Gaming at cash register

• US 8,062,116 B2
• Filed: 06/14/2010
• Issued: 11/22/2011
• 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): Bumgarner; Melba
• Assistant Examiner(s): PINHEIRO, JASON PAUL
• Application Number:
  US12/815,011
• Publication Number:
  US 20110059784A1
• Time in Patent Office: 526 Days
• Field of Search: 463/17, 463/25, 463/42
• US Class Current: 463/17
• 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, receiving from the person an indication that the person wants to use the change as a bet in a game in which the person specifies desired probability of winning outcome in the game, determining the rules of a game, generating an outcome of one or more games using a random number generator, determining based on the rules whether the outcome is winning or losing, authorizing, if the 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 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 the person specifies desired probability of winning outcome in the game, wherein if the player 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 player does not achieve a winning outcome in the game, the player 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 specified desired probability of winning outcome in the game, the amount of change and the price of the item, determining by the at least one server one or more possible winning outcomes for the game such that the one or more possible winning outcomes result in a desired house advantage for a casino providing the game;

based on the specified desired probability of winning outcome of the game, one or more possible winning outcomes resulting in a desired house advantage for the casino providing the game, the amount of change and the price of the item, determining by the at least one server the amount that the person has to tender to use it as a 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 a generated outcome of the game is a winning outcome;

in response to determining that the generated outcomes comprise a winning outcome, communicating by the at least one server to the merchant that provides the item and displaying 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 claim 1, wherein if the amount that the person has to tender to use it as a bet in the game is determined to be greater than the amount of change due to the person by the difference, deducting by the at least one server the amount from a bank account balance associated with the person and updating by the at least one server, a display on the mobile gaming device of the bank account balance to reflect the reduced amount in the bank account balance.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein if the amount that the person has to tender to use it as a bet in the game is determined to be greater than the amount of change due to the person by the difference, 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.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein 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.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein if the amount that the person has to tender to use it as a bet in the game is determined to be greater than the amount of change due to the person by the difference, the difference is paid by the person in cash.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the indication of at least one of the purchase price, desired probability of winning outcome in the game, and the amount tendered by the person is received from a mobile gaming device.

7. 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 the person specifies desired probability of winning outcome in the game, wherein if the player 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 player does not achieve a winning outcome in the game, the player 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, specified desired probability of winning outcome in the game, the amount of change and the price of the item, determining by the at least one server one or more possible winning outcomes for the game such that the one or more possible winning outcomes result in a desired house advantage for a merchant providing the game;

based on the specified desired probability of winning outcome of the game, one or more possible winning outcomes resulting in a desired house advantage for the merchant providing the game, the amount of change and the price of the item, determining by the at least one server the amount that the person has to tender to use it as a 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 a 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.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein if the amount that the person has to tender to use it as a bet in the game is determined to be greater than the amount of change due to the person by the difference, deducting by the at least one server the amount from a bank account balance associated with the person and updating by the at least one server, a display on the mobile gaming device of the bank account balance to reflect the reduced amount in the bank account balance.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein if the amount that the person has to tender to use it as a bet in the game is determined to be greater than the amount of change due to the person by the difference, 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.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein 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.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein if the amount that the person has to tender to use it as a bet in the game is determined to be greater than the amount of change due to the person by the difference, the difference is paid by the person in cash.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein the indication of at least one of the purchase price, desired probability of winning outcome in the game, and the amount tendered by the person is received from a mobile gaming device.

13. 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 the person is required to achieve a winning outcome in each of a plurality of games for the at least one server to determine that the person won the game, wherein if the player achieves the winning outcome in each of the plurality games, the player keeps the amount tendered and the item, thereby receiving the item for free, wherein if the player does not achieve the winning outcome in each of the plurality games, the player 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;

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

based on the generated outcomes of each of the plurality games, determining, by the at least one server that the generated outcomes comprise a winning outcome;

in response to determining that the generated outcomes comprise a winning outcome, communicating by the at least one server to the merchant that provides the item and displaying 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.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein if the amount of change due to the person is an initial balance of the bet to be used by the person to participate in a first of the plurality games.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the winning outcome in each of the plurality games is to be added to the initial balance towards the target balance.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the target balance is equal to the price of the item being purchased.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein each of the plurality of games is generated from the preceding game winning outcome.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein if the amount that the person has to tender to use it as a bet in the game is determined to be greater than the amount of change due to the person by the difference, the difference is paid by the person in cash.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein the indication of at least one of the purchase price, desired probability of winning outcome in the game, and the amount tendered by the person is received from a mobile gaming device.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein if, as a result of the plurality of games, the initial balance reaches zero the person loses the amount tendered, including the change, but retains the item.