Skill games

• US 6,964,608 B1
• Filed: 10/17/2000
• Issued: 11/15/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: John R. Koza
• Original Assignee: John R. Koza
• Inventors: Koza, John R.
• Primary Examiner(s): SAGER, MARK ALAN
• Application Number:
  US09/690,923
• Time in Patent Office: 1,855 Days
• Field of Search: 463/1, 463 9- 13, 463/16, 463/25, 463/29, 463 40- 42, 273440-441, 273236-237, 273429-432, 273/269, 273459-461, 273/274, 434/118, 434/322, 434/323, 434/307.R, 380/251, 380/255, 380/258, 340/323.R, 340/5.1, 340/5.2, 379 9301- 9302, 379/93.13
• US Class Current: 463/9
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2009/2433 Voice-actuated
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 9/183 electric

Abstract

Skill games are described that are implemented using network communications. The subject matter of the present invention concerns games of skill that are legal, under current law, in most states of the United States and in many jurisdictions of other countries and the game includes a mechanism for determining if a player is eligible.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

establishing communication between a player of a skill game offering prizes and played for consideration and an operator of the skill game using network communications;

identifying geographic locations of at least one server or Internet service provider (ISP) through which the player communicates to the operator of the skill game;

determining whether the player is eligible, by virtue of location, and age, to play the skill game, wherein the eligibility of the player is determined, over the network communications, based in part on whether a jurisdiction associated with player'"'"'s location allows the skill game to be played legally using the geographic location information of the server or ISP;

preventing the player from playing the skill game if the player is not eligible; and

providing the player with the skill game using network communications, where the skills game includes a query to the player and a visual image that is integral to the query itself.

2. The method defined in claim 1 wherein the visual image comprises an image of a postage stamp.

3. The method defined in claim 1 wherein the visual image comprises an image of a photograph.

4. The method defined in claim 1 wherein the visual image comprises an image of a flag.

5. The method defined in claim 1 wherein the visual image comprises an image of a coin.

6. The method defined in claim 1 wherein the visual image comprises an image of a painting.

7. The method defined in claim 1 wherein the visual image comprises an image of a banknote.

8. The method defined in claim 1 wherein the visual image comprises a cartoon image.

9. The method defined in claim 1 wherein the visual image comprises a moving video image.

10. The method defined in claim 1 wherein the visual image comprises a satellite image of part of the earth.

11. The method defined in claim 1 wherein the visual image comprises an image of a skyline of a city.

12. The method defined in claim 1 wherein the visual image comprises an image of a street scene of a city.

13. The method defined in claim 1 wherein the visual image comprises a part of a map.

14. The method defined in claim 1 wherein the visual image comprises an image of at least a part of a newspaper page.

15. The method defined in claim 1 wherein the visual image comprises an animated cartoon image.

16. The method defined in claim 1 wherein the visual image comprises an item for sale and wherein said skill game involves the price of said item.

17. The method defined in claim 1 wherein a price is established by an auction.

18. A skill game defined in claim 1 wherein responses comprise words.

19. The method defined in claim 1 wherein the skill game comprises a plurality of queries and wherein a correct response to at least one of the plurality queries is worth a different number of points in determining a winner of the skill game than the correct response to another of said queries.

20. The method defined in claim 19 wherein the worth of each of the queries is arranged so a player can achieve the same total number of points as another player only if both players provide correct responses to the same queries among the plurality of queries.

21. The method defined in claim 1 wherein the skill game comprises at least one query with concealed clue information and wherein the player may optionally expose the concealed clue information in exchange for a penalty to a score used to determine an outcome of the skill game.

22. The method defined in claim 1 wherein the skill game comprises at least one element of concealed clue information, wherein the concealed clue information is automatically exposed to the player at a specified time before expiration of a time allowed to play the skill game, and wherein the player incurs a penalty to a score used to determine an outcome of the skill game as a result not having responded prior to said specified time.

23. The method defined in claim 1 wherein the skill game comprises tournaments of players playing the same game where said tournament is formed based on skill levels of players.

24. The method defined in claim 1 wherein the skill game comprises tournaments of players playing the same game where said tournament is formed based on at least one demographic characteristic of players.

25. The method defined in claim 24 wherein the at least one demographic characteristic is age.

26. The method defined in claim 25 wherein the at least one demographic characteristic is sex.

27. The method defined in claim 25 wherein the at least one demographic characteristic is the player'"'"'s geographic location.

28. The method of claim 1, wherein the skill game includes multiple hierarchical levels, wherein when the skill game at a higher level of the hierarchy is launched, players of the skill game at a lower level receive a free play.

29. A method comprising:

establishing communication between a player of a skill game offering prizes and played for consideration and an operator of the skill game using network communications;

identifying geographic locations of at least one server or Internet service provider (ISP) through which the player communicates to the operator of the skill game

determining whether the player is eligible, by virtue of location, and age, to play the skill game, wherein the eligibility of the player is determined, over the network communications, based in part on whether a jurisdiction associated with player'"'"'s location allows the skill game to be played legally using geographic location information of the server or ISP;

preventing the player form playing the skill game if the player is not eligible; and

providing the player with the skill game using network communications, along with clue information wherein the clue information is in audio form.

30. The method defined in claim 29 wherein the audio comprises spoken words.

31. The method defined in claim 30 wherein the skill game involves identifying a speaker.

32. The method defined in claim 29 wherein the audio comprises vocal music.

33. The method defined in claim 32 wherein the skill game involves identifying a singer.

34. The method defined in claim 29 wherein the audio comprises of instrumental music.

35. The method defined in claim 34 wherein the skill game involves identifying the musical composition.

36. The method of claim 29, wherein the skill game includes multiple hierarchical levels, wherein when a skill game at a higher level of the hierarchy is launched, players of the skill game at a lower level receive a free play.

37. An apparatus comprising:

means for establishing communication between a player of a skill game offering prizes and played for consideration and an operator of the skill game using network communications;

means for identifying geographic locations of at least one server or Internet service provider (ISP) through which the player communicates to the operator of the skill game;

means for determining whether the player is eligible, by virtue of location and age, to play the skill game, wherein the eligibility of the player is determined, over the network communications, based in part on whether a jurisdiction associated with player'"'"'s location allows the skill game to be played legally using the geographic location information of the server or ISP;

means for preventing the player form playing the skill game if the player is not eligible; and

means for providing the player with the skill game using network communications, where the skills game includes a query to the player and a visual image that is integral to the query itself.

38. A game comprising:

network communication means for enabling communication between a player of a skill game and an operator of the skill game;

means for identifying geographic locations of at least one server or Internet service provider (ISP) through which the player communicates to the operator of the skill game;

means for determining whether a potential player of the skill game is legally eligible, by virtue of location and age, to participate, wherein the eligibility of the player is determined, over the network communications, based in part on whether a jurisdiction associated with player'"'"'s location allows the skill game to be played legally using the geographic location information of the server or ISP;

means for preventing the player from participating in the skill game in response to the first and second identification means determining that the player is ineligible;

means for receiving consideration from the player to operator of the skill game in exchange for the opportunity to participate in the skill game;

means for providing the player with a game where the skills game includes a query to the player and a visual image that is integral to the query itself, using the network communication means; and

award criteria means for determining whether the player receives a prize, the award criteria being based on skill.