Client account managing arrangement on an online gaming system

• US 8,657,677 B2
• Filed: 04/28/2009
• Issued: 02/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sg Gaming, Inc. (Scientific Games Corporation), Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Ongame Services AB (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Inventors: Jahanshahi, Jahanshah, Lagercrantz, Henrik
• Primary Examiner(s): Lewis, David L
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hoel, Matthew D.
• Application Number:
  US13/266,969
• Publication Number:
  US 20120129591A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,764 Days
• Field of Search: 463/25, 463/29, 463 40- 42, 726/12, 707/613, 707/658
• US Class Current: 463/29
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/335 using Internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/352 involving special game server arrangements, e.g. regional servers connected to a national server or a plurality of servers managing partitions of the game world
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/792 for payment purposes, e.g. monthly subscriptions
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/407 Data transfer via internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/513 server hierarchy, e.g. local, regional, national or dedicated for different tasks, e.g. authenticating, billing
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5513 involving billing
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/554 by saving game or status data
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5546 using player registration data, e.g. identification, account, preferences, game history
• 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 17/3244 Payment aspects of a gaming system, e.g. payment schemes, setting payout ratio, bonus or consolation prizes

Abstract

A client account managing arrangement on an online gaming system includes a game server system having at least one game logic managing clients participating in at least one game session. Each client has a permanent account on an accounting system. Proxies, one for each client/game session combination, are connected to the respective game logics. An asynchronous communication server system is connected to the proxies. The accounting system is connected to the asynchronous communication server system and is configured to i) create a temporary reservation account for each client/game session combination, ii) transfer money from the permanent accounts to the respective temporary reservation accounts as clients start to participate in game sessions, iii) update the temporary reservation accounts during ongoing game sessions, iv) transfer remaining money from the temporary reservation accounts to the respective permanent accounts as clients end their participation in game sessions, v) closing the temporary reservation accounts for each ended client/game session combination.

Claims

1. A client account managing system for an online game, the system comprising:

a game server executing a game logic, the game logic configured to manage clients participating in at least one game session;

an asynchronous communication server communicably connected to the game server; and

an accounting server being communicably connected to the asynchronous communication server, the accounting server storing a permanent account for each of the clients participating in the at least one game session, and the accounting server being configured to;

create a temporary reservation account for each client/game session combination provided by the game logic,

transfer money from the permanent accounts to the respective temporary reservation accounts as the clients start to participate in the at least one game session,

update each temporary reservation account with transactions for the client/game session combination associated with the temporary reservation account,

transfer remaining money from the temporary reservation accounts to the respective permanent accounts as clients end their participation in the at least one game session, and

close the temporary reservation account for each ended client/game session combination;

wherein, proxies, one for each client/game session combination, are provided on the game server or the asynchronous communication server, and the proxies are configured to communicate with the game logic, and

wherein when updating each temporary reservation account with transactions for the client/game session combination associated with the temporary reservation account, the game logic indirectly communicates the transactions to the accounting server via the corresponding proxy for the client/game session combination and the asynchronous communication server.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the proxies are provided on the game server.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the proxies are provided on the asynchronous communication server.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the proxies, temporary reservation accounts, and asynchronous communication server decouple the permanent accounts from the game logic executing on the game server.

5. A method for operating a client account managing system for an online game, the system comprising a game server executing game logic that manages clients participating in at least one game session and an accounting server storing a permanent account for each of the clients participating in the at least one game session, the method comprising:

establishing proxies, one for each client/game session combination, wherein the proxies are provided on the game server or an asynchronous communication server that is communicably connected to the game server and the accounting server;

the accounting server;

creating a temporary reservation account for each client/game session combination provided by the game logic,

transferring money from the permanent accounts to the respective temporary reservation accounts as the clients start to participate in the at least one game session,

updating each temporary reservation account with transactions for the client/game session combination associated with the temporary reservation account,

transferring remaining money from the temporary reservation accounts to the respective permanent accounts as clients end their participation in the at least one game session, and

closing the temporary reservation account for each ended client/game session combination;

wherein when updating each temporary reservation account with transactions for the client/game session combination associated with the temporary reservation account, the game logic indirectly communicates the transactions to the accounting server via the corresponding proxy for the client/game session combination and the asynchronous communication server.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the proxies, temporary reservation accounts, and asynchronous communication server decouple the permanent accounts from the game logic executing on the game server.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the proxies are provided on the game server.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the proxies are provided on the asynchronous communication server.

9. An accounting server for use in a client account managing system, the client account managing system including a game server executing a game logic configured to manage clients participating in at least one game session, an asynchronous communication server communicably connected to the game server and the accounting server, and proxies, one for each client/game session combination, provided on the game server or the asynchronous communication server, the accounting server comprising a processor configured to:

store permanent accounts, one for each of the clients participating in the at least one game session;

create a temporary reservation account for each client/game session combination provided by the game logic;

transfer money from the permanent accounts to the respective temporary reservation accounts as the clients start to participate in the at least one game session;

update each temporary reservation accounts with transactions for the client/game session combination associated with the temporary reservation account,

transfer remaining money from the temporary reservation accounts to the respective permanent accounts as clients end their participation in the at least one game session; and

close the temporary reservation account for each ended client/game session combination;

wherein when updating each temporary reservation account with transactions for the client/game session combination associated with the temporary reservation account, the game logic indirectly communicates the transactions to the accounting server via the corresponding proxy for the client/game session combination and the asynchronous communication server.

10. The accounting server of claim 9, wherein the proxies are provided on the game server.

11. The accounting server of claim 9, wherein the proxies are provided on the asynchronous communication server.

12. The accounting server of claim 9, wherein the proxies, temporary reservation accounts, and asynchronous communication server are decoupled from the permanent accounts.