Systems, methods, and apparatus for providing a bingo game having a sharing feature

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9317991-B2
Application number	US-201414215306-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 17, 2014
Priority date	Mar 15, 2013
Publication date	Apr 19, 2016
Grant date	Apr 19, 2016

Abstract

Systems, apparatus, methods, and articles of manufacture provide for a bingo game including at least one initial ball call and an option for a player to receive at least one additional ball call. In one example, the at least one additional ball call includes one or more of: (i) a ball call locked until a player accepts an option to unlock the locked ball call, and (ii) a ball call provided by another member of a social network (e.g., a friend of the player).

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An online gaming system for providing online game play with a sharing feature, the online gaming system comprising:
a game broadcaster server configured to transmit a broadcast feed of bingo numbers for a bingo game;
a game application server configured to provide programming routines of a bingo game play engine;
a web server configured to provide graphical elements of an online gaming interface; and
an application delivery controller in communication with a plurality of user devices, the game broadcaster server, and the game application server, the application delivery controller comprising:
a processor; and
a computer-readable memory in communication with the processor, the computer-readable memory storing instructions that when executed by the processor direct the processor to:
receive a call from a user device for an online gaming interface for a bingo game;
transmit a call to the game application server to access programming routines for the bingo game play engine;
receive from the game broadcaster server a broadcast feed of bingo numbers for the bingo game;
receive, from the web server, graphical elements for the online gaming interface;
initiate, using the online gaming interface and the bingo game play engine, play of a bingo game having at least one initial ball call based on the broadcast feed;
transmit to a player at the user device, using the online gaming interface, an option to receive at least one additional ball call for the bingo game; and
provide, using the online gaming interface, the at least one additional ball call to the player.

2. The online gaming system of claim 1 , the computer-readable memory further storing instructions that when executed by the processor direct the processor to:
determine, using the game broadcaster server, a sequence of a plurality of initial ball calls for the bingo game;
generate, using the online gaming interface, a representation of the sequence for play in the bingo game; and
before transmitting to the player the option to receive the at least one additional ball call for the bingo game, automatically marking in the online gaming interface any bingo spaces of a bingo card that correspond to the plurality of initial ball calls.

3. The online gaming system of claim 1 , the computer-readable memory further storing instructions that when executed by the processor direct the processor to:
before transmitting to the player the option to receive the at least one additional ball call for the bingo game, generate, via the online gaming interface, a representation of the at least one additional ball call, wherein the at least one additional ball call is not yet playable in the bingo game;
receiving an acceptance by the player of the option to receive the at least one additional ball call; and
after receiving the acceptance, enabling the at least one additional ball call for play in the bingo game.

4. The online gaming system of claim 3 , wherein generating the representation of the at least one additional ball call comprises:
displaying, via the online gaming interface, an indication that each at least one additional ball call is locked.

5. The online gaming system of claim 1 , wherein presenting the option comprises:
displaying, via the online gaming interface, an offer to the player to receive the at least one additional ball call in exchange for performing a task.

6. The online gaming system of claim 5 , wherein the task comprises transmitting a message to at least one other player.

7. The online gaming system of claim 1 , wherein presenting the option comprises:
displaying, via a user interface, an option to the player to unlock at least one locked ball call.

8. The online gaming system of claim 1 , wherein presenting the option comprises:
displaying, via the online gaming interface, an option to the player to become eligible to receive ball calls from other players.

9. The online gaming system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one additional ball call comprises a ball call received from another player; and
marking a bingo space based on the ball call from another player.

10. The online gaming system of claim 9 , wherein marking a bingo space based on the ball call from another player comprises:
determining that a bingo card of the player has an unmarked friend bingo space; and
marking the unmarked friend bingo space.

11. The online gaming system of claim 9 , wherein marking a bingo space based on the ball call from another player comprises:
determining that a bingo card of the player does not have an unmarked friend bingo space; and
marking a numbered bingo space of the bingo card.

12. A method for providing online game play with a sharing feature, comprising:
receiving, by an application delivery controller from a user device, a call for an online gaming interface for a bingo game;
transmitting, by the application delivery controller to a game application server, a call to access programming routines for a bingo game play engine;
receiving, by the application delivery controller from a game broadcaster server, a broadcast feed of bingo numbers for the bingo game;
receiving, by the application delivery controller from the web server, graphical elements for the online gaming interface;
initiating, by the application delivery controller using the online gaming interface and the bingo game play engine, play of a bingo game having at least one initial ball call;
transmitting, by the application delivery controller using the online gaming interface, an option for a player to receive at least one additional ball call for the bingo game; and
providing, by the application delivery controller using the online gaming interface, the at least one additional ball call to the player.

13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising:
determining, by the application delivery controller using the game broadcaster server, a sequence of a plurality of initial ball calls for the bingo game;
generating, by the application delivery controller using the online gaming interface, a representation of the sequence for play in the bingo game; and
before transmitting to the player the option to receive the at least one additional ball call for the bingo game, automatically marking, by the application delivery controller in the online gaming interface, any bingo spaces of a bingo card that correspond to the plurality of initial ball calls.

14. The method of claim 12 , further comprising:
before transmitting to the player the option to receive the at least one additional ball call for the bingo game, generating, by the application delivery controller via the online gaming interface, a representation of the at least one additional ball call, wherein the at least one additional ball call is not yet playable in the bingo game;
receiving, by the application delivery controller, an acceptance by the player of the option to receive the at least one additional ball call; and
after receiving the acceptance, enabling, by the application delivery controller, the at least one additional ball call for play in the bingo game.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein generating the representation of the at least one additional ball call comprises:
displaying, by the application delivery controller via the online gaming interface, an indication that each at least one additional ball call is locked.

16. The method of claim 14 , wherein presenting the option comprises:
displaying, by the application delivery controller via the online gaming interface, an offer to the player to receive the at least one addition

Assignees

• Gamesys Ltd

Inventors

• Macbeth Mary Louise
• Bean Mary Brittney
• Sanderson Daniel Robert
• Newton Thomas
• Kennedy Justin
• Scott Adam

Classifications

• G07F17/329 Primary

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

• G07F17/32 Primary

  for games, toys, sports, or amusements · CPC title

• G07F17/3225

  Data transfer within a gaming system, e.g. data sent between gaming machines and users · CPC title

• G07F17/3286

  Type of games · CPC title