Time and location based gaming

• US 10,360,755 B2
• Filed: 08/15/2007
• Issued: 07/23/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Interactive Games LLC (Cantor Fitzgerald, L.P.)
• Original Assignee: Interactive Games LLC (Cantor Fitzgerald, L.P.)
• Inventors: Amaitis, Lee M., Asher, Joseph M., Lutnick, Howard W., Mylet, Darrin M., Wilkins, Alan B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Myhr, Justin L
• Application Number:
  US11/839,425
• Publication Number:
  US 20070281782A1
• Time in Patent Office: 4,360 Days
• Field of Search: 463 29, 463 40- 42
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/216 using geographical information, e.g. location of the game device or player using GPS
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/205 for detecting the geographical location of the game platform
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3223 Architectural aspects of a gaming system, e.g. internal configuration, master/slave, wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3237 about the players, e.g. profiling, responsible gaming, strategy/behavior of players, location of players
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3239 Tracking of individual 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 17/3272 Games involving multiple players
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3286 Type of games

Abstract

An enabling of a second activity such that a user may participate in the second activity via a gaming device and/or a determining of a duration of time in which the user may participate in the second activity via the gaming device may be based at least in part on an amount of time that the user has participated in a first activity via the gaming device.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory electronically coupled to the at least one processor, in which the at least one memory stores instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, direct the at least one processor to;

responsive to a mobile phone device attempting to access a gaming system via a communications network to start a gaming session, determine that the device is located in a predefined location in which the gaming session is permitted to occur,

wherein the mobile phone device is permitted to engage in at least a first activity as part of the gaming system when the device is located in the predefined location,

wherein the gaming system is controlled by a gaming service provider that provides, as part of the gaming system, a gaming application to the mobile phone device, wherein the gaming application is configured to reside on the device such that the device is pre-programmed with the gaming application, and wherein the mobile phone device accesses the gaming system by launching the gaming application on the device, and wherein if the mobile phone device participates in at least the first activity for at least a predetermined amount of time, the mobile phone device is enabled to participate in at least a second activity;

permit the mobile phone device to engage in at least the first activity based at least in part on determining that the device is located in the predefined location,

wherein to permit the mobile phone device to engage in at least the first activity includes to cause network connectivity of the device to be configured to disable a connection to the Internet while wager information associated with the first activity or the second activity is being received from the mobile phone device, ensure wagers that are associated with the at least the first activity and that are received by the gaming system from the device originate from within boundaries of the predefined location from which the gaming session is permitted to occur and not from outside the boundaries of the predefined location;

determine that the mobile phone device participates in at least the first activity for at least the predetermined amount of time; and

as a result of determining that the mobile phone device participates in at least the first activity for at least the predetermined amount of time, enable the mobile phone device to participate in the second activity.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, in which the first activity comprises at least one of:

a gambling activity,

a wagering-based activity, and

a lottery-based activity.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, in which the second activity comprises making reservations at a restaurant.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further direct the at least one processor to enable the mobile phone device to participate in the second activity.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein to determine that the device is located in the predefined location in which the gaming session is permitted to occur comprises to:

determine an identifier that indicates a network, a portion of a network, or a network component the device is connected to in order to access the gaming system;

map via a database the identifier to a geographic area; and

determine that the geographic area is located within the predefined location in which the gaming session is permitted to occur.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein to determine that the device is located in the predefined location in which the gaming session is permitted to occur comprises to:

receive location data via the communications network from the device; and

based at least in part on the received location data, determine that the device is located in the predefined location in which the gaming session is permitted to occur.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further direct the at least one processor to monitor actions made by the mobile phone device with respect to at least the first activity, and to establish an electronic record of the monitored actions.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the mobile phone device is associated with an account from which to make wagers, and wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further direct the at least one processor to:

provide to the mobile phone device a cashier option;

receive from the device an indication that the cashier option is selected; and

receive from the device an instruction to add funds to the account.

9. A method comprising:

responsive to a mobile phone device attempting to access a gaming system via a communications network to start a gaming session, determining, by a computing device, that the device is located in a predefined location which the gaming session is permitted to occur,

wherein the mobile phone device is permitted to engage in at least a first activity as part of the gaming system when the device is located in the predefined location,

wherein the gaming system is controlled by a gaming service provider that provides, as part of the gaming system, a gaming application to the mobile phone device, wherein the gaming application is configured to reside on the device such that the device is pre-programmed with the gaming application, and wherein the mobile phone device accesses the gaming system by launching the gaming application on the device,

wherein if the mobile phone device participates in at least the first activity for at least a predetermined amount of time, the mobile phone device is enabled to participate in at least a second activity;

permitting, by the computing device, the mobile phone device to engage in at least the first activity based at least in part on determining that the device is located in the predefined location,

wherein to permit the mobile phone device to engage in at least the first activity includes to cause network connectivity of the device to be configured to disable a connection to the Internet while wager information associated with the first activity or the second activity is being received from the mobile phone device, ensure wagers that are associated with the at least the first activity and that are received by the gaming system from the device originate from within boundaries of the predefined location from which the gaming session is permitted to occur and not from outside the boundaries of the predefined location;

determining, by the computing device, that the mobile phone device participates in at least the first activity for at least the predetermined amount of time; and

as a result of determining that the mobile phone device participates in at least the first activity for at least the predetermined amount of time, enabling, by the computing device, the mobile phone device to participate in the second activity.

10. The method of claim 9, in which the first activity comprises at least one of:

a gambling activity,

a wagering-based activity, and

a lottery-based activity.

11. The method of claim 10, in which the second activity comprises making reservations at a restaurant.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein determining that the device is located in the predefined location in which the gaming session is permitted to occur comprises:

determining an identifier that indicates a network, a portion of a network, or a network component the device is connected to in order to access the gaming system;

mapping via a database the identifier to a geographic area; and

determining that the geographic area is located within the predefined location in which the gaming session is permitted to occur.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein determining that the device is located in the predefined location in which the gaming session is permitted to occur comprises:

receiving location data via the communications network from the device; and

based at least in part on the received location data, determining that the device is located in the predefined location in which the gaming session is permitted to occur.

14. The method of claim 9, further comprising monitoring actions made by the mobile phone device with respect to at least the first activity, and establishing an electronic record of the monitored actions.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the mobile phone device is associated with an account from which to make wagers, and wherein the method further comprises:

providing to the mobile phone device a cashier option;

receiving from the device an indication that the cashier option is selected; and

receiving from the device an instruction by the mobile phone device to add funds to the account.

16. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions that when executed by at least one processor, direct the at least one processor to:

responsive to a mobile phone device attempting to access a gaming system via a communications network to start a gaming session, determine that the device is located in a predefined location in which the gaming session is permitted to occur,

wherein the mobile phone device is permitted to engage in at least a first activity as part of the gaming system when the device is located in the predefined location,

wherein the gaming system is controlled by a gaming service provider that provides, as part of the gaming system, a gaming application to the mobile phone device, wherein the gaming application is configured to reside on the device such that the device is pre-programmed with the gaming application, and wherein the mobile phone device accesses the gaming system by launching the gaming application on the device, and wherein if the mobile phone device, participates in at least the first activity for at least a predetermined amount of time, the mobile phone device is enabled to participate in at least a second activity;

permit the mobile phone device to engage in at least the first activity based at least in part on determining that the device is located in the predefined location,

wherein to permit the mobile phone device to engage in at least the first activity includes to cause network connectivity of the device to be configured to disable a connection to the Internet while wager information associated with the first activity or the second activity is being received from the mobile phone device, ensure wagers that are associated with the at least the first activity and that are received by the gaming system from the device originate from within boundaries of the predefined location from which the gaming session is permitted to occur and not from outside the boundaries of the predefined location;

determine that the mobile phone device participates in at least the first activity for at least the predetermined amount of time; and

as a result of determining that the mobile phone device participates in at least the first activity for at least the predetermined amount of time, enable the mobile phone device to participate in the second activity.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein to determine that the mobile phone device is located in the predefined location in which the gaming session is permitted to occur comprises to:

determine an identifier that indicates a network, a portion of a network, or a network component the mobile phone device is connected to in order to access the gaming system;

map via a database the identifier to a geographic area; and

determine that the geographic area is located within the predefined location in which the gaming session is permitted to occur.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further direct the at least one processor to monitor actions made by the mobile phone device with respect to at least the first activity, and to establish an electronic record of the monitored actions.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the mobile phone device is associated with an account from which to make wagers, and wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further direct the at least one processor to:

provide to the mobile phone device a cashier option;

receive from the mobile phone device an indication that the cashier option is selected; and

receive from the mobile phone device an instruction by the mobile phone device to add funds to the account.