Systems, methods, and apparatus for bingo games having a visible ball queue

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9327185-B2
Application number	US-201414215132-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 17, 2014
Priority date	Mar 15, 2013
Publication date	May 3, 2016
Grant date	May 3, 2016

Abstract

Systems, apparatus, methods, and articles of manufacture provide for a bingo game including a representation of a ball queue. In one example, a display for a bingo game represents a queue of one or more upcoming ball calls for the bingo game. In some embodiments, a ball queue may include partial information about an upcoming ball call (e.g., an indication of a corresponding bingo card column but not a bingo number).

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for providing online games to a plurality of remote user devices, comprising:
a processor of a game application delivery controller, wherein the game application delivery controller is in communication with a game server cluster;
a computer-readable memory in communication with the processor of the game application delivery controller, the computer-readable memory storing instructions that when executed by the processor of the game application delivery controller direct the processor to:
enable a player to participate in a bingo game using a user device;
receive, from the user device, a request for an online gaming interface for a bingo game;
transmit a call to a bingo game server of the game server cluster for the online gaming interface for the bingo game;
determine a sequence of bingo symbols for the bingo game;
generate the online gaming interface, wherein the generated online gaming interface comprises a representation of an electronic bingo card, a visible ball queue, and a button configured to allow the player to indicate completion of a predetermined winning bingo pattern;
generate, in the visible ball queue of the online gaming interface, a representation of at least one bingo symbol of the determined sequence of bingo symbols that is not yet playable in the bingo game;
enable, in the online gaming interface, a represented first bingo symbol of the determined sequence in the visible ball queue for play in the bingo game;
remove the represented first bingo symbol enabled for play in the bingo game from the visible ball queue in the online gaming interface; and
receive, from the online gaming interface, a signal that the player actuated the button to indicate completion of a predetermined winning bingo pattern.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the sequence comprises a first bingo ball and a second bingo ball to be called after the first bingo ball.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein determining the sequence of bingo symbols for the bingo game comprises:
determining the sequence of bingo symbols for the bingo game before initiating play of the bingo game by a player.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the visible ball queue comprises
a representation of a first bingo ball and a representation of a second bingo ball, wherein neither the first bingo ball nor the second bingo ball is playable in the bingo game.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the visible ball queue comprises
a representation of a first bingo ball including an indication of a location identifier associated with the first bingo ball and not including an indication of a bingo number associated with the first bingo ball.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , the computer-readable memory further storing instructions that when executed by the processor direct the processor to:
advance a represented second bingo symbol in the visible ball queue, wherein the second bingo symbol is not playable in the bingo game.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein enabling the represented first bingo symbol for play in the bingo game comprises:
calling a bingo symbol displayed in the visible ball queue, thereby making the bingo symbol playable.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein enabling the represented first bingo symbol for play in the bingo game comprises:
allowing a player to mark, using the online gaming interface, a bingo space corresponding to the represented first bingo symbol.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , the computer-readable memory further storing instructions that when executed by the processor direct the processor to:
generate a representation of a called bingo number in a ball call area.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , the computer-readable memory further storing instructions that when executed by the processor direct the processor to:
display, using the online gaming interface, an indication that a represented bingo symbol of the sequence displayed in the visible ball queue would complete a winning bingo pattern when enabled for play, wherein displaying the indication is before enabling the represented bingo symbol for play.

11. A method, comprising:
receiving, by a game server comprising at least one processor from a game application delivery controller, a request for an online gaming interface for a bingo game;
determining, by the game server, a sequence of bingo symbols for the bingo game;
generating, by the game server, the online gaming interface, wherein the generated online gaming interface comprises a representation of an electronic bingo card, a visible ball queue, and a button configured to allow a player to indicate completion of a predetermined winning bingo pattern;
generating, by the game server in the visible ball queue of the online gaming interface, a representation of at least one bingo symbol of the determined sequence that is not yet playable in the bingo game;
enabling, by the game server in the online gaming interface, a represented first bingo symbol of the determined sequence in the visible ball queue for play in the bingo game;
removing the represented first bingo symbol enabled for play in the bingo game from the visible ball queue in the online gaming interface; and
receiving a signal that the player actuated the button to indicate completion of a predetermined winning bingo pattern.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein determining the sequence of bingo symbols for the bingo game comprises:
determining the sequence of bingo symbols for the bingo game before initiating play of the bingo game by a player.

13. The method of claim 11 , the visible ball queue comprises
a representation of a first bingo ball and a representation of a second bingo ball, wherein neither the first bingo ball nor the second bingo ball is playable in the bingo game.

14. The method of claim 11 , the visible ball queue comprises
a representation of a first bingo ball including an indication of a location identifier associated with the first bingo ball and not including an indication of a bingo number associated with the first bingo ball.

15. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
advancing a represented second bingo symbol in the visible ball queue, wherein the second bingo symbol is not playable in the bingo game.

16. The method of claim 11 , wherein enabling the represented first bingo symbol for play in the bingo game comprises:
calling the represented first bingo symbol displayed in the visible ball queue, thereby making the bingo symbol playable.

17. The method of claim 11 , wherein enabling the represented first bingo symbol for play in the bingo game comprises:
allowing a player to mark, using the online gaming interface, a bingo space corresponding to the represented first bingo symbol.

18. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
generating a representation of a called bingo number in a ball call area.

19. The method of claim 11 , wherein the sequence comprises a first bingo ball and a second bingo ball to be called after the first bingo ball.

20. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
displaying, using the online gaming interface, an indication that a represented bingo symbol of the sequence displayed in the visible ball queue would complete a winning bingo pattern when enabled for play, wherein displaying the indication is before enabling the represented bingo symbol for play.

Assignees

• Gamesys Ltd

Inventors

• Elias Hans

Classifications

• A63F13/30

  Interconnection arrangements between game servers and game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game servers · CPC title

• A63F2300/8064

  Quiz · CPC title

• A63F13/822

  Strategy games; Role-playing games (A63F13/825, A63F13/828 take precedence) · CPC title

• G07F17/3211

  Display means · CPC title

• G07F17/326

  Game play aspects of gaming systems · CPC title