Internet remote game server

Abstract

A gaming system, including a game outcome server, an account handling device and a client device communicatively coupled via network, is described. The game outcome server may be operable to send command, instructions, data or combinations thereof that allow an interface for a wager-based game to be generated on the client device, generate a game outcome for the wager-based game that is displayed on the client device and generate an update to a player balance maintained on the account handling device. The account handling device is operable to provide gaming services related to the game play on the client device including a) web-site hosting where the web-site lists available gaming services including games provided by the game outcome server, b) accounting, c) money handling including player account management and d) player eligibility functions.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The included drawings are for illustrative purposes and serve only to provide examples of possible structures and process steps for the disclosed inventive systems and methods for providing game services to remote clients. These drawings in no way limit any changes in form and detail that may be made to the invention by one skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of a gaming system of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing details of interactions between a client, a player management server and a game outcome server and components of these gaming devices for one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing details of interactions, including transaction based updating, between a client, a player management server and a game outcome server for one embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 4A-4B are interaction diagrams illustrating transactions between a game outcome server, a player management server and a client for embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 5 illustrates a perspective view of one embodiment of a gaming machine.

FIG. 6 illustrates a block diagram of a gaming system of the present invention.

FIG. 7 illustrates a network device that may be configured according to some aspects of the invention.

Claims

1. A network device comprising: a processor designed or configured to a) communicate with a client device and with an account handling device, b) receive information from the account handling device that allows a communication session to be established with the client device, c) send to the client first commands, first instructions, first data or combinations thereof that allows an interface for playing a wager-based game to be generated on a client interface, d) receive from the client information indicating a request to play the wager-based game and a wager amount, e) send information to the account handling device indicating a request to authorize the wager amount wherein the account handling device maintains a player balance, f) when information is received from the account handling device that indicates the wager amount is authorized, generate a game outcome for the game and an adjustment to the player balance, g) send to the client second commands, second instructions, second data or combinations thereof that allows a presentation of the game outcome to be generated on the client interface; and h) send the adjustment to the player balance to the account handling device;a communication interface for allowing the network device to communicate with the client device and the account handling device.

2. The network device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further designed or configured to generate the game outcome for the game and the adjustment to the player balance prior to sending the information to the account handling device indicating the request to authorize the wager amount and to send the information relating to the game outcome and the adjustment to the player balance with the request to authorize the wager amount.

3. The network device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further designed or configured to receive from the account handling device a request for information related to a game outcome previously generated on the network device and to send the information related to the game outcome previously generated on the network device.

4. The network device of claim 1, wherein prior to sending to the client the first commands, first instructions, first data or combinations thereof that allows the interface for playing the wager-based game to be generated on the client interface, the processor is further designed or configured to receive information indicating a selection of the wager-based game made on the client device from the account handling device.

5. The network device of claim 4, wherein the information indicating a selection of the wager-based game is formatted as a Universal Resource Locator (URL) and the processor is further designed or configured to parse the URL received from the account handling device to determine the wager-based game to be generated on the client interface.

6. The network device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further designed or configured to send to the account handling device information relating to the wager-based game.

7. The network device of claim 6, wherein information relating to the wager-based game includes a URL string.

8. The network device of claim 6, wherein the information relating to the wager-based game is sent to the account handling device prior to receiving the information from the account handling device that allows the communication session to be established with the client device.

9. The network device of claim 1, wherein the account handling device is an on-line casino.

10. The network device of claim 1, wherein the account handling device is a casino-type gaming machine.

11. The network device of claim 1, wherein the client device is selected from the group consisting of a casino-type gaming machine, a personal computer, a set-top box, a mobile phone and a personal digital assistant.

12. The network device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further operable to 1) receive a transfer of funds from the account handling device, 2) to maintain the funds as a temporary balance that is available for at least one wager on the wager-based game and 3) to add the adjustment to the player balance to the temporary balance to generate a new temporary balance, without sending the information to the account handling device indicating the request to authorize the wager amount, without receiving from the account handling device the information that indicates the wager amount is authorized and without sending the adjustment to the player balance to the account handling device.

13. The network device of claim 12, wherein the processor is further operable to transfer the temporary balance or the new temporary balance to the account handling device to adjust the player balance.

14. The network device of claim 12, wherein the processor is further designed or configured to receive information indicating a cash-out request from the client device and in response to transfer the temporary balance or the new temporary balance to the account handling device to adjust the player balance maintained on the account handling device.

15. The network device of claim 12, wherein the processor is further designed or configured to receive information indicating a request to transfer the temporary balance or the new temporary balance from the account handling device and in response to transfer the temporary balance or the new temporary balance to the account handling device to adjust the player balance maintained on the account handling device.

16. The network device of claim 12, wherein the processor is further designed or configured to receive information from the client device indicating a request for the transfer of the funds from the account handling device and indicating an amount of the funds to transfer and to send the request for the transfer of the funds to the account handling device.

17. The network device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further designed or configured, prior to sending to the client first commands, first instructions, first data or combinations thereof that allows the interface for playing the wager-based game to be generated on the client interface, to determine whether the player is located in a legal gaming jurisdiction and is eligible for game play.

18. The network device of claim 17, wherein the determination of whether the player is located in the legal gaming jurisdiction and is eligible for the game play is based upon at least information regarding a player's stated country of residence and a location of the client device.

19. The network device of claim 18, wherein the location of the client device is determined from one or more of an IP address, GPS information or combinations thereof.

20. The network device of claim 1, wherein the first commands, the first instructions, the first data or combinations thereof include one or more Flash™ application files compatible with a media player executed on the client device.

21. The network device of claim 1, wherein the first commands, the first instructions, the first data or combinations thereof include a software application for execution on the client device.

22. The network device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further designed or configured to store one or more of the game outcome, the wager amount, the adjustment to the player balance or combinations thereof in a database.

23. The network device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further designed or configured to store in association with the game outcome one or more of a unique player ID, a game name, a game ID, a game transaction ID, a game transaction time stamp, a currency, a bet amount, a client ID, an account handling device ID or combinations thereof to a database.

24. The network device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further designed or configured to receive from a remote device information indicating a request to display a list of wager-based games that the network device is operable to generate.

25. The network device of claim 24, wherein the remote device is the account handling device.

26. The network device of claim 24, wherein the processor further designed or configured to receive information indicating a selection of a first wager-based game from the list of wager-based games and to send information relating to the first wager-based game to an account handling device.

27. The network device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further designed or configured to receive from the account handling device information relating to a brand or an operator of the account handling device and to incorporate the information relating to the brand or to the operator of the account handling device into the first commands, the first instructions, the first data or combinations thereof such that brand information or client information is generated on the client interface.

28. The network device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further designed or configured, prior to sending to the client the first commands, the first instructions, the first data or combinations thereof that allows the interface for playing the wager-based game to be generated on the client interface, to authenticate an identity of the account handling device.

29. The network device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further designed or configured to receive information from the account handling device that the wager-based game is to be played for free.

30. A network device comprising: a processor designed or configured to a) communicate with a client device and with an account handling device, b) receive information from the account handling device that allows a communication session to be established with the client device, c) send to the client first commands, first instructions, first data or combinations thereof that allows an interface for playing a wager-based game to be generated on a client interface, d) receive from the client information indicating a request to play the wager-based game and a wager amount, e) generate a game outcome for the game and an adjustment to a player balance, f) send information to the account handling device indicating a request to authorize a game transaction wherein the request to authorize the game transaction includes information relating to the wager amount, the game outcome and the adjustment to the player balance and wherein the account handling device maintains the player balance, f) when information is received from the account handling device that indicates the game transaction is authorized, send to the client second commands, second instructions, second data or combinations thereof that allows a presentation of the game outcome to be generated on the client interface; and h) store a record of the game transaction;a communication interface for allowing the network device to communicate with the client device and the account handling device.

31. A network device comprising: a processor designed or configured to a) communicate with a client device and with an account handling device, b) receive information from the account handling device that allows a communication session to be established with the client device, c) send to the client first commands, first instructions, first data or combinations thereof that allows an interface for playing a wager-based game to be generated on a client interface, d) receive from the account handling device a transfer of funds deducted from a player balance maintained on the account handling device, e) maintain the funds as a temporary balance that is available for at least one wager on the wager-based game f) receive from the client information indicating a request to play the wager-based game and a wager amount, g) generate a game outcome for the game and an adjustment to the temporary balance, h) add the adjustment to the temporary balance to the temporary balance to generate a new temporary balance, i) send to the client second commands, second instructions, second data or combinations thereof that allows a presentation of the game outcome to be generated on the client interface; and h) send the new temporary balance to the account handling device to update the player balance;a communication interface for allowing the network device to communicate with the client device and the account handling device.