Game at cash register

• US 7,780,522 B2
• Filed: 02/23/2007
• Issued: 08/24/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CFPH LLC (Cantor Fitzgerald, L.P.)
• Original Assignee: CFPH LLC (Cantor Fitzgerald, L.P.)
• Inventors: Lutnick, Howard W., Gelman, Geoffrey M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Suhol; Dmitry
• Assistant Examiner(s): PINHEIRO, JASON PAUL
• Application Number:
  US11/678,573
• Publication Number:
  US 20080207296A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,278 Days
• Field of Search: 463/17, 463/25, 463/42
• US Class Current: 463/25
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/202 Interconnection or interaction of plural electronic cash registers [ECR] or to host computer, e.g. network details, transfer of information from host to ECR or from ECR to ECR
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/327 Short range or proximity payments by means of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/387 Payment using discounts or coupons relating to marketing G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0209 Incentive being awarded or redeemed in connection with the playing of a video game
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3223 Architectural aspects of a gaming system, e.g. internal configuration, master/slave, wireless communication
• 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 17/3237 about the players, e.g. profiling, responsible gaming, strategy/behavior of players, location of players
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3241 Security aspects of a gaming system, e.g. detecting cheating, device integrity, surveillance computer security G06F21/00
• 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 17/3253 involving articles, e.g. paying in bottles, paying out toys
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3255 Incentive, loyalty and/or promotion schemes, e.g. comps, gaming associated with a purchase, gaming funded by advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3272 Games involving multiple players
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/329 Regular and instant lottery, e.g. electronic scratch cards
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 5/24 with change-giving

Abstract

In various embodiments, a method may include receiving an indication of a price of an item to be purchased by a person from a merchant, receiving an indication of an amount tendered by the person, determining an amount of change due to the person based on the price and based on the amount tendered, determining the rules of a game, generating a first outcome of the game using a random number generator, determining based on the rules whether the first outcome is winning or losing, authorizing, if the first outcome is winning, that the amount tendered be returned to the person and that the person be allowed to keep the item, and authorizing, if the first outcome is losing, that the amount tendered be kept by the merchant.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving by at least one server, an indication of a price of an item being paid by a person, wherein a merchant provides the item;

receiving by the at least one server, an indication of an amount tendered by the person to the merchant to pay for the item, wherein the amount tendered by the person is greater than the price of the item by a difference, the difference comprising an amount of change due to the person;

receiving by the at least one server, from the person, via a mobile gaming device in use by the person, an indication that the person wants to use the change as a bet in a game,

wherein if the person achieves a winning outcome in the game, the player keeps the amount tendered and the item, thereby receiving the item for free,

wherein if the person does not achieve a winning outcome in the game, the person loses the amount tendered, including the change, but retains the item, and

wherein the at least one server and the mobile gaming device are communicatively coupled via a communications network;

based on the amount of change, the price of the item and a desired house advantage for a casino providing the game, determining by the at least one server one or more possible winning outcomes for the game for the person such that the one or more possible winning outcomes result in the desired house advantage, wherein the one or more possible winning outcomes are inversely proportional to the price of the item and to the amount of change used as the bet in the game;

generating, by the at least one server, one or more outcomes of the game using a random number generator;

based on the one or more possible outcomes, determining, by the at least one server that the generated outcome of the game is a winning outcome;

in response to determining that the generated one or more outcomes is a winning outcome, displaying by the at least one server to the person via the mobile gaming device that the person won the game, whereby winning the game the person retains the amount tendered by the person and the person keeps the item for free.

2. The method of 1 in which the indication of at least one of the purchase price and the amount tendered by the person is received from a mobile gaming device.

3. A method comprising:

receiving by at least one server, an indication of an item being purchased by a person, wherein a merchant provides the item;

determining by the at least one server, a price for the item wherein the price of the item is based on a cost to the merchant for the item, wherein the cost of the item is less than the price for the item;

receiving by the at least one server an indication of an amount tendered by the person to pay for the item, wherein the amount tendered by the person is greater than the price of the item by a difference, the difference comprising an amount of change due to the person;

receiving by the at least one server, from the person, via a mobile gaming device in use by the person, an indication that the person wants to use the change as a bet in a game,

wherein if the person achieves a winning outcome in the game, the player keeps the amount tendered and the item, thereby receiving the item for free,

wherein if the person does not achieve a winning outcome in the game, the person loses the amount tendered, including the change, but retains the item, and wherein the at least one server and the mobile gaming device are communicatively coupled via a communications network;

based on the amount of change, the price of the item and desired house advantage for a casino providing the game, determining by the at least one server one or more possible winning outcomes for the game for the person such that the one or more possible winning outcomes result in the desired house advantage, wherein the one or more possible winning outcomes are inversely proportional to the price of the item and to the amount of change used as the bet in the game;

generating by the at least one server one or more outcomes for the game;

based on the one or more possible winning outcomes, determining by the at least one server that the generated outcome for the game is a winning outcome; and

in response to determining that the generated outcome is a winning outcome, displaying by the at least one server to the person via the mobile gaming device that the person won the game, whereby winning the game the person retains the amount tendered by the person and that the person keeps the item for free.

4. The method of 1 in which the price includes a tax.

5. The method of 3 in which generating the outcome for the game includes generating the outcome for the game using a random number generator.

6. The method of 3 in which receiving the indication of the amount tendered by the person includes receiving from the mobile gaming device the indication of the amount tendered by the person.

7. The method of 3 in which receiving the indication of the amount tendered by the person includes receiving from the mobile gaming device the indication of a number of gaming credits tendered by the person to pay for the item.

8. The method of 3 in which receiving the indication of the amount tendered by the person includes receiving from the mobile gaming device an indication of a number of credits tendered by the person, to pay for the item, wherein the credits are from a balance of credits dedicated to non-gaming activities.

9. The method of 4 further including recording at least one of:

(a) the price;

(b) the amount tendered;

(c) the amount of change due;

(d) the outcome of the game;

(e) the indication of the item being purchased; and

(f) the amount tendered being refunded to the person.

10. A method comprising:

receiving by at least one server an indication of an item to be purchased by a person, wherein a merchant provides the item;

determining by the at least one server, a purchase price to be paid by the person for the item, wherein the purchase price of the item is based on a cost to the merchant for the item, wherein the cost of the item is less than the purchase price for the item;

determining by the at least one server, a number of gaming credits whose aggregate value exceeds the purchase price;

receiving by the at least one server, an indication of a number of gaming credits tendered by the person to purchase the item, wherein an aggregate value of the number of credits exceeds the purchase price;

determining by the at least one server an amount of change due to the person based on a difference between the purchase price and the aggregate value of the gaming credits;

receiving by the at least one server, from the person, via a mobile gaming device in use by the person, an indication that the person wants to use the change as a bet in a game,

wherein if the person achieves a winning outcome in the game, the player keeps the tendered gaming credits and the item, thereby receiving the item for free,

wherein if the person does not achieve a winning outcome in the game, the person loses the tendered gaming credits, including the change, but retains the item, and

wherein the at least one server and the mobile gaming device are communicatively coupled via a communications network;

based on the amount of change, the cost of the item and a desired house advantage for a casino providing the game, determining by the at least one server, one or more possible winning outcomes for the game for the person such that the one or more possible winning outcomes result in the desired house advantage, wherein the one or more possible winning outcomes are inversely proportional to the price of the item and to the amount of change used as the bet in the game;

generating by the at least one server an outcome for the game using a random number generator;

based on the generated outcome, determining by the at least one server that the generated outcome for the game is a winning outcome;

in response to determining that the generated outcome is a winning outcome, displaying by the at least one server to the person via the mobile gaming device that the person won the game, whereby winning the game the person retains the amount tendered by the person and the person keeps the item for free.

11. The method of 10 further including:

deducting by the at least one server the number of gaming credits from a credit balance associated with the person; and

updating by the at least one server, a display on the mobile gaming device of the credit balance to reflect the reduced number of gaming credits in the credit balance.

12. The method of 11 further including:

based on the outcome of the game comprising a winning outcome, by the at least one server, restoring the number of gaming credits to the credit balance associated with the person; and

updating, by the at least one server, the mobile gaming device of the credit balance to reflect the restored number gaming credits in the credit balance.

13. The method of 10 in which determining an outcome of the game includes generating, by the at least one server, the outcome of the game using a random number generator.