Method of enabling a wireless information device to access betting related services

• US 20050176507A1
• Filed: 04/17/2003
• Published: 08/11/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Cellectivity Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Cellectivity Ltd.
• Inventors: Langer, Amir, Ephrati, Eithan
• Application Number:
  US10/509,646
• Publication Number:
  US 20050176507A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/39
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/34 Betting or bookmaking, e.g. Internet betting
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3288 Betting, e.g. on live events, bookmaking

Abstract

A wireless information devices can access betting related services by: (a) receiving and displaying the best odds on an event as automatically selected from odds offered by two or more bookmakers; (b) displaying an option to initiate placing a bet at the best odds; and (c) sending instructions to place the bet. This approach integrates an automated search function, that can identify the best available odds, with a mechanism to actually place a bet at the best odds. The automated search function avoids the need to display a long list of bookmakers names and related odds. This is the first step in simplifying the user interaction needed to place a bet. The second step is to integrate the display of the best odds with an option to initiate placing a bet. The option, if selected, sends instructions to place the bet. This form of integration avoids the need to navigate from an odds checking site to a bookmakers site, finding the relevant event on the bookmakers site and then placing a bet, which can be slow and awkward on a wireless information device.

Claims

1. A method of enabling a wireless information device to access betting related services, comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving and displaying on the device the best odds on an event as automatically selected from odds offered by two or more bookmakers;

(b) displaying on the device an option to initiate placing a bet at the best odds; and

(c) sending from the device instructions to place the bet.

2. The method of claim 1 in which the best odds and the option to initiate placing a bet at the best odds are displayed together on the same screen so that the user does not have to navigate to a different screen in order to initiate placing the bet.

3. The method of claim 1 in which the best odds on an event and the option to initiate placing a bet at the best odds are displayed on hyper-linked screens so that the end-user does not have to manually navigate to and open a different remote site to move from one to the other.

4. The method of claim 1 in which the option to initiate placing a bet is one or more of:

(a) highlighting or underlining the name of the event, team or player for which the best odds have been located.

(b) a dedicated button or icon;

(c) a statement defining the format of a message reply that would need to be sent from the device in order for a bet to be placed.

5. The method of claim 1 comprising the step, to precede step (a), of:

sending from the device a single instruction to find the best odds on an event.

6. The method of claim 1 comprising the step, to precede step (a), of:

receiving and displaying a tip relating to an event, the tip giving the name of the event and the applicable odds, which are the best available odds offered by two or more bookmakers.

7. The method of claim 6 in which the option to initiate placing a bet is a statement defining the format of a message reply that would need to be sent from the device in order for a bet to be placed and the instructions to place a bet is a reply in the required format.

8. The method of claim 1 in which finding the best odds from two or more bookmakers is achieved using a web agent that automatically searches one or more of the following defining available odds:

(a) web or WAP sites from two or more bookmakers;

(b) databases controlled by two or more bookmakers;

(c) back-end processing systems of two or more bookmakers;

(d) a data stream received from any of the above.

9. The method of claim 1 in which the best odds are received as a SMS message.

10. The method of claim 1 in which the instructions to place the best are sent as a SMS message.

11. The method of claim 1 comprising the steps of:

(a) displaying on the device an option to select a favourite team or sportsperson; and

(b) sending from the device instructions to select a specific favourite team or sportsperson.

12. The method of claim 11 comprising the step of

(a) receiving and displaying on the device the best odds on a sporting event relating to the selected team or sportsperson;

(b) displaying on the device an option to initiate placing a bet at the best odds; and

(c) sending from the device instructions to place the bet.

13. The method of claim 1 comprising the steps of displaying a series of menu options which when selected enable an end-user to open an account with a bookmaker and credit that account with money.

14. The method of claim 13 in which the step of sending from the device instructions to place the bet causes the account to be debited.

15. The method of claim 13 in which winning a bet causes the account to be credited.

16. A wireless information device programmed to access betting related services, in which the device is operable to:

(a) receive and display the best odds on an event, as automatically selected from odds offered by two or more bookmakers;

(b) display an option to initiate placing a bet at the best odds;

(c) send instructions to place the bet.

17. (canceled)

18. A wireless network operator that controls a wireless network, in which the network carries data traffic to a wireless information device to enable the device to receive and display the best odds on an event as automatically selected from odds offered by two or more bookmakers;

and carries data traffic from the device to enable the device to place a bet in response to an end-user selecting an option displayed on the device to initiate placing a bet at the best odds.