Electronic wagering

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10872504-B2
Application number	US-202016747861-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 21, 2020
Priority date	Sep 17, 2012
Publication date	Dec 22, 2020
Grant date	Dec 22, 2020

Abstract

The present system incorporates mobile computing devices to play games, such as electronic pull-tabs, in a plurality of venues, each having a local wireless network. Each network communicates with a central system that generates decks of game outcomes and associated awards. All wagers and awards for each game are tracked on the central system, which also provides each game award and associated outcome from a deck stored on the central system.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. At least one non-transitory computer readable medium that stores a plurality of instructions, which when executed by at least one processor causes the at least one processor to:
account for money deposits made by players of games implemented on a network of mobile computing devices, at least some of which have a screen and a camera;
generate an optical machine-readable code for each player, the code including data corresponding to the amount of each player's deposit;
associate a different one of the mobile computing devices with each of a plurality of players;
provide each player with his or her respective code;
receive an image of one of the generated codes via the camera on one of the mobile computing devices;
apply a wagering credit to the game on the one mobile computing device related to the generated code;
permit play of the wagering game on the one mobile computing device responsive to wagers made using the applied credit;
transmit on the network data related to a current activity level of each mobile computing device to a computer system;
track the current activity level of each of the mobile computing devices at the computer system by determining how long each mobile computing device is idle for longer than a predefined time;
vary the predefined time as a function of how many mobile computing devices are associated with players; and
send a message over the network to one of the mobile computing devices when the current activity level falls below a predefined level.

2. The at least one non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1 wherein the plurality of instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the at least one processor to:
continue to track the current activity level of the one mobile computing device; and
generate an indication that the current activity level fails to meet at least one predefined criterion.

3. The at least one non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 2 wherein the indication that the current activity level fails to meet at least one predefined criterion comprises an indication to dispatch a person to the one mobile computing device.

4. The at least one non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1 wherein the predefined time is longer when fewer mobile computing devices are associated with players and shorter when more mobile computing devices are associated with players.

5. The at least one non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1 wherein the message indicates to the player that he or she should play a game on the mobile computing device.

6. The at least one non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1 wherein an operator terminal is connected to the network and wherein the plurality of instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the at least one processor to:
display an entry for each mobile computing device that is associated with a player; and
display indicia associated with at least one of the associated mobile computing devices indicating time between games played on the at least one associated mobile computing device.

7. The at least one non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 6 wherein the indicia comprises one of a plurality of colors for the entry.

8. The at least one non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1 wherein the plurality of instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the at least one processor to deduct wagers that resulted in a loss from the applied credit to produce a credit balance.

9. The at least one non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 8 wherein the plurality of instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the at least one processor to apply prizes that result from a win to the applied credit thereby augmenting the credit balance.

10. The at least one non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9 wherein the plurality of instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the at least one processor to track the credit balance at a location remote from the mobile computing device.

11. The at least one non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 10 wherein the plurality of instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the at least one processor to account for a withdrawal of the credit balance.

12. The at least one non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11 wherein accounting for a withdrawal of the credit balance comprises receiving an image of the generated code at a cashier's terminal.

13. The at least one non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 12 wherein a sheet of material having the image of the generated code thereon is provided to the player and wherein receiving an image of the generated code via the camera at one of the mobile computing devices comprises reading the code from the sheet when the player presents the sheet to the camera.

14. At least one non-transitory computer readable medium that stores a plurality of instructions, which when executed by at least one processor causes the at least one processor to:
account for a money deposit associated with a first mobile computing device having a wagering game thereon and being constructed and arranged to read an optical machine-readable code;
generate an optical machine-readable code that includes data related to the amount of the deposit;
associate such a first mobile computing device with a person and provide the generated code to the person;
receive an image of the generated code via the camera;
apply a credit to the wagering game related to the generated code;
permit a player to play the wagering game on the first mobile computing device responsive to wagers made using the applied credit;
display at least two images on the touch-sensitive screen as part of play of the wagering game; and
reveal game outcomes in one of two ways, namely:
(i) change one of the images to display one of a winning outcome or a losing outcome of the game responsive to the player touching the screen adjacent the one image;

or
(ii) change the at least two images to display one of a winning game outcome or a losing game outcome responsive to a player swiping along an axis adjacent both images;

generate data related to a current activity level of the first mobile computing device;
transmit the generated data to a computer system;
receive additional data at the computer system related to the current activity level of each of a plurality of additional mobile computing devices;
determine how long each mobile computing device is idle for longer than a predefined time;
vary the predefined time as a function of the number of mobile computing devices; and
send a message over the network to the first mobile computing device when the first mobile computing device is idle for longer than the predefined time.

15. The at least one non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 14 wherein the plurality of instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the at least one processor to deduct wagers that resulted in a loss from the applied credit to produce a credit balance.

16. The at least one non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15 wherein the plurality of instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the at least one processor to apply prizes that resulted from a win to the applied credit thereby augmenting the credit balance.

17. The at least one non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16 w

Assignees

• Patent Invest & Licensing Co
• Acres Tech

Inventors

• Acres John F
• White Warren
• Dailey Mark N
• Hermansen William Dale
• Morelli Anthony
• White Alex
• Luciano Cyrus A
• Schmitz John G
• King Andrew
• Ferguson Patrick B

Classifications

• G07F17/3234

  about the performance of a gaming system, e.g. revenue, diagnosis of the gaming system · CPC title

• G07F17/3244

  Payment aspects of a gaming system, e.g. payment schemes, setting payout ratio, bonus or consolation prizes · CPC title

• G07F17/3227

  Configuring a gaming machine, e.g. downloading personal settings, selecting working parameters · CPC title

• G07F17/329 Primary

  Regular and instant lottery, e.g. electronic scratch cards · CPC title

• G07F17/3288

  Betting, e.g. on live events, bookmaking · CPC title