NZ528032A

NZ528032A - A game of chance played using a WAP capable cellular phone

Info

Publication number: NZ528032A
Application number: NZ52803203A
Authority: NZ
Inventors: Gary John Mcivor
Original assignee: Gary John Mcivor
Priority date: 2003-09-04
Filing date: 2003-09-04
Publication date: 2005-01-28
Also published as: WO2005023389A1; AU2003266694A1

Abstract

A game controller controls a game of chance by the controller receiving telephone calls from telephones where the users of the telephones desire to play a game of chance. The controller then sends a message or messages to the telephones which cause images to display on screens of the telephones wherein the images offer the telephone users a chance to win rewards in the game of chance. he controller then receives signals from the users accepting or declining the offers, in the cases of acceptance the images moving or changing such that they play out as a depiction of a roll or rolls of the game after which the images indicate a win or loss as the case may be, in the case of wins allocating rewards to the accounts of the players or telephone and in the event of a loss allocating a debit to the account of the player or telephone.

Description

Patents Form No. 5 5280 32 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION A GAME I, GARY JOHN MCIVOR, a New Zealand citizen, of 18 McKay Street, Wainuiomata, Wellington, New Zealand, hereby declare this invention for which I pray that a patent may be granted to me, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be 25 particularly described in and by the following statement: 2 TITLE A game FIELD OF INVENTION This invention relates to a game. A particularly preferred form of the invention relates to a game of chance to be played by way of telephones, for example cellular or WAP telephones.

BACKGROUND ART It is known to use cellular telephones to play games and, in fact many such telephones are purchased with self contained software to enable this. There is generally nothing to be won from such games except for the personal satisfaction of a victory. It is accordingly an object of at least one form of the present invention to provide a game which, if won, provides the player with some form of reward.

The term "comprise", "comprises", "comprised" or "comprising" if and when used in this document, should be interpreted non-exclusively, i.e. should be interpreted to mean "consisting of or including".

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to one aspect of the invention there is provided a game comprising telephones and an external game controller, comprising the steps of: a) a player using one of the telephones to call a telephonic address corresponding to the external game controller, b) the game controller sending a message or messages to the telephone such that images are displayed on a screen of the telephone either intellectual property office of n.z. 18 NOV 2003 RECEIVED automatically, or in response to a signal from the player, as a roll of the game, c) based on the roll of the game the game controller indicating on the screen whether the player has won or lost, and d) in the event of a win allocating a reward to an account of the player or telephone, and in the event of a loss allocating a debit to the account of the player or telephone, the game being characterized in that i) at step b) the images change or move to play out as a depiction of the roll of the game, and/or ii) the game controller offers the player, by way of the screen, the opportunity of another roll of the game before allocating the reward or debit, and wherein the player can communicate with the game controller by way of the telephone to accept or decline the offer.

Preferably the game controller is substantially non-human - for example an electronic apparatus.

The account in either case may be an invoiced or pre-paid account holder.

Optionally the call to the telephonic address is made as a normal telephone call, or as a text message call, etc.

Optionally the reward is allocated in the form of a credit to a normal billing account intellectual property OFFICE OF N.Z. 18 NOV 2003 RECEIVED 4 corresponding to the telephone.

Optionally the debit is allocated in the form of a debit to a/the normal billing account corresponding to the telephone.

Optionally the roll of the game involves changing or moving images which come to a stop either in turn, or simultaneously, to indicate the win or loss as the case may be.

Optionally the roll of the game is in the form of a round of a one armed bandit game.

Optionally the roll of the game is in the form of a round of blackjack, craps, roulette, poker, or any other suitable game of chance.

Preferably the telephone is a cellular, WAP, or landline telephone, in each case 15 having a display screen.

According to another aspect of the invention there is provided a game comprising a plurality of telephones and an external substantially non-human game controller, comprising the steps of: a) a player using one of the telephones to call a telephone address corresponding to the game controller, b) the game controller sending a message or messages to the telephone such that these manifest as an audible voice at the telephone, the voice offering the player a chance to win rewards from a roll of the game, c) the player accepting the offer by way of the telephone such that the roll takes place, intellectual property OFFICE OF n.z. 18 NOV 2003 RECEIVED d) based on the roll of the game the game controller indicating audibly, by way of the telephone, whether the player has won or lost, and e) in the event of a win allocating a reward to the account of the player or telephone, and in the event of a loss allocating a debit to the account of the player or telephone.

According to a further aspect of the invention there is provided a non-human game controller controlling a game of chance, the controller receiving telephone calls from telephones where the users of the telephones desire to play a game of chance, the 10 controller sending a message or messages to the telephones which cause images to display on screens of the telephones, the images offering the telephone users a chance to win rewards in the game of chance, the controller receiving signals from the users accepting or declining the offers, in the cases of acceptance the images moving or changing such that they play out as a depiction of a roll or rolls of the game after 15 which the images indicate a win or loss as the case may be, in the case of wins allocating rewards to the accounts of the players or telephones, and in the case of losses allocating debits to the accounts of the players or telephones Preferably the telephones are cellular, WAP, or landline telephones, in each case having a display screen. Optionally the controller offers the players, and they either decline or accept, 20 more than one roll of the game before the rewards or debits are allocated.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Some preferred aspects of the invention will now be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which: Figures 1 to 13 show various screen portable phone displays in the course of a intellectual property OFFICE OF N.Z. 18 NOV 2003 R EC El VEn 6 game of chance played out via the phone.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION In a preferred form of the invention there is provided a game to be played with mobile 5 telephones of the type having a screen, for example a cellular or WAP phone. A player takes the phone and dials the number of a game controller. The game controller may be a computer system at the site of a gaming company, or a telephone company, etc. On receiving the call the game controller sends a message or messages to the phone which result in images displayed on the screen of the phone. 10 The images show as a roll of the game either automatically or as the result of a signal from the player to commence the roll. At the conclusion of the roll the game controller indicates, by way of the screen, whether the player has won or lost that roll.

In the event of a win or loss the game controller may offer the player another roll of the 15 game to multiply his or her winnings. The player uses the phone to accept or decline the offer.

In the event of a game win, either resulting from a single or multiple roles of the game, the game controller allocates a reward to the player in the form of a credit against the 20 normal billing account of the account holder of the phone. Alternatively the credit may be allocated to a credit card account, to a bank account, or to a consumer account generally, etc. The consumer account may be one specifically set up for playing the game. In the event of a loss, either after one or more rolls of the game, the game controller allocates a debit to the normal phone account of the account holder of the 25 phone. Alternatively the debit may be allocated to a credit card account, to a bank account, or to a consumer account generally, etc. The game may thus have provision for the player to direct the game controller, by way of the phone, just where to place intellectual property OFFICE OF N.Z. 18 NOV 2003 RECEIVED 7 the credit or debit. In the case of a pre-pay phone the winnings or losses may be added to, or subtracted from, the pre-paid amount for the phone. In this case players may only be allowed to play the game if they have sufficient pre-paid funds to cover a loss as determined by the game controller either directly or indirectly.

In some embodiments of the invention the roll shows on the screen of the phone as a series of images which move or change, and eventually stop either in turn or simultaneously. If the images are the same when they have stopped then the player has won.

Referring to figure 1, the display of the phone shows that a player has been unsuccessful in a roll of the game. This is indicated by the fact that the two happy face symbols do not match the arrow symbol, and also by the fact that the word "Sorry" is shown at the bottom of the screen.

Referring to figure 2, the display of the phone shows that a player has been successful in his or her second of three available rolls of the game. This is shown by the words "You Won" and the three stars at the top of the screen match one another. The screen indicates that the player has entitlement to $10 by way of a message at 20 the bottom of the screen.

Figure 3 is an image which appears in the screen after that of figure 2. The figure 3 image is an offer to the player to press the "1" key of the phone to have the credit, or to press the "3" key to double up and proceed to another roll of the game.

Figure 4 shows the situation in the case that the player, after receiving the figure 3 screen, elected to "double up". The player is shown a smiley face image and a star intellectual property office of n.z. 18 NOV 2003 RECEIVED 8 image at the bottom of the screen. The circle with a question mark in it "hides" a symbol, or is indicative of a hidden symbol, which may be either a smiley face or a star. The player is cued to guess what the hidden symbol is by pressing the "1" key on the phone for a smiley face or the "3" key for a star. If a choice is not made within a 5 predetermined time then the game defaults to the third of the three rolls mentioned above.

Figure 5 is the screen image displayed if the player at figure 4 chooses the wrong "hidden" symbol. The hidden symbol is in this case revealed as a star, whereas the 10 player chose a smiley face. The fact that the choice was wrong is indicated by way of a cross through the smiley face symbol and the word "Sorry" at the bottom of the screen.

Figure 6 shows the situation following the double up round corresponding to figure 5. 15 On being unsuccessful in the double up round the player proceeded to the third of the three rolls original set for the game. As the player has lost all winnings as a result of the double up round there are no funds indicated at the top of the screen. In figure 6 the third roll of the game resulted in three mis-matched symbols, namely a heart, an arrow, and a star. The mis-match means that the player has been unsuccessful in the 20 third roll, and this is confirmed by the word "Sorry" at the bottom of the screen.

Figure 7 shows an image displayed on the screen after that of figure 6. The figure 7 image includes an offer to the player to proceed with the game. The player is prompted to press the "1" key on the phone to continue or the "3" key to stop there. If 25 the "1" is selected the phone call will be disconnected and if the "3" key is selected the game will continue/restart. intellectual property OFFICE OF n.Z. 1 8 NOV 2003 RECEIVED 9 Figure 8 shows the image that displays in the event that the player is successful in the double up round described with reference to figure 4. The "hidden" symbol was a star as shown in the centre of the screen and the smaller star at the right of the screen shows the player's choice.

Figure 9 shows an image following that of figure 8, namely figure 9 displays the word "Winner" in stylised text. Figure 10 shows the image following that of figure 9, namely a message informing the player that he or she has winnings of $20.

Figure 10 shows an image following that of figure 9, that is a message advising of winnings after a double up round.

Figure 11 shows an image resulting from the third roll of the game, ie following the double up round. More specifically, figure 11 shows that the third of the three 15 originally set rolls of the game has been unsuccessful. The player has only two matching symbols and the lack of success in that roll is also indicated by the word "Sorry" at the bottom of the screen.

Figure 12 shows an image which occurs following the third roll of the game where the 20 player has ended up with overall funds of $20, that is from one successful roll and one successful double up. The credit is received by the player if he or she presses the "send" key of the phone.

Figure 13 shows an image which occurs in the screen congratulating the player on 25 winnings of $10 in a situation where the player has won one roll and has elected not to enter any double up round.

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY OFFICE OF N.Z. 18 NOV 2003 RECEIVED The game provides more than one option for a gaming business to collecting revenue. Revenue may be collected as a result of lost rolls of the game, and may also be collected from normal usage charges for the cell phone. In some embodiments of the invention usage charges may be waived. An advantage of the game for players is 5 that they can amuse themselves at any location where a phone connection is possible, and may win financial rewards from successful rolls of the game.

In some forms of the invention a player is only given a limited time during which to make a choice. The time left within which to choose is indicated by a countdown 10 displayed numerically on the screen. This is exemplified in figures 3, 4 and 7 where the player in each case has five seconds left as indicated by the number "5" appearing in the lower centre of the screen. The number changes with each second until the count down has gone to zero, after which a default condition applies.

In further embodiments of the invention the game may be played without the benefit of images, for example in the case of land line telephones which do not have a screen facility. In this case players may call the game controller and be prompted to initiate a roll of the game by way or their key pad tones and/or by way of a voice recognition facility. When the roll has occurred the player is informed of success or the lack 20 thereof by way of a pre-recorded voice message from the game controller. The player may then be offered another roll, and at the conclusion of the game the winnings or losses are allocated to the account holder of the telephone, or to some other account, etc, as described for the screen version of the game as is appropriate.

While some preferred forms of the invention have been described by way of example, it should be appreciated that improvements and modifications can occur without departing from the scope of the appended claims. intellectual property OFFICE OF N.Z. 18 NOV 2003 RECEIVED

Claims

11 WHAT I CLAIM IS

1. A game comprising telephones and an external game controller, comprising the steps of: a) a player using one of the telephones to call a telephonic address corresponding to the external game controller, b) the game controller sending a message or messages to the telephone such that images are displayed on a screen of the telephone either automatically, or in response to a signal from the player, as a roll of the game, c) based on the roll of the game the game controller indicating on the screen whether the player has won or lost, and d) in the event of a win allocating a reward to an account of the player or telephone, and in the event of a loss allocating a debit to the account of the player or telephone; the game being characterized in that i) at step b) the images change or move to play out as a depiction of the roll of the game, and/or ii) the game controller offers the player, by way of the screen, the opportunity of another roll of the game before allocating the reward or debit, and wherein the player can communicate with the game controller by way of the telephone to accept or decline the offer. 12

2. A game according to claim 1, wherein the game controller is substantially non-human. 5

3. A game according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the call to the telephonic address is made as a normal telephone call, or as a text message call.

4. A game according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the reward is allocated in the form of a credit to a normal billing account corresponding to the telephone. o

5. A game according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the debit is allocated in the form of a debit to a/the normal billing account corresponding to the telephone. 15

6. A game according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the roll of the game involves changing or moving images which come to a stop either in turn, or simultaneously, to indicate the win or loss as the case may be.

7. A game according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the roll of the 20 game is in the form of a round of a one armed bandit game.

8. A game according to any one of claims 1-6, wherein the roll of the game is in the form of a round of blackjack, craps, roulette, poker, or any other suitable game of chance. 25

9. A game according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the telephone is a cellular, WAP, or landline telephone, in each case having a display screen. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY OFFICE OF N.Z. 18 NOV 2003 RECEIVED 13

10. A game comprising a plurality of telephones and an external substantially non-human game controller, comprising the steps of: a) a player using one of the telephones to call a telephone address 5 corresponding to the game controller, b) the game controller sending a message or messages to the telephone such that these manifest as an audible voice at the telephone, the voice offering the player a chance to win rewards from a roll of the game, c) the player accepting the offer by way of the telephone such that the roll 10 takes place, d) based on the roll of the game the game controller indicating audibly, by way of the telephone, whether the player has won or lost, and e) in the event of a win allocating a reward to the account of the player or telephone, and in the event of a loss allocating a debit to the account of the 15 player or telephone.

11. A non-human game controller controlling a game of chance, the controller receiving telephone calls from telephones where the users of the telephones desire to play a game of chance, the controller sending a message or messages to the telephones which cause images to display on screens of the telephones, the images 20 offering the telephone users a chance to win rewards in the game of chance, the controller receiving signals from the users accepting or declining the offers, in the cases of acceptance the images moving or changing such that they play out as a depiction of a roll or rolls of the game after which the images indicate a win or loss as the case may be, in the case of wins allocating rewards to the accounts of the players intellectual property OFFICE OF N.Z. 18 NOV 2003 RECEIVED 14 or telephones, and in the case of losses allocating debits to the accounts of the players or telephones.

12. A game controller according to claim 11, wherein the telephones are cellular, 5 WAP, or landline telephones, in each case having a display screen.

13. A game controller according to claim 12, wherein the controller offer the players, and they either decline or accept, more than one roll of the game before the rewards or debits are allocated. GARY JOHN MCIVOR By His Attorney A.J. Pietras/^Associates 'NTEnSc AL PROPERTY OFFICE OF N.Z. 18 NOV 2003 RECEIVED