SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING ONLINE AWARDS ACTIVITY

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field

The technical field relates generally to electronic games of chance and methods and systems for conducting game play and controlling online awards activity.

2. Background Discussion

Gaming establishments (e.g., casino, lottery or other lawful physical or online gaming establishments) have a desire to keep their players engaged and interested in their brand. Player loyalty clubs, “member's only” clubs, or similar programs are a common method used by gaming establishments to attempt to achieve this goal. Bonus play games and reveal entertainment games are another method that may be used by some gaming establishments to increase participation and brand interaction. These games are typically played remotely from the gaming establishment with the intention of causing the player to visit (or return to) the gaming establishment.

While player clubs can be a valuable tool for gaming establishments, the clubs typically are not very engaging, and they do not provide an adequate incentive for players to regularly interact with the player club or the gaming establishment, especially regarding interactions beyond the actual act of game playing. Similarly, lottery games typically are not very interactive or engaging, and they often do not generate a level of excitement or interest necessary to promote prolonged interaction with the gaming establishment or its brand. Even with regard to bonus play and predetermined games, which can be constrained by gaming regulation, certain elements of gambling styled games may not be provided in order to legally achieve the broadest possible market. These constraints can reduce entertainment value for particular players.

There are many different types of games that involve the issuance of a lottery ticket to play a game of chance. Lottery tickets are sold through retailers using machines referred to as point of sale (POS) terminals. These tickets are generally printed at the POS terminal, and are usually issued for some lottery drawing to be performed at a later time. Examples of these types of lottery games of chance include traditional state lottery drawings and multi-state lottery drawings (e.g., PowerBall). Another type of lottery ticket, referred to in the art as instant lottery, includes a pre-printed scratch-type lottery ticket which includes a latex or similar coating that is scratched off by a purchaser (a player), revealing one or more game indicia that indicate whether or not the player won the game or series of games as indicated on the ticket. The indication is generally “instant” in that the player knows when he scratches off the ticket coating whether or not he won the game.

In addition, there are many online games that can be played using a computer system coupled to a communication network (e.g., the Internet). These games may include traditional games of chance, games of skill, and casino-type games, among others. Some systems combine lottery-type games and online games. In one such system, a lottery ticket is sold to a player, who then plays a further game using a computer system. In such a game system, the ticket sold to a player includes a code printed on the ticket which correlates to a game seed stored in a computer system upon which a computer game is played. The computer game determines the encoded game seed, and this game seed is mapped to a series of predetermined game states that lead to a predetermined outcome. That is, the code stored on the ticket includes the outcome. In another type of system, the code stored on the ticket is an encoded form of the lottery result, which is then revealed to the player at the end of play of an online game.

SUMMARY

It is realized that improved methods are required to provide players with multiple incentives and multiple opportunities to interact with a gaming establishment or its brand to help gaming establishments increase customer loyalty and participation. These methods can also be used to gather important information about their players. One should appreciate that information gathering and player loyalty/participation aspects need not be constrained to gaming establishments and may include almost any establishment intending to market a product or service.

Through the increased interaction, increased loyalty, and the gathered information, the gaming establishment, for example, can advance many goals such as providing an improved player experience, further increasing player interaction and loyalty, increasing play, or motivating the player to take some action desired by the gaming establishment. It is realized that achieving increased player interest in the gaming experience itself can be used as an effective tool to increase play or motivate the player to take some action.

Access codes for bonus play games and reveal entertainment games are implemented to allow access to the games and to be associated with a predetermined outcome. Aspects utilize an activation code that is used to verify eligibility and activate the award at a later point in the gaming process. This feature provides additional flexibility to the gaming operator while increasing the excitement and enjoyment of the game for the player.

According to one example, a unique identifier may be provided to play a game (e.g., an online computer-based game). Also, an activation code may be provided to a player through one or more distribution methods. The player may use the activation code to enable any award associated with the game. This activation code may be tied to a particular unique identifier that may be specific to the particular game (e.g., associated with a particular issued ticket having the unique identifier). However, the activation code may be tied to a particular user or groups of users. In another example, the activation code may not be tied to any other parameter, and therefore, the activation code may be used to enable awards for multiple games, people, tickets, etc.

According to various examples, there are many distribution methods and distribution formats by which an activation code may be provided to a player. A distribution method may be comprised of, but not limited to, print or electronic mediums. Some examples of distribution methods and formats include an alphanumeric password printed on a lottery scratch ticket, a code viewed on a web page or received via TXT message or email or instructions for a series of one or more sequential measurable activities that must be taken by a player over a period of time. In addition, a distribution format may be comprised of, but not limited to, a word, a phrase, a descriptive sentence, alphanumeric codes, a sequential or non-sequential set of icons or images, a QR Code or a bar code. For example, a distribution method may be via a lottery scratch ticket and the distribution format may be a bar code printed under the gum of the scratch ticket.

According to one aspect, a method is provided for conducting a game comprising acts of providing, to a player, an access code, permitting the player to access play of an online computer-based game using the provided access code, and providing, to the player, an activation code, wherein the activation code is used to enable an award associated with the online computer-based game. According to one example, the activation code is entered by the player in an interface after play of the online computer-based game to activate the award. According to another example, the access code is a unique identifier used by the player to access the online computer-based game.

In other examples, the activation code is permitted to be submitted by the player through a particular channel. For instance, according to one example, the activation code is submitted by being scanned by a mobile device. In another example, the submission of the activation code by the player verifies that the player engaged a game play system through the particular channel. Further, in this example, the activation code indicates the channel through which it was distributed. This channel indication may be recognized using a variety of methods including retrieval of an association between the channel and the activation code stored in a data store separate from the activation code or decrypting all or part of the activation code itself to produce the channel.

According to another example, the activation code can be used by the player a predetermined number of times. According to another example, the activation code may be transferred from the player to another player and may be used by the another player to enable an award associated with another instance of an online computer-based game. According to another example, the activation code, when entered during play of the online computer-based game, modifies a parameter of the game.

According to another example, the activation code, when entered by the player into an interface of a computer system, modifies an amount of the award of the online computer-based game. According to another example, the activation code corresponds to a multiplier that is multiplied by the amount of the award to determine an actual player award amount. According to another example, the multiplier is determined based on the activation code and player criteria. According to another example, the player criteria identifies a category of player in which the player is classified. According to another example, the award is determined by a random number generator.

According to at one example, a system for controlling awards comprising a memory and at least one processor is provided. The system is configured to receive an indication that a first player has accessed an online game, receive an activation code and provide, responsive to receipt the activation code, an activated award to the first player.

The system may be further configured to provide an interface after play of the online game and to receive the activation code via the interface. The activation code indicates a channel through which the activation code was distributed. Further, the system may be further configured to provide other activated awards responsive to receipts of the activation code up to a predetermined number of receipts. In addition, the system may be further configured to receive an indication that a second player has accessed the online game, receive the activation code and provide, responsive to receipt the activation code, another activated award to the second player. Moreover, the system may be further configured to modify, responsive to receipt of the activation code, a parameter of the game affecting game play. Furthermore, the system may be further configured to provide the activated award by modifying an amount of an award. Additionally, the activation code may indicate a multiplier and the system is configured to provide the activated award by multiplying an amount of an award by the multiplier.

In the system, the multiplier may be determined based on the activation code and criteria associated with the first player. In addition, the criteria may indicate a category of player in which the first player is classified. Further, the system may be further configured to determine an award using a random number generator.

According to another example, a computer-implemented method for controlling awards is provided. The method includes acts of receiving an indication that a first player has accessed an online game, receiving an activation code and providing, responsive to receipt the activation code, an activated award to the first player.

The method may further comprise acts of providing an interface after play of the online game and receiving the activation code via the interface. In addition, the act of receiving the activation code may include an act of receiving an activation code that indicates a channel through which the activation code was distributed. The method may further comprise an act of providing other activated awards responsive to receipts of the activation code up to a predetermined number of receipt.

The method may further comprise acts of receiving an indication that a second player has accessed the online game, receiving the activation code and providing, responsive to receipt the activation code, another activated award to the second player. Furthermore, the method may further comprise an act of modifying, responsive to receipt of the activation code, a parameter of the game affecting game play. Moreover, the act of providing the activated award may include an act of modifying an amount of an award.

According to another example, a non-transitory computer readable medium having computer readable instructions stored thereon is provided. The instructions, as a result of being executed by a computer, instruct the computer to perform a method for controlling awards. The method includes acts of receiving an indication that a first player has accessed an online game, receiving an activation code and providing, responsive to receipt the activation code, an activated award to the first player. Additionally, the instructions may further instruct the computer to perform acts of providing an interface after play of the online game and receiving the activation code via the interface.

Still other aspects, examples, and advantages of these exemplary aspects and examples, are discussed in detail below. Moreover, it is to be understood that both the foregoing information and the following detailed description are merely illustrative examples of various aspects and examples, and are intended to provide an overview or framework for understanding the nature and character of the claimed aspects and examples. Any example disclosed herein may be combined with any other example in any manner consistent with at least one of the objects, aims, and needs disclosed herein, and references to “an example,” “some examples,” “an alternate example,” “various examples,” “one example,” “at least one example,” “this and other examples” or the like are not necessarily mutually exclusive and are intended to indicate that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the example may be included in at least one example. The appearances of such terms herein are not necessarily all referring to the same example.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

Various aspects of at least one example are discussed below with reference to the accompanying figures, which are not intended to be drawn to scale. The figures are included to provide an illustration and a further understanding of the various aspects and examples, and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, but are not intended as a definition of the limits of an particular example. The drawings, together with the remainder of the specification, serve to explain principles and operations of the described and claimed aspects and examples. In the figures, each identical or nearly identical component that is illustrated in various figures is represented by a like numeral. For purposes of clarity, not every component may be labeled in every figure. In the figures:

FIG. 1 is a functional schematic of one example of an award control system;

FIG. 2 is a functional schematic of one example of a computer system that may perform processes and functions disclosed herein;

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram depicting a process for controlling awards activation;

FIG. 4 is another flow diagram illustrating another process for controlling awards activation;

FIG. 5 is another flow diagram illustrating another process for controlling awards activation;

FIG. 6 is another flow diagram illustrating another process for controlling awards activation; and

FIG. 7 another flow diagram illustrating another process for controlling awards activation.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Aspects and examples disclosed herein provide game operators with processes and apparatus to control distribution of awards to game players. According to some examples, this control is accomplished through use of an activation code. For instance, in one example, a computer system reveals an award in association with play of an online page. In this example, the award remains until the computer system receives an activation code from the game player. Thus, activation codes do not dictate the outcome of the reveal experience. Instead, activation codes provide a tracking and control mechanism through which game operators may enhance game play, gather information regarding game players and associate game players with particular participation mediums.

According to some examples, players receive activation codes via multiple distribution methods. For instance, one example provides for a distribution method that involves printing the activation code under latex on a Lottery scratch ticket. Other examples may distribute activation codes through any communication medium. Some exemplary distribution media include direct mail marketing messages, email messages, a text messages, web applications, reveals in online games, gaming machine “Ticket In, Ticket Out” (TITO) tickets or even coffee cups.

The particular symbolic manifestation of activation codes varies between examples. For instance, in one example, the activation codes are made up of a series of ‘alpha-numeric’ characters. In another example, the activation codes consist of a series of icons or pictures, words or phrases. Thus, activation codes are not limited to a particular set of symbols or syntax.

Examples of the methods and apparatuses discussed herein are not limited in application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The methods and apparatuses are capable of implementation in other examples and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. Examples of specific implementations are provided herein for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to be limiting. In particular, acts, components, elements and features discussed in connection with any one or more examples are not intended to be excluded from a similar role in any other examples.

Also, the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. Any references to examples, components, elements or acts of the systems and methods herein referred to in the singular may also embrace examples including a plurality, and any references in plural to any example, component, element or act herein may also embrace examples including only a singularity. References in the singular or plural form are not intended to limit the presently disclosed systems or methods, their components, acts, or elements. The use herein of “including,” “comprising,” “having,” “containing,” “involving,” and variations thereof is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items. References to “or” may be construed as inclusive so that any terms described using “or” may indicate any of a single, more than one, and all of the described terms.

Award Control System

Various examples disclosed herein implement an award control system on one or more computer systems. FIG. 1 illustrates one of these examples, an award control system 100. As shown, the award control system 100 includes an award server 102 coupled to a player computer system 106 and a game server 116 via a network 108. The game server 116 is also coupled to a player data store 112. In this example, the award server 102, the game server 116 and the player data store 112 are implemented using computer systems, such the computer systems discussed further below with reference to FIG. 2. The network 108 may include any communication network through which computer systems may exchange information. For example, the network 108 may be a public network, such as the internet, and may include other public or private networks such as LANs, WANs, extranets and intranets.

As shown, the player computer system 106 is used by a player 104 to access components of the game server 116 and the award server 102. These components include an award management interface 110 that exchanges (i.e. provides or receives) information with an activation code data store 114. Together, these components enable the award control system 100 to control the activation and distribution of awards to the player 104. Each of these components is discussed further below.

Information may flow between these components, or any of the elements, components and subsystems disclosed herein, using a variety of techniques. Such techniques include, for example, passing the information over a network using standard protocols, such as TCP/IP, passing the information between modules in memory and passing the information by writing to a file, database, data store, or some other non-volatile data store device. In addition, pointers or other references to information may be transmitted and received in place of, or in addition to, copies of the information. Conversely, the information may be exchanged in place of, or in addition to, pointers or other references to the information. Other techniques and protocols for communicating information may be used without departing from the scope of the examples disclosed herein.

In addition, examples of the award control system 100 may include a variety of hardware and software components configured to perform the processes and functions described herein, and examples are not limited to a particular hardware component, software component or combination thereof. For instance, according to some examples, the award control system 100 is implemented using a distributed computer system. An example of one such distributed computer system is discussed further below with regard to FIG. 2.

Returning to the particular example illustrated in FIG. 1, the game server 116 provides a variety of interfaces through which the game server 116 facilitates game play. For instance, the game server 116 provides an interface through which the game server 116 exchanges registration information with external entities, such as the player 104 via the player computer 106. This registration information may include information required to setup a player account, information that indicates a game that the player wishes to play and information regarding the player's method of entry into the game, such as a wager amount. In some examples, the registration information includes an access code that is a unique identifier.

In another example, the registration information include information required for the game server 116 to provide an Alternative Method of Entry (AMOE). AMOEs are well-known in the art, and are used to eliminate the consideration element of a game that would otherwise be considered gambling. Most gaming regulators deem a game as being gambling only if it involves all three elements of: prize, chance and consideration. Thus, this example allows players to play a game for an award from jurisdictions in which gambling is illegal.

In addition, the game server 116 provides an interface through which the game server 116 provides game play to registered players. This game play may be provided using a wide variety of techniques and architectures and examples are not limited to a particular game or manner of game implementation. For instance, according to one example, the game server 116 provides game play using a random number generator with characteristics that are determined with reference to player information that is stored within the player data store 112. More specifically, in at least one example when providing game play to a player, the game server 116 retrieves probability parameters linked to the player category to which the player belongs and executes a random number generator using the probability parameters in providing the game play.

The game server 116 also provides an interface through which the game server 116 exchanges information with the award server 102. This information may include registration information, information describing progress made by players and activation requests and responses which are discussed further below. In one example, the game server 116 transmits, via the interface to the award server 102, a notification after a player, such as the player 104, triggers a game event. Example game events include completing registration for a game, beginning play of a game, achieving a milestone within the game, completing a game and winning an award. Also, in some examples, the game server 116 provides an interface through which the game server 116 exchanges activation information with the award server 102.

In some examples, the game server 116 may alter game play based on activation information. For instance, in one example, the game server 116 changes some aspect of the game being played after receiving an activation code. Exemplary game aspects that may be affected by receipt of an activation code include the odds of winning, rules, themes, and features, such as what player options are available. In one particular example, responsive to receiving an activation code, the game server 116 provides the player playing a conventional Blackjack game with an option to convert to Spanish Blackjack which has a different set of cards, payouts, and rules than conventional Blackjack.

In other examples, the game server 116 provides an interface through which the game server 116 provides activation codes to players. These activation codes may embody a wide variety of characteristics. For instance, in some of these examples, the game server 116 encodes, into the activation code, an indication of the distribution channel through which the activation code is being provided. According to other examples, the game server 116 provides the activation codes before, during and after game play. In one example, the game server 116 provides activation codes that are tied to particular access codes. In still another example, the game server 116 provides activations codes that encode or indicate the effect that the activation code has on any award to which it is applied. As is discussed further below, activation codes may be stratified according to player value and at least one example of the game server 116 provides activation codes with specific effects to players belong to particular classifications. For instance, in one example, the game server 116 provides activation codes associated with particular multipliers to players based upon a value category to which the player belongs.

Referring again to FIG. 1, the award server 102 controls distribution of awards generated from the game play provided by the game server 116. According to a variety of examples in accord with FIG. 1, the award management interface 110 receives requests to activate awards and provides responses to these requests. In these examples, the award management interface 110 receives requests issued from a wide variety of requestors, such as the player 104 or the game server 116. These requests may include information used by the award management interface 110 to validate the request. This request information may include, among other information, registration information, game progress information and activation information. The responses to the activation requests generated by the award management interface 110 include information indicating whether the activation request is valid and information indicating the effect of the activation on an award, i.e. the content of the activated award. The effects of activating an award vary between examples and include making the award available to the player, increasing the value of the award and altering game play (as discussed above with reference to the game server 116).

The award management interface 110 may receive requests at various times relative to the processing performed by other system components. For instance, the award management interface 110 may receive an activation request while the game server 116 is providing game play to one player and may receive another activation request after the game server 116 has finished providing game play to another player. Thus, in some examples, the award management interface 110 receives activation requests at any point before, during or after a player registers and plays a game via the game server 116.

Responsive to receiving an activation request, the award management interface 110 illustrated in FIG. 1 processes the request using data stored in the activation code data store 114 to ensure the request meets a particular set of criteria. For instance, in some examples, the award management interface 110 compares the request information to trusted authentication information included in the activation code data store 114. The authentication information stored in the activation code data store 114 mirrors the request information received by the award management interface 110. For instance, in one example, the authentication information includes a list of valid activation codes and the award management interface 110 validates activation requests by matching activation codes included in activation requests to activation codes stored in the activation code data store 114. In other examples, the authentication information includes a list of valid activation codes and a list of corresponding access codes. In these examples, the award management interface 110 validates activation requests by matching ordered pairs of activation codes and access codes included in the activation requests to order pairs of activation codes and access codes stored in the activation code data store 114. In addition, according to some examples, the award management interface 110 requires that an activation code be presented with game progress information that indicates game play has progressed to at a particular point in a game, for example the conclusion of the game. In other examples, the award management interface 110 requires that an activation code be used to activate less than a threshold number of previous awards or that the activation code be used prior to an expiration date. Examples may use any combination of these and other validation criteria and, thus, the examples discussed herein are not limited to a particular set of validation criteria.

In the event that the award management interface 110 is unable to validate a request for any reason, such as, for example, an inability to match the activation code in the request to a valid activation code, the award management interface 110 marks the request as invalid. Conversely, in the event that the award management interface 110 validates the request, the award management interface 110 marks the request as valid. In either case, the award management interface 110 records the request information and updates activation history information stored in the activation code data store 114, such as information indicating the number of times the activation code has been validly or invalidly used in an activation request.

After processing the activation request, the award management interface 110 generates and transmits a response to the requestor. The response may include any information required for the requestor to gain access to the activated award. Thus, in some examples, the response includes information indicating the requestor, the award activated and the effect of the activation. In other examples, the response includes a rejection and information indicating the reason for the rejection.

The effect of activating a particular award varies between examples. For instance, according to one example, activating an award simply causes a system component, such as a payout component, the game server 116 or the award server 102, to make the award available for redemption by the player. In another example, the award is made available for redemption by the player at the conclusion of game play and activating the award causes a system component to multiply the award by a predetermined amount, such as 2×, 3×, 4× . . . 10×. In some examples, the award management interface 110 determines the multiplication factor using a variety of processes including generating the multiplication factor using a random number generator, retrieving the multiplication factor from the activation code data store 114 or decoding the multiplication factor from the activation code itself. In at least one example where the award management interface 110 retrieves the multiplication factor from the activation code data store 114, the award management interface 110 uses the activation code or player criteria, such as the player's Average Daily Theoretical tier (as discussed further below), to retrieve the multiplication factor. In still another example, activating an award causes a system component to both multiply the award and make the award available for redemption. In yet another example, the award management interface 110 determines the effect of an activation randomly through the use of a random number generator and with reference to a list of potential activation effects that is stored in the activation code data store 114.

The activation code data store 114 depicted in FIG. 1 includes components that store and retrieve activation information. In general, this activation information may include any information associated with issued activation codes or requested award activations. Particular examples of the types of data stored in the activation code data store 114 include activation codes, potential effects of activation codes, the distribution methods (also referred to as “channel”) through which activation codes were distributed, expiration dates associated with the activation codes, access codes associated with the activation codes, game progress required to use activation codes, the effect the activation codes have on awards activated by the activation codes and award activation history information such as a number of time that activation codes have been validly or invalidly used and the requestors of award activations.

The player data store 112 shown in FIG. 1 includes components that store and retrieve player information. In general, this player information may include a wide variety of information regarding players including demographic data, play history and associations to which players belong. In at least one example, the player data store 112 includes associations between each player and a player category that is defined by a threshold the average daily theoretical loss. The player data store 112 also includes probability parameters for random number generators linked to each player category. These probably parameters are referenced by the game server 116 while providing game play to particular players.

Information, including registration data, game progress data and activation data may be stored on the award server 102 in any logical construction capable of storing information on a computer readable medium including, among other structures, flat files, indexed files, hierarchical databases, relational databases or object oriented databases. The data may be modeled using unique and foreign key relationships and indexes. The unique and foreign key relationships and indexes may be established between the various fields and tables to ensure both data integrity and data interchange performance.

The interfaces disclosed herein, which include both system interfaces and user interfaces, exchange information with various providers and consumers. These providers and consumers may include any external entity including, among other entities, users and systems. Each of the interfaces disclosed herein may both restrict input to a predefined set of values and validate any information entered prior to using the information or providing the information to other components. Additionally, each of the interfaces disclosed herein may validate the identity of an external entity prior to, or during, interaction with the external entity. These functions may prevent the introduction of erroneous data into the award control system 100 or unauthorized access to the award control system 100.

Computer System

As discussed above with regard to FIG. 1, various aspects and functions described herein may be implemented as specialized hardware or software components executing in one or more computer systems. There are many examples of computer systems that are currently in use. These examples include, among others, network appliances, personal computers, workstations, mainframes, networked clients, servers, media servers, application servers, database servers and web servers. Other examples of computer systems may include mobile computing devices, such as cellular phones and personal digital assistants, and network equipment, such as load balancers, routers and switches. Further, aspects may be located on a single computer system or may be distributed among a plurality of computer systems connected to one or more communications networks.

For example, various aspects and functions may be distributed among one or more computer systems configured to provide a service to one or more client computers, or to perform an overall task as part of a distributed system. Additionally, aspects may be performed on a client-server or multi-tier system that includes components distributed among one or more server systems that perform various functions. Consequently, examples are not limited to executing on any particular system or group of systems. Further, aspects and functions may be implemented in software, hardware or firmware, or any combination thereof. Thus, aspects and functions may be implemented within methods, acts, systems, system elements and components using a variety of hardware and software configurations, and examples are not limited to any particular distributed architecture, network, or communication protocol.

Referring to FIG. 2, there is illustrated a functional schematic of a distributed computer system 200, in which various aspects and functions are practiced. As shown, the distributed computer system 200 includes one more computer systems that exchange information. More specifically, the distributed computer system 200 includes computer systems 202, 204 and 206. As shown, the computer systems 202, 204 and 206 are interconnected by, and may exchange data through, a communication network 208. The network 208 may include any communication network through which computer systems may exchange data. To exchange data using the network 208, the computer systems 202, 204 and 206 and the network 208 may use various methods, protocols and standards, including, among others, Fibre Channel, Token Ring, Ethernet, Wireless Ethernet, Bluetooth, IP, IPV6, TCP/IP, UDP, DTN, HTTP, FTP, SNMP, SMS, MMS, SS7, JSON, SOAP, CORBA, REST and Web Services. To ensure data transfer is secure, the computer systems 202, 204 and 206 may transmit data via the network 208 using a variety of security measures including, for example, TSL, SSL or VPN. While the distributed computer system 200 illustrates three networked computer systems, the distributed computer system 200 is not so limited and may include any number of computer systems and computing devices, networked using any medium and communication protocol.

FIG. 2 illustrates a particular example of a distributed computer system 200 that includes computer system 202, 204 and 206. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the computer system 202 includes a processor 210, a memory 212, a bus 214, an interface 216 and data storage 218. To implement at least some of the aspects, functions and processes disclosed herein, the processor 210 performs a series of instructions that result in manipulated data. The processor 210 may be any type of processor, multiprocessor or controller. Some exemplary processors include commercially available processors such as an Intel Xeon, Itanium, Core, Celeron, Pentium, AMD Opteron, Sun UltraSPARC, IBM Power5+ and IBM mainframe chip. The processor 210 is connected to other system components, including one or more memory devices 212, by the bus 214.

The memory 212 stores programs and data during operation of the computer system 202. Thus, the memory 212 may be a relatively high performance, volatile, random access memory such as a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) or static memory (SRAM). However, the memory 212 may include any device for storing data, such as a disk drive or other non-volatile storage device. Various examples may organize the memory 212 into particularized and, in some cases, unique structures to perform the functions disclosed herein. These data structures may be sized and organized to store values for particular data and types of data.

Components of the computer system 202 are coupled by an interconnection element such as the bus 214. The bus 214 may include one or more physical busses, for example, busses between components that are integrated within a same machine, but may include any communication coupling between system elements including specialized or standard computing bus technologies such as IDE, SCSI, PCI and InfiniBand. Thus, the bus 214 enables communications, such as data and instructions, to be exchanged between system components of the computer system 202.

The computer system 202 also includes one or more interface devices 216 such as input devices, output devices and combination input/output devices. Interface devices may receive input or provide output. More particularly, output devices may render information for external presentation. Input devices may accept information from external sources. Examples of interface devices include keyboards, mouse devices, trackballs, microphones, touch screens, printing devices, display screens, speakers, network interface cards, etc. Interface devices allow the computer system 202 to exchange information and communicate with external entities, such as users and other systems.

The data storage 218 includes a computer readable and writeable nonvolatile (non-transitory) data storage medium in which instructions are stored that define a program or other object that is executed by the processor 210. The data storage 218 also may include information that is recorded, on or in, the medium, and that is processed by the processor 210 during execution of the program. More specifically, the information may be stored in one or more data structures specifically configured to conserve storage space or increase data exchange performance. The instructions may be persistently stored as encoded signals, and the instructions may cause the processor 210 to perform any of the functions described herein. The medium may, for example, be optical disk, magnetic disk or flash memory, among others. In operation, the processor 210 or some other controller causes data to be read from the nonvolatile recording medium into another memory, such as the memory 212, that allows for faster access to the information by the processor 210 than does the storage medium included in the data storage 218. The memory may be located in the data storage 218 or in the memory 212, however, the processor 210 manipulates the data within the memory, and then copies the data to the storage medium associated with the data storage 218 after processing is completed. A variety of components may manage data movement between the storage medium and other memory elements and examples are not limited to particular data management components. Further, examples are not limited to a particular memory system or data storage system.

Although the computer system 202 is shown by way of example as one type of computer system upon which various aspects and functions may be practiced, aspects and functions are not limited to being implemented on the computer system 202 as shown in FIG. 2. Various aspects and functions may be practiced on one or more computers having a different architectures or components than that shown in FIG. 2. For instance, the computer system 202 may include specially programmed, special-purpose hardware, such as an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) tailored to perform a particular operation disclosed herein. While another example may perform the same function using a grid of several general-purpose computing devices running MAC OS System X with Motorola PowerPC processors and several specialized computing devices running proprietary hardware and operating systems.

The computer system 202 may be a computer system including an operating system that manages at least a portion of the hardware elements included in the computer system 202. In some examples, a processor or controller, such as the processor 210, executes an operating system. Examples of a particular operating system that may be executed include a Windows-based operating system, such as, Windows NT, Windows 2000 (Windows ME), Windows XP, Windows Vista or Windows 7 operating systems, available from the Microsoft Corporation, a MAC OS System X operating system available from Apple Computer, one of many Linux-based operating system distributions, for example, the Enterprise Linux operating system available from Red Hat Inc., a Solaris operating system available from Sun Microsystems, or a UNIX operating systems available from various sources. Many other operating systems may be used, and examples are not limited to any particular operating system.

The processor 210 and operating system together define a computer platform for which application programs in high-level programming languages are written. These component applications may be executable, intermediate, bytecode or interpreted code which communicates over a communication network, for example, the Internet, using a communication protocol, for example, TCP/IP. Similarly, aspects may be implemented using an object-oriented programming language, such as .Net, SmallTalk, Java, C++, Ada, or C# (C-Sharp). Other object-oriented programming languages may also be used. Alternatively, functional, scripting, or logical programming languages may be used.

Additionally, various aspects and functions may be implemented in a non-programmed environment, for example, documents created in HTML, XML or other format that, when viewed in a window of a browser program, render aspects of a graphical-user interface or perform other functions. Further, various examples may be implemented as programmed or non-programmed elements, or any combination thereof. For example, a web page may be implemented using HTML while a data object called from within the web page may be written in C++. Thus, the examples are not limited to a specific programming language and any suitable programming language could be used. Thus, the functional components disclosed herein may include a wide variety of elements, e.g. specialized hardware, executable code, data structures or objects, that are configured to perform the functions described herein.

In some examples, the components disclosed herein may read parameters that affect the functions performed by the components. These parameters may be physically stored in any form of suitable memory including volatile memory (such as RAM) or nonvolatile memory (such as a magnetic hard drive). In addition, the parameters may be logically stored in a propriety data structure (such as a database or file defined by a user mode application) or in a commonly shared data structure (such as an application registry that is defined by an operating system). In addition, some examples provide for both system and user interfaces that allow external entities to modify the parameters and thereby configure the behavior of the components.

Activation Processes

Some examples perform a process for controlling award activation. One example of such a process is illustrated in FIG. 3. According to this example, process 300 includes acts of receiving a notification that a game was accessed, receiving an activation code and providing an activated award. Process 300 begins at 302.

In act 304, a notification that a game has been accessed is received. In one example, a computer system, such as the award server 102 described above with regard to FIG. 1, receives the notification from an external entity, such as the game server 116. In this example, the notification indicates that the game has been access by a player, such as the player 104.

In act 306, an activation code is received. In at least one example, the award management interface 110 receives the activation code from the player 104 via one or more user interface components provided by the award management interface 110. According to this example, the activation code is included within a request to activate an award won by the player 104.

In act 308, an activated award is provided. In one example, the award management interface 110 provides the activated award to the player 104. In another example, the award management interface 110 provides the activated award to the game server 116 which, in turn, provides the activated award to the player 104.

Process 300 ends at 310. Activation processes in accord with the process 300 provide game operators with the ability to create more engaging game play experiences and control the distribution of awards via one or more computer systems. In addition, activation processes such as the process 300 facilitate tracking of player activity which provides insight into player preferences.

A more particularized example of an award activation process, process 400, is illustrated with reference to FIG. 4. The process 400 begins at 402. In act 404, a player visits a website that includes an award control system, such as the award control system 100, using a browser. During act 406, the player completes a registration process in which the player provides registration information to the website via the browser. Then, the player logs into the website using credentials created during the registration process in act 408. Also in act 408, the player wagers some amount of currency and selects a game to play.

In act 410, the website uses a random number generator 414 and a table of awards 412 to randomly determine an award for the player. The player plays the game to reveal the award in act 416. During act 418, the player enters an activation code into the website to activate and redeem the award. In act 420, the website provides the activated award to the player and the process ends at 422.

Another specific example of an award activation process, process 500, is illustrated with reference to FIG. 5. The process 500 begins at 502. In act 504, a player visits a website that includes an award control system, such as the award control system 100, using a browser. During act 506, the player completes a registration process in which the player provides registration information to the website via the browser. Then, the player logs into the website using credentials created during the registration process in act 508. Also in act 508, the player wagers some amount of currency and selects a game to play.

In act 510, the website uses a random number generator 514 and a table of awards 512 to randomly determine an award for the player. The player plays the game to reveal the award in act 516. During act 518, the player enters an activation code into the website to activate and redeem the award. In act 520, the website uses another random number generator 522 and a table of activation effects 524 to randomly determine an activation effect to apply to the award in act 526. In act 528, the website provides the activated award to the player and the process ends at 530.

Another detailed example of an award activation process, process 600, is illustrated with reference to FIG. 6. The process 600 begins at 602. In act 604, a player visits a website that includes an award control system, such as the award control system 100, using a browser. During act 606, the player completes a registration process in which the player provides registration information to the website via the browser. Then, the player logs into the website using credentials created during the registration process in act 608. Also in act 608, the player wagers some amount of currency and selects a game to play. Meanwhile, in act 632, another player enters the same game via an AMOE.

In act 610, the website uses a random number generator 614 and a table of awards 612 to randomly determine an award for one or both of the players. The players play the game to reveal the award in act 616. During act 618, the winning player or players enter activation codes into the website to activate and redeem the award. In act 620, the website provides the activated award to the winning player or players and the process ends at 622.

Another specific example of an award activation process, process 700, is illustrated with reference to FIG. 7. The process 700 begins at 702. In act 704, a player visits a website that includes an award control system, such as the award control system 100, using a browser. During act 706, the player completes a registration process in which the player provides registration information to the website via the browser. Then, the player logs into the website using credentials created during the registration process in act 708. Also in act 708, the player wagers some amount of currency and selects a game to play. Meanwhile, in act 732, another player enters the same game via an AMOE.

In act 710, the website uses a random number generator 714 and a table of awards 712 to randomly determine an award for one or both of the players. The players play the game to reveal the award in act 716. During act 718, the winning player or players enter activation codes into the website to activate and redeem the award. In act 720, the website uses another random number generator 722 and a table of activation effects 724 to randomly determine an activation effect to apply to the award in act 726. In act 728, the website provides the activated award to the winning player or players and the process ends at 730.

Processes 300 through 700 each depict one particular sequence of acts in a particular example. The acts included in these processes may be performed by, or using, one or more computer systems specially configured as discussed herein. Some acts are optional and, as such, may be omitted in accord with one or more examples. Additionally, the order of acts can be altered, or other acts can be added, without departing from the scope of the systems and methods discussed herein. Furthermore, as discussed above, in at least one example, the acts are performed on a particular, specially configured machine, namely a computer system configured according to the examples disclosed herein.

Usage Scenarios

The systems and methods described herein may be utilized by game operators to provide a variety of gaming experiences. For instance, according to one example, a player, such as the player 104 discussed above with reference to FIG. 1, is provided only one opportunity to play a game to receive his award. In this example, the player supplies a unique identifier, such as an access code, to a game server to play a game. In addition, in this example, the player is required, by the award management interface 110, to use the activation code at the conclusion of that game to access any award won. Also, in this example, the activation code is initially tied to the unique identifier within the activation code data store such that only one player could use the activation code. In an alternative example, the activation code is not tied to the unique identifier. According to this example, the activation code may be passed on from one player to another and each time the activation code is used, a record of the activation and the player requesting the activation is stored in the activation code data store 114 by the award management interface 110, thus providing a referral component to the activation code.

In another example, a player is allowed to choose when they use the activation code. According to this example, the player completes the play of the game provided by the game server 116, but is only awarded a nominally valued award. He may choose not to use the activation code for this game play and wait for another opportunity to play. This example is well suited for a promotional game that allows for playing the game at regular time intervals or achievement points. Alternatively, some gaming operators conduct promotional games where you are allowed to play once (and only once) every day. In these cases, the awards generally have a short expiration window where they need to be redeemed at the gaming establishment. In this example, the player could play every day and activate the award using the award server 102 when the award is most beneficial (e.g. when the award has a large monetary value or when the redemption period coincides with a trip to the gaming establishment).

In other examples, one or more players validly use the activation code multiple times. In one such example, all activation codes can be used for a set number of activations. After that set number of activations, the activation code becomes invalid. In another of these examples, the activation code has an expiration date. The expiration date may be in addition to the set number of activations—for example, the player needs to use all five activations in the next 30 days. It should be appreciated that allowing a player to have multiple activations from a single activation code enhances the experience and makes the player more engaged with the gaming operator.

In another example, the activation code has functionality beyond the verification and activation of the award. In one example, the activation code acts both to activate the award and as a multiplying factor for the amount won. In another example, the activation code is not required to redeem the award. In this example, the code is used solely as a multiplier for the win amount. As an example, players that have an activation code and enter the code at the end of the player experience, once the award is revealed, randomly receive 2×, 3×, 4× . . . 10× the award. If the activation code is not used, the player is able to redeem the award at the base value. If the activation code is used, the player is able to redeem the award at the multiplied value. In another example, the activation code, when used as a multiplier, has a predetermined multiplication factor based on player criteria. In one example implementation, players may be separated into categories wherein each category may receive a different activation code and resulting multiplier which is different in value from a parameter offered to persons in another category.

In one example, the player data store 112 stores player information in five categories based upon historical play levels of each player. The highest tier, Tier 1, contains players with an average daily theoretical loss, also known as Average Daily Theoretical or ADT, of at least $2,000. Tier 2 includes persons with an ADT of at least $1,200, while Tier 5 contains those persons with an ADT of at least $200. Tiers are not populated equally in this example, because far more persons reach the $200 ADT level than the number that reaches an ADT of $2,000. The electronic games for all 5 tiers have possible outcomes of $100, $50, $25 and $0 with the likelihood of winning each specific award being the same for each tier. Differentiation of award by tier is then achieved by the predetermined multiplier associated with an activation code. It should be appreciated that, according to one aspect, any number of tiers, and any number of persons per tier, and assignment of any number multiplying factors and activation codes may be used.

According to another example, the game server 116 determines each game outcome using a random number generator, as is well-known to those of skill in the art, that is selected as each game is played in accordance with the probabilities specified in parameters for the player's assigned category. One benefit arises from the fact that the awards for players can be differentiated, in aggregate, based on the tier (value) of the player. In this way, the random nature of the award is then converted into a partially predetermined outcome, and, in aggregate, provides greater awards to higher value players. Thus, the activation codes may be used to distinguish among classes of players that play the same game, but provide modified outcomes according to their player class.

In another example, the game server 116 requires that an activation code be used at some point during game play. In this example, the player may choose to continue the game play either “for award” or “just for fun.” It is appreciated that the addition of this decision point into the game enhances the excitement of the game. In another example, a “Let's Make A Deal” moment may be introduced into the game—“activate now and the game is over with your winnings equal to your current award balance multiplied by some factor, or continue to play and see your final award (without multiplication).” Thus, the game play experience can be increased by the use of activation codes.

In one example, the game server 116 allows players to participate using AMOE by filling out and mailing in a postcard. According to this example, the registration information included in the postcard would then be entered into the game server 116 and the award control system 100 as both game play registration and activation, resulting in an activated award provided to the player based solely on the chance of outcome. In another example, this AMOE component is implemented in the form of an electronic registration path via registration information interface discussed above with reference to FIG. 1. This allows the AMOE player to still play the games against wagering and non-wagering players, but without a purchase (wager) necessary to participate. In another example, a post card submission would result in the delivery of an activation code to the submitter, via some preferred channel, such as mail, email, SMS, etc.

Having thus described several aspects of at least one example, it is to be appreciated that various alterations, modifications, and improvements will readily occur to those skilled in the art. For instance, while the bulk of the specification discusses use of activation codes in the gaming industry, examples disclosed herein may also be used in other contexts such as to control distribution of rewards in the other industries, such as the credit card industry. Such alterations, modifications, and improvements are intended to be part of this disclosure, and are intended to be within the scope of the examples discussed herein. Accordingly, the foregoing description and drawings are by way of example only.

SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING ONLINE AWARDS ACTIVITY

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