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  Method and apparatus for conducting a game tournamentUSPTO Application #: 20060082056Title: Method and apparatus for conducting a game tournament Abstract: A player is permitted to play in a tournament involving one or more instances of an online game. In one specific example, the player may choose, at a point of sale (POS), a tournament option that permits the player to play in a tournament-style game involving multiple game instances of a primary game. In one example, the primary game is a slot machine type game. In this way, the player may be permitted to enjoy the feeling of playing in a tournament against other players in the environment of an online game. In another example, the primary game result is driven by the result of a secondary game, such as a lottery or casino-based drawing (e.g., a Keno drawing). The secondary game is then played, and the result of the overall tournament is determined based on the results of the secondary game instances. Results of the secondary game instances and the result of the tournament are sent to an online gaming system. The player is then permitted to play an online game to reveal the results of the secondary game instances and the result of the overall tournament. (end of abstract)
Agent: Lowrie, Lando & Anastasi - Cambridge, MA, US Inventors: Steven N. Kane, Dow Hardy, Mark E. Herrmann, Bijan Sabet USPTO Applicaton #: 20060082056 - Class: 273138100 (USPTO) Related Patent Categories: Amusement Devices: Games, Chance Devices The Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20060082056. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/130,796, entitled "METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONDUCTING A GAME OF CHANCE," filed on May 16, 2005, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/002,727, entitled "METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONDUCTING A GAME OF CHANCE," filed on Nov. 30, 2004 which claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. .sctn. 119(e) to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/569,030, entitled "METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONDUCTING A GAME OF CHANCE," filed on May 7, 2004, each of which applications are herein incorporated by reference by their entirety. FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0002] The field of the invention relates generally to lotteries and gaming, and more particularly, to systems for conducting lottery-based games or casino-based gaming. BACKGROUND [0003] There are many different types of games that are provided 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 and whether 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 they scratch off the ticket coating, whether or not they won the game. [0004] 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. [0005] 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 which is correlated to a game seed stored in a computer system upon which a computer game is played. The computer game determines the correlated 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 OF THE INVENTION [0006] According to one aspect of the present invention, it is realized that it may be beneficial to maintain the interest of players in playing games. In one aspect of the present invention, it is appreciated that it may be beneficial for players to feel that they are playing in a competitive setting. A result of providing such an environment gives players a continued interest in playing multiple games. In the case of games provided in a gaming (e.g., in a casino), such games may be provided that simulate the environment of other games provided in the environment, but play of the game is located outside of the competitive environment (e.g., outside of the casino). For instance, one or more games may be provided for play by players over the Internet. [0007] One problem of providing players play over the Internet is that they do not see others playing a tournament-style game in which other players may be playing individual games where their play might affect a result of a tournament-type game. According to one aspect of the present invention, it is appreciated the feel of tournament play provides incentives for players to continue playing the game, along with the chance to earn additional jackpot. [0008] Gaming over the Internet and other computer-based networks has become very popular. However, according to one aspect of the present invention, it may be beneficial to create a tournament-type gaming experience similar to that provided in the casino and other traditional gaming environments for Internet-based games. To this end, a system and game format for conducting a tournament-type game may be provided. [0009] In one such game format, the player is permitted to play a computer-based game (referred to hereinafter as a "primary" game) during which the game playing system reveals results of another game (referred to hereinafter as a "secondary" game). This secondary game may be a casino or lottery-based game. One such secondary game is the well-known game of Keno. However, it should be appreciated that the secondary game may be any other type of game (e.g., a lottery game). The primary game may be any type of computer-based game, including games of skill and/or chance, such as card games, casino games, video games or any other type of game through which a result from another game may be revealed. In one aspect of the present invention, the play of the primary game that the player plays does not affect the outcome of the secondary game. In another aspect of the present invention, the secondary game result does not affect the outcome of the primary game played by the player. [0010] In another example, the primary game involves some level of influence by the player on the outcome of the primary game. For instance, the primary game may be a game of skill. However, it should be appreciated that the primary game may be a game of chance, or combination of skill and chance. In one example, the primary game may be a slot machine which is a well-known game of chance. As is known, a slot machine includes a number of wheels having symbols or other indicia that, when matched or otherwise presented in a particular combination, wins the player a prize. The play of the slot machine game may present, for instance, the result (or partial result) of the secondary game (e.g., a lottery-type game, Keno game). [0011] According to one aspect of the present invention, the player may be permitted to play one or more game instances of the primary game, such as a slot machine game. For example, the player may be permitted to play multiple spins of a slot machine game. These game instances may be, for example, associated with a single instance of a secondary game (e.g., a single ticket for a single Keno drawing) or multiple instances of a secondary game (e.g., one or more tickets for one or more Keno drawings). In one example, the player may be permitted to play 100 instances of a game (e.g., 100 pulls of a slot machine game) and the 100 instances may be associated with 100 sets of Keno numbers. These Keno numbers may be associated with a single drawing, or multiple Keno drawings. The result of the multiple Keno games determines the result of the tournament. [0012] The player is permitted to play the game instances in a tournament-type game format wherein players play against each other to win one or more prizes. Prizes may be, for instance, cash prizes that are awarded to players indicated as winning the tournament. The prizes may be funded, for example, by a hold of the ticket sales associated with the secondary game, or may be funded through a promotional budget or giveaway, or may be funded in any other manner. The tournament-type game may be played in addition to a "regular" secondary-type game, and may be selected by the player at the point of ticket purchase. [0013] According to one aspect of the present invention, the tournament may be conducted at a set time, and players are permitted to play the game instances at specified time intervals. For instance, in the case of a slot machine-type game wherein the player is awarded 100 spins of a slot machine, the player may be permitted to play the instances within a fixed time limit (e.g., a half hour) with other players. In this case, the tournament may begin for all players at the same (or substantially the same) time. In yet another example game format, the tournament may also end at a predetermined time. Optionally, there may be provided a buffer period near the end of the tournament to permit players to finish their games. Once the player enters the buffer period, there may be presented an indication that the winner(s) of the tournament are being calculated. At the conclusion of the buffer period, the players may be presented the final results of the tournament (e.g., through a display of a leader board interface). [0014] According to one aspect of the present invention, the players play of the one or more game instances are synchronized with each other. According to one embodiment of the present invention, a feature is provided that causes the game to be played automatically if the player does not cause the game to play in a predetermined period of time. However, according to another embodiment of the present invention, a player is permitted to play as fast as the player wishes, and is not limited to leading other players in game play. [0015] In one specific embodiment, if the player does not finish or otherwise reveal a result associated with a particular game instance within a predetermined period of time, the play of the game instance proceeds automatically, and the result associated with that particular game instance is revealed to the player. Similarly, if a player starts late in the tournament, that player may begin play with a game instance associated with the time at which the player begins play. In this specific example, any results or prior game instances that have not been played by the player may be revealed in another game (e.g., an instant-type game) to the player to permit the player to "catch up" to other players, yet still view results associated with earlier non-played game instances. [0016] According to one aspect of the present invention, the player need not be present or play the online portion of the game (e.g., the primary game) in order to win one or more instances of the secondary game (and therefore, the tournament). However, a game-playing computer that conducts the online game may provide an indication to each player which player is currently leading in the tournament. Because players may not necessarily play the online game, there may be a method for representing to other players that the non-playing player is currently leading the tournament even though they are not present. To this end, a game-playing computer may indicate an identifier of the player currently winning the tournament. Because such an indication is provided, players are less likely to feel cheated, if at the end of the tournament, one of the actual participants does not win the race. Such an indication may be, for example, a token or other identifier (e.g., a username, nickname, or any other identifier) associated with the ticket. For players who have not selected a username (e.g., a player that arrives late and has not registered), one may be automatically assigned by a computer system conducting the tournament so that results may be displayed to other players participating in the tournament. [0017] In the example above where the result of one or more Keno tickets are used to drive the results of an online game, sets of numbers associated with the ticket are "graded" by a Keno system, and the graded sets of number from the one or more tickets are used to determine the winner of the tournament. The result of the tournament as well as the play leading up to the result may be driven by the results of the ticket gradings. [0018] As discussed above, according to one embodiment of the present invention, the online game may include one or more instances of a slot machine game. The slot machine game may be, for example, a multi-reel slot machine having one or more paylines as is known in the art. The slot machine game may include a computer-generated interface (e.g., a graphical user interface) shown to a player on a computer system. The slot machine game may have any number and type of indicia, and may appear similar to conventional-type slot machine games. [0019] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the slot machine game is a single level game, wherein the player is allocated a predetermined number of spins of a slot machine game. In particular, the player activates a control that causes the slot machine reels to spin, after which a result associated with each spin (or pay line) is revealed to the player. After the result is revealed, the player is permitted to activate the slot machine again, and to continue to use up the allocated spins until the spins are exhausted. [0020] According to another aspect of the present invention, the slot machine game is combined with a second level game. Play of the second level game may proceed after some achievement level in the slot machine game. For instance, the player may play the slot machine game as discussed above, and in one embodiment, the second level may proceed after the player successfully plays a series of instances of the slot machine game. Alternatively, the player may play the slot machine game until completion, and at an ending of the slot machine game (e.g., the player quits, uses a control to automatically play the slot machine game, etc.), the player begins playing the second level game. It should be appreciated that either a single-level or multi-level game may be used to facilitate the tournament type game in any particular game instance, and any achievement in any of the levels may be used to determine the result of the tournament. Continue reading... Full patent description for Method and apparatus for conducting a game tournament Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Method and apparatus for conducting a game tournament patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. 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