Apparatus, processes and articles for facilitating mobile gaming

• US 8,292,741 B2
• Filed: 10/26/2006
• Issued: 10/23/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CFPH LLC (Cantor Fitzgerald, L.P.)
• Original Assignee: CFPH LLC (Cantor Fitzgerald, L.P.)
• Inventors: Burman, Kevin, Alderucci, Dean P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Laneau, Ronald
• Assistant Examiner(s): MYHR, JUSTIN L
• Application Number:
  US11/553,142
• Publication Number:
  US 20080102957A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,189 Days
• Field of Search: 463/29, 463/39, 463/42
• US Class Current: 463/42
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3224 Transactions dependent on location of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3218 wherein at least part of the system is portable
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3227 Configuring a gaming machine, e.g. downloading personal settings, selecting working parameters
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3237 about the players, e.g. profiling, responsible gaming, strategy/behavior of players, location of players
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring

Abstract

In accordance with the teachings of the present embodiment, a system and method for wireless gaming with location-dependent gaming functions are provided. In a particular embodiment, the apparatus includes a gaming server; a wireless network at least partially covering a property, the wireless network comprising a plurality of signal detection devices; and a gaming communication device operable to transmit and receive gaming information to and from the gaming server via the wireless network. A location of the gaming communication device on the property is used to alter a game play function, such as a bet option, wager, graphic overlay, permission, or to provide location-dependent advertising or embedded advertising. Based upon the location of the gaming communication device on the property, a predetermined functionality of the gaming communication device may be enabled and/or controlled.

Claims

1. A method for wireless gaming using at least one wireless gaming terminal, each wireless gaming terminal having a network interface operable to transmit and receive gaming information, the method comprising:

determining, by at least one processor, that a population distribution of users over at least two locations is a suboptimal population distribution of the users over the at least two locations,

in which the at least two locations comprises at least a first location and a second location,

in which the act of determining that a population distribution of users is a suboptimal population distribution comprises determining a respective location of a plurality of wireless gaming terminals of a corresponding plurality of users in the at least two locations, each of the plurality of wireless gaming terminals having a network interface operable to transmit and receive gaming information, the plurality of users comprising a first user having a first wireless gaming terminal and a second user having a second wireless gaming terminal, and

in which the act of determining the location of the plurality of wireless gaming terminals comprises;

determining a specific location of the first wireless gaming terminal, the specific location being in the second location; and

determining another location of the second wireless gaming terminal, the another location being in the first location;

responsive to determining that the population distribution of users over the at least two locations is a suboptimal distribution of the users over the at least two locations, communicating, by the at least one processor, at least one incentive to a corresponding wireless gaming terminal of each of at least one of the plurality of users comprising the second user, the at least one incentive comprising an incentive for the corresponding at least one of the plurality of users to move to the second location;

causing, by the at least one processor, a corresponding at least one game to be implemented at the corresponding wireless gaming terminal of each of the at least one of the plurality of users, wherein the implementation of the at least one game is dependent on a determined location of each corresponding at least one user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of determining the respective location of the plurality of wireless gaming terminals employs at least one of network based location and satellite based location.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said network interface comprises a wireless network interface that communicates with at least one wireless gaming terminal in one of an unlicensed radio frequency band and a licensed radio frequency band.

4. The method of claim 1,

wherein said wireless network interface communicates using at least one of an IEEE-802.11x compatible protocol and an IEEE-802.16x compatible protocol,

wherein the act of determining the respective location of the plurality of wireless gaming terminals employs a short range modulated magnetic field communication protocol, and

wherein said first wireless gaming terminal comprises a cellular telephone, further comprising:

identifying a user biometrically; and

determining a location of the first wireless gaming terminal based on a response from a radio frequency identification transponder device.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving by the at least one processor the determined specific location as an input parameter of a game, and

altering a user interface for a predetermined game in response to receiving the determined specific location.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving by the at least one processor the determined specific location as an input parameter of the game, and

altering by the at least one processor at least one rule of the game in response to receiving the determined specific location.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving by the at least one processor the determined specific location as an input parameter of the game, and

altering by the at least one processor a wager of the game in response to receiving the determined specific location.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving by the at least one processor the determined specific location as an input parameter of the game, and

altering by the at least one processor a bet option of the game in response to receiving the determined specific location.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving by the at least one processor the determined specific location as an input parameter of the game, and

altering by the at least one processor an ancillary incentive for playing the game in response to receiving the determined specific location.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving by the at least one processor the determined specific location as an input parameter of the game, and

determining by the at least one processor a permission for playing the game.

11. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor; and

a memory that stores instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, directs the at least one processor to;

determine that a population distribution of users over at least two locations is a suboptimal population distribution of the users over the at least two locations,

the at least two locations comprising at least a first location and a second location,

in which the act of determining that a population distribution of users is a suboptimal population distribution comprises determining by the at least one processor a respective location of a plurality of wireless gaming terminals of a corresponding plurality of users in the at least two locations, each of the plurality of wireless gaming terminals having a network interface operable to transmit and receive gaming information, and

in which the act of determining the respective location of the plurality of wireless gaming terminals comprises;

determining a first specific location of a first wireless gaming terminal of a first user, the first specific location being in the second location; and

determining a second specific location of a second wireless gaming terminal of a second user, the second specific location being in the first location;

responsive to the act of determining that a population distribution of users over at least two locations is a suboptimal distribution of the users over the at least two locations, communicating at least one incentive to each corresponding wireless gaming terminal of each of at least one user comprising the second user, the at least one incentive comprising an incentive for the corresponding at least one user to move to the second location; and

causing, by the at least one processor, a corresponding at least one game to be implemented at the corresponding wireless gaming terminal of each of the at least one of the plurality of users, wherein the implementation of the at least one game is dependent on a determined location of each corresponding at least one user.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, in which the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further direct the at least one processor to:

after communicating the incentive, determining a location of at least one wireless gaming terminal in the at least two locations; and

based on the act of determining the location of at least one wireless gaming terminal in the at least two locations, determine that a population distribution of users over the at least two locations is an optimal population distribution of users over the at least two locations.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, in which the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further direct the at least one processor to:

cease communication of the at least one incentive to the plurality of users based on a determination that a distribution of users over the at least two locations is an optimal population distribution of users over the at least two locations.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, in which the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further direct the at least one processor to:

provide a first game to the first user at the first wireless gaming terminal based on the determined first specific location;

after determining the first specific location and after providing the first game at the first wireless gaming terminal, determine a second specific location of the first user that is different from the first specific location;

based on determining the second specific location of the first user, provide a second game to the first user at the first wireless gaming terminal, the second game being different from the first game.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, in which the first game comprises a first user interface generated based on the first specific location, and in which the second game comprises a second user interface generated based on the second specific location, in which the first user interface is different from the second user interface.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, in which the first game comprises first odds determined based on the first specific location, and in which the second game comprises second odds determined based on the second specific location, in which the second odds are different from the first odds.

17. The apparatus of claim 14, in which the first game comprises a first available wager determined based on the first specific location, and in which the second game comprises a second available wager determined based on the second specific location, in which the first available wager is different from the second available wager.

18. The apparatus of claim 11, in which the at least one incentive comprises at least one of (1) a part of a game, (2) an option within a game, and (3) a complementary benefit.

19. The apparatus of claim 11, in which the incentive comprises at least one complementary benefit, and in which complementary benefits provided to users located in the first location are different from complementary benefits offered to users located in the second location.

20. The apparatus of claim 11, in which the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further direct the at least one processor to:

provide one or more incentives for a plurality of users in the second location to relocate from the second location to the first location until an optimal population distribution is detected over the at least two locations.

21. The apparatus of claim 11, in which the act of detecting a suboptimal population distribution of users over at least two locations comprises detecting that the second location is overcrowded.

22. The apparatus of claim 11, in which the act of detecting a suboptimal population distribution of users over at least two locations comprises detecting that the first location is under-crowded.

23. The apparatus of claim 11, in which the act of detecting a suboptimal population distribution of users over the at least two locations comprises:

detecting that a population of users in the first location is less than a desired amount; and

detecting that the population of users in the second location is greater than a desired amount.

24. The apparatus of claim 11, in which the act of detecting a suboptimal population distribution of users over the at least two locations comprises detecting the suboptimal population distribution of users over the at least two locations based on a computer implemented occupancy algorithm.

25. The apparatus of claim 11,

in which the act of determining that a population distribution of users over at least two locations is a suboptimal population distribution of the users over the at least two locations comprises determining that a population distribution of users over at least two locations is a suboptimal population distribution of the users over the at least two locations based on an optimization algorithm,

in which the incentive comprises a complementary benefit, and

in which the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further direct the processor to communicate the at least one incentive to each corresponding wireless gaming terminal of each of the at least one user until the at least one processor determines that a population distribution of the users over the at least two locations is an optimal population distribution of the users over the at least two locations.