Patent Application
20070298867
For the purpose of facilitating an understanding of the inventions, the accompanying drawings and description illustrate a preferred embodiment thereof, from which the inventions, structure, construction and operation, and many related advantages may be readily understood and appreciated.
The following description is provided to enable those skilled in the art to make and use the described embodiments set forth in the best modes contemplated for carrying out the invention. Various modifications, however, will remain readily apparent to those skilled in the art. Any and all such modifications, equivalents, and alternatives are intended to fall within the spirit and scope of the present invention. According to one embodiment of the invention illustrated in
The system 10 of
With reference to Internet gaming applications of the described system 10, a legal game application may be provided with rewards to players for game playing (use), rather than via speculative outcome of games thus not merely paying for outcome uncertainty, i.e., gambling. To this end, real time earnings balances are generated for viewing and review by players, by providing each game played with predetermined reward points. This may be generated in the Internet environment as well for legal, predetermined exchange. In alternate embodiments, reward points may be further determined as at least partially dependent on the game activity and/or an outcome of such game activity, wherein the process for the reward program may be calculated partially dependent on the game outcome of described game activity.
The system tracks the balances of both credits and reward points in the machine. Each time a game is played, some reward points will be stored in the system 10 random access memory, RAM 16 for storing reward amounts. The amount of reward points awarded is based upon a portion of the total bets made by the player. The wager or play of credits include value for wager or an initial conversion into credits and may include one or more of money, tokens, game score, game value, sweepstakes play, or equivalents and representations thereof to be placed. The initial conversion into credits may be provided in connection, e.g., with sweepstakes plays for use thereafter as the wager of credit. Thus sweepstakes plays or chances may be converted into credits prior to game play. In addition, the total wager value may include the bets made during bonus games. The bet or wager can include the bonus game as part of the game activity. Thus the wager could include a double up, free bet, free play or the like to allow the players to wager their winnings. The reward also may be provided cumulatively with the reward value as a predetermined portion of the money or credit received based on the money or credit received and the reward value balance, with wagers relating to bonus games. The bets in bonus games may or may not be subtracted from the credit like regular games. Real time feedback of rewards for playing a game machine of system 10, on a per machine basis, thus may be made known to players. The amount of reward points may be based on the balance of reward points or other factors attributed to the machine being played such as a portion of the bet and the number of games played, or the duration of time played. The reward program also may calculate cumulatively with the reward value as a predetermined portion of the money or credit received based on the money or credit received and the reward value balance.
The defined system tracks the balances of both credits and reward points for each machine. Credits are defined to allow a player to play games and can be won or lost based upon game play results. In the preferred embodiment, reward points are awarded to the player for every game played with credits, regardless of the outcome (win or loss). In alternate embodiments, reward points may be further determined as at least partially dependent on the game activity and/or an outcome of such game activity, wherein the process for the reward program may be calculated partially dependent on the game outcome of described game activity. Reward points can be withdrawn from the player's account and used by the player for goods or services. Each time a game is played, some reward points will be added into the player's account. The amount of reward points awarded is based upon a portion of the total bets made by the player. Comps or other such rewards are provided as readily observable by players, thus rewarding players based on Comps while allowing players to look at their Comps or reward value balances and see such amounts being earned based on entry fee, wager or play. As described, predetermined reward points are based upon a portion of a player's “entry fee”, wager, play, ticket purchase price, or other such fixed amount for provision to the player separately from credits awarded for game play including a monitor and a button panel, with a card reader, bill-ticket validator and a ticket printer. The monitor displays the game and other information that may include the amount of bet, win, credit, Comps rewarded and Comps balance to show total amounts. The button panel includes display Comps and collect buttons. The card reader is used to transfer credits and reward points. The bill-ticket validator collects money or tickets. The ticket printer prints the credits and reward points. A wager of money, credits, tokens, game score, game value, or equivalents is placed in a first process, and a further process operates a game program in relation to a game activity and game outcome and independently calculates a reward value as a predetermined portion of the amount played. Accordingly the system 10 rewards the player with reward points rather than solely outcomes of games and not merely paying for outcome uncertainty or gambling. To this end, real time earnings balances are generated for viewing and review by players, by providing each game played with predetermined reward points that may be stored with the machine.
The information processing method for a game machine thus receives money or credit for operating the game machine, and displaying a game activity in a first region of a visual display of the game machine. A first process for a game program operates in relation to the game activity displayed on the first region of the visual display, with the first process for a wager (“Wager”) of money, credits, tokens, game score, game value, or equivalents and representations thereof (herein “Credits”) to be placed. A second process is provided following the placement of the wager for a game program operating in relation to a game activity and game outcome. The second process independently calculates the reward value as a predetermined portion of the amount played. The second process is operating independent of the game activity displayed on the first region of the visual display. A third process for the reward program calculates a reward value as a predetermined portion of the credits wagered. In the preferred embodiments described, the third process for the reward program is provided as completely independent of the game activity and any outcome of any game activity described. Alternately this may be determined partially dependent on the game activity and/or any outcome of any game activity described in the second process. The rates can be selected by the machine operation management personnel.
A fourth process is provided to record the reward value issued by the reward program. The visual display provides the second region on the game machine for presenting the reward value to a user, and the system 10 in accordance with the described methods provides for receipt or credit of the reward value with the user interface. The user interface may be provided as wireless. Alternately a sensory or tactile mechanism may be provided for presenting the reward value to a user visually, audibly or through olfactory senses and the like.
With reference to
With reference to Table 1 below, the game method is considered to include a collect input device, such as a card reader to transfer the Comps balance which rewards the player based on a portion of the bet, including both games of skills and games of random chances. The player activates the collect input device and a transferred reward value balance is added to the reward value balance of the machine prior to the card insertion with the display of the reward value balance on the visual display, as an updated reward value balance at the completion of the transferring process. When the player activates the collect input device, the Comps balance will be transferred to a ticket printer to be printed and the display of the Comps balance on the screen will be reset. The Comps balance in a card will be transferred to the machine when the card is inserted into the machine. The transferred Comps balance will be added into the Comps balance of the machine prior to the card insertion. The machine will display the new Comps balance at the completion of the transferring process.
The collect input device may be provided as only accessible by the machine operation owner. Additionally, the rates may be selectable by the machine operation owner. With reference to Table 2 below, the game method is considered to include a collect input device, such as a card reader to transfer the Comps balance which rewards the player based on a portion of the bet, including both games of skills and games of random chances. The collection mechanism herein includes the collect input device with the transferred reward value balance being added to the reward value balance of the card prior to the card insertion. The Comps balance in a card will not be transferred to the machine when the card is inserted into the machine. When the player activates the collect input device, the Comps balance of the machine will be transferred to the card. The transferred Comps balance will be added into the Comps balance of the card.
Let's assume that reward points are 2% of the bet. A player starts with 200 credits. The player bets 100 credits and wins 150 credits in game 1. The player receives 100*0.02=2 reward points. In game 2, the player bets 150 credits and wins 200 credits. The player receives additional 3 reward points in game 2 because 150*0.02=3. At the end of game 4, the player has 0 credits and 12 reward points.
Let's assume that reward points are 1% of the bet if the bet is 100 or less. Reward points are 2% of the bet if the bet is more than 100 but less than 200. Reward points are 3% of the bet if the bet is 200 or more. A player starts with 200 credits. The player bets 100 credits and wins 150 credits in game 1. The player receives 100*0.01=1 reward point. In game 2, the player bets 150 credits and wins 100 credits. The player receives additional 3 reward points in game 2 because 150*0.02=3. At the end of game 4, the player has 0 credits and 13 reward points. Additionally the system and method may employ progressive reward points.
From the foregoing, it can be seen that there has been provided features for improved game rewarding systems and methods. While a particular embodiment of the present invention has been shown and described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made without departing from the invention in its broader aspects. Therefore, the aim is to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention. The matter set forth in the foregoing description and accompanying drawings is offered by way of illustration only and not as a limitation. The actual scope of the invention is intended to be defined by subsequent claims when viewed in their proper perspective based on the prior art.
