Dynamically reconfigurable real-time gaming system

• US 20090005170A9
• Filed: 10/31/2007
• Published: 01/01/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/1996
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sg Gaming, Inc. (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Bally Gaming Incorporated (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Inventors: Petermeler, Norman B., Kelly, Matthew F., Kelly, Bryan M., Kroeckel, John G., Link, John E.
• Granted Patent: US 9,070,250 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/42
• 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 invention provides a prize redemption system for use with one or more game apparatuses. A game is provided on a game apparatus for a player to play in exchange for monetary input, and prize credits are credited to the player based on the game outcome. A prize selection menu is then displayed by the game apparatus, the menu including one or more prizes, where the player may select a prize that has a prize cost within the player'"'"'s prize credit amount. The player is dispensed a specific prize ticket that is redeemable for the selected prize. The game apparatus can also provide specific prizes and tournament games played for a tournament prize contributed to by multiple players. An operator can adjust prizes and payout percentages of the system to achieve a desired profitability for game apparatuses. Prize input is entered into a prize table describing multiple available prizes and also describing payout information that indicates a desired amount of payout that the operator wishes to provide back to players of the game apparatus in terms of the value of the prizes. Prize information, such as prize costs and specific prize win ratios, is automatically determined by the system for each of the prizes in view of the desired profitability of the game apparatus.

Additionally, the invention provides method and article of manufacture for implementing a user profile-driven gaming and prize redeeming system. The user profile-driven gaming and prize redemption system allows for the tailoring of a user'"'"'s experience of playing a computer implemented game on a network gaming system by first receiving an identifier selected from a group of identifiers including a user identifier relating to the user (i.e., player) of the network gaming system, a game identifier relating to a particular game played by the user of the network gaming system, and a site identifier relating to the location (i.e. web site) from which the game is being played. The network gaming system then alters the computer-implemented game played by the user in a manner based upon the selected identifier. The foregoing technique may also be applied to a prize redemption system.

Claims

1. A gaming system that provides game play in exchange for monetary input per game played, the gaming system comprising:

a game server; and

a plurality of game units connected to the game server via a network, wherein at least a portion of the network is a wireless network, and wherein the game system is dynamically reconfigurable and enables wireless real time gaming.

2. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the wireless real time gaming includes wireless real-time wagering.

3. The gaming system of claim 2, wherein the wireless real-time wagering includes wagering on a next play in a sporting event.

4. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein one or more of the plurality of gaming units are personal data assistants.

5. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the wireless real time gaming enables wireless gaming on the casino grounds that are off of the game floor.

6. The gaming system of claim 5, wherein the casino grounds that are off of the game floor include a casino pool, casino restaurants, casino bars, casino night clubs, casino hotel rooms, and combinations thereof.

7. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the gaming system includes games having game parameters, and wherein the game parameters are adjustable in a wireless environment.

8. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein one or more game units employ a wireless transmitter/receiver for communicating without cables or wires.

9. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein one or more game units at different gaming sites communicate with each other through a private wide area network (WAN) or the Internet, wherein communication between game units is accomplished using telephone lines, ISDN lines, direct-connect data lines, fiber optic lines, cellular phone or wireless receiver/transmitter devices, or combinations thereof.

10. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein one or more game units at different gaming sites communicate with each other via a broadband RF communication network.

11. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the game server executes game results using central determination and forwards the game results to one or more of the game units using the network, and wherein the game units include mobile phones and the network includes a wireless network.

12. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the gaming system employs unique player identifiers to determine game eligibility in a wireless environment.

13. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the gaming system includes game parameter normalization in a wireless environment.

14. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the gaming system includes tournament gaming in a wireless environment.

15. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the gaming system employs age verification in a wireless environment.

16. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the gaming system includes remote crediting in a wireless environment.

17. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the gaming system includes information relay in a wireless environment.

18. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the gaming system includes credit redemption in a wireless environment.

19. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the gaming system includes ticketing in multiple media formats in a wireless environment.