HK1202966B - Systems and methods for prize discovery games - Google Patents

Description

System and method for prize discovery game

Cross Reference to Related Applications

This patent application is a partial continuation of U.S. patent application No.12/180,163 entitled "Systems and Methods for Lottery-Style Games" filed on 25.7.2008 and U.S. patent application No.12/180,201 filed on 25.7.2008, also entitled "Systems and Methods for Lottery-Style Games", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Technical Field

Embodiments of the present invention relate generally to games of chance. More particularly, the present invention relates to systems and methods for lottery-style games.

Background

Lottery tickets are a popular game of chance in which multiple players place wagers to form a progressive jackpot (jackpot) that is later awarded, in whole or in part, to one or more winners. The participating players pay money or wager other valuable items in exchange for the lottery tickets. Typically each lottery ticket carries a combination of numbers or other symbols and the winning ticket must be at least partially matched to a randomly generated set of numbers or symbols. In a properly functioning lottery game, any one of the lottery tickets sold may be selected as a winning ticket in a random drawing (drawing), with some or all of the progressive prize pools awarded to the holder of the winning ticket.

Sweeptake in the united states may be considered a special type of lottery game that is freely accessible and is typically sponsored by marketers for marketing purposes. Sweeptake is technically a lottery game that finances prizes through tickets sold in the uk. Small-scale sweepaks in private groups (e.g., colleagues or classmates) may also be considered lottery games that are often related to ongoing sporting events.

Lottery games come in different forms. For example, the jackpot for a lottery game may be a fixed cash amount or some percentage of the ticket's revenue. The combination of numbers on each lottery ticket may be a unique combination or may allow each player to select his or her own lucky number so that multiple tickets may share the same combination. Lottery games may be played online or offline. Although some games began to participate open online, the most popular lottery games, such as Powerball, are^TM、MegaMillions^TMAnd Euro Millons^TMMost based on paper, the actual ticket needs to be purchased. Some games may be played entirely online. That is, instead of purchasing a paper ticket and filling in the desired number with a pencil, the online player may purchase an electronic (or virtual) lottery ticket and select the desired combination through a network interface such as an internet browser.

In all conventional lottery games, lottery tickets are sold in a predetermined, fixed denomination (e.g., $ 1 per ticket). Thus, a winning ticket will award its holder a corresponding winning prize for the entire unit. Proportional value lottery games have been proposed, for example, in U.S. patent nos. 6,296,569 and 7,351,142, but appear to have not been commercially implemented. Both of these patents describe the distribution of proportional denomination lottery tickets online or at the point of sale (POS). For example, in any transaction involving change below $ 1, the change may be converted to a proportional denomination share of a full unit ($ 1) lottery ticket. If a full unit of lottery tickets qualifies for a prize, the holder of the proportional denomination ticket will be awarded a portion of the prize. For example, if a $ 1 ticket matching all winning numbers would grant its holder a jackpot amount, a 25 cent ratio ticket grants 25% of its holder's jackpot amount.

All existing types of lottery games appear to share some common features. First, they all require the issuance of certain lottery tickets, paper or electronic, full denominations or proportions. The purpose of issuing lottery tickets is two. The ticket carries a combination of numbers or patterns for comparison with a randomly generated winning combination or pattern. The ticket also serves as proof of participation in the lottery game. However, the entire mechanism for generating, drawing and matching tickets imposes a significant overall cost on the operation of the lottery game.

Second, participation in conventional lottery games relies heavily on player momentum or enthusiasm, which causes fluctuations in ticket revenues. A loss in one game may cause an average person to stop playing for a period of time. Furthermore, the public sentiment facing the lottery game often varies with the amount of progressive pool prizes available at that time. It is generally believed that a $ 1 ticket always has a better chance of winning when the jackpot reaches several million dollars or more. At a minimum, the nature of the game is such that the economic utility of the participating players is not solely determined by the probability of winning the jackpot or the expected return on the game; but the higher the jackpot, the more exciting the game play, i.e., this is an incentive factor for game play. Similarly, the greater the chance of winning a small prize, the higher the likelihood that the player will play repeatedly. This is partly because winning even small prizes will enhance the probability of winning the jackpot in the player's mind, and partly because most games, in which the player never wins any prize, will be perceived as unfair or boring. Thus, as the total progressive pool rapidly grows into unusually large amounts, the public often becomes increasingly interested in the game. Once the jackpot pool is won, the news of the jackpot is typically followed by a period of inactivity. For all of these reasons, ticket revenues from traditional lottery games tend to fluctuate over time and generate a steady cash flow infrequently.

Third, the players of conventional lottery games have no direct or perceptible motivation to introduce more players into the game. In theory, existing players would benefit indirectly if more players were to join the lottery game because the increased participation would increase the size of the progressive pool that the existing players would potentially win. However, in addition to very small games, the potential benefits may not be significant enough to encourage the recommendation of additional players. Furthermore, the winning chances of the existing players do not increase with the number of new players.

Further, traditional lottery games, including Sweeptake, are purely games of chance and typically do not require any player skill or strategy. The winning chance of each player is only influenced by the number of lottery tickets he or she has purchased. The winning opportunity of one player is independent of the winning opportunity of another player. Therefore, there is often little interaction between lottery participants.

In view of the foregoing, it can be appreciated that there are significant problems and disadvantages associated with conventional lottery games.

Disclosure of Invention

Systems and methods for lottery-style games are disclosed. In a particular example embodiment, a computer-implemented method for lottery-style gaming may comprise: establishing a map-based game arranged to have a plurality of draws associated with a plurality of grid cells on a map; accepting registration of a plurality of players in a map-based game, each player being associated with at least one grid cell on the map and being committed to participate in a plurality of lottery draws by wagering on a valuable token (token); receiving from each player a specified number of tokens for each of a plurality of lottery-style draws that the player is committed to participate on behalf of each unit in at least one grid unit wager; and executing a map-based game by, for each lottery draw: the method may further include the steps of aggregating tokens wagered on the lottery draw on behalf of grid cells participating in the lottery draw with tokens rolled from one or more previous lottery draws (if any) to form a progressive prize pool for the lottery draw, and drawing from the grid cells participating in the lottery draw to select at least one first grid cell to win an equal prize. Further, one or more second grid cells may be selected to win fewer prizes, the selection based on the relative map location of the one or more second grid cells with respect to the at least one first grid cell.

In another particular example embodiment, a system for lottery-style gaming may comprise: a processor; at least one memory device coupled to the processor; a user interface coupled with the processor via one or more communication networks; wherein the processor is adapted to communicate with the at least one storage device and the user interface to execute instructions for: establishing a map-based game arranged to have a plurality of draws associated with a plurality of grid cells on a map; accepting registration of a plurality of players in a map-based game, each player being associated with at least one grid cell on the map and committed to participate in a plurality of lottery draws by wagering on a valuable token; receiving from each player a specified number of tokens for each of a plurality of lottery-style draws that the player is committed to participate on behalf of each unit in the at least one grid unit; and executing a map-based game by, for each lottery draw: the method may further include the steps of aggregating tokens wagered on the lottery draw on behalf of grid cells participating in the lottery draw with tokens rolled from one or more previous lottery draws (if any) to form a progressive prize pool for the lottery draw, and drawing from the grid cells participating in the lottery draw to select at least one first grid cell to win an equal prize.

One technical effect of the system and method of the present invention is: which facilitates more efficient and entertaining lottery-style games over modern computer and communication systems. Another technical effect of the present systems and methods is that they may be configured and deployed as dedicated computer devices and/or gaming stations (gaming kiosks) that execute the lottery-style games disclosed herein.

The invention will now be described in more detail with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof as shown in the accompanying drawings. While the invention is described below with reference to exemplary embodiments, it should be understood that the invention is not limited thereto. Those skilled in the art having access to the teachings herein will recognize additional implementations, modifications, and embodiments, as well as other fields of use, which are within the scope of the present invention as described herein, and with respect to which the present invention may be of significant utility.

Drawings

In order to facilitate a fuller understanding of the present invention, reference is now made to the accompanying drawings, in which like elements are referenced with like numerals. These drawings should not be construed as limiting the present invention, but are intended to be exemplary only.

FIG. 1 is a flow diagram illustrating an example method for facilitating a lottery game in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates a token flow from the perspective of a lottery game operator according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 illustrates a token flow from the perspective of a player of a lottery game in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an example system that facilitates lottery-style games in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating exemplary software and data storage modules that facilitate lottery-style games in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 illustrates a grid map of an exemplary GeoSwep game, according to one embodiment of the invention;

FIGS. 7A and 7B illustrate an example payout structure in an example GeoSwep game, according to one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 8 illustrates an alternative payout structure in an example GeoSwep game, according to one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 9 illustrates another alternative payout structure in an example GeoSwep game, according to one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 10 illustrates an alternative method of establishing a grid or a territory in an exemplary GeoSwep game, according to one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 11 illustrates another alternative method of establishing a grid or a territory in an exemplary GeoSwep game, according to one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 12 is a flow diagram illustrating an example method of facilitating a Sweeptake-style game in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 13 is a block diagram illustrating an example system that facilitates a Sweeptake-style game in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 14 illustrates an example user interface of one embodiment of a system containing advertisements;

FIG. 15 illustrates an example user interface of one embodiment of a system that includes different ways of presenting advertisements;

FIG. 16 illustrates an example user interface of one embodiment of a system containing advertisements in various grid cells;

FIG. 17 illustrates an example user interface including one embodiment of a system for presenting advertisements in a map of a real-world location;

FIG. 18 is a flow diagram illustrating an example method of facilitating a prize seeking game using a predetermined activity according to one embodiment of this disclosure;

FIG. 19 is a flow diagram illustrating an example method of facilitating a prize seeking game using dynamic activities, according to one embodiment of this disclosure;

FIG. 20 is a flow diagram illustrating an example probabilistic algorithm according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 21 is a flow diagram illustrating an example probability algorithm for use in a game involving prize levels according to one embodiment of this disclosure;

FIG. 22 is a block diagram illustrating an example system that facilitates a treasure hunt game according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 23 is an exemplary user interface illustrating one embodiment of a system containing information regarding the number of levels per grid cell in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 24 illustrates an example user interface of one embodiment of a system including a map with grid cells that provide clues to game players in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 25 illustrates an example machine for use at a retail location according to one embodiment of this disclosure.

Detailed Description

Referring to FIG. 1, a flow diagram of an example method of facilitating a lottery game in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention is shown.

In step 102, a lottery game may be established. The lottery game may be an ongoing lottery game scheduled to have multiple lottery draws over a period of time. For example, the lottery drawing may occur periodically, such as once per hour, once or more per calendar day or per weekday, once or more per week, or a predetermined number of times per month or per year, etc. As the lottery game is set up, a set of rules, terms, and conditions may be published or otherwise communicated to potential participants. These rules may define how the lottery game is operated and how lottery draws are made, as well as the calculation and payout of prizes, as will be described in more detail below. The terms and conditions may specify the rights and obligations of the persons participating in the lottery game and lottery drawing.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the lottery game is established online and accessible through an internet website. The lottery game may also incorporate one or more social networking sites, such as Facebook^TM、MySpace^TMOr LinkedIn^TMEtc. Alternatively, the lottery game may also incorporate one or more virtual reality games, such as Second Life^TMOr other multi-player video games, etc. The lottery game may be an additional or integrated part of the associated website, wherein participation in the lottery game may enhance the player's experience in the associated website, or the experience at the associated website may enhance participation in the lottery game. According to some embodiments, lottery games and lottery draws may be implemented at least partially offline without requiring each participant to have computer or internet access.

In step 104, the player may register in the lottery game. Each person wishing to play a lottery game may need to make a commitment to participate in a number of scheduled lottery draws. In one example enrollment process, a player may (a) indicate agreement with a set of rules, terms, and conditions established in a lottery game and (b) credit or wager an amount of money or other valuable items to be wagered on the game. The initial amount of credit or mortgage may depend on factors such as: the player is obligated to participate in as many lottery drawings, how many bets the player enters for each drawing, the player's credit rating, etc.

The registration of the player may be made through a network interface, through mail, or through other communication means. When the lottery game is implemented in conjunction with a social networking website or other affiliate site, registration in the lottery game may be simplified by the existing affiliate information. Alternatively, the lottery game operator, manager or personnel may receive and approve the personal registration. In some cases, new players may participate by recommending and/or gifting members.

In step 106, each enrolled player may be assigned one or more unique identifiers. Each player identifier (or player ID) may be a text string, a serial number, or other symbol. According to one embodiment, each player ID may be associated with a selected "Lucky Star" of the player. According to some embodiments, each player ID may include a machine-readable portion (e.g., an alphanumeric string) and a human-recognizable portion (e.g., a logo, icon, or slogan). One of the assigned player IDs may be used as a user name for the player to log into the internet-based lottery game. Alternatively, the player may select a different username to log in, but still manage the multiple player IDs assigned to that player. The assigned player ID may be printed or encoded on the membership card.

In the drawing or game described herein, each registered player may participate with one or more player IDs. When participating with multiple player IDs, the rules for each of the multiple player IDs are the same as if each player ID was owned and controlled by a single player. For ease of explanation, it is assumed in the following description that each player participates using a single player ID.

In step 108, each player may specify the number of tokens to be entered for each draw. That is, with respect to each lottery draw that a player is guaranteed to participate in, the player may specify an amount to be wagered, typically measured in terms of the number of tokens. As used herein, a "token" may be or may represent any physical or virtual thing of value that may be counted or quantified. For example, the token may be or represent one or more units of cash or credit (credit). Alternatively, the token may be or represent one or more points at which something of value may be exchanged. According to one embodiment of the invention, a token may be the equivalent of one cent (1/100 of $ 1). According to another embodiment, a token may be or represent a point of value that may be used in exchange for a music download, a cell phone ring tone, or for other online or in-store purchases. According to yet another embodiment, one token may represent a game score (gamescore) of one unit in an online video game or virtual society. According to yet another embodiment, a token may be or may exchange one or more units of mobile phone call time or long distance telephone minutes.

Players may use their initial credit to purchase tokens. They may set up electronic funds transfers and/or automatic credit card payments to refill their accounts with tokens. The player account may be automatically replenished as soon as the balance of the player account falls below a preset lower limit. In addition to winning or purchasing refills, players may alternatively or additionally obtain tokens through an exchange of things or engaging in certain activities. For example, a player may cash back bonus points with a credit card in exchange for tokens. The player may also participate in online surveys, watch online advertisements, or increase the level of activity on a social network or blog website to earn tokens.

The number of tokens specified for each lottery drawing should generally fall within a certain range. For example, for a lottery draw that occurs on a daily basis, there may be a daily minimum and a daily maximum for the number of tokens that a player can wager per player ID. According to one embodiment of the invention, the daily minimum value may be one token (e.g., one cent or one penny) and the daily maximum value may be one hundred tokens (e.g., one dollar or one pound). The number of tokens specified by the player for each draw may be any fixed value between the daily minimum and daily maximum (including daily minimum and daily maximum). Alternatively, the player may configure the daily wager to be a variable amount. To have a minimum level of participation in the lottery game (and thus a more predictable revenue from the game), the game system may be configured to prevent players from reducing their preset daily wager amount for any upcoming draws.

For each lottery drawing, a progressive pool prize may be formed from two sources in step 110: (a) tokens wagered by players participating in this draw, and (b) tokens rolled from one or more previous draws, if available. Tokens from both sources may be pooled together into a progressive jackpot. The progressive pool (or a portion thereof) may determine the maximum payable amount of the winner of the lottery drawing.

In step 112, a random draw from the player ID may be made to select at least one winner. Note that the word "random" does not require randomness in the strictest statistical sense, as such randomness is difficult to achieve. Rather, the word "random" means a fair drawing process that does not appear to favor any player over any other player. The random (fair) draw from the player ID may be accomplished in a variety of computational methods well known in the gaming industry. According to some embodiments of the present invention, a single winner may be selected for each lottery drawing. According to some alternative embodiments, two or more winners may be selected for each draw, and they may share winning funds equally or according to a prize scale.

Then, in step 114, a proportional value may be calculated based on the number of tokens selected for the winner wager and the maximum number allowed for each player ID. Assuming there is only one selected winner, the proportional value (F) may be calculated by dividing the number of tokens wagered by that winner (n) by the maximum number of tokens (M) allowed for the player to wager on the individual lottery draw. Namely:

if there are multiple players, the proportional value may be calculated for each winner. For example, if the selected winner wagers a maximum number of tokens for the lottery drawing, the proportional value for that winner may be one (1) or 100%. If the selected winner wagers half of the maximum number of tokens allowed, the proportional value would be 1/2 or 50%. The proportional value calculated in this step may be expressed in terms of a fraction or percentage.

In step 116, a portion of the jackpot (or the maximum payable prize) may be provided to the selected winner based on the ratio value calculated in step 114 above. That is, regardless of the total prize amount (P) that the winner has the right to obtain in the case where the winner has wagered the maximum number of tokens (M), the actual payout amount (P) may be reduced to a fraction of the total prize amount in proportion to the number of tokens (n) wagered. Namely:

the same proportional payout rule applies to a single winner as well as to multiple winner scenarios. Actual payout may be made in the gaming system by depositing tokens into a winner account. Alternatively, the winner may receive the prize in the form of cash, points, airtime or long distance minutes, other valuable things, or a combination thereof. Other payout patterns are also possible.

In step 118, the remainder of the progressive jackpot prize may be rolled over to the next drawing. Unless one or more selected winners happen to bet a maximum number of tokens and thus win the entire jackpot, there will always be some remaining jackpot to add to the jackpot drawn next. Furthermore, the registration rules ensure continuous participation in an ongoing lottery drawing. Therefore, the progressive jackpot can be rapidly grown to a large amount, further increasing the player's interest in the game.

For commercial advantage, it may be preferable to set the maximum number of tokens that can be wagered per player ID for each draw to a relatively low value. For example, if the maximum number of days that can be entered for a daily draw is $ 1, the player may bet as little as 1 cent but never more than $ 1. The player does not feel any significant financial impact or burden to continue playing the lottery game for many drawing days. By betting the equivalent of change on a daily basis, the player may still enjoy a considerable chance of winning a large amount of money.

Fig. 2 illustrates a token flow from the perspective of a lottery game operator according to one embodiment of the present invention. For ease of explanation, it will be assumed that lottery drawing in a lottery game occurs daily. On each draw day, pie chart 202 represents the jackpot prize and its source, while pie chart 204 represents the same jackpot prize (but shown separately for clarity) and its payout. Pie chart 202 indicates that the first portion of the jackpot for the current drawing day includes tokens rolled from one or more previous drawing days. The pie chart 202 also indicates that the second portion of the jackpot includes tokens wagered by the respective player for the current draw. Pie chart 204 indicates that at least a portion of the progressive jackpot prize may be paid out to the winner of the day. Assuming a single winner is taken and the player bets 40 tokens out of the maximum allowed 100, 40% of the progressive jackpot prize is paid to the winner. In this case, the remaining 60% of the jackpot may be rolled over to the next drawing day.

Fig. 3 illustrates a token flow from the perspective of a player in a lottery game in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. An example player (player K) may be committed to participate in N lottery draws occurring on N consecutive days, where N is an integer greater than 1. The bucket of dollar-tagged tokens represents the account balance of player K. Player K may start with a "full bucket" of tokens purchased at check-in. As described earlier, player K may specify one or more tokens to wager on each daily draw. The number of tokens specified may be constant or may vary from day to day. As the draw day passes, the player's K account may be slowly depleted and may be refilled unless the player K wins one or more lottery draws. If player K happens to be selected as the winner in a draw, the proportionate payout from that draw may also refill player K's account to some extent.

According to one embodiment of the invention, player K may also enjoy another token source: a reward is recommended. To encourage player K to recommend additional players to join the lottery game, player K may be awarded multiple tokens for each new player brought into the game. The recommended award may simply be credited to player K's account. Alternatively, in addition to the player's own wager on the daily draw, the recommended award may be automatically entered into the daily draw on behalf of the player K. For example, for each new player received by player K, one or more tokens may be added to player K's daily wager amount. These additional tokens may be awarded to player K as long as the newly recommended player remains actively participating in the lottery drawing. Further, the amount of the recommended award may be linked to the activity level of the recommended new player.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an example system 400 that facilitates lottery-style games in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

The system 400 may be or may include a computer system. Embodiments of the invention may be described in the general context of computer-executable instructions, such as program modules, being executed by a computer. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc. that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. A series of programmable instructions may be stored in a computer readable medium that perform the lottery game functions disclosed herein and achieve technical effects in accordance with the present disclosure. More example software and data storage modules are described below in conjunction with FIG. 5.

The lottery games described herein may be entered into and/or played at one or more game terminals or kiosks located at or near casinos, department stores, shopping centers, or other suitable commercial establishments. For example, potential participants in lottery games may be limited by laws that prohibit online wagering with payment cards. It may be beneficial for such participants to visit or have others visit a commercial establishment having the above-described game terminal or kiosk on their behalf where they can legally register and/or play lottery-style games. When a player registers and invests his/her membership, he/she can continue to monitor the daily progress of the game via the internet or other communication means. The player may occasionally revisit the gaming terminal or kiosk to refill the account associated with her/his player ID, as desired.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the invention may be practiced with a variety of computer system configurations, including: handheld wireless devices such as mobile phones or Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics, minicomputers, mainframe computers, and the like. The invention may also be practiced in distributed computing environments where tasks are performed by remote processing devices that are linked through a communications network. In a distributed computing environment, program modules may be located in both local and remote computer storage media including memory storage devices.

The computer system may include a general purpose computing device in the form of a computer including a processing unit, a system memory, and a system bus that couples various system components including the system memory to the processing unit.

The computer typically includes a variety of computer readable media that can form part of the system memory and can be read by the processing unit. By way of example, and not limitation, computer readable media may comprise computer storage media and communication media. The system memory may include computer storage media in the form of non-volatile and/or volatile memory such as Read Only Memory (ROM) and Random Access Memory (RAM). A basic input/output system (BIOS), containing the basic routines that help to transfer information between elements, such as during start-up, is typically stored in ROM. RAM typically contains data and/or program modules that are immediately accessible to and/or presently being operated on by the processing unit. The data or program modules may include an operating system, application programs, other program modules, and program data. The operating system may be or may include various operating systems such as Microsoft WindowsOperating system, Unix operating system, Linux operating system, Xenix operating system, IBM AIX^TMOperating system, Hewlett Packard UX^TMOperating System, Novell Netware^TMOperating system, Sun microsystemmssolaris^TMOperating system, OS/2^TMOperating system, BeOS^TMAn operating system,Operating system, Apache^TMOperating system and OpenStep^TMAn operating system or another platform operating system.

At a minimum, the memory includes at least one instruction set that is either permanently stored or temporarily stored. The processor executes the stored instructions to process data. The set of instructions may include various instructions to perform specific tasks as illustrated in the accompanying flow charts. Such a set of instructions for performing a particular task may be characterized as a program, software, engine, module, component, mechanism, or tool. The system 400 may include a plurality of software processing modules stored in memory as described above and executed on a processor in the manner described herein. The program modules may be in the form of any suitable programming language that is converted to machine language or object code to enable a processor to read the instructions. That is, a compiler, assembler, or interpreter can be used to convert a written line of programming code or source code of a particular programming language into machine language. The machine language may be binary coded machine instructions specific to a particular computer.

Any suitable programming language may be used in accordance with various embodiments of the invention. Illustratively, the programming languages used may include, for example, assembly language, Ada, APL, Basic, C + +, COBOL, dBase, Forth, FORTRAN, Java, Modula-2, Pascal, Prolog, REXX, and/or JavaScript. Furthermore, it is not necessary to utilize a single type of instruction or programming language in connection with the operation of the systems and methods of the present invention. Rather, any number of different programming languages may be used as needed or desired.

Further, the instructions and/or data for implementing the present invention may utilize any compression or encryption technique or algorithm, as desired. The encryption module may be used to encrypt data. In addition, files or other data may be decrypted using a suitable decryption module.

The computing environment may also include other removable/non-removable, volatile/nonvolatile computer storage media. For example, a hard disk drive may read from or write to a non-removable, nonvolatile magnetic media. A magnetic disk drive may read from or write to a removable, nonvolatile magnetic disk, and an optical disk drive may read from or write to a removable, nonvolatile optical disk such as a CD ROM or other optical media. Other removable/non-removable, volatile/nonvolatile computer storage media that can be used in the exemplary operating environment include, but are not limited to: magnetic cassettes, flash memory cards, digital versatile disks, digital video tape, solid state RAM, solid state ROM, and the like. The storage media is typically connected to the system bus through a removable or non-removable memory interface.

The processing unit that executes commands and instructions may be a general purpose computer, but may utilize any of a variety of other technologies including special purpose computers, minicomputers, mainframe computers, programmed microprocessors, microcontrollers, peripheral integrated circuit elements, CSICs (user specific integrated circuits), ASICs (application specific integrated circuits), logic circuits, digital signal processors, programmable logic devices such as FPGAs (field programmable gate arrays), PLDs (programmable logic devices), PLAs (programmable logic arrays), RFID integrated circuits, smart chips or any other device, or an arrangement of devices to implement the processing steps of the invention.

It should be understood that the processor and/or memory of the computer system need not be physically co-located. Each processor and each memory used by the computer system may be geographically located in different locations and may be connected in any manner to communicate with each other. Further, it is to be understood that each processor and/or memory may be comprised of different pieces of physical equipment.

A user may enter commands and information into the computer through a user interface that includes input devices such as a keyboard and pointing device, commonly referred to as a mouse, trackball or touch pad. Other input devices may include a microphone, joystick, game pad, satellite dish, scanner, voice recognition device, keyboard, touch screen, toggle switch, button, or the like. These and other input devices are often connected to the processing unit through a user input interface that is coupled to the system bus, but may be connected by other interface and bus structures, such as a parallel port, game port or a Universal Serial Bus (USB).

One or more monitors or display devices may also be connected to the system through an interface. In addition to the display device, computers may also include other peripheral output devices which may be connected through an output peripheral interface. A computer embodying the invention may operate in a networked environment using logical connections to one or more remote computers, which typically include many or all of the elements described above.

Various networks may be implemented in accordance with embodiments of the present invention, including wired or wireless Local Area Networks (LANs) and Wide Area Networks (WANs), wireless Personal Area Networks (PANs), and other types of networks. When used in a LAN networking environment, the computer can be connected to the LAN through a network interface or adapter. When used in a WAN networking environment, the computer typically includes a modem or other communication mechanism. The modem may be internal or external and may be connected to the system bus via a user input interface or other appropriate mechanism. Computers may be connected by the internet, an intranet, an extranet, an ethernet, or any other system that provides communication. Some suitable communication protocols may include, for example, TCP/IP, UDP, or OSI. For wireless communication, the communication protocol may include bluetooth, Zigbee, IrDa, or other suitable protocol. Further, the components of the system may communicate through a combination of wired or wireless paths.

Although many other internal components of the computer are not shown, those skilled in the art will appreciate that such components and the interconnections are well known. Accordingly, additional details regarding the internal construction of the computer need not be disclosed in connection with the present invention.

More specifically, the system 400 may include at least one game server 402 coupled to one or more databases 404 and/or other data sources. The game server 402 may run a number of software modules to facilitate lottery-style games in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. The database 404 may maintain data records relating to players and lottery draws. An additional data source may be a bank or payment provider (406) that provides payment and/or credit services for the lottery game operator and the player. Via the network 401, players may communicate with the game server 402, either locally or remotely, to register, participate in draws in, and manage player accounts in lottery games. The player may utilize various computing devices 408, such as a personal computer, mobile computer, personal digital assistant, or handheld device, for communicating with the game server 402.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating exemplary software and data storage modules that facilitate lottery-style games in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. Example modules may include a user interface module 502, a registration module 504, an accounting module 506, a game execution module 508, a management/service module 510, a player data module 512, and a game data module 514. These software modules may be programmed or configured to communicate with each other or with a data storage module.

The user interface module 502 may provide computer and/or internet access for players and game operators/managers to communicate with other software modules. Enrollment module 504 may perform functions related to registering a new player, such as verifying player information, assigning a player ID, and creating a player record. The accounting module 506 may be responsible for managing player accounts and processing debit transactions against the player accounts, including daily wagers and winner payouts. The game execution module may perform functions such as scheduling and conducting lottery drawings, generating and publishing drawing results, and calculating proportional values and payout amounts. The administration/service module 510 may facilitate administration tasks and customer service tasks to be performed by an operator or personnel of the lottery game system.

The player data module 512 may contain and manage data records relating to each player, such as player ID, personal information, betting preferences, account history, and the like. The game data module 514 may contain and manage data records relating to lottery draws, such as draw results, winner IDs, jackpot payouts, and reel amounts.

As a variation and/or improvement on the lottery-style game described above, other embodiments of the present invention may provide similar membership-based games in combination with virtual and/or real maps. This type of lottery-style game may be referred to and intended as a GeoSweep^TMThe game is to be marketed or promoted. In a typical GeoSwep^TMIn a game, a grid pattern may be superimposed on a map to divide land into a plurality of grid cells. The player may enroll in the game by taking virtual ground rights for one or more grid cells and committing to a series of scheduled lottery draws. A player may participate in a draw by wagering on tokens representing the value of at least one grid cell owned by the player. During any of these draws, if the grid cell owned by a player is selected as the (first-ranked) winner, that player may receive the full or proportional amount of the prize. Additional winners in the draw may be selected to win less than a first-tier winner. Additional winners are selected and their payout amounts determined based on their locations on the map relative to the first-tier winners.

FIG. 6 illustrates a grid map of an example GeoSwep, according to one embodiment of the invention. The game may be referred to as "GeoSwep Texas," in which a map of Texas is overlaid with a grid 602. Each grid cell 604 may be a rectangle or square with the same or similar dimensions. In general, the grid cells may take any other shape, such as triangular, hexagonal (honeycomb), or other polygonal shape. In some GeoSweep games, the grid cells may have different shapes and/or sizes without substantially affecting the operation of the game. Thus, grid 602 may divide texas' land into a number of plots with well-defined boundaries. Each parcel (or grid cell 604) may be uniquely identified.

To participate in the GeoSweep texas game, a player needs to register as a member. During registration, a player may pick one or more available plots as their virtual owner. There may or may not be a cost of paying ahead of time to "own" the parcel. Both exclusive and shared ownership is possible for a parcel. In some cases, it may be beneficial to conduct an auction among multiple interested players to determine which player achieves a popular plot. In addition, the player may make a commitment to participate in a plurality of scheduled lottery drawings involving one or more plots. The plurality of scheduled lottery draws may be performed periodically, such as once or more per day, every other day or every few days, or weekly or monthly, etc. Each participating plot may require a bet on a predetermined number of tokens to the progressive or progressive pool in each draw. The predetermined number may be a fixed number set by the gaming operator or manager or a variable number to be specified by each individual owner of the participating plot. In any event, when registering, each player is required to invest in his or her commitment to participate in the drawing by depositing or sequestering an amount of money.

In each draw, one or more plot or grid cells 604 are randomly selected as the only winner or a first-class winner. For ease of explanation, it is assumed hereinafter that a single grid cell is selected as the only winner or first-class winner per draw. In the case of a unique winner, the entire jackpot amount or a portion thereof calculated may be awarded to the owner of the winning grid cell. More specifically, in addition to the first-class prize winners, one or more winners having a smaller number may be determined based on their relative map locations with respect to the first-class prize winners. According to some embodiments, the drawing may be limited to plots that have been owned or declared by the participating players, thereby ensuring that at least one player will be awarded a prize, as described in more detail below. According to some embodiments of the invention, the plots or grid cells may each have an equal chance of being drawn as a first-class prize winner. According to other embodiments, the plot or grid cell may have a chance of being chosen as a winner's change. For example, a parcel may enjoy more chances of winning when it costs more to own the parcel than to own other parcels.

The prize in each draw may include a valuable token that is wagered on the draw by the participating parcel. The prizes may also include a roll-in prize from a previous draw. Additionally or alternatively, the prize may include other valuable things. For example, a market partnership may be formed between a game operator and other business entities. In return for a promotional or advertising campaign on a GeoSweep gaming platform, commercial partners may contribute products and services as prizes to be awarded. Actual plots or other real property may be awarded to first-tier winners or unique jackpot winners if permitted by cost or return on investment.

Fig. 7A-7B illustrate example payout structures for the GeoSweep texas game described above.

Fig. 7A shows one grid cell that has been selected as a first-class prize winner. The first-prize winning grid cell has 8 adjacent grid cells, 6 of which are owned by participating players, while the other 2 (702 and 704) are not owned by any player. Grid cells 706, 708, and 710 owned by some players do not share any common boundary with the grid cells selected for a first prize.

Referring to fig. 7B, a first-prize winning grid cell may be allocated an amount of prize equal to 20% of the jackpot pool available for that draw. Each of the 8 grid cells that happen to become the winner's neighbor cell may be assigned 10% of the jackpot. Thus, if all 8 grid cells of adjacent cells of the winner are owned by participating players, the entire jackpot will be divided among the owners of the 9 blocks (i.e., 1 × 20% +8 × 10% — 100%). However, since two of the winner's neighbor cells (702 and 704) are not owned or owned by any player, the two 10% shares (i.e., 20% of the jackpot) that would be allocated to the owner of grid cells 702 and 704 are now considered to be won by no player and may be rolled over to the next drawing. Grid cells 706, 708, and 710 that are farther from the first-prize winning grid cell than the winner's neighbor cells do not win anything in the round of drawing.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the GeoSweep game may include a mechanism to encourage player recommendations. For example, in a GeoSweep texas game in which texas is divided into 2 million plots, a player who owns 20 plots may be gifted additional units for each time he or she recommends that a new player be gifted. Each plot has equal chance of winning an equal prize. Thus, the effect of the recommended prize may be somewhat different than in the ratio lottery game described earlier. In lottery games, recommending prizes has the effect of increasing the proportion of prizes that the recommending player will win. Here, in the GeoSweep game, the recommendation award has the effect of increasing the chance of winning.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the GeoSweep game may also have aspects of its proportional lottery ticket. In this case, a player in the GeoSweep texas game may specify how many tokens to enter for an extraction on behalf of the plot owned by the player when or shortly after registration. The number of tokens input for each draw and representing each parcel may be within a predetermined range, for example, between 1 and 100 (including 1 and 100). In the drawing, if a certain parcel is selected as a first-class prize winner, a ratio value may be calculated based on the number of tokens input on behalf of the parcel. For example, if the maximum number of tokens that can be entered for each parcel is 100 and in fact 45 tokens are entered representing the first-prize winning parcel, the proportional value is calculated to be 45% (i.e., 45/100). The ratio value may then be applied to any suitable payout structure such that only a portion (e.g., 45%) of the total first-prize amount is awarded to the owner of the first-prize winning plot. According to some embodiments, the owners of the adjacent plots of winners may comply with the same scale value as applied to the first-class prize winners. Alternatively, according to some other embodiments, payouts to adjacent blocks of winners may be subject to different proportional values calculated based on the number of tokens representing wagers for that particular block. Thus, the map-based payout structure described above may be used to determine the overall prize amount for the adjacent units of the winner, so that such overall prize amount may be reduced according to the respective proportional values calculated for each of these plots.

It should be understood that the above description of the GeoSweep texas game is exemplary only. Many variations or modifications may be applied to this example game, such as payout structures, grid geometry, and map body, among others.

FIG. 8 illustrates an exemplary GeoSwep, according to one embodiment of the invention^TMAn alternative payout structure in a game. In a grid with rectangular or square cells, cell D-6 may be selected as a first-class prize winner during the draw. The four nearest neighbors of cell D-6 (i.e., D-5, D-7, C-6, and E-6), each sharing an edge with cell D-6, may then be awarded the second-tier prize. Then, four neighbors of unit D-6 (i.e., C-5, C-7, E-5, and E-7), each sharing only one node with unit D-6, may be awarded three equal prizes. A third-tier prize has a smaller amount than a second-tier prize, and a second-tier prize has a smaller amount than a first-tier prize. For example, the three-tier prizes may each be 5% of the jackpot amount, the two-tier prizes may each be 10% of the jackpot amount, and each of the first-tier prizes may be 40% of the jackpot amount. According to another embodiment, the first-tier prize may be 60% of the jackpot pool, the second-tier prizes may share 30% (i.e., 7.5% each), and the third-tier prizes may share the remaining 10% (i.e., 2.5% each).

FIG. 9 illustrates another alternative payout structure in an example GeoSwep game, according to one embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment, cell D-6 is again selected as the first-class winner. The 8 neighbors of cell D-6 become the winner of the second-tier prize. Remote from cell D-6, the 16 next neighbors of cell D-6 may be winners of a three-equal prize. For example, the first-tier prize may be 68% of the jackpot pool, the second-tier prize may share 16% of the jackpot pool (i.e., 2% each), and the third-tier prize may share 16% of the jackpot pool (i.e., 1% each). According to other embodiments, additional "ring" neighbors may be included as winners of fewer prizes.

According to some embodiments of the present invention, two or more grid cells may be selected as a first-class prize winner. A set of rules may be established to determine which other grid cells qualify as second-tier winners, third-tier winners, etc. For example, a directly adjacent grid cell that is a winner of a selected first-tier prize may win the second-tier prize. Then, if the first-tier winning grid cells are remote from each other, there may be a plurality of groups or clusters of prize winners, each group or cluster centered on one first-tier winning winner.

FIG. 10 illustrates an alternative method for establishing a grid or a territory in an exemplary GeoSwep game, according to one embodiment of the invention. In this version of the GeoSweep texas game, instead of superimposing a consistent grid over the texas map, the actual boundaries between texas counties may help define grid cells having various sizes and shapes. Alternatively, the actual field may define grid cells for the GeoSweep game such that the GeoSweep grid cells correspond to actual plots. According to one embodiment, each grid cell (e.g., a county or smaller block) may still have the same "own" cost and/or have the same chance of being selected as a winner. According to another embodiment, grid cells or counties may be of different value and/or have different chances of winning based on the size and popularity of each county or parcel. In some implementations, game parameters associated with a parcel on a GeoSweep map may be related or associated with conditions, market values, and popularity of the respective parcel in the real world.

Since the grid cells are irregularly shaped and in non-uniform grids, different grid cells may have different numbers of neighbors. For example, county a has 8 contiguous counties, county B has 5, and county C has only one. Depending on which grid cell is selected as the first-tier winner, at least one but not more than 8 direct neighbors may be awarded the second-tier prize. One solution is to specify a fixed percentage of the jackpot awarded to each win of the second-tier prize. For example, if each second-tier winner takes 2% of the jackpot, then 9 neighbors of the first-tier winner would share 18% of the jackpot, while 2 neighbors (if only two) would share only 4% of the jackpot. Alternatively, a fixed percentage of the jackpot pool may be shared among the double win winners, regardless of how many double winers there are. In this case, if the first-tier winner had only one neighbor, such as the county C, that single neighbor would be the only second-tier winner taking the full amount that has been allocated to the second-tier prize. If the first-tier winner has 8 neighbors, such as the case of county a, then the 8 neighbors will each take 1/8 of the full amount that has been allocated to the second-tier prize.

Many variations of the prize sharing scheme may be implemented for GeoSweep and/or proportional lottery-style games. In some embodiments, players introduced to the game by existing players may share some of their winnings with the original (recommended) player. In further embodiments, groups of players may form a prize sharing group or clique (synticate).

Although a map of texas was used above as an example, it should be understood that maps of other types of regions of the earth (e.g., township, city, county, country, sea, island, and continent) are also applicable in a GeoSweep game according to embodiments of the present invention. For example, there may be GeoSwep USA, GeoSwep Europe, GeoSwep London, GeoSwep Hawaii, etc. Indeed, the GeoSweep game may be established for a travel destination and may help to promote travel by providing prizes related to the destination or a portion thereof. For example, a GeoSweep alaska game may offer free shuttle tickets as or in addition to a first prize. The game may also provide free hotel accommodations at hotels that happen to be located within the winning grid cell. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the advertising and marketing arts, promotional opportunities and variations are almost endless as GeoSweep games are map and/or location specific.

FIG. 11 shows a portion of a New York City map for use in an example game that may be referred to as the "GeoSwep apple". As shown, the actual streets and thoroughfares in the mid-Manhattan section may be used to define the grid for the GeoSwep game. Local residents, business entities, and/or guests may be encouraged to participate in the game. Different incentives may be provided for each potential player group. A local resident may be interested in virtual ownership of the block in which he or she actually resides, and participation in the GeoSweep game may also be a social opportunity with other community members. Local businesses may be interested in sponsoring promotions and placing their names on GeoSweep maps. In fact, the GeoSweep map may also be an online, interactive map with promotional and informational features. The guest may also be interested in the game for various reasons, such as familiarity with the area and winning a prize related to travel provided by the local merchant.

Free2Play (Free Play) game

In some preferred embodiments, the player may play the GeoSweep game at no cost. In these instances, the Sweeptake style game includes using advertisements to contribute to a progressive jackpot and/or offset other costs associated with game play, thereby enabling players to play free of charge. Many of the features discussed in connection with the implementation of this game, which may be referred to as Free2Play, may be incorporated into the GeoSweep discussed herein^TMAnd other game implementations.

Referring to FIG. 12, a flow diagram of an example method that facilitates a Sweeptake-style game according to the Free2Play embodiment is shown. In step 1200, the Sweeptake game may be associated with the GeoSweeep game disclosed above^TMLottery-style games are built in a similar manner. The game may be established online and accessed via any internet browser. Through the internet browser, the map of the game is shown as including a plurality of grid cells. The map and the grid cells thereof can comprise the GeoSwep^TMIs the same attribute. In addition, the real world or fictitious area may be used as a map in the game. The grid pattern is shown as superimposing or dividing each map, thereby creating a plurality of grid cells (in GeoSwep)^TMReferred to in the game as a geographic element). The size of these maps, the number of grid cells, the shape and size of the grid cells may vary from map to map.

The sweet pick extraction may be performed according to a schedule and/or may be performed periodically. The game player may himself determine the schedule of any draw. One way this can be done is by specifying an administrator who may be responsible for setting the schedule or by allowing players to vote on certain schedules. The rules and condition items can be matched with GeoSweep^TMThe game is similarly established.

Next, in step 1204, registration of a plurality of players is accepted to play a game. And GeoSwep^TMAs such, the player may register by accessing the website of the game and registering with the game. Here, information about the player may be recorded for management purposes. In most cases, the number of players that can be registered in the game is not limited. It would be beneficial to have as many players play as possible, since more players would result in higher advertising revenue. However, in one embodiment, only a predetermined number of players are allowed to enroll for each map or participate in each Free2Play game, creating a sense of superiority for selected ones of the players, which in turn may entice more people to compete for opportunities to enroll in subsequent games. Different from GeoSwep^TMThe player of the style game need not commit to participating in multiple scheduled drawings. According to some embodiments, a player may decide from time to time whether he or she will participate in a draw.

When a player enrolls in a game, he or she receives a predetermined number of tokens to enable the player to play each round without spending. As used previously, a "token" may be or may represent any valuable physical or virtual thing that may be counted or quantified, such as cash, credit, or simply a base unit of currency or virtual value that may be exchanged for services, goods, and general items of interest. Here, in the Free2Play environment, tokens may not be exchanged directly for something of value other than a chance to win in the Free2PlayGeoSweep game. The number of tokens granted to a player may vary from player to player over time. For example, when a player watches a television advertisement or selects an advertisement, the player may also receive one or more tokens to play a game. The player may also receive additional tokens when he or she shares his or her status using the social functionality of the game or using an external website. As another example, a player may receive additional tokens when he or she plays a game during off-peak times of the day (e.g., during hours of the morning) or on a less busy day of the week where game participation levels are typically low (e.g., monday).

If she or he wants to increase his or her chance of winning, the player may purchase additional tokens to play the game. The player may also discount purchasing a large number of tokens. The player may spend the tokens he or she receives during multiple rounds. In one embodiment, a token given to a player free of charge may expire after a certain period of non-use. But the purchased tokens may persist until they are spent. The player may also participate in online surveys, view online advertisements, view in-game advertisements, or increase the activity level at social or blog sites to earn tokens.

At step 1208, advertisements from one or more sources (e.g., third party sponsors) are presented to the viewer. Advertising includes any form of communication, visual, or otherwise conveying information for the benefit of the advertiser. Thus, the advertisement may be a banner advertisement, as in a similar format to a billboard; forms of audio representations such as audio advertisements; a form of video representation such as a television commercial; or any combination thereof.

Additionally, there may be any number of ad sources and may include any company or individual who may be interested in promoting ideas, products, or services. The source of the advertisement, and therefore the advertisement presented, may vary from player to player. The game is able to detect players and their interests and display advertisements based on those interests. To accommodate a wide variety of users playing games, the games may use advertisements from a variety of sources covering a variety of interests.

The advertisement may be received by the game player in a number of ways. For example, an advertisement source may manually upload its advertisements to a server that may be accessed by a player. Alternatively, the game may have the ability to retrieve advertisements from multiple sources. In a preferred embodiment, the player is provided with an address for the advertisement. This may allow third party sources to quickly change or update advertising items without having to manually upload each advertising item that has been updated.

The advertisements may be presented to the player in a variety of ways. In particular, the advertisement may be presented to the user within the game or outside the game. In-game advertisements may be displayed to the player through conventional banner advertisements. Pop-up menus may also be presented to the user in the game. In this case, the window is shown superimposed on the map presented to the user. Additionally, click-through advertisements may be presented to players in the form of a full or limited window that requires a player to take a particular action after viewing their advertisement. For example, a game may require a player to see a map of the game after he or she views an advertisement. The player may also be required to process the grid cell selection after he or she views the advertisement. The player may also be required to select a link to access the sponsor's website. In another embodiment, the user may be asked to periodically answer a survey presented to the user in the game. When the player submits his or her answers to the survey, the player can play a map-based game for an additional length of time. The player's Free2Play account may be automatically awarded one or more tokens when viewing one or more advertisements, or the player may be directed directly to the Free2Play game interface into the game.

In a preferred embodiment, the advertisements are embedded in a map of the game. As discussed in more detail below, the image or video may occupy equivalent space of one or more grid cells or objects in the map. In embodiments where the map is a real location, the pointer (or other icon) on the map may correspond directly to one of the sponsor's stores. In a further embodiment, the grids are grouped together to form islands or territories similar to the states of the United states, each territory sponsored by an advertiser. The name of the territory may be the name of the sponsor or a name associated with the sponsor. For example, a larger game may include the entire continental united states, including its large cities and each grid cell in the game represents a city block. In the game, portions of a city may be associated with a particular sponsor. For example, a baseball team, such as the New York Yankee, may sponsor the entire New York City. Thus, the region may be referred to as the foreign country for a period of time. Other sponsors willing to pay more may sponsor the entire state or the entire region of the map, such as the midwest. In some embodiments, areas within a sponsored zone may also be sponsored. Thus, even though the new york city may be sponsored and referred to as an ocean based country, a certain city block may be sponsored by another merchant. In many of these embodiments, players playing on certain territories may be eligible to receive prizes directly from the sponsor.

Advertisements external to the game may also be presented to the player. For example, images, video, and audio may be presented to the player on a website external to the game. Advertisements on television, billboards and radios may also be used. The sponsor may direct the player to a specific website or distribute a special code that can be used to redeem additional tokens. Indeed, according to some embodiments of the invention, a player may simply visit any third party website or view sponsored advertisements anywhere on the network, and thus may be given a unique code with which he or she may redeem a token at the Free2Play website or directly gain access to the game. Thus, no direct link between the Free2Play website and the sponsor website is required.

Any number of the above forms of advertising representations may be used in combination. Indeed, it may be most beneficial to use a combination of advertisements to maximize the received advertising revenue. However, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that players may be resent when advertisements are overused, so overuse of advertisements may be counterproductive to the increase in revenue received.

In step 1212, a token and player selection are received. The player may enter his or her commands through the devices including the user interfaces and peripheral devices previously described. When it is confirmed that the user is willing to play with a particular grid cell for the next draw, the user may be asked to confirm that he or she desires to spend one or more tokens. In other embodiments, the game may be configured to: when the user selects a grid cell, a default number of tokens is automatically spent.

After the player's token and selection are received, the player automatically associates with the grid cell he or she selected using the necessary token wager, as seen in step 1216. A record may be maintained that ensures that the association of each grid cell can be tracked as the extraction occurs. Thus, a table may be maintained that continuously tracks and identifies each grid cell and its respective associated player. For example, the table may record player associations based on unique player IDs. Alternatively, a table may be maintained for each player that identifies each player's associated grid cell. These tables may also include information describing how many tokens were wagered for each associated grid cell and other player selection information. The table may be archived after the round has been completed and the progressive pool has been distributed.

When the draw is made, the winning grid cell may be selected from the map (step 1220). The random drawing from all the grid cells in the map can be accomplished in a variety of computational methods well known in the gaming industry. In a simple example, each grid cell is assigned a unique grid cell number starting from 1. If there are 64 grid cells in the map, they are numbered 1 through 64. The numbers corresponding to the winning grid cell are then found for drawing by running a random number generator to select the numbers 1 through 64. The grid cell is then checked for an associated player. The table including grid cells and the respective associated players for each grid cell may be checked for winners (if any). If the draw is not limited to those "participating" grid cells (i.e., those selected by the player for that particular draw round), the winning grid cell may not be selected by any player. In these cases, a prize may be added to the next prize drawn. To ensure that winners occur for each draw (otherwise players may lose their courage), unoccupied grid cells may preferably be excluded from the random draw. According to some alternative embodiments, two or more winners may be selected for each draw. In other embodiments, the extraction is performed from only a portion of the plurality of grid cells of the map. As another example, the extraction may be performed only between grid cells in the area of the map. Thus, such an extraction may be used to award prizes to those grid cells located in a particular area, for example, to promote that area of a map or a sponsor in that area.

The jackpot pool is then provided to the player associated with the winning grid cell (step not shown). According to embodiments of the present invention, a single winner may be selected for each lottery drawing. The jackpot may also be given to multiple users by taking multiple random draws. In one embodiment, a portion of the jackpot pool may be awarded to players associated with grid cells that are near the winning grid cell in the manner described above. They may also share the jackpot pool equally or according to prize level. The jackpot awarded to the player may be derived from some of the advertising revenue received by presenting the advertisements to the player. The progressive pool may also be funded by token sales revenue. Although players receive tokens for free at each round, many players may desire to increase their chances of winning the jackpot. In addition to a progressive pool of cash prizes or merchandise, in-game tokens may be given from time to ensure that a budget is maintained.

Fig. 13 is a block diagram illustrating an example system 1300 that facilitates a sweet spot style game in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 13 depicts a game server 1308 connected to at least one database 1320. Game server 1308 is connected to network 1304, enabling communication with a plurality of computing devices 1312, payment provider 1316, and advertiser server 1324. The capabilities of the game server 1308, computing device 1312, payment provider 1316, network and database of fig. 13 are the same as the capabilities of the corresponding devices described in connection with fig. 4. Thus, the underlying hardware and software structures of each of these devices will not be discussed in detail. The capabilities of the device of fig. 4 and its embodiments may be incorporated into the corresponding device in fig. 13. Additional features and devices are discussed in detail below.

The game server 1308 will register a number of players, each connected from various client devices 1312. The game server 1308 may have the ability to register multiple players. It is of course beneficial from a revenue standpoint to register as many players as possible playing the game. However, there are certain situations where the game may be limited to a few players. This may be due to physical limitations of the game server 1308 or may simply be that the game host desires to set up a limited number of types of players. For example, a school may only allow its students to participate in one instance of a game. In such a case, an invitation code may be generated and required to register and register in the game.

The game server 1308 also has the option of receiving at least one token and at least one grid cell for the current draw from the player at the client device 1312. In response, it associates each player with his or her respective grid cell as selected. The server will continue to update its database 1320 in the manner previously described in connection with system 400. Further, by executing instructions at game server 1308, tokens for each round are aggregated together similar to the aggregation capability of game server 402. The game server 1308 thus has the ability to draw to select at least one winning grid cell to win the jackpot. After determining the winning grid cell, the game server 1308 will access the database 1320 to determine the player associated with the winning grid cell. The game server 1308 thus has the ability to provide a progressive jackpot for at least one player associated with the at least one winning grid cell. In one embodiment, financial information of the winning player is updated to include the progressive pool. Alternatively, the game server may send electronic money transaction instructions to the player's account at the payment provider 1316 in various ways known in the art.

The game server 1308 additionally has the ability to present advertisements to players of the game. The advertiser server 1324 of the system 1300 stores a plurality of advertisements at the advertiser server 1324. Advertiser server 1324 may contain an advertisement database that is publicly accessible by multiple computing devices 1312 and game server 1308. To provide advertisements to players at computing device 1312, game server 1308 sends computing device 1312 the address of the advertisement at advertiser server 1324. When the address is received, the computing device 1312 thus has the ability to access the address and download the advertisement directly from the address for display at the computing device 1312. In an alternative implementation, game server 1308 may download any advertisements from advertiser server 1324 and then send those advertisement items to computing device 1312 for display. In another embodiment, the advertiser server 1324 uploads its advertisements to the database 1320. The computing device 1312 may thus access the advertisements directly from the game server 1308 using various methods known in the art.

The database 1320 may also have the capability to store information related to the advertisements and advertiser servers 1324. Specifically, in addition to including information about the player (e.g., name, email address, password, preferences), information about technical functions (e.g., internet protocol address), information about the player's financial information (e.g., bank name, bank account number, credit card number, address, payment history), information about game history (e.g., history of the particular grid cell selected, winning data), and information about the player's current selection of a grid cell for the current draw, the database 1320 also includes: information relating to the advertisements includes the address of each advertisement, the type of advertisement, and various other technical information needed to properly display each advertisement at the computing device 1312.

As previously discussed, the game server 1308 also draws to determine winning grid cells and provides a progressive pool to players associated with the winning grid cells. In particular, the progressive prize pool presented in these embodiments is derived at least in part from revenue received from the presented advertisements. From time to time, such as every month, the advertiser server may send electronic money transaction instructions to payment provider 1316 for the organization associated with game server 1308 to exchange for game server 1308 to present various advertisements to the player at computing device 1312.

The game server 1308 may also present the advertisements to the players using a number of different methods. In one example implementation depicted in FIG. 14, the advertisements may be presented to the player via banner advertisements. Thus, the user interface 1400 displayed at the computing device depicts a map 1404 with a banner advertisement 1408, which in this case is to the left of the screen. This and other depictions are by no means the only way these forms of advertisements can be shown as part of the user interface 1400. In some implementations, and as shown in FIG. 14, the advertisement can be presented in the form of an image superimposed on a map 1404. In general, advertisement 1412 will only occupy a small portion of the screen so as not to obscure the view of map 1404. In these disclosed embodiments, selection of an advertisement 1408, 1412 or other form of advertisement results in the display of a pop-up screen about the website. In some embodiments of the disclosed system, click-through advertisements are presented to players. In these cases, the player must view the advertisement prior to entering the game, prior to submitting his or her selection of grid cells, or at intermittent time periods.

In another embodiment shown in fig. 15, the user may be asked to answer a survey before his or her selection of a particular grid cell can be processed by the game server 1308. Thus, when the player selects grid cell 1508, shown in user interface 1500, menu 1504 is shown. An advertisement 1516 may be shown. The advertisement 1516 may be an image, a video clip, or an audio clip. A survey 1512 asking various questions is shown in menu 1504. Such surveys tend to be very important and valuable to advertisers and merchants. When the question is answered, the user may select a submit button to submit his or her survey and automatically associate the grid cell with his account.

In several preferred embodiments, the advertisements are embedded in a map of the game. An example implementation is depicted in fig. 16. An interface 1600 is shown that depicts a map that includes a plurality of grid cells. FIG. 16 also depicts a number of grid cells 1616 that have been selected by another player. FIG. 16 also depicts embedded advertisements 1608, 1612, and 1616 in the map of the game. Advertisement 1612 is a video advertisement. When advertisement 1612 is selected, the video is displayed within the grid cell in which advertisement 1612 resides. In some embodiments, a video advertisement is automatically played with the entire grid cell of the advertisement fully delineated in the user interface 1600. Fig. 16 also depicts an audio clip 1616 that may be played automatically or upon selection. In a preferred embodiment, for at least one draw, the player selecting the advertisement may be automatically associated with the corresponding grid cell. If a grid cell is selected as the winner grid cell, the winner wins the jackpot.

In another embodiment, the map depicts a real-world location, such as the map depicted in FIG. 17. Which contains a plurality of intersecting streets and roads and a plurality of city blocks as in block 1704. In this embodiment, the city block is equivalent to a grid cell. In this embodiment, the street name may be the name of the advertiser. For example, John's clothing may have its advertisements placed along the street. The advertisement may be a name, phrase, or even a brief announcement. This manner of advertising enables the advertisement to be presented to the player without being repudiated by the player. In yet another embodiment, also depicted in fig. 17, a pin or icon may be arranged in the map. Each of the targets or icons may depict an advertiser's logo or product. The location of these targets or icons may correspond to the real world location of the advertiser's business. In a further embodiment, the system allows for the presentation of a map depicting a set of grid cells in the form of islands. Each island of a grid unit may be sponsored by an advertiser, such as a merchant, and so named.

GeoSwep treasure hunt

GeoSwep will be described^TMIs referred to as a GeoSweep treasure hunt. In this variant of the GeoSweep game, at least one prize or "treasure" may be hidden in the map and specifically in the grid cell. The purpose of the game is to let the player find one or more treasures hidden somewhere on the map. Generally, when a game begins, players take turns selecting a grid cell to determine whether the grid cell contains a prize. This continues until all prizes have been found on the map, and the game ends. The game may then be restarted. Unlike conventional lottery-type games, the presently disclosed embodiments create games that may have increased chances of winning even as the progressive pool grows. Furthermore, unlike traditional lottery games that are based only on chance, the presently disclosed embodiments may require a strategy to maximize the winning prize.

FIG. 18 depicts one embodiment of a GeoSwep treasure hunt. At a first step 1800, an online game is established that includes a map having a plurality of grid cells. The disclosed maps may be related to what has been described in relation to the present invention, including GeoSweep^TMSimilar to those described for other embodiments. In particular, it may be a map of the real world location or may be an imaginary place. Multiple grid patterns may be superimposed on the map, creating multiple grid cells on the map. The grid cells may be of any shape or size and may even contain multiple layers. In some embodiments, the grid cells may be associated with information about each grid cell including a grid cell ID or grid cell coordinates on a map.

Next, at step 1804, a plurality of players are registered. For example, a player may load an internet browser to access a game. Before an individual can play a game, he or she may need to register as a user of the game. Further, the registration of the game may be temporary or permanent. That is, the user may simply register as a temporary user to play the game in this situation. In these cases, the personal information may not be stored. In the alternative, the user may register as a permanent player to play the game, requesting, collecting and storing information about the user. Such information may include personal names, user names, login information, and any other desired address fields. In some embodiments, financial information about the user may also be stored as part of the enrollment process. In particular embodiments of the invention, the player is enrolled simply by playing the game and does not require any manner or form of registration or login, although some form of age and/or residence verification may still be required for the player to request a prize.

At step 1808, the location of the prize on the map has been predetermined prior to any player's selection or token submission. Thus, the prize is hidden in the grid cell throughout the map, prior to any action by the player. As such, the prize is not indicated in any way on the map. For example, when there are two prizes available, each prize may be hidden at a different grid cell. However, in some embodiments, more than one prize may be disposed at a particular grid cell.

The location of each prize may be randomly generated by a random number generator as is well known in the art. In this case, each grid cell may be associated with a particular number. Therefore, when there are 100 grid cells, the random position of one prize can be determined by generating a randomly generated integer n from 1 to 100 using a random number generator. When the grid cell has a unique ID ranging from 1 to 100, the random position is thus determined as a grid cell having a unique ID equal to the generated number. When the unique IDs of the grid cells are not all in the range of 1 to 100, then the grid IDs are placed in some randomly ordered list (e.g., in ascending order if the IDs are numbers) and the nth grid cell in the list is selected as the random location. When there are multiple prizes, the generator may be invoked again, for example, picking from all possible combinations of grid cell locations, where each combination represents one possible way to hide the treasure. Another method of generating numbers may be based on a predetermined routine that takes into account various factors including historical user selection data, historical jackpot winning history, the number of numbers to be generated, and other factors. Examples of possible number generators that may be used include standard Random Number Generators (RNGs), pseudo-random number generators (PRNGs), and cryptographic security PRNGs. Some embodiments determine the placement of the prize on the map by generating two numbers that may correspond to coordinates. In a simple example, where the map comprises 8 x 10 grid cells, the number generator may randomly pick two numbers: one number ranging from 1 to 8 and a second number ranging from 1 to 10. With this, coordinates such as (5,2) can be generated. This may introduce bias when the size of the grid cells varies or the grid cells are not of a rectangular configuration, i.e., some grid cells may grant a player greater or lesser chance of being selected than others. This deviation may be corrected or retained as a characteristic of the game in a probability algorithm, for example by varying the price and/or prize of the grid cell with a non-average selected probability. In some games that use real world locations, latitude and longitude coordinates may be used. When a number is generated, the number is stored for subsequent comparison.

Next, at step 1812, the token and grid selection are received. Each token represents a unit bet in the game and, in this particular case, represents a bet in which the prize is hidden at the selected grid cell. In a preferred embodiment, a player may only select grid cells that are not selected (or "unlocked") by other players and are therefore still selectable. This may prevent players from wasting their tokens because any prize at a previously selected grid cell may have been awarded to another player. In some embodiments, the selection of multiple grid cells still results in a sequence of individual bets (one per selected grid cell), and, in the event that the game terminates after one of these bets, the remaining unset bets may be cancelled and any tokens corresponding to these bets returned to the player. However, in some embodiments, the player is allowed to select grid cells that have been previously selected. In these cases, it is possible to obtain multiple prizes at each grid cell. In some implementations, a player may enter multiple tokens per grid unit. If the player eventually wins the jackpot, the amount of money he or she receives may depend on the number of tokens wagered. Similarly, multiple grid cells may be selected simultaneously, thereby increasing the chances of winning. However, in most embodiments, the selection of multiple grid cells will require the player to bet at least one token on each grid cell that is not unlocked.

In a particular embodiment of the GeoSweep treasure hunt game, a player may select a grid cell and play the game free of charge. Similar to the features of the Free2play game, the game enables a player to receive at least one Free token to be used to select a grid cell. Prizes in the game are supported, at least in part, by revenue received from advertisements presented to the player while playing the game. Any known manner of presenting advertisements to players may be used, including those discussed in conjunction with Free2play previously discussed. In addition, players may purchase, complete surveys, enter special codes from external forms of advertisement reception, play, for example, GeoGweep^TMGames, etc., recommend friends, visit retail gaming machines, or other methods described herein to receive additional tokens. Other features of Free2play may also be incorporated into these Free games.

When tokens and grid selections are received from players, players are thus associated with each selected grid cell, as seen in step 1816. In one embodiment, where a player makes a selection of a grid cell, the table containing each grid cell and any corresponding associated players is automatically tracked and updated as the game progresses.

After the player is associated, it is determined whether the player wins a prize based on the player's selection, as seen at step 1820. Specifically, it is determined that the selected grid cell is the same grid cell as the grid cell that "hides" or "sets" the prize. In one embodiment, this may be accomplished by comparing the grid cell ID of the selected grid cell, or its position in a canonical sorted list of grid cell IDs as described above, with the stored generated number from the random number generator. Similar comparisons are made where the number generator generates coordinates to identify grid cells in the map. When a match occurs, the player is awarded a prize. In some embodiments, if this is a progressive jackpot prize, the game ends here. In the absence of a match, such that the jackpot is not hidden at the selected grid cell, in some embodiments, the tokens received from the player are therefore added to the total value of the jackpot. Thus, in these embodiments, the progressive jackpot may continue to increase as the game progresses, without a winner.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that as the game progresses, the probability of winning increases while the number of available grid cells decreases. At the start of a game containing M grid cells in the map, the probability of a player selecting one of the P prizes in the first round is:

as the game progresses with prizes not won (or the number of prizes available at any time remains constant, i.e. does not decrease when a prize is won) and the number of available grid cells (i.e. not previously selected in the game) starts to decrease, the probability of winning one of the remaining prizes increases. The probability may be calculated according to the following formula, where t is the number of rounds that have been played since the start of the game:

for example, on a board of 100,000 grid cells, with a single jackpot, the chance to win that jackpot in the first round (i.e., after 0 rounds have been performed) is:

if the game has made another 99,999 rounds without the jackpot being won, the chance of winning the jackpot in one of the remaining possible rounds in the game is:

more generally, on a board of M grid cells, the game chance to win a single jackpot at or before (WOOB) round t (t >0) is:

now, let t be present, such thatIn this case:

however, for t ═ 1, the following are introduced

And the probability of winning the game after the turn t is only

The above game is only one implementation of a GeoSweep treasure hunt game. Because the treasure is hidden on the map before each game begins, it can be considered a "scheduled play" of the game. According to one embodiment of the present invention, players have associated with their respective grid cells before announcing the treasure hunt game "start". For example, a treasure hunt game may be implemented in conjunction with an original GeoSweep game, such as a bonus round drawn as a regular GeoSweep or limited to GeoSweep players who pay for or qualify for the treasure hunt game. At a predetermined time, the treasure hunt game operator may randomly hide the treasure at one or more grid cells and announce the treasure hunt to begin. Each player may then simply examine his or her own grid cells to see if he or she is a lucky winner of the treasure. In other cases, each player is also allowed to unlock his or her adjacent unoccupied grid cells to win any money found therein.

An additional embodiment of the GeoSweep treasure hunt game is shown in fig. 19, which is referred to as "dynamic play" of the game. Similar to the previously described embodiment, an online game containing a map with a plurality of grid cells is established at step 1900 in a manner similar to step 1800. The prize is also associated with the game. Next, as in step 1804, the enrollment of the plurality of players is accepted at step 1904. Unlike the embodiment of fig. 18, the embodiment of fig. 19 does not determine the placement of prizes on the map prior to player interaction. After the multiple players are registered, the game begins by allowing the players to select a grid cell. At step 1908, a grid cell selection and a token are received. As in fig. 18, multiple tokens may be placed on any number of selected grid cells. When this occurs, the player is associated with the grid cell, e.g., by updating a table of grid cells and associated players, per step 1912.

After the player is associated with each selected grid cell, it is determined whether the player wins by performing a probability algorithm at step 1916. Thus, in the dynamic play of the game, it is not known whether the player wins a prize even when the player selects a particular grid cell. The player's selection outcome is not known until the probability algorithm is executed. In other words, at the start of each dynamically played game, each grid cell has a chance to contain a prize. In contrast, in a predetermined game, each chip has a winning prize or no prize, i.e. each grid cell has 0% or 100% chance of including a prize. It should be noted, however, that the player's chance of selecting a grid cell containing a prize at a predetermined game may still be given by the probability formula above.

In one basic probabilistic algorithm, the number of prizes that have not been won (P), the number of grid cells that have not been selected (U), and a randomly generated number (R) are considered. The randomly generated number (R) will be in the following range when generated:

0<R≤U

when R has been generated, the following comparisons are made to determine whether the player wins:

if R ≦ P, the player wins

If P < R, the player loses

A flow chart of the basic probability algorithm is depicted in fig. 20. The basic algorithm described above may be used for fair games where each grid cell has the same chance of winning. In an example game with 2 known prizes and 10 remaining grid cells to be selected on the map, when a probability algorithm is executed, the probability algorithm will determine whether the player wins. Each grid cell has a 20% chance of winning in a fair game. When a simple algorithm is executed, the algorithm determines that the player wins if the random number generator generates a value R from the possible range of 1 to 10 and less than or equal to 2 (i.e., 20% chance of winning). The example function used above is intended to illustrate one possible function of the probabilistic algorithm and is not intended to be limiting in any way. After determining that the player wins the prize, the player is awarded the prize in any number of known ways, such as depositing funds using an associated bank account for the player or depositing credits for the player in the game. When all prizes are dispensed, the game resumes.

In some embodiments, the chance of winning a prize may vary from grid cell to grid cell. In these games, each grid cell may be associated with a predetermined win factor F_wAnd (4) associating. F_wThe value of (c) can be any number greater than 0. F_wThe closer to 1 the value of (c), the closer to the algorithm in the fair game. Furthermore, when F_wA value of greater than 1 is easier to win a prize. When the value of R has been randomly generated, the determination of whether the player wins a prize may be:

if R is less than or equal to F_wx P, the player wins

If F_Wx P<R, then the player loses

When F is present_WIs 2, the probability of the player winning a prize is doubled. When used in a map-based game, F_WThe value of (c) may be known for each grid cell and may be hidden. Further, F_WMay be represented by the size of the grid cell relative to other grid cells. F of larger grid cell_WThe value is larger and thus has a greater chance of winning a prize. In some embodiments, the player may need to wager a larger number of tokens to select these larger grid cells.

In various embodiments of the GeoSweep treasure hunt game, the prizes may be categorized into multiple levels. Prizes that are valued are considered to be at the highest level and prizes with less value are at the lowest level. Thus, the highest ranked prize is much more difficult to win than the lowest ranked prize. The number of levels in the game may be predetermined or may be dynamically determined using specific probability weightings.

In "dynamic play" of a GeoSweep treasure hunt game, a probabilistic algorithm may consider multiple levels of prizes each having a different probability of winning a prizeInside it. A variation of the basic probability algorithm may be used, which further takes into account the rank adjustment factor (F)_T). FIG. 21 depicts a flowchart of steps taken in an example probabilistic algorithm. As described above, the value of R is a randomly generated value at step 2100, where R is in the following range:

0<R≤U

when R is generated, multiple levels of comparison are made, with a comparison level made for each level. First, step 2104 is used to determine if the value of R is at 0<R≤F_Tx P_TIn the range of wherein P_TIs the number of prizes that have not been won at level T. If it is within the range, the player wins the prize at that level and the probability algorithm terminates. In some embodiments, the player may win prizes from multiple levels, such that a determination is made that a lower level wins even after the player is determined to win a higher level prize.

If the value of R is not within the range of step 2104, step 2108 is taken to determine if a lower ranked prize is present. If so, the algorithm adjusts to determine whether the player will win the next prize level. Thus, the value of T may be increased by 1 at step 2112 and the adjustment factor F corresponding to the next (lower) level used_TA determination is made that R is within the range.

Regulatory factor F_TAnd may be any value greater than 0. In the most basic and simple games, the adjustment factor F has a value of 1_TIs used for the highest prize ranking. The adjustment factor may be greater than 1 for lower levels. The lower the grade, F_TThe higher the value of (c) may be. For example, the lowest ranked prize may have an adjustment factor of 2. In this case, the player has twice the likelihood of winning the lowest prize as the highest prize.

In a game with 1 highest prize and 2 lowest prize and 15 remaining grid cells on the map, first the adjustment factor F with a value of 1 is used_TTo determineWhether the player will win the highest prize. If the value of R, when randomly generated, is not greater than 1, outside the possible range of 1 to 15, the player wins. Otherwise, the player does not win the first level prize and determines whether the player will win the second level prize. Specifically, if the value of R is greater than 1 but less than or equal to 2, the player wins a second level prize. Otherwise, the algorithm terminates and the player does not win any prize for his selection of a grid cell.

In the "predetermined game" of the GeoSweep treasure hunt game, an adjustment algorithm may be used in the game to dynamically adjust the probability that a prize from a particular level may be won. This is particularly useful for lower ranked prizes, as the algorithm will result in a much higher probability of winning these lower ranked prizes. For example, in a map containing 1000 grid cells, 1 higher-level prize and 1 lowest-level prize, it may be desirable to have the probability of winning a lower-level prize equal to the probability of winning in a game having only 200 grid cells. In other words, it may be desirable to have a predetermined play of a GeoSweep scavenger hunt game in which the initial probability of winning a lower prize level is 1/200, while the initial probability of winning a highest prize level is higher, such as 1/1000.

Even in the "scheduled play" of the GeoSweep treasure hunt game, the tuning algorithm thus allows for a game of prizes of multiple levels with different winning probabilities. Such a game may be referred to as a key treasure hunt game.

To ensure that the probability of winning a lower-level prize equals the winning probability of a game with 200 grid cells and 1 prize, the number of prizes available on the board must be dynamically adjusted after each selection of a grid cell. This may be made possible by using a "key" in the grid cell of the map to represent the level of the prize. This is unlike the traditional GeoSweep treasure hunt game where grid cells are associated with each available prize. The use of keys allows multiple keys to represent a prize. Discovery of a key automatically allows the player to win a prize. When all prizes are won, the game is reset. Thus in a game with 1000 grid cells, 1 highest-tier prize, and 1 lowest-tier prize, 1 key may be arranged in the grid cell in the map representing the highest-tier prize. Furthermore, 5 keys may be arranged in each unit representing 1 lower-tier prize. With 5 keys in the map, the initial probability of winning a lower-level prize is 1/200, or comparable to a game with only 200 grid cells and 1 prize.

The number of keys for each tier of prizes may be adjusted each time a grid cell is selected. This ensures that the probability of winning a lower rank prize is the same as when the player searches for prizes in a smaller map.

The following formula can be used to determine how many keys are needed in the map for a given rank of prizes at round t.

The formula takes into account the total number of grid cells that were not selected at the beginning of the game (G), the adjusted total number of grid cells that were not selected at the beginning of the game (M), and the total number of rounds played from the beginning of the game (t). In one embodiment, a level adjustment factor F may be used_TThe value of M is calculated.

When F is present_TWith a value of 2, the probability of the player finding a prize is doubled compared to if no adjustment algorithm was used. Thus, when round t is reached (from 0), the chance of winning the top prize is:

it can be seen that even if the game is played on a larger map with G grid cells, the probability of winning a lower-level prize is equivalent to the probability of winning on a smaller map with M grid cells. Needless to say, K_tIs a monotonically increasing (but not strictly monotonically increasing) sequence, i.e.:

in this example, after 100 grid cells are selected but no prize is found, 900 grid cells remain on the map. The probability of selecting the highest ranked prize is 1/900. If the key is not dynamically adjusted as the game progresses, the probability of selecting a lower tier prize is 5/900. However, this probability is not the probability of finding a lower-level prize that would be found on a map with only 200 starting grid cells. After 100 grid cells are selected, only 100 grid cells remain on the map, so the probability of finding a prize is 1/100 or 1 percent. As such, the probability of winning a lower-level prize on a map including 1000 grid cells (the remaining 900 grid cells) must be adjusted to one percent. Using the above formula, the following values are used for the formula:

G＝1000

M＝200

t＝100

it is determined that there must be a total of 9 keys on the map after 100 grid cells are selected. With 9 keys, the probability of winning a lower-tier prize is 9/900 or one percent. Thus, the number of keys is dynamically adjusted each time a selection is made to ensure that the probability of winning a lower-tier prize is consistent with the probability of playing a game in a smaller map. Other formulas and algorithms can be used to determine how many keys can be added, and the formula used above is only one of many possibilities.

The key treasure hunt game may also be used to limit the number of rounds a game may have before all prizes are found. This is made possible by setting the number of adjusted grid cells M to the desired maximum number of rounds. For up to 100,000 rounds of key treasure hunt games on a 60,000,000 grid cell map, written as KTH (60,000,000,100,000) for simplicity, the number of hidden keys when a round of 0,100, 1,000, 50,000, 90,000, 99,000, 99,745, 99,988, 99,990, 99,997, 99,998, 99,999 is reached is:

there are several possible variations of the basic KTH. One notable variation is the Limited Key Treasure Hunt (LKTH). LKTH is simply a KTH that ends early by arranging keys under all unsearched grid cells in an earlier turn than in a normal KTH game. Specifically, LKHz (G, M, e) is a modification of the corresponding KTH (G, M) where M-e, G-M + e keys are hidden on the map in a round (thereby forcing a winner to appear in that round). For example, for LKTH (60,000,100,000,10), the above table is modified to remove the round 99,990 and above, and to force the game to end at the latest in that round:

the potential advantages of LKTH over KTH are twofold. LKTH simplifies certain aspects of implementation because removing a few moves from the end of KTH can dynamically reduce the number of random key locations that need to be generated. Furthermore, especially when the exact value of the parameter e is not revealed to the player, it may increase the player excitement that the game may end at any time with guaranteed winners for very small loss of revenue.

Indifferently, any KTH (G, M) is also LKTH (G, M, 0). In other words, KTH is a subset of LKTH. In the following analysis, much of what is described with respect to KTH is equally applicable to LKTH, with changes made to the final possible turn of the game.

As can be seen, not every turn in (L) KTH necessarily results in an increase in the number of keys hidden on the game board. Thus, a sequence key increment round, I, can be determined₀,I₁,...I_nThe sequence lists the number of rounds in which the number of keys is increased. For convenience, I₀0. For example, for KTH (60,000,000,100,000), I₁167. As can be seen from the following calculation using the above formula, the number of keys required for the map increases from 600 to 601 at round 167:

the following Python program outputs (to stdout) a CSV file showing key increase turns of KTH up to T turns on G geographic cell-plate (where G and T are provided as command line parameters):

#

# treasure hunt secret key adding calculator

#

Two parameters are taken

Number of geographic elements on # Game Board

# maximum number of rounds of Game

#

# CSV exporting incremental, round, digital keys

#

Input parameter analysis (importargpase)

Parameter analyzer (description ═ calculation key increment round')

Add _ parameter ("quantity geo-element", metavar ═ G ", type int, nargs ═ 1,

help is the number of geographical elements on the game board

Add _ parameter ("max round", metavar ═ M ", type int, nargs ═ 1,

help ═ maximum number of rounds in the game')

Analyzer parameter ()

Quantity geography element is parameter, quantity geography element [0]

Maximum round is parameter maximum round [0]

Increment number of 0

Current key (currkeys) ═ 0

Printing 'increment, round, number key'

For runs in the range (maximum runs):

the round key (quantity geo-round)/(maximum round-round)

If the round key > current key:

print "increment", increment number, "in round", round, "when", round key, "key"

Print the increment number, ",", round, ",", the round key

Current key being the round key

Increment number of 1 +

Running the program with the parameters of KTH (60,000,000,100,000) generates a list of 14,880 key increment rounds for the game. Running this code variant, it is recommended that the number of KITs in KTH (60,000,000, M) always be less than 16,000 for any value of M (1. ltoreq. M.ltoreq.60,000,000).

To determine the number of locations where a key needs to be buried at the start of a KTH (G, M) game, the following formula may be used:

this is because:

● at round M-1, each grid cell that is not searched includes a key.

● at round M-2, K_M-2The individual keys are hidden.

● at round M-2, there will be M-2 grid cells searched. Up to M-2 grid cells, which originally planned to include the key, are no longer valid hidden locations in round M-2.

Similarly, for an LKTH (G, M, e) game, to predetermine all locations where keys may be buried, then the number of grid cells to be selected is:

the predetermined key location presents two implementation problems: validity of storage and security of storage.

For KTH (60,000,000,100,000) games, 60,999,998/2-30,049,999 grid cells may require pre-ID designation.

For the LKTH (60,000,000,100,000,10) game,individual grid cells may require pre-ID designation.

In an example embodiment, a method of storing a predetermined key location may include the steps of:

● before the game begins, enough unique grid cell IDs are generated and encrypted using a two-part public key. The application may require two separate system administrators from an administrator group of at least 2 or 3 administrators to enter their passwords to begin generating the ID.

● store the encrypted data in a Database (DB) and use some external game validators well known in the art. This may be done continuously for many games so that the accumulation is made by the game to be played. ● start two or more instances of a load balancing Treasure Hunt Key Server (THKS), also known as a "Scratch server," which again may require two separate system administrators from the administrator group to enter encryption code.

● THKS may then receive the encrypted list of grid cell IDs and decrypt the list to memory. It may also receive and store information of the number of rounds that have been played in the current game and the grid cells that have been selected (i.e., searched).

● the selected grid cell may then be stored in a bitmap in memory. The bitmap may be updated each time a key increment round (KIT) arrives. The bitmap is periodically saved to disk or database along with the most recent round number. This may save many database accesses to determine each round.

● based on knowledge of the last KIT reached and the grid cell that has been selected, THKS can construct another bitmap in memory that stores the grid cells that include the hidden key. The bitmap may never be written to disk or database.

● for LKHh (60,000,000,100,000,10) game:

the encrypted grid cell ID list is 5,091,655 × 4 bytes ≈ 20MB

Each of the two bitmaps (searched/unsearched grid cells, grid cells with keys) occupies 60,000,000/8 bytes ≈ 7.5MB

List occupancy of KIT (14,880-10). times.4 bytes ≈ 60KB

Mapping of non-sequential grid cell IDs to locations in the bitmap may require additional storage related to the number of contiguous ranges of IDs

● whenever a player selects a grid cell in a game, the application server handling her/his session may send a request to one of the THKS to do so. The THKS has write access to a database table listing all turns made in the game and includes information such as turn number, timestamp, grid ID, user ID, and the result of each grid cell selection. The application server has read-only access to the table. The round numbers are sequential by serializing the insertion into the table and making the grid ID the primary key. The scratch server may update the table and return a response to the request from an application server as described below.

The list of unencrypted grid cell IDs and the bitmap listing grid cells with keys are collectively referred to as an answer table. FIG. 22 is a block diagram illustrating an example system 2200 that facilitates a GeoSwep treasure hunt game according to one embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 22 depicts a game server 2208 connected to a database 2220, a scratch server 2232, and an application server 2228, which is also in communication with the scratch server 2232. In addition, a scratch server 2232 and an application server 2228 are connected to the current game database 2236. Game server 2208 is connected to a network 2204, which allows communication with a plurality of computing devices 2212, payment providers 2216, and advertiser servers 2224. The game server 2208, computing device 2212, payment provider 2216, advertiser server, network 2204, and database 2220 of fig. 22 have many of the same functions as the corresponding devices described in connection with fig. 4 and 13. The underlying hardware and software structure of each of these devices is not described in detail. The functionality of the device of fig. 4 and its implementation may be combined to the corresponding device in fig. 22. While the following description of the system 2200 describes the functionality of the system 2200 in connection with a key treasure hunt game, various components of those components, including the scratch server 2232, the app server 2228, and the current game database 2236, and the functionality of the above components, may be used to establish any of the other embodiments of games described herein.

In general, players at multiple computing devices 2212 can play a key treasure hunt game by interacting and communicating with the game server 2208. Information about the game, such as maps, prizes, prize locations, etc., is sent to the computing device 2212, where the player can view the information and make decisions regarding the game accordingly, such as selecting a particular grid cell or purchasing additional tokens, etc. The player's selections and requests at the computing device 2212 are sent to the game server 2208 for processing. As in systems 1300 and 400, the gaming system 2208 also communicates with the payout provider 2216 to process the player's request to purchase additional tokens in the game. In addition, the game server 2208 may also communicate with the payment provider 2216 to transmit the prize or jackpot won by the player to the player's bank account. Similar to system 1300, game server 2208 has the functionality to send information containing advertisements to players at computing devices 2212. This is made possible by its communication with advertiser server 2224 to collect data about advertisements. The manner in which these devices communicate to process a player's request is similar to those described in connection with system 1300 and will not be described in further detail.

Unique to the system 2200 is the use of a scratch server 2232, an application server 2228, and a current game database 2236. Unlike systems 1300 and 400, database 2220, which is directly accessible by game server 2208, may not contain information about a particular iteration of a game. Such information is contained separately in the current game database 2236. In other words, while the database 2200 contains information relating to gamer profiles, financial information for players, player history, advertisements, and various technical information, the current games database 2236 contains information relating to the player's selection of grid cells for each current game of play. This includes information about each round such as grid cell ID, grid cell location, selection identification, selection time, user identification of the selector, and the result of the selection. The current game database may also include an answer sheet. In some embodiments, database 2220 and current game database 2236 are contained in a single database. In these embodiments, the game server 2208 may have access to all of the information in the single database. Alternatively, the game server 2208 may only have permission to read or change certain portions of the database, and may only make changes or view other portions by controlling the scratch server 2232.

As shown in fig. 22, the game server has no direct access to the current game database 2236 and no access to the general information contained in the database 2220. The game server 2208 may send command signals and information to the scratch server 2232 and the application server 2228. The scratch server 2232 has the ability to make changes to the current game database 2236. In contrast, the app server 2228 may only request information from the current game database 2236 and make no changes directly thereto. Alternatively, the application server 2228 may request changes to the database simply by sending a request to the scratch server 2232. In similar embodiments of the disclosed invention, there may be any number of scratch servers 2232 and application servers 2228. Multiple application servers 2228 may be used to process multiple requests by game server 22208 in parallel. Similarly, multiple application servers may process multiple requests to make changes to the current game database 2228 in parallel with each scratch server responsible for a portion of the database.

In other embodiments, the scratch server 2232 or the application server 2228 may be incorporated into the game server 2208 such that the game server 2208 would function as these devices. In still other embodiments, the scratch server 2232 and the application server 228 may be combined into one server.

Prior to the start of the key treasure hunt game, the game server 2208 may send an indication signal to the scratch pad server 2228 to generate a response table, or the response table may be generated on another machine, stored in an encrypted manner and subsequently read in and decrypted by the scratch pad server. In some embodiments, including embodiments in which the functionality of the scratch server 2228 is incorporated into the game server 2208, this may occur automatically without the need for an indication signal. Using predetermined game settings, such as the number of grid cells in the map, the number of prizes, and the maximum number of rounds expected in the game, the scratch server may generate a response table. In particular, using the number of grid cells and the maximum number of rounds, the scratch server 2232 can determine a sequence of key increment rounds in the game, such as by using the Python code disclosed above. For each round in which a known key is added to the map, the scratch server 2228 may randomly determine the location of the key using any known method, including those previously discussed in connection with other embodiments of the present invention. One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that additional, previously discussed factors may also be used to generate an answer table that includes the number of levels of prizes, the desired number of most rounds for each level of prizes.

After the answer table is generated, the answer table may be encrypted and stored in the current game database 2236. In a preferred embodiment, the response table is encrypted using a public key. Encryption may be performed in any manner known to those of ordinary skill in the art, including the Data Encryption Standard (DES) algorithm, the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) algorithm, the two-fish algorithm (Twofish), Serpent, triple DES (triple DES), the international data encryption algorithm, RC4, or other known symmetric key algorithms. In some embodiments, asymmetric encryption may also be used.

Each scratch server may access the information by downloading it from the current game database 2232, decrypting it using a private encryption key known in the art, and storing it in its local memory.

When the player views information about the currently playing game, such as map information, previous selection information, currently available prize information, prize award history, and all other relevant information, etc., the client's computing device 2212 may request information from the game server 2208. The game server may then send a signal requesting such information from application server 2228. With its read-only access to the current game database 2236, the app server 2228 may then receive this information and reply to the game server 2208. With this information, the game server may format the information in a manner that may be received by the client device 2212 and displayed to the player.

When the player selects a grid cell during the play of the key treasure hunt game, the game server 2208 may receive the request and send a signal to the at least one application server 2228. At least a portion of the transmitted signal contains information about the request including grid cell ID, grid cell location, selection identification, selection time, user identification of the selector, and selection result. Upon receiving the request, the application server 2228 may send a request to at least one scratch server 2232.

Using the information contained in the signal, the scratch server 2232 can then record the change in the current game database, including recording the current selection. Further, the scratch server 2232 may have a function of determining whether the player wins a prize by using information contained in the current game database, and specifically, information contained in the answer table. Using the known current round number and the requested grid cell to be selected, the scratch server 2232 determines that the player wins if the current round number is greater than or equal to the key increment entry for the selected grid cell. The scratch server 2232 may then use the player's winnings and other information to update the current games database 2236. In some embodiments, the application server 2232 has functionality to determine whether a player wins. The application server 2232 would then signal the scratch server 2232 to make the necessary changes to the current game database to update the player's winnings. In any event, the application server 2228 and scratch server 2232 ultimately send back to the game server 2208 various signals disclosing the player's selection results. The game server may then send a signal back to the client server 2212 in the form that the client can appropriately process and display to the player.

In some implementations, when the scratch server receives a request to make a change to a portion of the current game database 2236, it places the request in a queue. The requests in the queue may thus be processed in the order in which they were received. In some embodiments, some requests may have priority over all other requests, and thus may be processed immediately when received. For example, it may be a request for a player to be given a bonus choice (which grants priority over others).

In embodiments having multiple scratch servers 2232, the scratch servers 2232 work together to ensure that the data in the current game database 2236 is properly updated. In one embodiment, portions of the database 2236 are partitioned among scratch servers 2236, with each portion assigned to one server 2236. This may ensure that the data is correctly updated. In another embodiment, there is a primary scratch server 2232 that receives all requests. It can thus designate a particular scratch server 2232 in real time to update the database while ensuring that access to the same portion of the database is not given to another server at the same time. Using these methods, the current game database 2236 may be changed in parallel by multiple scratch servers 2236. The primary scratch server 2236 will ensure that the results are identical to those if processed sequentially by one scratch server 2236.

In some embodiments of the disclosed invention, each grid cell may contain multiple players. A layer of a particular grid cell may not be accessed until a layer above the particular layer has been accessed. Thus, when a player selects a grid cell while playing the game, he or she automatically selects the next available layer in the grid cell.

Prizes are distributed throughout the map in various grid cell layers. Further, prizes in lower layers may be more valuable than prizes in higher layers. Prizes that are hidden at the grid cells may be stored in one particular layer but not the other. In some embodiments, treasures may be found in multiple layers of grid cells, requiring a player to successfully select all adjacent layers including portions of the prize without intervention by other players. In addition, the number of layers of the grid cell may be different from grid cell to grid cell. Still further, in some embodiments of the invention, the probability that a prize is located in one tier of a particular grid cell is higher than the probability when a prize is located in another tier of the same grid cell.

There are various ways in which a map having multiple layers may be presented to a player. For example, there may be no indication of the presence of a layer at all. After the layers are selected and prizes are awarded (if won), the map may simply depict that the grid cells are still selectable. A grid is indicated as not selectable only after all grid cells have been selected.

Fig. 23, which depicts an interface 2300 of a game showing a map with multiple grid cells, also shows other ways in which layers may be presented. Each grid cell may indicate the number of layers of the particular grid cell that has been selected. For example, grid cell 2304 shows that the player has selected the grid cell once and accessed the top level. Further, grid cell 2308 indicates that the player of the game has selected all layers and cannot be selected any more. In some embodiments, each grid cell may be selectable to look for additional information about the cell. In interface 2300, a menu 2312 may be superimposed on the map showing certain information of the grid, such as how many levels have been selected, whether a prize has been won in those layers, who selected the layer, and other pertinent information. In another embodiment, when a grid cell is selected, a three-dimensional depiction of the grid cell is displayed with each layer of the grid cell as part of the cell. For example, the three-dimensional grid cell may be a box representing a square grid cell having a predetermined depth. When there are three mesh layers, the upper third of the cartridge can be depicted as one layer. For example, it may be shown as water. The next third of the box may then be shown as soil, for example. Finally, the lower third of the grid cells may be depicted as bedrock. The previously selected layer may be grayed out or may be depicted as having been previously dug out. Selecting a single layer may make the player more aware about each layer. Thus, the use of layers in the map enables prizes to be hidden in multiple layers per grid cell. The player may use these information interfaces to make his or her selection of grid cells.

In some embodiments of the GeoSweep treasure hunt game, prizes may be distributed throughout a map in a group of grid cells. In a predetermined play of the game, the prizes are distributed in a random group in the map before the game starts. The clusters may have different sizes, locations and distributions. The clusters may also have various shapes. Thus, the prizes may be arranged along a line or in a particular shape such as a box, star, or triangle. There may be grid cells in these groups that do not contain prizes.

The prizes in the game of the disclosed invention may be larger than one grid cell. A player may be required to successfully select all adjacent grid cells to win the entire prize before any other player. Alternatively, the player may win a portion of the prize by selecting each grid cell containing a portion of a large prize. In these examples, he may also receive a larger prize, such as a progressive prize pool, if he can successfully select all grid cells containing the entire prize. In some embodiments, selection of a grid cell results in the display of a portion of the picture or shape in the selected grid cell, as shown in FIG. 24. Thus, as shown in fig. 24, the exposed portions of the grid cells may provide clues to the player where the relevant portion of the prize (in this case the residue of the dinosaur fossil) may be. In yet another embodiment, portions of the prize may be randomly distributed throughout the map. When a player successfully selects a grid cell associated with a larger prize, he or she may win a bonus prize or progressive pool.

In an embodiment of a game that maps real-world locations, such as new york city, the prizes may be arranged in grid cells at various real-world locations. For example, the prizes may be arranged in grid cells of all soccer fields in the map. This way of distributing the prizes may also enable advertisers to sponsor prizes located at real world locations of their businesses. For example, each grid containing a business location or automated teller machine of a bank in New York City may include a prize. When a player selects a winning grid cell, advertisements may be displayed to the player in the manner previously discussed above. The player wins a prize. Importantly, placing the prizes in these locations may provide clues to the player that other banking locations and ATMs may include prizes. In some instances, prizes may be won multiple times by different players at these sponsored locations. This also gives players the motivation to play games using mobile devices with global positioning systems, as discussed later.

In other embodiments of the invention, when one or more adjacent grid cells have a prize, the probability that the grid cell contains the prize is higher. Therefore, when a player selects a grid cell in the dynamic play of a game, there is a high probability that the player will win a prize when he or she wins a prize in a grid cell arranged adjacently. In one embodiment, for these grid cells, the winning factor F is compared to grid cells that are not adjacent to any winning grid cell_WMay be larger. In embodiments that include a level game, the probability of finding a key may also be higher when a nearby grid cell contains a key. In an embodiment of the GeoSweep treasure hunt game that includes layers, prizes are also clustered in groups of nearby grid cells and each grid cellIn the respective layers of (a).

In some embodiments of the presently disclosed invention, players may have the ability to protect and retain grid cells. In playing a game, there are situations in which: the player may find it advantageous to hide the outcome of his selection. For example, in games that include clusters of prizes, and in games that reveal cues or pictures of locations in selected grid cells that provide other prizes, a player may be disadvantaged if the winning outcome of the player or underlying portions of the pictures are revealed to other players. In this case, the player may have the ability to pay a certain number of tokens to delay his results for a period of time or for multiple rounds. The player may need to pay more tokens for a longer delay period. As a more rigorous means of protection, the player may also retain grid cells that he or she has not selected but are scheduled to select in the future. Using this mechanism in a game enables a player to prevent other players from selecting the grid cells for a period of time or multiple rounds. The number of tokens required to protect the grid cells may be greater than the number of tokens required to hide the results from the public.

In yet another embodiment of the disclosed invention, a player may play a game on a mobile device. The mobile device described above may be considered a computing device and thus may have the various components and capabilities of the computing device previously discussed in connection with fig. 4. Further, these mobile devices may incorporate a global positioning system that enables the location of the mobile device to be determined. Any mobile device that includes the ability to determine the location of the mobile device is within the scope of the presently disclosed invention. This may include any assisted global positioning system (a-GPS), Hybrid Global Positioning System (HGPS), and any other system that may determine the location of a device using cellular, radio, or other wireless technologies.

Game players using mobile devices may access features unique to those players. In particular, in games with maps of real world locations, a player may have access to grid cells that are not accessible to players playing games on non-mobile devices. These grid cells may require that the player be physically located at a real-world location depicted in the grid cell of the game to select the grid cell to determine whether there is a prize at the grid cell. Other grid cells may enable a player to select the grid cell even when the player is not at the location, but may provide a player physically located at the respective location with a higher rank prize or a higher probability of winning a prize. In some embodiments, the selection of a grid cell occurs automatically when the player is located in a position associated with the grid cell. This feature may be used by a merchant to reward players who visit the merchant's retail location. For example, a grocery store may award players to enter their store by giving the players access to the grid cell that includes the grocery store. The player may also be rewarded with coupons for merchandise in the store. Accordingly, the prizes associated with these locations may be used to further promote the merchant.

Certain embodiments of the disclosed invention enable the use of retail locations and real-world tickets in conjunction with online map-based games disclosed herein. At a retail location, the gaming machine may enable a user to play a game that includes the various embodiments and features disclosed herein. Fig. 25 depicts one such machine, shown with a display 2504 and input devices such as a keyboard 2504 and joystick 2512. Other input means may be used in various other embodiments. The machine may be a computing device containing many components well known in the computer arts. It may also have many of the same capabilities as the computing device of fig. 4 previously discussed, including the ability to connect to a network such as the internet. The user may insert money to receive in-game tokens using the slot 2516. Alternatively, he or she may log into the machine using his game account. The player may play the game in the same manner as previously described, such as by selecting a grid cell and wagering on one or more tokens. If the player wins, he or she may be awarded a progressive pool or prize in the game. When a player leaves the game, he or she may have a ticket printed from the machine indicating how much the player won and other awards he or she may receive from playing the game at the retail location. Alternatively, he may update the account using the machine's connection to a network, such as the network depicted in FIG. 4. The player may also redeem his winnings from a prize store 2520 or from a cash register at the retail location. Prize hopper 2420 may output cash and coins for the player's prize.

Using the ticket, the player can perform various actions. For example, the player may use the information contained on the ticket at a computing device as discussed in connection with FIG. 4. He can log into his account on the computing device and enter information on the ticket so his credit award can be added to his account. In some implementations, a computing device with a camera may be used to input information onto the instrument. A camera may be used to take a picture or video of the instrument. The game or computing device may automatically detect the information on the ticket and update the user's account accordingly. This may be made possible by any known image or video data detection method such as optical character recognition and barcode detection. In one embodiment, the ticket may be detected using radio frequency, such as by a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag. In these cases, the game or computing device may accordingly contain a device that can detect these tags and process the information.

Additional reward capabilities or tokens may be redeemed on the computing device against the aforementioned tickets. For example, a player may receive a free token on his account by playing a game at a retail location. The game may enable players to select grid cells that are restricted to other players, such as grid cells that have been retained by certain marketers as a means of promotion. In games that use real world maps, players may be required to receive tickets to access certain grid cells from retail locations associated with the grid cells. For example, a bank in New York City may require a player to receive a ticket at a real world location depicted in a grid cell to select the grid cell in a game. Thus, a player may access a real world location, such as an ATM or a bank, depicted in a grid cell to receive a ticket granting the player access in a game.

These grid cells may have a higher probability of winning a prize or be associated with a proprietary prize. The ticket may also enable the player to gain access to proprietary games that are not publicly available to the player. These games may have a smaller map with a greater number of prizes, giving the player a greater chance to win.

The ticket may raise a temporary probability of the user winning a prize, i.e., a "bonus period". For example, in GeoSweep treasure hunt "dynamic play," when a player selects a grid cell, he or she receives a bonus period that raises the player's winning opportunity. Thus, when a player selects a grid cell and the probability algorithm discussed above is executed, the chance of winning will be greater than during normal play. Thus, for all grid cells selected by the player during the bonus period, the win factor F_WThe value of (d) will be greater than 1. In some embodiments, the ticket may grant the player a temporary elevation for a particular number of selections. In "scheduled play of game", the bonus period may enable the user to learn clues where the prizes are. Thus, for example, in a map of 200 available grid cells with one known prize, 100 grid cells may be grayed out in the game. Thus, the chance that the player receives grid cells doubles during these bonus sessions.

Scratch-card (Scratch-card) coupons may also be purchased from retail locations. These scratch cards may have all of the features of a conventional scratch card in which a player may scratch off a portion of the card to receive a prize. These scratchcards may grant the user access to the coupons from the retail machines as well as to various features of the user. For example, one of the tickets' prizes may be a code redeemable on a mobile device, retail machine, or computing device, giving the player an additional token, access to a proprietary game, or even a bonus period, etc.

Players selected as winners in the GeoSweep, Free2play, GeoSweep hunt and embodiments thereof are awarded prizes and progressive pools including cash, game tokens, prize periods and substance prizes as discussed previously. Further, in some embodiments, a winning player may be awarded an invitation to access at least one bonus game. The game may be GeoSweep, Free2play, GeoSweep treasure hunt, or another game that is entirely another game, and may provide the player with a better prize and a larger jackpot. In addition, these games are specific to the player who selects the grid cell containing the invitation. Other bonus games may be accessible to the public but require free access to play the game. The player receives access free of charge in these situations.

The presently disclosed invention may also grant a user access to multiple social networking functions. Because the sweet pick game may contain millions of participating users, these functions enable each player to meet, communicate, and interact with other users of the game. Social networks may further facilitate and maintain interest in games over time. In addition to basic and traditional social networking functions, such as the ability to communicate with each other, embodiments of the presently disclosed invention enable players to maintain a list of players that they may know about. The list may also enable the player to keep track of the player's status on the list. Thus, while one player is playing a game, the other player may know. The players may decide to talk to each other and discuss the strategy and the recently winning grid cell. Some embodiments also enable a player to determine grid cells that another player has selected, facilitating a social effect. Players may also share media and information with each other. Finally, embodiments of the game also enable players to interact with people outside the game. This includes the ability to invite others to the game. When someone is recommended to the game, he or she can start playing the game with a certain number of tokens. In addition, players who recommend new players may also receive tokens for their efforts. Another feature is the ability to associate a player's profile with an external site, enabling players to share the player's gaming information and status. Thus, when the player makes an announcement or wins a lottery, the event may be automatically announced to the external websites.

The various embodiments and features of the presently disclosed invention may be used in any combination, and combinations of these embodiments and features are also within the scope of the invention. While the foregoing description includes many specifics and specifics, it is to be understood that these are included for purposes of illustration only and are not to be construed as limitations of the invention. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that other modifications may be made to the above-described embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, such modifications are to be considered within the scope of this invention as included within the following claims and their legal equivalents.

Claims (23)

1. A computer-implemented method for a map-based prize discovery game, the method comprising:

establishing an online game based on a map comprising a plurality of grid cells, wherein the map is a map of a geographic area and each of at least one grid cell on the map is associated with a respective real-world location;

arranging at least one object that is hidingly associated with one or more predetermined grid cells in the map;

receiving at least one token from a first player;

automatically receiving a selection of the at least one grid cell by the first player based on the player's real world location;

associating the selected at least one first grid cell with the first player;

determining whether the first player wins a prize based on the selection of the at least one first grid cell and the arrangement of the at least one object that is covertly associated with the one or more predetermined grid cells in the map.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

if the first player does not win any prize, the at least one token is contributed to the prize, thereby increasing the amount of prizes for subsequent winners.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising: accepting registration of a plurality of players in the map-based game after the game is established.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one token is distributed to the first player free of charge, the method further comprising: presenting at least one advertising item from at least one source, wherein the at least one advertising item contributes at least a portion of the at least one prize.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of establishing a map-based game comprises: providing an instrument to the first player at a retail location, wherein the instrument enables the first player to use at least one function in the online game when the instrument is processed by a device.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the at least one function is selected from the group consisting of:

giving the player a greater probability of winning the prize;

giving the player the ability to select at least one grid cell; and

the player is given one or more tokens.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one object comprises a plurality of related objects arranged in the map according to a common relationship.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one grid cell of the plurality of grid cells is associated with a permission that determines whether the grid cell can be selected by a second player after the first player has selected the grid cell.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising: exposing the at least one object to the first player if the first player's selection of the at least one first grid cell matches the arrangement of the one or more predetermined grid cells in the map.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the first player's winning selection is hidden from the second player for a predetermined period of time.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of grid cells comprises a plurality of layers, wherein the at least one object is arranged in at least one layer of the one or more predetermined grid cells.

12. A computer-implemented method for a map-based prize discovery game, the method comprising:

establishing an online game based on a map comprising a plurality of grid cells, wherein the map is a map of a geographic area and each of at least one grid cell on the map is associated with a respective real-world location;

receiving at least one token from a first player;

automatically receiving a selection of the at least one grid cell by the first player based on the player's real world location;

associating the selected at least one first grid cell with the first player;

determining whether to reveal a hidden object to the first player based on a probability calculation; and

exposing the hidden object in response to the step of determining.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising: accepting registration of a plurality of players in the map-based game after the online game is established.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the probability calculation takes into account the number of grid cells in the game that have not been selected and the total number of objects revealed.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising the step of: contributing the at least one token to the prize based on the determining step, thereby increasing an amount of prizes for subsequent winners.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein each object of the at least one object is associated with one of a plurality of levels, and wherein the probability calculation takes into account the level associated with the selected at least one first grid cell.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the at least one token is distributed to the first player free of charge, the method further comprising: presenting at least one advertising item from at least one source, wherein the at least one advertising item contributes at least a portion of the at least one prize.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of establishing a map-based game comprises providing a ticket to the first player at a retail location, wherein the ticket enables the first player to use at least one function in the online game when the ticket is processed by a device.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the at least one function comprises at least one from the group consisting of:

giving the player a greater probability of winning the prize;

giving the player the ability to select at least one grid cell; and

the player is given one or more tokens.

20. The method of claim 12, wherein at least one of the grid cells is associated with a permission that determines whether the grid cell can be selected by a second player after the first player has selected the grid cell.

21. The method of claim 12, further comprising: displaying a result of the determining step to at least the first player.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the outcome is hidden from the second player for a predetermined period of time.

23. The method of claim 12, wherein each grid cell of the plurality of grid cells comprises a plurality of layers, wherein at least one layer of the selected at least one first grid cell is associated with the player.