PRIZE REDEMPTION SYSTEM FOR GAMES EXECUTED OVER A WIDE AREA NETWORK

• US 20020077169A1
• Filed: 11/03/1999
• Published: 06/20/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/1996
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Agincourt Gaming LLC
• Original Assignee: Rlt Acquisition Inc.
• Inventors: PETERMEIER, NORMAN B., KELLY, MATTHEW F., LINK, JOHN E., KELLY, BRYAN M., KROECKEL, JOHN G.
• Granted Patent: US 6,758,755 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/16
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 3/081 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/04 Payment circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• 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 17/323 wherein the player is informed, e.g. advertisements, odds, instructions
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3239 Tracking of individual players
• 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 17/3248 involving non-monetary media of fixed value, e.g. casino chips of fixed value
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3253 involving articles, e.g. paying in bottles, paying out toys
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3262 Player actions which determine the course of the game, e.g. selecting a prize to be won, outcome to be achieved, game to be played
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3272 Games involving multiple players
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3276 wherein the players compete, e.g. tournament
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3297 Fairground games, e.g. Tivoli, coin pusher machines, cranes
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/34 depending on the stopping of moving members in a mechanical slot machine, e.g. "fruit" machines

Abstract

The present invention provides a system for allowing redemption of prizes resulting from playing games on a plurality of game apparatuses. The system includes a plurality of game apparatuses each adapted for displaying a user interface for allowing a user to play a plurality of games. Also included is a prize database server adapted for connecting to the game apparatuses via a wide area network. In use, a user identification code is received from the game apparatuses that corresponds to the user. Also received is an indication of an outcome of the game upon the user playing the game via the corresponding user interface. The prize database server also tracks a number of prize credits awarded the user based on the outcome of the game in addition to allowing redemption of the prize credits for a prize.

Claims

1. A method for allowing redemption of prizes resulting from playing games on a plurality of game apparatuses, comprising:

connecting to game apparatuses via a wide area network, wherein the game apparatuses are each adapted for displaying at least one user interface for allowing a user to play at least one of a plurality of games;

receiving a user identification code over the network corresponding to the user from one of the game apparatuses;

receiving information capable of being used to determine at least one prize credit awarded the user based on an outcome of said game over the network from one of the game apparatuses upon the user playing the game via the corresponding user interface;

tracking at least one prize credit awarded the user based on the outcome of said game; and

allowing redemption of the at least one prize credit for a prize.

2. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein at least some of the game apparatuses include dedicated game units.

3. A method as recited in claim 2 wherein the game units each include a modem to connect with the wide area network for communication purposes.

4. A method as recited in claim 2 wherein the game units each include a removable cartridge for being releasably received in a port connected to a computer which is connectable with the wide area network for communication purposes.

5. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein at least some of the game apparatuses include computers each having a networking device to connect with the wide area network for communication purposes.

6. A method as recited in claim 5 and further comprising:

transmitting data to the computers for updating a version of at least one of the games.

7. A method as recited in claim 5 and further comprising:

awarding at least one prize credit to the user upon a loss of connection with at least one of the game apparatuses.

8. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein at least some of the game apparatuses include servers for allowing communication with a plurality of computers via the wide area network and each user interface has a corresponding URL associated with a site.

9. A method as recited in claim 8 and further comprising:

receiving a site code from at least one of the servers, wherein the site identification code corresponds to one of the sites.

10. A method as recited in claim 9 wherein the prize is determined based on the site identification code.

11. A method as recited in claim 1 and further comprising:

receiving a game identification code from one of the game apparatuses, wherein the game identification code corresponds to one of the games.

12. A method as recited in claim 11 wherein the prize is determined based on the game identification code.

13. A method as recited in claim 1 and further comprising:

providing a prize database adapted for displaying at least one prize redemption interface page to allow redemption of the least one prize credit for the prize.

14. A method as recited in claim 13 wherein the user interface of at least one of the game apparatuses includes a link to the prize redemption interface page of the prize database.

15. A method as recited in claim 13 and further comprising:

receiving a game identification code from one of the game apparatuses, wherein the game identification code corresponds to one of the games.

16. A method as recited in claim 15 and further comprising:

altering the at least one prize redemption interface page of the prize database based on the game identification code.

17. A method as recited in claim 1 and further comprising:

transmitting an identifier of the prize to at least one of the game apparatuses for identifying the prize to the user.

18. A method as recited in claim 1 and further comprising:

transmitting an identifier of a current number of prizes awarded the user to at least one of the game apparatuses for identifying the current number of prizes awarded to the user.

20. A computer program as recited in claim 19 wherein at least some of the game apparatuses include dedicated game units.

21. A computer program as recited in claim 19 wherein at least some of the game apparatuses include computers each having a networking device to connect with the wide area network for communication purposes.

22. A computer program as recited in claim 19 wherein at least some of the game apparatuses include servers for allowing communication with a plurality of computers via the wide area network and each user interface has a corresponding URL associated therewith.

23. A computer program as recited in claim 19 and further comprising:

a code segment for receiving a game identification code from one of the game apparatuses, wherein the game identification code corresponds to one of the games.

24. A computer program as recited in claim 19 and further comprising:

a code segment for providing a prize database adapted for displaying at least one prize redemption interface page to allow redemption of the least one prize credit for the prize.

25. A computer program as recited in claim 19 and further comprising:

a code segment for transmitting an identifier of the prize to at least one of the game apparatuses for identifying the prize to the user.

26. A computer program as recited in claim 19 and further comprising:

a code segment for transmitting an identifier of a current number of prizes awarded the user to at least one of the game apparatuses for identifying the current number of prizes awarded to the user.

28. A method as recited in claim 27 and further comprising:

connecting to a prize database for communicating the user identification code and the indication of the outcome of the game.

29. A method as recited in claim 28 wherein the connection is carried out over a wide area network via a protocol selected from the group of protocols consisting of TCP/IP and IPX.

30. A method as recited in claim 28 wherein the connection is made via a networking device.

31. A method as recited in claim 30 wherein the networking device is a component of a computer having an adapter for communicating with a cartridge, the method further comprising:

storing the at least one prize credit on the cartridge for prize redemption purposes.

32. A method as recited in claim 27 and further comprising displaying on the at least one game apparatus the at least one prize credit awarded the user based on the outcome of said game.

33. A method as recited in claim 27 wherein the at least one prize credit relates to a specific prize awarded the user based on a number of points scored during said game.

35. A system as recited in claim 34 wherein the communicator module is further coupled to a local storage medium and the information received from the remote server is transmitted to the game module and stored on the local storage medium.

36. A system as recited in claim 35 wherein the communicator module stores the information on the local storage medium periodically.

37. A system as recited in claim 34 wherein the communicator module automatically connects to the remote server periodically for transmitting the game identifier and the outcome to the remote server and further receiving information from the remote server.

38. A system as recited in claim 34 wherein the communicator module automatically connects to the remote server after a fault in the transmission of the game identifier and the outcome to the remote server or the receipt information from the remote server.

39. A system as recited in claim 34 wherein the communicator module further transmits a user identifier to the remote server.

40. A system as recited in claim 34 wherein the communicator module further transmits a site identifier to the remote server.

41. A system as recited in claim 34 wherein the information includes conversion information for determining prize credits awarded to a user based the outcome of the game.

42. A system as recited in claim 34 wherein the information indicates specific prizes capable of being awarded to a user based on the outcome of the game.

43. A system as recited in claim 42 wherein the information indicating the specific prizes is received by the communicator module prior to transmitting the outcome of the game.

19. A computer program embodied on a computer readable medium for allowing redemption of prizes resulting from playing games on a plurality of game apparatuses, comprising:

a code segment for providing a plurality of game apparatuses each adapted for displaying at least one user interface for allowing a user to play at least one of a plurality of games;

a code segment for connecting to the game apparatuses via a wide area network;

a code segment for receiving a user identification code over the network corresponding to the user from one of the game apparatuses;

a code segment for receiving information capable of being used to determine at least one prize credit awarded the user based on an outcome of said game over the network from one of the game apparatuses upon the user playing the game via the corresponding user interface;

a code segment for tracking at least one prize credit awarded the user based on the outcome of said game; and

a code segment for allowing redemption of the at least one prize credit for a prize.

27. A method for allowing the redemption of prizes resulting from playing a game on at least one game apparatus, comprising:

providing at least one game apparatus adapted for displaying at least one user interface for allowing a user to play at least one game;

generating a user identification code and an indication of an outcome of the game upon the user playing the game via the corresponding user interface; and

tracking information capable of being used to determine at least one prize credit awarded the user based on the outcome of said game, wherein the information is adapted for being transmitted with the user identification code for prize redemption purposes.

34. A system for interfacing a game apparatus with a prize database, comprising:

a game module for producing an outcome based on user input;

an identifier module coupled to the game module and capable of transmitting a game identifier corresponding to the game module; and

a communicator module coupled to the identifier module and a remote server for transmitting the game identifier and the outcome to the remote server and further receiving information from the remote server.

44. A method for interfacing a game apparatus with a prize database, comprising:

determining an outcome of a game executed by a game module;

generating a game identifier corresponding to the game module;

transmitting the game identifier and the outcome to the remote server; and

receiving information from the remote server.

45. A method as recited in claim 44 and further comprising transmitting the information received from the remote server to the game module and storing the transmitted information on a local storage medium.

46. A method as recited in claim 45 wherein the information is stored on the local storage medium periodically.

47. A method as recited in claim 44 and further comprising automatically connecting to the remote server periodically for transmitting the game identifier and the outcome to the remote server and further receiving information from the remote server.

48. A method as recited in claim 44 and further comprising automatically connecting to the remote server after a fault in the transmission of the game identifier and the outcome to the remote server or the receipt information from the remote server.

49. A method as recited in claim 44 and further comprising transmitting a user identifier to the remote server.

50. A method as recited in claim 44 and further comprising transmitting a site identifier to the remote server.

51. A method as recited in claim 44 wherein the information includes conversion information for determining prize credits awarded to a user based the outcome of the game.

52. A method as recited in claim 44 wherein the information indicates specific prizes capable of being awarded to a user based on the outcome of the game.

53. A method as recited in claim 53 wherein the information indicating the specific prizes is received by the game module prior to transmitting the outcome of the game.

54. A computer program embodied on a computer readable medium for interfacing a game apparatus with a prize database, comprising:

a code segment that determines an outcome of a game executed by a game module;

a code segment that generates a game identifier corresponding to the game module;

a code segment that transmits the game identifier and the outcome to the remote server; and

a code segment that receives information from the remote server.