Time and location based gaming

• US 8,308,568 B2
• Filed: 08/15/2007
• Issued: 11/13/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Interactive Games LLC (Cantor Fitzgerald, L.P.)
• Original Assignee: CFPH LLC (Cantor Fitzgerald, L.P.)
• Inventors: Amaitis, Lee M., Asher, Joseph M., Lutnick, Howard W., Mylet, Darrin M., Wilkins, Alan B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Laneau, Ronald
• Assistant Examiner(s): Myhr, Justin
• Application Number:
  US11/839,418
• Publication Number:
  US 20070281785A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,917 Days
• Field of Search: 463/29, 463 40- 42
• US Class Current: 463/42
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/216 using geographical information, e.g. location of the game device or player using GPS
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/205 for detecting the geographical location of the game platform
• 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 17/3237 about the players, e.g. profiling, responsible gaming, strategy/behavior of players, location of players
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3239 Tracking of individual 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 17/3272 Games involving multiple players
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3286 Type of games

Abstract

A user engaged in at least one activity via a gaming device is not permitted to engage in the at least one activity if the user leaves a particular area for at least a predetermined amount of time and/or enters a particular area for at least a predetermined amount of time.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising a computing device operable to:

determine that a user of a gaming device is within a first area, in which the user is permitted to engage in at least one activity via the gaming device from within the first area;

permit the user to engage in the at least one activity via the gaming device based at least in part on determining that the user is within the first area;

determine that the user has left the first area to a second area, in which the user is not permitted to engage in at the least one activity via the gaming device from within the second area;

determine that the user has returned to the first area from the second area;

determine that a duration of time between the user leaving the first area to the second area and returning to the first area from the second area is less than a predetermined amount of time; and

based at least in part on determining that the duration of time is less than the predetermined amount of time, permit the user, upon returning to the first area from the second area, to engage in the least one activity via the gaming device without requiring an identity verification by the user.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, in which the computing device is further operable to:

determine that that duration of time is at least the predetermined amount of time; and

based at least in part on determining that the duration of time is at least the predetermined amount of time, not permit the user, upon returning to the first area from the second area, to engage in the at least one activity via the gaming device.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, in which to not permit the user to engage in the at least one activity via the gaming device comprises to deactivate the gaming device.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, in which to deactivate the gaming device comprises at least one of:

to log out the user from a server to which the user is logged in via the gaming device,

to stop communications between the gaming device and the server,

to disconnect the gaming device from a communication network, and

to turn off the gaming device.

5. The apparatus of claim 1,

in which the user is not permitted to engage in the at least one activity via the gaming device from within at least the second area;

and

in which the computing device is further operable, based at least in part on determining that the user has left the first area to the second area, to not permit the user to engage in the at least one activity via the gaming device from within the second area.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, in which the at least one activity comprises at least one of:

a gambling activity,

a wagering-based activity, and

a lottery-based activity.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, in which the at least one activity comprises conducting financial transactions.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, in which the at least one activity comprises at least one of:

receiving audio, and

receiving video.

9. A method comprising:

determining, by a computing device, that a user of a gaming device is within a first area, in which the user is permitted to engage in at least one activity via the gaming device from within the first area;

permitting, by the computing device, the user to engage in the at least one activity via the gaming device based at least in part on determining that the user is within the first area;

determining, by the computing device, that the user has left the first area to a second area, in which the user is not permitted to engage in the at least one activity via the gaming device from within the second area;

determining, by the computing device, that the user has returned to the first area from the second area;

determining, by the computing device, that a duration of time between the user leaving the first area to the second area and returning to the first area from the second area is less than a predetermined amount of time; and

based at least in part on determining that the duration of time is less than the predetermined amount of time, permitting, by the computing device, the user, upon returning to the first area from the second area, to engage in the least one activity via the gaming device without requiring an identity verification by the user.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

in response to determining that the user has entered the second area,

determining, by the computing device, that a duration of time between the user leaving the first area to the second area and returning to the first area from the second area is at least a predetermined amount of time; and

not permitting, by the computing device, the user to engage in the at least one activity via the gaming device based at least in part on determining that the duration of time between the user leaving the first area to the second area and returning to the first area from the second area is at least the predetermined amount of time.

11. The method of claim 10, in which to not permit the user to engage in the at least one activity via the gaming device comprises deactivating the gaming device.

12. The method of claim 11, in which deactivating the gaming device comprises at least one of:

logging out the user from a server to which the user is logged in via the gaming device,

stopping communications between the gaming device and the server,

disconnecting the gaming device from a communication network, and

turning off the gaming device.

13. The method claim 10, in which the at least one activity comprises at least one of:

a gambling activity,

a wagering-based activity, and

a lottery-based activity.

14. The method of claim 10, in which the at least one activity comprises conducting financial transactions.

15. The method of claim 10, in which the at least one activity comprises at least one of:

receiving audio, and

receiving video.

16. The method of claim 9,

in which the user is not permitted to engage in the at least one activity via the gaming device from within at least the second area;

and

in which, based at least in part on determining that the user has entered the second area from the first area, to not permitting, by the computing device, the user to engage in the at least one activity via the gaming device from within the second area.