Method and computer readable medium relating to creating child virtual decks from a parent virtual deck

• US 8,113,932 B2
• Filed: 05/21/2009
• Issued: 02/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: MGT Interactive LLC (MGT Capital Investments Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Gioia Systems, LLC (MGT Capital Investments Incorporated)
• Inventors: Gioia, Gene George, Gioia, Andrew Nicholas, Fogarty, Brendan Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Shah, Milap
• Application Number:
  US12/470,356
• Publication Number:
  US 20090227360A1
• Time in Patent Office: 999 Days
• Field of Search: 463 11- 13, 463/42, 463/47, 273/148.R, 273/149.R, 273/149.P, 273/309
• US Class Current: 463/11
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 1/12 Card shufflers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2009/2419 Optical
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2009/242 Bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3293 Card games, e.g. poker, canasta, black jack

Abstract

Methods and systems relating to virtual playing instruments generated from physical playing instruments are provided. In one embodiment, a child deck may be created using one or more rules to resequence a parent virtual deck created from physical playing instruments, such as cards. In one embodiment, a player may be allowed to “cut” the deck of virtual playing instruments before a virtual deck is assigned to a game session. In another embodiment, a copy of the child (or parent) virtual deck is created before the child (or parent) virtual deck is transmitted for use in a game session, and a game may be electronically recreated using the copy of the virtual child deck to confirm the outcome of the game. Further aspects relate to allowing a player of a game to request a secondary audit of the game.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

(a) retrieving from a non-transitory computer-readable medium, a parent virtual deck comprising the identity of a plurality of sequentially arranged virtual playing instruments, wherein the sequential arrangement of the playing instruments has been determined by a method comprising;

(i) physically randomizing a plurality of physical playing instruments, wherein a random number generator is not utilized to determine the randomness of the physical playing instruments, and wherein each playing instrument comprises at least one identifier;

(ii) electronically determining the identity of at least two physical playing instruments in a sequential order before initiation of a game;

(iii) capturing a plurality of electronic images of the sequential order of the physical playing instruments; and

(iv) electronically storing the identity and sequential order of the at least two physical playing instruments on one or more computer-readable mediums to the parent virtual deck of virtual playing instruments, wherein the parent virtual deck is associated with the plurality of images; and

(b) creating at least a child virtual deck of virtual playing instruments from the parent virtual deck of playing instruments created in (a) by applying a predefined rule to resequence the virtual playing instruments within the parent virtual deck, wherein each child virtual deck has a unique identification and is associated with the parent virtual deck.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

(c) assigning a game number to a game session in response to receiving an electronic signal indicative that the game has been initiated;

(d) before assigning any virtual deck to the game session, receiving an electronic signal through a network from at least one user comprising a user input selected from the group consisting of;

(i) a user input configured to cut the to be assigned virtual deck of playing instruments, thereby determining the initiation point for distribution of at least two virtual playing instruments; and

(ii) a user input configured to indicate the at least one user does not wish to cut the to be assigned virtual deck, wherein the receipt of the electronic signal is configured to detect utilization of remote automated programs;

(e) assigning the to be assigned virtual desk to the game session and cutting the assigned virtual deck in accordance with the received user input.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

(f) providing a graphical user interface for display on a display device having a plurality of selectable objects, each object representing a sequential location within the to be assigned virtual deck, and wherein the user input of (d) selects one of the selectable objects, and subsequently upon the assignment of the assigned virtual deck, cutting the assigned virtual deck in accordance with the sequential location obtained from the user input.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the user input comprises a numerical value, wherein said numerical value is associated with a sequential location within the to be assigned virtual deck subsequently assigned to the game session.

5. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

(f) preventing one or more child virtual decks from being used in the game in the game session if criteria is satisfied, wherein the criteria is selected from the group consisting of;

a child virtual deck from a same parent virtual deck has been used at the game session, a predetermined amount of time has elapsed since creation of the child virtual deck, an input has been received requesting an audit of a related child virtual deck, and combinations thereof.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

(c) preventing usage of a virtual deck at a game session after a predetermined time period has elapsed.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

(c) determining if a child virtual deck from a parent virtual deck has been used at a prior game session, wherein if a child virtual deck from the parent virtual deck has been used, a child virtual deck from a second parent virtual deck is utilized in a subsequent game.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

(c) creating a copy of the child virtual deck before the child virtual deck is transmitted for use in a game session, wherein the copy of the child virtual deck is not transmitted for use at a game session; and

(d) determining that the game at the game session has ended, and in response, electronically recreating the game using the copy of the child virtual deck to confirm the outcome of the game played at the game session was accurate.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

(e) either before or after (d), receiving a user input indicative that a player requests a secondary audit of an aspect of the game; and

(f) automatically transmitting a unique game number, game data, the child virtual deck, the copy of the child virtual deck, the parent virtual deck associated with the child virtual deck, an indication of the predefined rule utilized to resequence the virtual playing instruments in the parent virtual deck to create the child deck, and the associated plurality of electronic images to a third-party.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

(c) determining that the game in a game session is a multiple deck game; and

(d) ensuring that only one child virtual deck from the parent deck is used in the game.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of physical playing instruments have a first side and a second side and further are characterized by a first dimension of substantially about 2.25 inches to about 2.5 inches and a second dimension of about 3.5 inches.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising computer-executable instructions that when executed perform the method comprising:

(a) providing a child virtual deck on a computer-readable medium, wherein the child virtual deck was created from a parent virtual deck comprising the identity of a plurality of sequentially arranged virtual playing instruments, wherein the sequential arrangement of the playing instruments of the parent virtual deck was determined by a method comprising;

(i) physically randomizing a plurality of physical playing instruments, wherein each playing instrument comprises at least one identifier, wherein a random number generator is not utilized to determine the randomness of the physical playing instruments;

(ii) electronically determining the identity of at least two physical playing instruments in a sequential order before initiation of a game;

(iii) capturing a plurality of electronic images of the sequential order of the physical playing instruments; and

(iv) electronically storing the identity and sequential order of the at least two physical playing instruments on one or more non-transitory computer-readable mediums to create the parent virtual deck of virtual playing instruments, wherein the parent virtual deck is associated with the plurality of images; and

(v) creating the child virtual deck of virtual playing instruments from the parent virtual deck of playing instruments created in (a) by applying predefined rules that rearrange the ordering of the sequence of the virtual playing instruments within the parent virtual deck, wherein the child virtual deck is associated with the parent deck.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, comprising instructions that when executed further perform the method comprising:

(b) assigning a game number to a game session in response to receiving an electronic signal indicative that the game has been initiated;

(c) before assigning any virtual deck to the game session, receiving an electronic signal through a network from at least one user comprising a user input selected from the group consisting of;

(i) a user input configured to cut a to be assigned virtual deck of playing instruments, thereby determining the initiation point for distribution of at least two virtual playing instruments; and

(ii) a user input configured to indicate the at least one user does not wish to cut the to be assigned virtual deck, wherein the receipt of the electronic signal is configured to detect utilization of remote automated programs; and

(d) assigning the to be assigned virtual deck to the game session and cutting the assigned virtual deck in accordance with the received user input.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, comprising instructions that when executed further perform the method comprising:

(e) providing a graphical user interface for display on a display device having a plurality of selectable objects, each object representing a sequential location within the to be assigned virtual deck, and wherein the user input of (c) is configured to select one of the selectable objects, and subsequently upon the assignment of the assigned virtual deck, cutting the assigned virtual deck in accordance with the sequential location obtained from the user input.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the user input comprises a numerical value, wherein said numerical value is associated with a sequential location within the to be assigned virtual deck subsequently assigned to the game session.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, comprising instructions that when executed further perform the method comprising:

(d) creating a copy of the to be assigned virtual deck before the to be assigned virtual deck is transmitted for use in the game session, wherein the copy of the to be assigned virtual deck is not transmitted for use at a game session; and

(e) determining that the game at the game session has ended, and in response, electronically recreating the game using the copy of the to be assigned virtual deck to confirm the outcome of the game played at the game session was accurate.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, comprising instructions that when executed further perform the method comprising:

(f) either before or after (e), receiving a user input indicative that a player requests a secondary audit of the game; and

(g) automatically transmitting a unique game number, game data, the assigned virtual deck, the copy of the to be assigned virtual deck, and the associated plurality of electronic images to a third-party, and if the child virtual deck was used in the game, then also automatically transmitting an indication of the predefined rule utilized to resequence the virtual playing instruments in the parent virtual deck to create the child deck.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the plurality of physical playing instruments have a first side and a second side and further are characterized by a first dimension of substantially about 2.25 inches to about 2.5 inches and a second dimension of about 3.5 inches.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 12,

wherein the child virtual deck has a unique identification and is associated with the parent deck, and comprising instructions that when executed further perform the method comprising:

(b) determining that the game in a game session is a multiple deck game; and

(c) ensuring that only one child virtual deck from the parent deck is used in the game.