PORTFOLIO WAGERING GAME
Background of the Invention
This invention relates to a wagering game, and in particular, a portfolio wagering game in which players purchase tickets in advance to play games using gaming result information obtained over a network such as the Internet.
Wagering games played over a publicly-accessible network such as the Internet have become increasingly popular. Such network-based games are easily accessed at almost any time from a large number of locations using, e.g., a personal computer with a modem capable of digital communication over the network. Network-based games allow players to participate in high-paced and high-stake games without having to be present at an established gaming location or casino.
For a typical wagering game played over a publicly-accessible network such as the Internet, a player purchases wagers by providing payment information, such as a credit card number, over the network to the operator of the server or Internet web site through which the game is played. However, there is a possibility that payment information such as a credit card number sent over an unsecured public network may be improperly accessed and misappropriated without the player's knowledge or consent.
Summary of the Invention
In general, in one aspect, the invention features a system for playing a wagering game. A point of sale terminal issues a gaming ticket including gaming information to a player. A transmitting device transmits a gaming format over a network. A computer terminal receives and displays the gaming format transmitted by the transmitting device and transmits to the transmitting device the gaming information entered by the player into the computer terminal. The gaming information is entered into the terminal based on the displayed gaming format. The transmitting device further obtains and transmits winning information and game
results of the player for display by the computer terminal. The game results are compared to the winning information to determine whether the gaming ticket is a winning ticket.
Implementations of the invention may also include one or more of the following features. The displayed gaming format may include an instruction for the player to enter the gaming information into the computer terminal.
The system may further include a gaming processor for storing the gaming information and for verifying that the gaming ticket is a winning ticket. The computer terminal may include a screen and a mouse for pointing to a particular location on the screen to enter the ga ing information into the computer terminal.
The network may be an unsecured network. The point of sale teπrjinal may be connected to a network of on-line point of sale terminals.
The gaming ticket may be used for multiple play of the wagering game. The gaming ticket may further include security information or a network address corresponding to the transmitting device.
The player may choose the gaming format from a plurality of gaming formats. The gaining format may include a display of fluctuations of prices of stocks in a stock market.
In general, in another aspect, the invention features a method of playing a wagering game. A gaming ticket including gaining information is issued to a player. A gaming format is transmitted over a network. The transmitted gaming format is displayed on a computer terminal. The gaming information is entered into the computer terminal based on the displayed gaming format. Game results are obtained for the player, and the game results are compared to winning information to determine whether the gaining ticket is a winning ticket.
Implementations of the invention may also include one or more of the following features. The gaming ticket may be issued using a point of sale terminal.
The method may further include instructing the player to enter the gaming information into the computer terminal. The method may further include storing the gaming information and verifying that the gaming ticket is a winning ticket based on the stored gaining information.
The method may further include repeating the entering, obtaining and comparing steps to determine whether the gaming ticket is a winning ticket of another wagering game. The method may further include choosing the gaming format from a plurality of gaming formats. The method may also include redeeming the winning ticket.
The present invention has the advantage that players may play wagering games from any of a large number of locations over a publicly-accessible network.
The present invention has the additional advantage that players may purchase gaining tickets for multiple play of a portfolio of games.
The present invention has the further advantage that the players may purchase gaming tickets in advance from on-line point of sale terminals, without having to provide payment information over an unsecured network.
Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, and from the claims.
Brief Description of the Drawings
FIG. 1 diagrammatically shows a system for playing the portfolio wagering game of the present invention.
FIG. 2 shows a ticket used to play the portfolio wagering game of FIG. 1.
FIGS. 3 and 4 show an interface for playing a portfolio stock game using the system of FIG. 1.
FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing the steps of playing the portfolio wagering game of FIG. 1.
Description of the Preferred Embodiments
In the portfolio wagering game of the present invention, players purchase tickets in advance from an online point of sale terminal to play games based on gaming result information obtained over a network such as the Internet.
As shown in FIG. 1 , a system 100 for playing the portfolio wagering game may include one or more on-line point of sale terminals 110...114 which communicate with a central gaming processor 120. The gaming result information may be found on an interface or Internet web page generated by a server 130, which may also be in communication with central gaming processor 120. Server 130 is in communication with one or more personal computers or terminals 140...144 over a network 150.
On-line point of sale terminal 1 10, for example, may be used to purchase a gaining ticket 200 (FIG. 2). Point of sale terminal 110 may be part of a wide area network of similar terminals. For example, point of sale terminals 1 10...1 14 may be located at retail establishments and operated by gaming agents.
Point of sale terminal 1 10 is capable of printing garning tickets upon a player's request. Point of sale terminal 1 10 may include a keyboard 160 for entering wager requests, a screen or display 162 for displaying wagering requests and garning information, a microprocessor 164 for processing wager requests and garning information, a printer 166 for printing gaming information on gaming tickets, and a modem or other communications device 168 for communicating digitally or otherwise with central gaming processor 120 to. transmit wagering requests and wagering information and to receive wager verification information.
Central gaining processor 120 may be located remotely from any of point of sale terminals 110...114, and may be connected directly or indirectly to the point of sale terminals over secure communication links or over a secure network. Central gaming processor 120 may include a database 122 which stores wagering information for each wager request
made at point of sale terminals 1 10... 1 14 and an indication of winning status for each wager request to ensure accurate and detailed recordation of players' wagering activity.
Server 130 may be a typical Internet web site server or similar device capable of producing an interface that is communicated to personal computers 140... 144 over network 150. Network 150 may be the Internet or any communications network such as a dial-up, hard- wired or wireless digital network. Server 130 may also communicate with central garning processor 120, e.g. over a secure data communications link or a secure network, to obtain gaming information used to set up the interface produced by server 130 for play of the game by players located at personal computers 140...144.
Personal computer 140, for example, may include a microprocessor 170, a screen 172 on a monitor 174, a modem 176 for communications over network 150, a keyboard 178 for entering information, and a mouse 180 for moving a cursor on screen 172 and for clicking on a particular location on the screen.
As shown in FIG. 2, a player purchases a garning ticket 200 from an on-line point of sale terminal 1 10. Ticket 200 may be a printed paper card or a rewritable, erasable, and reusable plastic card.
Ticket 200 may be purchased for a predetermined number of advance game plays. A player may purchase ticket 200 to play the portfolio wagering game a predetermined number of times per day for a predetermined number of days. For example, to place a wager of 10 cents for each game of a portfolio wagering game that will be played 10 times per day over a period of ten days, the purchase price of the ticket would be $ 10.
Ticket 200 includes variable gaming information 210 in the form of a combination or permutation of gaming information selected from a set of gaining numbers or characters. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, gaining information 210 on ticket 200 includes four numbers selected from the set of integers 1 through 10, namely the numbers 2, 5, 7 and 10.
There is an infinite number of permutations and combinations of numbers or characters that may be selected for the gaming information. There is also an innumerable range of numbers or characters from which the gaining information may be selected.
Terminal 1 10 may print variable garning information 210 on ticket 200 which has been issued by or approved by central gaming processor 120. Gaming information 210 may be selected by the player or may be selected randomly such as by using a quick-pick feature.
Ticket 200 may be printed with information such as the amount of the wager and the dates of the games for which the ticket was purchased. Ticket 200 may also include security information 220 such as a security number or game card identification number. The security information, as well as other information such as the amount of the wager, the dates of the games for which the ticket was purchased, and the location of the point of sale terminal from which the ticket was issued, may be included on the ticket in the form of a machine-readable bar code 230 capable of being read by a bar code reader 182 in one of the point of sale terminals. Finally, the ticket may be printed with at least one network address or Internet web site 240 from which the game results may be obtained by the player.
The player plays the portfolio wagering game using a specialized gaming format in the form of a screen interface which is produced by server 130 and which is accessed over network 150 using the player's personal computer 140. Ticket 200 may also be used to play more than one of a number of available specialized game formats. For example, upon accessing the interface of the Internet web site corresponding to the player's selected specialized game format, the player plays the portfolio wagering game by using the gaming information 210 printed on ticket 200 to interact with and activate interactive activities on the interface to play the game.
The player may also be prompted to enter the ticket's security information, e.g., security number 220, to obtain access to the network
address or Internet web site. Limiting access on the basis of the ticket's security information increases the overall security of the game.
Each specialized game format may be accessed over network 150, e.g., at an Internet web site having a unique web site address. Thus, the player may play a selected specialized game by using personal computer 140 to access an Internet web site producing a screen interface with a game, e.g., based on the stock market, a treasure hunt, space travel, sports events, or currency values. The player's game results would then be deteπnined from the interface appearing on the screen of the player's personal computer.
FIG. 3 shows an example of a specialized game format in the form of a "stock market" game, in which the gaming information consists of a series of numbers which correspond to companies whose stocks are publicly traded on a stock market. Such a "stock market" game may utilize the actual fluctuations of the prices of the companies' stocks on the stock market on a real-time basis.
To play the "stock market" game of FIG. 3, a player who has purchased ticket 200 uses personal computer 140 to access interface 300 produced by server 130. Interface 300 indicates the prize 310 associated with winning the game. Interface 300 contains instructions 320 for the player to follow to determine whether ticket 200 is a winning ticket. For example, instructions 320 tell the player to use mouse 180 to locate and click on the boxes corresponding to the numbers contained in gaming information 210 on ticket 200.
Each of the numbers 1- 10 listed on interface 300 corresponds to a company name whose stocks are traded on the stock market. For example, number 1 corresponds to Company A. The value listed after each company name indicates whether that company's stock price has increased (positive sign) or decreased (negative sign), as well as the amount of the increase or decrease. The company names and values are kept hidden until the player plays the game. However, the player is initially told the target 330 that the total 340 of the values of the stocks
corresponding to his or her gaming information must equal or exceed in order to win the game.
As shown in FIG. 4, the player plays the "stock market" game by using mouse 180 of personal computer 140 to locate and click on the numbers on screen 172 corresponding to gaming information 210 on ticket 200. As a result of this clicking action, the names of the companies corresponding to those numbers and their associated values are revealed. After the player has clicked on all four of the numbers corresponding to the gaming information on ticket 210, the player's total 340 for those values is indicated. The player can then determine whether or not ticket 200 is a winning ticket by comparing the total 340 to the target 330.
Alternatively, the specialized game format may be a "treasure hunt" game, in which the gaming information consists of a set of numbers or characters which must be located on a map that appears on the screen of the player's personal computer. In this game, the player uses the mouse to click on the numbers or characters corresponding to the gaming information on his or her ticket to look for buried treasure in order to win the game. In a similar alternative specialized game format, the screen of the player's personal computer may include an illustration of "outer space," including picture of stars and planets, for a "space travel" game. In such a "space travel" game, the player searches for the numbers or characters corresponding to the garning information on his or her ticket hidden in the illustration.
The specialized game preferably has the form of a perceived skill game. In a perceived skill game, the player is required to take some action, such as using a mouse to click on numbers on a screen which correspond to the gaming information on the player's ticket. However, the game results, i.e., whether or not the player has won a prize or money winnings based on the gaming information on the player's ticket, is independent of any skill on the part of the player, and instead is based only on the outcomes of events that are strictly random occurrences. Instead, a perceived skill game allows the player to feel that some skill is
required to obtain a winning game result, although the results are actually predeteπnined on the basis of the gaming information on the player's ticket. The portfolio wagering game satisfies the requirements of a lottery game; i.e., a game that provides equal odds to all players without requiring specific knowledge or skill.
A method 500 of playing the portfolio wagering game of the present invention is shown in FIG. 5. Prior to playing the portfolio wagering game, the player purchases garning ticket 200 from an on-line point of sale terminal (step 510).
The gaming information on ticket 200 may be sent to central gaming processor 120 to be stored in database 122 (step 520). The gaming information stored in database 122 may be accessed at a time after the games, for which ticket 200 had been purchased, have been played to verify that the ticket is a winning ticket.
The player uses personal computer 140 to access an interface produced by server 130 (step 530). The player plays the game by following the instructions on the interface to determine whether ticket 200 is a winning ticket (step 540). Upon completion of the game, server 130 may send the game results to central garning processor 120, which stores an indication of whether or not ticket 200 is a winning ticket (step 550).
If the player has determined that ticket 200 contains gaming information that is a winner of one or more games for which the ticket had been purchased, the player may redeem the ticket for the corresponding prizes or money winnings (step 560). For example, the player may surrender the ticket to an agent operating an on-line point of sale terminal which communicates with central gaming processor 120 to verify that the ticket is a winning ticket based on a stored indication of winning status, and the agent then gives the player the corresponding prizes or money winnings.
The present invention allows a player to purchase a ticket for multiple wagering games that are played over an extended period of time. In particular, the player may purchase the ticket using a secure method
such as through an on-line point of sale terminal connected to a central garning processor over a secure network, rather than by providing payment information over an unsecured network such as the Internet. In the portfolio wagering game of the present invention, only the game results are accessed over an unsecured network such as the Internet.
Moreover, the portfolio wagering game appears to be an interactive game from the players' point of view, even though the outcome of the game is actually determined randomly. The game is simple to play, and is based on known and understandable events.
Other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims.