U.S. patent application number 12/457396 was filed with the patent office on 2010-12-09 for on-line betting game.
Invention is credited to Roland Moreno.
Application Number | 20100311495 12/457396 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 43301133 |
Filed Date | 2010-12-09 |
United States Patent
Application |
20100311495 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Moreno; Roland |
December 9, 2010 |
On-line betting game
Abstract
The game is implemented by means of a computer system that
comprising at least one terminal suitable for presenting data to a
player and for enabling the player to provide parameters to the
system; and a game site coupled to each terminal. The game
comprises the following sequence of successive steps: a) presenting
the player with a plurality of N competitor-elements forming a
predefined set, the competitor-elements being suitable for being
classified as a whole in an ordered list that can be determined
after some future event has occurred; b) asking the player to
select one of the N competitor-elements as a reference element; and
c) asking the player to select one of the N-1 remaining
competitor-elements as a competitor-element, with the player
forecasting that it is to have a relative rank in the
classification that is higher, or respectively lower, than that of
the reference element; to the exclusion of forecasting the winning
competitor-elements that will present the highest absolute ranks
after classification has occurred; and after the future event has
occurred: d) if the relative rank of the competitor-element is
higher, or respectively lower, than that of the reference element,
calculating a winning score and allocating the score to the
player.
Inventors: |
Moreno; Roland; (Paris,
FR) |
Correspondence
Address: |
JACOBSON HOLMAN PLLC
400 SEVENTH STREET N.W., SUITE 600
WASHINGTON
DC
20004
US
|
Family ID: |
43301133 |
Appl. No.: |
12/457396 |
Filed: |
June 9, 2009 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
463/25 ;
463/42 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G07F 17/32 20130101;
G07F 17/3288 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
463/25 ;
463/42 |
International
Class: |
A63F 9/24 20060101
A63F009/24 |
Claims
1. An on-line betting game implemented by means of a computer
system that comprises: at least one terminal suitable for
presenting data to a player and for enabling the player to provide
parameters to the system; and a game site coupled to each terminal;
and the game comprising the following sequence of successive steps:
a) presenting the player with a plurality of N competitor-elements
forming a predefined set, the competitor-elements being suitable
for being classified as a whole in an ordered list that can be
determined after some future event has occurred; b) asking the
player to select one of the N competitor-elements as a reference
element; and c) asking the player to select one of the N-1
remaining competitor-elements as a competitor-element, with the
player forecasting that it is to have a relative rank in the
classification that is higher, or respectively lower, than that of
the reference element; to the exclusion of forecasting the winning
competitor-elements that will present the highest absolute ranks
after classification has occurred; and after the future event has
occurred: d) if the relative rank of the competitor-element is
higher, or respectively lower, than that of the reference element,
calculating a winning score and allocating the score to the
player.
2. The game of claim 1, wherein the winning score calculated in
step d) is an inverse function of the difference between the rank
of the competitor-element and the rank of the reference
element.
3. The game of claim 1, wherein the winning score is allocated to
the player solely if the ranks of the competitor-element and of the
reference element are consecutive.
4. An on-line betting game implemented by means of a computer
system that comprises: at least one terminal suitable for
presenting data to a player and for enabling the player to provide
parameters to the system; and a game site coupled to each terminal;
and the game comprising the following sequence of successive steps:
a) presenting the player with a plurality of N competitor-elements
forming a predefined set, the competitor-elements being suitable
for being classified as a whole in an ordered list that can be
determined after some future event has occurred; b) asking the
player to select one of the N competitor-elements as a reference
element; and c) asking the player to select one of the N-1
remaining competitor-elements as a first competitor-element, with
the player forecasting that it is to have a relative rank in the
classification that is higher than that of the reference element;
d) asking the player to select one of the N-2 remaining
competitor-elements as a second competitor-element, with the player
forecasting that it is to have a relative rank in the
classification that is lower than that of the reference element; to
the exclusion of forecasting the winning competitor-elements that
will present the highest absolute ranks after classification has
occurred; and after the future event has occurred: e) calculating a
winning score and allocating this score to the player if: 1) the
rank of the first competitor-element is higher than that of the
reference element; and 2) the rank of the second competitor-element
is lower than that of the reference element.
5. The game of claim 4, wherein the winning score calculated in
step e) is an inverse function: 1) of the difference between the
rank of the first competitor-element and the rank of the reference
element; and 2) of the difference between the rank of the second
competitor-element and the rank of the reference element.
6. The game of claim 4, wherein the winning score is calculated and
allocated to the player only if, in addition: 1) the rank of the
first competitor-element and of the reference element are
consecutive; and 2) the ranks of the second competitor-element and
of the reference element are also consecutive.
7. The game of claim 4, further including the following steps: in
steps c) and d): c1) also asking the player to select one of the
N-3 remaining competitor-elements as a third competitor-element,
for which the player forecasts that it will have a relative rank in
the classification that is higher than that of the first
competitor-element; d1) asking the player to select one of the
remaining N-4 competitor-elements as a fourth competitor-element,
that the player forecasts will have a relative rank in the
classification that is lower than that of the second
competitor-element; and in step e): calculating a winning score and
allocating it to the player if, in addition: 3) the relative rank
of the third competitor-element is higher than that of the first
competitor-element; and 4) the relative rank of the fourth
competitor-element is lower than that of the second
competitor-element.
8. The game of claim 4, wherein a subsidiary winning score is
allocated to the player if the respective rank of the first
competitor-element, the second competitor-element, and the
reference element are consecutive, but without the right
placings.
9. The game of claim 4, wherein: steps c1) and d1) are iterated at
least one additional time with successive remaining
competitor-elements; and in step e), the winning score is
calculated and allocated to the player if, in addition: 5) the
relative ranks of the competitor-elements selected during these
iterations are progressively higher; and 6) the relative ranks of
the competitor-elements selected during these iterations are
progressively lower.
10. The game of claim 4, wherein the elements are programs
broadcast simultaneously on respective television channels, and
said predefined criterion is the audience rating achieved by each
of the channels while broadcasting said programs.
11. The game of claim 4, wherein the elements are sporting teams
playing in a given category, and said predefined criterion is the
classification obtained by each of the teams in said category at
the end of a series of competitions.
12. The game of claim 4, wherein the elements are securities listed
on the same market, and said predefined criterion is the mark of
each of the securities at a predetermined moment.
13. The method of claim 4, wherein steps b) to d) are implemented
via a graphics interface having a series of fields displayed on a
screen of the terminal, these fields being movable by controlled
action of the player so as to cause them to be dragged across the
screen and form a stack that is representative of the player's
choice.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The invention relates to an on-line betting game implemented
by computer means in which a player makes a forecast relating to
the ordering of a plurality of competitor-elements from a given
set, the order being established after some future event has
occurred, and being unknown to the player at the time the forecast
is made.
DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART
[0002] Numerous interactive on-line games are known that make use
of a game site and a terminal that is available to a player, for
example those that are described in applications US 2006/0281510 A1
for "Computer-implemented question-and-answer game" and US
2008/0293480 A1 for "A method of developing the activity of an
on-line forecasting site", both in the name of Moreno, and
incorporated herein by reference.
[0003] Those applications describe on-line games based on making
forecasts: for example, in application US 2006/0281510 A1, a
question from an opinion poll is put to the player and the player
is requested, not to give his or her own opinion for answering the
poll, but rather to guess the result that was obtained using the
population that was polled, a result that the player naturally does
not know. In application US 2008/0293480 A1, the player is asked to
make a forecast, e.g. concerning the audience for a television
program, or indeed the weather situation on the following day, or
the results of sporting or stock exchange events.
[0004] In general, betting games are based on making forecasts,
i.e. the player is asked to make a conjecture concerning some
future event that is essentially deterministic, i.e. that involves
little or no chance, unlike games that involve a smaller or greater
random element or even games in which luck plays an essential part
such as lotto games, casino games, etc.
[0005] Another characteristic of such betting games is that they do
not involve hidden data, insofar as the unknown parameter (the rank
of the competitor-elements in the order) is future data that is not
yet known during the period when the players are invited to make
their forecasts.
[0006] Such games are generally simple derivatives of traditional
sports betting such as combination betting on horse races (on the
first three, or four, or five, . . . places), where the player is
asked to forecast which of the competitors in the list submitted to
the player will be amongst the first three (or four, or five, . . .
) places, i.e. the three (or four, or five, . . . ) of them that
will be at the top of the ordering once the event has occurred,
i.e. after the test has taken place.
[0007] The winning player is the player who forecasts which
competitor-elements (the horses) will come in the first places.
Numerous variants make it possible to increase the kinds of bet
that can be made and to vary accordingly the winnings that can be
allocated: bets with or without the right placings, etc.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] The object of the present invention is to propose a novel
form of bet making it possible to extend the range of games beyond
the above-mentioned traditional formulae such as first three, five,
etc., all of which are based on forecasting the winners of the test
and the order in which they will be placed at the top of the
list.
[0009] Essentially, the game of the invention consists in: i)
allowing the player to select any one of the competitor-elements
from the set presented to the player (which selected element is
referred to below as the "reference element"); and ii) asking the
player to forecast which competitor-elements, according to the
player, will lie immediately before and/or immediately after the
reference element in the final order, once the future event has
taken place.
[0010] In its most general form, the game of the invention is
implemented by means of a computer system having at least one
terminal suitable for presenting data to a player and for enabling
the player to provide parameters to the system, and a player site
that is coupled to each terminal, and the game comprises the
following sequence of successive steps:
[0011] a) presenting the player with a plurality of N
competitor-elements forming a predefined set, the
competitor-elements being suitable for being classified as a whole
in an ordered list that can be determined after some future event
has occurred;
[0012] b) asking the player to select one of the N
competitor-elements as a reference element; and
[0013] c) asking the player to select one of the N-1 remaining
competitor-elements as a competitor-element, with the player
forecasting that it is to have a relative rank in the
classification that is higher, or respectively lower, than that of
the reference element; to the exclusion of forecasting the winning
competitor-elements that will present the highest absolute ranks
after classification has occurred; and after the future event has
occurred:
[0014] d) if the relative rank of the competitor-element is higher,
or respectively lower, than that of the reference element,
calculating a winning score and allocating the score to the
player.
[0015] The game of the invention thus presents two particular
features compared with traditional betting games:
[0016] 1) it is based on a relative classification, i.e. the game
does not consist in asking the player to forecast the best
competitors, but only to forecast which competitor-element is going
to be classified immediately before and/or immediately after a
reference element selected by the player; and
[0017] 2) the player is free to select the reference element that
can be selected from amongst any of the competitor-elements, even,
and above all, from amongst competitor-elements that are not
expected to be situated at the top of the classification (i.e. the
"favorites").
[0018] Numerous variants can be envisaged, thereby enabling the
winnings that are allocated to players to be modulated.
[0019] Thus, it is indeed possible to restrict the bet to selecting
the competitor-element that will be situated immediately before
(and/or immediately after) the reference element in the
classification, i.e. to allocate a winning score to the player only
if the ranks of the competitor-element and of the reference element
are consecutive in the final classification.
[0020] However, it is also possible to nevertheless allocate a
winning score to a player if all of the competitor-elements have
been put in the right order relative to the reference element, i.e.
if the competitor-element proposed is indeed classified before
(and/or after) the reference element, even if the
competitor-element is not immediately before (and/or immediately
after) the reference element once the future event has
occurred.
[0021] Under such circumstances, the score may be calculated as an
inverse function of the difference in ranking between the
competitor-element and the reference element, i.e. the score is
higher when the proposed competitor-element and reference element
are closer together in the classification, with the highest score
being allocated when the competitor-element is situated immediately
before (and/or immediately after) the reference element.
[0022] Another variant consists in asking the player to forecast
which will be the two (or more) competitor-elements that precede
(and/or follow) the reference element in the classification. The
score will naturally be correspondingly higher when the forecast
does indeed correspond to a correct and immediately consecutive
order for the various competitor-elements relative to the reference
elements.
[0023] The game of the invention can be applied to a very great
variety of competitor-elements:
[0024] programs broadcast simultaneously on various television
channels, the classification being based on the audience ratings
achieved by each of the channels while broadcasting the programs in
question;
[0025] securities listed on the same market, with the
classification being determined by the mark of each of the
securities at a predetermined moment;
[0026] sports teams playing in a common category, the
classification being that obtained by each of the teams in the
category at the end of a series of competitions.
[0027] Advantageously, the player selects the reference element and
the competitor-elements for forecasting purposes via a graphics
interface comprising a series of fields displayed on a screen of
the terminal, these fields being movable under controlled action of
the player so as to drag the fields on the screen and make a stack
that is representative of the player's forecast.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
[0028] There follows a more detailed description of an
implementation of the invention, with reference to the accompanying
drawing.
[0029] FIG. 1 shows an example of a computer system suitable for
use in the context of the game of the invention, illustrating the
various functional units involved in implementing the game.
[0030] FIG. 2 shows an example of the way in which the screen
appears in the game of the invention and the way in which the
player makes choices.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0031] FIG. 1 shows a computer system suitable for implementing the
invention by means of an Internet site with which the player can
make a connection by any appropriate means, in particular by means
of a computer, or of a portable telephone or a personal digital
assistant (PDA) suitable for exchanging data with the game site via
a cellular network, using various well-known technologies. However
this configuration is not limiting in any way, and the invention
can be implemented in other ways, providing there are means
available for interactive bidirectional data interchange between
the player and the game site that organizes the sequencing of the
various steps of the method of the invention.
[0032] In FIG. 1, reference 10 designates microcomputers used by
players. Each microcomputer 10 is connected to a telecommunications
network constituted in this example by a terrestrial wired network
such as a telephone network (in switched mode or in DSL mode), a
cable distribution network, or indeed a connection to the Internet
via a server that is common to a plurality of stations.
[0033] The game may also be implemented on cell phones 12 having
functions that enable them to exchange digital data using various
well-known technologies such as SMS, WAP, GPRS, or UMTS-3G. The
users of such networks can thus occupy idle moments (on public
transport, while in a waiting room, etc.) by playing the game of
the invention, with the hope of winning prizes.
[0034] The computer or telephone terminals 10 or 12 are connected
via appropriate respective interfaces 14, 16 to a game site 20 that
is suitable for exchanging digital data with the terminals. The
user begins by identifying him or herself with the game site 20 by
a protocol that is itself conventional, and comprising, as
appropriate, issuing a specific address or telephone number and
then sending a subscriber identifier or number (login) and a
password.
[0035] Each terminal can display text messages on a screen, and in
particular information received from the game site 20, with it
being possible for the user to key-in alphanumeric data and send it
in return to the game site 20.
[0036] In this respect, the game site 20 acts, in combination with
the interfaces 14 and 16, to format messages as a function of the
type of terminal used, computer terminal or telephone terminal.
Thus, for computer terminals 10, the messages are formatted so as
to be capable of being received and displayed in the form of web
pages readable using a browser, whereas for mobile telephones the
messages are formatted, for example, as WAP pages, that are better
suited to being displayed on a screen of small size.
[0037] One particular possibility is constituted by Apple's mobile
telephone known as an "iPhone" (registered trademark) that is
specially arranged to host applications, which applications are
advantageously suitable for being operated by means of a touch
screen.
[0038] Nevertheless, it should be observed that the content of
messages formatted by the game site 20 and by the interfaces 14 and
16, i.e. the actual information exchanged with the various
terminals, is identical regardless of the formatting, with the only
changes relating to layout, and depending on whether the
information is to be displayed on a computer terminal or on a
telephone terminal.
[0039] The various formats mentioned above for presenting
information are not limiting, and the same basic information can be
presented to players using a variety of formats, from the smallest
(screen of a portable telephone) to the largest (display on a giant
screen, e.g. in a TV studio); the difference resides solely in the
way the various pieces of information presented to the player are
presented, with the presentation being adapted to the presentation
medium being used.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED IMPLEMENTATION OF THE
INVENTION
[0040] There follows a description of how the game of the invention
takes place, in a particular preferred example.
[0041] This example is that of a forecasting game relating to the
audiences of TV programs.
[0042] It will readily be understood that this example is not
limiting, and can be transposed to other situations, in particular
to stock market indices where it is possible to define categories
and sub-categories that can constitute the subject matter of
specific bets, e.g. indices concerning companies in the energy,
transport, building, etc. sectors, or indeed indices concerning raw
materials, e.g. distinguishing between metals, precious metals,
etc.
[0043] Naturally, the invention is also applicable to more
conventional bets such as betting on horse races, the ranking of
football teams, etc.
[0044] An essential characteristic of the invention lies in the
fact that the player is not asked to bet on the ranking of the best
participants in the test, i.e. on the names of the winners (e.g.
the three TV programs having the highest ratings, or the first
three horses in a race, etc.) as happens in conventional sports
betting such as placing a combination bet on three or more horses,
with or without the right placings.
[0045] On the contrary, in the present invention, the player is
asked to bet on a group of competitors, possibly far removed from
the "favorites" group (i.e. those that have the greatest chance of
coming in first). The player begins by selecting one of these
participants (referred to as the "reference element"), and then
forecasts which competitor, according to the player, will have a
rank, after the test has been run, that is above and/or below the
rank of the selected competitor. This amounts to making a bet on a
relative ranking, with the comparison being relative to the
selected reference (the reference element).
[0046] It will be understood that the difficulty is made that much
greater by the player selecting as the reference element a
competitor with little chance of coming in first.
[0047] Although favorites are subjected to a large amount of
analysis as to their respective chances of coming in first (which
analysis is itself published in numerous media), information is
much sparser for the competitors who are not favored and who
attract much less attention from commentators, journalists, and
analysts.
[0048] With reference to FIG. 2 there follows a description of a
particular example where the competitor elements are TV
programs.
[0049] The audiences for these broadcasts are measured in terms of
a parameter that is quantified, known as the "audience rating", and
the player's forecast relates to the relative comparative ratings
of different programs, e.g. broadcast simultaneously on a plurality
of channels.
[0050] Naturally, the forecasts of the comparative audience ratings
of the various channels to be formulated before the event occurs,
i.e. before the measured audience rating is made public.
[0051] Forecasts may be accepted before the broadcast, and also
even while it is taking place (so as to simulate the interest of
players, and thus the traffic on the site), or even after the
broadcast has ended, up to some time limit prior to the publication
of audience ratings.
[0052] The player sees a display 22 appear on the screen that gives
a list 24 of television channels, e.g. the 21 most-viewed channels
amongst seven analog channels, seven broadcast digital channels,
and seven satellite channels, with each channel title being
associated with a description 26 of the program that is to be
broadcast at a particular time.
[0053] The display shown to the player may optionally depend on
parameters selected by the player, such as: time of broadcast
(prime time or evening broadcast, . . . ), the type of program
(e.g. the people invited to the program over a given period), the
list of movies that are to be broadcast on the various channels
during a given period, or any other type of bet. The player may
also select the type of bet: three- four- or five-element bet and
whether or not they need to have the right placings.
[0054] The example shown corresponds to a three-element bet but
made on the various programs broadcast simultaneously at prime time
on the various channels.
[0055] Advantageously, the player makes the bet via a graphics
interface by pointing to one of the items in the list, e.g. item 28
"Canal+" and then dragging it to a dedicated zone 30 thus giving
the channel "Canal+" as the reference element. The same means are
used to group together with the reference element 28 two other
programs that, according to the player, are going to have a higher
audience rating and a lower audience rating, respectively than the
rating of the reference element, by sliding the corresponding items
32 and 34 into the zone 30. The bet made in this way is confirmed
by clicking on a button 36.
[0056] The winning score allocated by the site will naturally be a
function of difficulty, and will be greater under the following
circumstances:
[0057] the number N of competitor-elements is large;
[0058] the forecast relates to a large number M of
competitor-elements: typically M=3 for a three-element bet (as
described above with reference to FIG. 2), M=5 for a five-element
bet (with two competitor-elements preceding the reference element
and two competitor-elements following it); and
[0059] the bet is made on the competitor-element(s) that is/are
situated "immediately before" and/or "immediately after" the
reference element in the final order, or merely "before" and/or
"after".
[0060] For a bet of the "immediately before/immediately after" the
probability of finding the combination by chance is:
[(N-M+1)!]/(N!)
[0061] For a mere "before/after" bet, this probability becomes:
1/(M!)
[0062] If it is bet merely that the results will be "grouped
together", i.e. that no other competitor-element will lie between
them in the group of M selected competitors, regardless of whether
the elements are selected with the right placings, then the
probability becomes:
M!*[(N-M+1)!]/(N!)
[0063] One way of calculating winnings can be given, by way of
example, by the following expression:
G=(10.sup.p).sup.R
where:
[0064] p=(M-2) is the "depth" of the bet, with a depth p=1
corresponding to a three-element type bet (i.e. p=1 competitor
before and 1 competitor after the reference element); and
[0065] R being a parameter referred to as the "risk factor" and
having the form:
R=1/(Focus-N)
where Focus is the rank obtained by the reference element once the
order is known: this serves to weight the risk factor, giving it a
smaller value when the player has selected as the reference element
a competitor that was well positioned in the test, therefore
corresponding a priori to a competitor that was amongst the
favorites and about which the player could have had available a
large amount of information and analyses concerning the chances of
the test prior to the test taking place.
[0066] In contrast, the greater the extent to which the forecast
relates to competitors situated far away from the favorites, the
higher the risk factor and thus the greater the hope of winning--in
exponential manner, insofar as the parameter R acts like a second
exponent.
* * * * *