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Elisca, Pierre E
• Application Number:
  US14/958,715
• Publication Number:
  US 20160086447A1
• Time in Patent Office: 551 Days
• Field of Search: 463 29, 463 25
• 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

An exemplary method comprises receiving information associated with a game-playing transaction conducted between a user device and a game-playing terminal, wherein the game-playing transaction is associated with a request for playing a game; determining a location of the user device associated with the game; determining the user device is located in an approved location associated with the game; and processing the game-playing transaction based on determining the user device is located in the approved location associated with the game. The game-playing transaction is conducted on a first communication interface, and the information associated with the game-playing transaction is received on a second communication interface.

Claims

1. A method for processing game-playing transactions, the method comprising:

receiving or sending information associated with a game-playing transaction conducted between a user device and a game-playing terminal, wherein the game-playing transaction is associated with a game;

determining a location of the user device or the game-playing terminal associated with the game-playing transaction;

determining the user device or the game-playing terminal is located in an approved location associated with the game;

processing or enabling conduction of the game-playing transaction based on at least one of;

determining the user device or the game-playing terminal is located in the approved location associated with the game based on cross-referencing a list of approved merchants or locations, and determining the location is present on the list of approved merchants or locations, or

determining a period of validity associated with the information has not expired,

wherein the game-playing transaction is conducted on a first communication interface, and

wherein the information associated with the game-playing transaction is received or sent on the first communication interface or a second communication interface.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first communication interface comprises at least one of a Bluetooth interface, a near-field communication (NFC) interface, or a code-based interface.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the second communication interface comprises a Wi-Fi or cellular interface.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first communication interface and the second communication interface are the same communication interface.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the location is determined based on global positioning system (GPS) coordinates of the user device or location information or identification information of the game-playing terminal.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the user device comprises a mobile device or a non-mobile device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the second communication interface is associated with longer range communication compared to the first communication interface.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the game comprises a lottery game.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the game-playing terminal comprises either an electronic game-playing terminal or a non-electronic game playing terminal.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the user device or the game-playing terminal comprises at least one of a pump, an ATM, a servicing station, a retail station, a local computing apparatus, or a remote computing apparatus.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the game comprises a lottery game.

12. A method for processing game-playing transactions, comprising:

receiving information associated with a game-playing transaction conducted between a user device and a game-playing terminal, wherein the game-playing transaction is associated with a request for playing a game;

determining a location of the user device associated with the game;

determining the user device is located in an approved location associated with the game;

processing the game-playing transaction based on determining the user device is located in the approved location associated with the game;

determining a period of validity associated with the information has not expired, and processing the game-playing transaction based on determining the period of validity associated with the information has not expired;

wherein the game-playing transaction is conducted on a first communication interface, and

wherein the information associated with the game-playing transaction is received on a second communication interface.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the first communication interface comprises at least one of a Bluetooth interface, a near-field communication (NFC) interface, or a code-based interface.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising processing the game-playing transaction based on:

determining a merchant associated with the location of the user device or the game-playing terminal;

cross-referencing a list of approved merchants associated with the location of the user device or the game-playing terminal; and

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

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the user device or the game-playing terminal comprises at least one of a pump, an ATM, a servicing station, or a retail station.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the game comprises a lottery game.

17. An apparatus for processing game-playing transactions, the apparatus configured for:

receiving or sending information associated with a game-playing transaction conducted between a user device and a game-playing terminal, wherein the game-playing transaction is associated with a game;

determining a location of the user device or the game-playing terminal associated with the game-playing transaction;

determining the user device or the game-playing terminal is located in an approved location associated with the game;

processing or enabling conduction of the game-playing transaction based on at least one of;

determining the user device or the game-playing terminal is located in the approved location associated with the game based on cross-referencing a list of approved merchants or locations, and determining the location is present on the list of approved merchants or locations, or

determining a period of validity associated with the information has not expired,

wherein the game-playing transaction is conducted on a first communication interface, and

wherein the information associated with the game-playing transaction is received or sent on the first communication interface or a second communication interface.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the first communication interface comprises at least one of a Bluetooth interface, a near-field communication (NFC) interface, or a code-based interface.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the second communication interface comprises a Wi-Fi or cellular interface.

20. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the user device or the game-playing terminal comprises at least one of a pump, an ATM, a servicing station, a retail station, a local computing apparatus, a remote computing apparatus, or the apparatus.