Point and/or money based gaming

• US 10,748,380 B2
• Filed: 09/24/2018
• Issued: 08/18/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Interactive Games LLC (Cantor Fitzgerald, L.P.)
• Original Assignee: Interactive Games LLC (Cantor Fitzgerald, L.P.)
• Inventors: Amaitis, Lee, Williams, Paul, Glantz, Nolan
• Primary Examiner(s): Shah, Milap
• Application Number:
  US16/140,141
• Publication Number:
  US 20190096183A1
• Time in Patent Office: 694 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 9/24 Electric games; Games using electronic circuits not otherwise provided for video games A63F13/00; computerized gaming systems G07F17/32
• 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 17/3293 Card games, e.g. poker, canasta, black jack

Abstract

Some embodiments may include a poker indexing service. For example, a multi dimensional vector of player performance and/or other data may be determined based on gaming related activity that is input or otherwise captured. Such a vector may be used in various forms to generate a metric or to facilitate wagering and/or other gaming activity. Other methods and apparatus are described.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining, by a computing device, that a first mobile device associated with a first player is located in a first location that is designated as a point gaming area;

enabling point gaming and disabling monetary gaming from the first mobile device;

receiving, by the computing device from a graphical user interface of the first mobile device, a challenge by the first player, in which the challenge identifies an amount of points and a second mobile device of a second player against whom to place the challenge;

identifying, by the computing device, the challenge to the second player;

receiving, by the computing device, an acceptance of the challenge from a, graphical user interface of the second mobile device of the second player;

forming, by the computing device, a game over a communication network between the first mobile device of the first player and the second mobile device of the second player based on the challenge;

adjusting, by the computing device, points in an account of a winning player of the game in response to determining the outcome of the challenge;

determining, by the computing device, that the first mobile device is located in a second location that is designated as a monetary gaming area; and

switching functionality of the first mobile device to disable point gaming and enable monetary gaming from the first mobile device.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising:

receiving, by the computing device from the mobile device, a second challenge by the first player, in which the second challenge identifies a penalty and the second player against whom to place the challenge, in which the penalty is neither a monetary penalty nor a point-based penalty;

in response to receiving the second challenge, identifying, by the computing device, the second challenge to the second player;

receiving, by the computing device, a second acceptance of the second challenge from the second player;

in response to receiving the second acceptance, forming, by the computing device, a second game between the first player and the second player based on the second challenge; and

imposing, by the computing device, the penalty on the losing player of the second challenge in response to determining a second outcome of the second challenge.

3. The method of claim 2, in which the penalty affects an operation of the losing player'"'"'s mobile telephone.

4. The method of claim 2, in which the penalty includes a change to a ring tone on the losing player'"'"'s telephone.

5. The method of claim 2, in which the penalty includes a change in a background image of the losing player'"'"'s computing device.

6. The method of claim 2, in which the penalty includes a change to a social network of the losing player.

7. The method of claim 2, in which the penalty includes a restriction on internet traffic of the losing player'"'"'s computing device.

8. The method of claim 2, in which the penalty includes a change to a voicemail of the losing player.

9. The method of claim 2, in which the second challenge identifies a time period during which the penalty is to be imposed, and in which imposing the penalty on the losing player includes imposing the penalty for the time period.

10. The method of claim 2, in which imposing the penalty on the losing player includes queuing the penalty for imposition until a previously imposed penalty imposed on the losing player has expired.

11. The method of claim 2, in which the second challenge identifies a benefit that is neither a monetary benefit nor a point based benefit;

and the method includes imparting the benefit on the winning player of the second challenge in response to determining the second outcome of the second challenge.

12. The method of claim 11, in which the benefit affects an operation of a computing device of the winning player.

13. The method of claim 11, in which the benefit includes removing a previously imposed penalty from a computing device of the winning player.

14. The method of claim 11, in which the benefit includes access to media.

15. The method of claim 1, in which the challenge includes a fantasy sports challenge, in which the first player identifies a first fantasy team for the fantasy sports challenge, in which the second player identifies a second fantasy team for the fantasy sports challenge, in which the computing device determines an odds for the fantasy sports challenge in response to the identifying of the first fantasy team and the second fantasy team based on historical performance of members of each of the first fantasy team and the second fantasy team in real sporting events.

16. An apparatus comprising:

a non-transitory medium having stored thereon a plurality of instructions that when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to;

determine that a first mobile device associated with a first player is located in a first location that is designated as a point gaming area;

enable point gaming and disable monetary gaming from the first mobile device;

receive, from a graphical user interface of the first mobile device, a challenge by the first player, in which the challenge identifies an amount of points and a second mobile device of a second player against whom to place the challenge;

identify the challenge to the second mobile device of the second player;

receive an acceptance of the challenge from a graphical user interface of the second mobile device of the second player;

form a game over a communication network between the first mobile device of the first player and the second mobile device of the second player based on the challenge;

adjust points in an account of a winning player of the challenge in response to determining the outcome of the challenge;

determine that the first mobile device is located in a second location that is designated as a monetary gaming area; and

switch functionality of the first mobile device to disable point gaming and to enable monetary gaming from the first mobile device.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, in which the instructions cause the computing device to:

receive from the mobile device a second challenge by the first player, in which the second challenge identifies a penalty and the second player against whom to place the challenge, in which the penalty is neither a monetary penalty nor a point-based penalty;

in response to receiving the second challenge, identify the second challenge to the second player;

receive a second acceptance of the second challenge from the second player;

in response to receiving the second acceptance, form a second game between the first player and the second player based on the second challenge; and

impose the penalty on the losing player of the second challenge in response to determining a second outcome of the second challenge.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, in which the challenge includes a fantasy sports challenge, in which the first player identifies a first fantasy team for the fantasy sports challenge, in which the second player identifies a second fantasy team for the fantasy sports challenge, in which the instructions cause the computing device to:

determine an odds for the fantasy sports challenge in response to the identifying of the first fantasy team and the second fantasy team based on historical performance of members of each of the first fantasy team and the second fantasy team in real sporting events.

19. The apparatus of claim 16, comprising the computing device and in which the computing device includes a processor.

20. A non-transitory medium to store thereon a plurality of instructions that when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to:

determine that a first mobile device associated with a first player is located in a first location that is designated as a point gaming area;

enable point gaming and disable monetary gaming from the first mobile device;

receive, from a graphical user interface of the first mobile device, a challenge by the first player, in which the challenge identifies an amount of points and a second mobile device of a second player against whom to place the challenge;

identify the challenge to the second mobile device of the second player;

receive an acceptance of the challenge from a graphical user interface of the second mobile device of the second player;

form a game over a communication network between the first mobile device of the first player and the second mobile device of the second player based on the challenge;

adjust points in an account of a winning player of the challenge in response to determining the outcome of the challenge;

determine that the first mobile device is located in a second location that is designated as a monetary gaming area; and

switch functionality of the first mobile device to disable point gaming and to enable monetary gaming from the first mobile device.