U.S. patent application number 14/612625 was filed with the patent office on 2015-08-06 for methods and systems for algorithmically selected trivia gaming content.
The applicant listed for this patent is TIMEPLAY INC.. Invention is credited to Danny Galic, Jonathan Ira Hussman, John Andrew Race.
Application Number | 20150217187 14/612625 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 53754009 |
Filed Date | 2015-08-06 |
United States Patent
Application |
20150217187 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Hussman; Jonathan Ira ; et
al. |
August 6, 2015 |
METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR ALGORITHMICALLY SELECTED TRIVIA GAMING
CONTENT
Abstract
Various embodiments are described herein for methods and systems
for operating a gaming management system. The gaming management
system is configured to interface with at least one client system.
In one example embodiment, the gaming management system includes a
processor configured to establish a database of participant
records, each participant record identifying trivia gaming content
offered to the corresponding participant in one or more previous
trivia gaming sessions; store the database of participant records
in a memory; establish a database of trivia gaming content; store
the database of trivia gaming content in the memory; receive, from
the at least one client system, a request to participate in the
current trivia gaming session; and dynamically generate a plurality
of trivia gaming content items from the database of the trivia
gaming content based on the trivia gaming content offered to the
participants corresponding to the at least one client system in one
or more previous trivia gaming sessions and at least one filtering
condition.
Inventors: |
Hussman; Jonathan Ira;
(Toronto, CA) ; Race; John Andrew; (Los Angeles,
CA) ; Galic; Danny; (Toronto, CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
TIMEPLAY INC. |
Toronto |
|
CA |
|
|
Family ID: |
53754009 |
Appl. No.: |
14/612625 |
Filed: |
February 3, 2015 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
61935044 |
Feb 3, 2014 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
463/9 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63F 9/183 20130101;
G07F 17/3295 20130101; G07F 17/3227 20130101 |
International
Class: |
A63F 9/18 20060101
A63F009/18 |
Claims
1. A method of operating a gaming management system to provide a
current trivia gaming session, the gaming management system being
configured to interface with at least one client system, the method
comprises: operating at least one processor to establish a database
of participant records, each participant record identifying trivia
gaming content offered to the corresponding participant in one or
more previous trivia gaming sessions; storing the database of
participant records in a memory; operating the at least one
processor to establish a database of trivia gaming content; storing
the database of trivia gaming content in the memory; receiving,
from the at least one client system, a request to participate in
the current trivia gaming session; and dynamically generating a
plurality of trivia gaming content items from the database of the
trivia gaming content based on the trivia gaming content offered to
the participants corresponding to the at least one client system in
one or more previous trivia gaming sessions and at least one
filtering condition.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the offered trivia gaming content
comprises trivia questions.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the offered trivia gaming content
comprises trivia games of different types.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein the offered trivia gaming content
comprises an advertisement related to a trivia question offered
during the trivia gaming session.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein the offered trivia gaming content
comprises a reward offered to a winner of a trivia game.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein the offered trivia gaming content
comprises an offer for purchase.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one filtering
condition is a selection of trivia gaming content not previously
offered to any participant corresponding to the at least one client
system requesting participation in the current trivia gaming
session.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one filtering
condition is a selection of trivia gaming content offered
previously to the fewest number of participants corresponding to
the at least one client system requesting participation in the
current trivia gaming session.
9. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one filtering
condition is a selection of trivia gaming content offered
previously to fewer than a selected maximum number of participants
corresponding to the at least one client system requesting
participation in the current trivia gaming session.
10. The method of claim 1, wherein the trivia gaming content
comprises trivia questions, and the at least one filtering
condition is a selection of the trivia questions answered
incorrectly the maximum number of times in one or more previous
trivia gaming session.
11. The method of claim 1, wherein the trivia gaming content
comprises trivia questions, and the at least one filtering
condition is a selection of the trivia questions answered
incorrectly at least on a selected proportion of the instances on
which the trivia questions have presented in one or more previous
trivia gaming session.
12. The method of claim 1, wherein the trivia gaming content
comprises trivia questions, and the at least one filtering
condition is a selection of the trivia questions answered with the
most delay in one or more previous trivia gaming session.
13. The method of claim 1, wherein the trivia gaming content
comprises trivia questions, and the at least one filtering
condition is a selection of the trivia questions answered after a
selected delay in one or more previous trivia gaming session.
14. A gaming management system for providing a trivia gaming
session to at least one client system, the gaming management system
being configured to interface with the at least one client system,
the gaming management system comprising at least one processor
configured to: establish a database of participant records, each
participant record identifying trivia gaming content offered to the
corresponding participant in one or more previous trivia gaming
sessions; store the database of participant records in a memory;
establish a database of trivia gaming content; store the database
of trivia gaming content in the memory; receive, from the at least
one client system, a request to participate in the current trivia
gaming session; and dynamically generate a plurality of trivia
gaming content items from the database of the trivia gaming content
based on the trivia gaming content offered to the participants
corresponding to the at least one client system in one or more
previous trivia gaming sessions and at least one filtering
condition.
15. The gaming management system of claim 14, wherein the at least
one processor is further configured to perform the method as
defined in any one of claims 2 to 13.
16. A computer-readable medium storing computer-executable
instructions, the instructions for causing at least one processor
to perform a method of operating a gaming management system, the
gaming management system being configured to interface with at
least one client system, the method comprising: operating at least
one processor to establish a database of participant records, each
participant record identifying trivia gaming content offered to the
corresponding participant in one or more previous trivia gaming
sessions; storing the database of participant records in a memory;
operating the at least one processor to establish a database of
trivia gaming content; storing the database of trivia gaming
content in the memory; receiving, from the at least one client
system, a request to participate in the current trivia gaming
session; and dynamically generating a plurality of trivia gaming
content items from the database of the trivia gaming content based
on the trivia gaming content offered to the participants
corresponding to the at least one client system in one or more
previous trivia gaming sessions and at least one filtering
condition.
17. The computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein the method is
further defined according to any one of claims 2 to 13.
Description
FIELD
[0001] The described embodiments relate to methods and systems for
providing algorithmically selected content, and in particular, to
methods and systems for providing algorithmically selected content
in a multi-person interactive trivia gaming session.
BACKGROUND
[0002] In a trivia gaming session, such as in a multi-player or
single-player trivia session, the content offered to the
participants is typically pre-determined and fixed. Consequently,
many participants are offered repeated content irrespective of the
number of times the content has been previously seen by these
participants. This may provide an unfair advantage to those
participants in a shared session who have been previously offered
the same questions.
[0003] In some cases, the questions are retired after a
pre-determined condition is met, such as the questions appearing a
pre-determined number of times, or after a duration of 3 months, 6
months, 1 year etc. Even though this appears to keep the trivia
gaming session fair for all participants, during the time while
particular questions are active, there is a probability of unfair
advantage for frequent players or players who coincidentally see
some content in multiple sessions.
[0004] Another disadvantage of offering the fixed content for a
duration of time is the minimization of interest in the gaming
session. As content becomes predictable, there is a reduced level
of curiosity and excitement among the participants, thereby making
the experience less satisfactory.
SUMMARY
[0005] In a broad aspect, at least one embodiment described herein
provides a method of operating a gaming management system, the
gaming management system being configured to interface with at
least one client system. The method comprises operating at least
one processor to establish a database of operating at least one
processor to establish a database of participant records, each
participant record identifying trivia gaming content offered to the
corresponding participant in one or more previous trivia gaming
sessions; storing the database of participant records in a memory;
operating the at least one processor to establish a database of
trivia gaming content; storing the database of trivia gaming
content in the memory; receiving, from the at least one client
system, a request to participate in the current trivia gaming
session; and dynamically generating a plurality of trivia gaming
content items from the database of the trivia gaming content based
on the trivia gaming content offered to the participants
corresponding to the at least one client system in one or more
previous trivia gaming sessions and at least one filtering
condition.
[0006] In various embodiments, the participant record may be
associated with a particular client system, with a group of client
systems or with a particular user. A user account associated with a
particular user may include authentication information such as a
user account name and a password, biometric credentials or other
information, which must be provided by the user in order to use or
access the participant record. In embodiments where a participant
record is associated with a user, the user may be able to access
the participant record from a variety of client systems and may
request to participate in a trivia gaming session from any such
client system.
[0007] In some embodiments, the trivia gaming content offered to
the participants in the current trivia gaming session comprises
trivia questions.
[0008] In some other embodiments, the trivia gaming content offered
to the participants in the current trivia gaming session comprises
trivia games of different types.
[0009] In some further embodiments, the trivia gaming content
offered to the participants in the current trivia gaming session
comprises an advertisement related to a trivia question offered
during the trivia gaming session. The advertisement may be offered
either before, during or after each trivia game within the trivia
gaming session.
[0010] In some other embodiments, the trivia gaming content offered
to the participants in the current trivia gaming session comprises
a reward offered to a winner or winners of each trivia game within
the trivia gaming session. In some cases, the rewards may be
offered to the participants based on other criteria, such as, for
example, the participant with the quickest response, the
participant who has been participating the longest in a trivia
gaming session.
[0011] In some further embodiments, the trivia gaming content
offered to the participants in the current trivia gaming session
comprises an offer for purchase.
[0012] In some embodiments, the trivia gaming content offered to
the participants in the current trivia gaming session is a
combination of some or all of the content described above.
[0013] In some embodiments, the at least one filtering condition is
a selection of trivia gaming content not previously offered to any
participant corresponding to the at least one client system
requesting participation in the current trivia gaming session.
[0014] In some other embodiments, the at least one filtering
condition is a selection of trivia gaming content offered
previously to the fewest number of participants corresponding to
the at least one client system requesting participation in the
current trivia gaming session.
[0015] In some other embodiments, the at least one filtering
condition is a selection of trivia gaming content offered
previously to at most a selected maximum number of participants
corresponding to the at least one client system requesting
participation in the current trivia gaming session. In various
embodiments, the selected maximum number may be a fixed number, may
be selected based on the number of total participants in the
current trivia gaming session or may be selected in another
manner.
[0016] In some further embodiments, the trivia gaming content
comprises trivia questions and the at least one filtering condition
is a selection of the trivia questions answered incorrectly the
maximum number of times in one or more previous trivia gaming
session or answered incorrectly at least on a selected proportion
of the instances when the trivia questions have been presented. In
various embodiments, the selected proportion may be a predetermined
value, may be selected to permit a specific or sufficient number of
trivia questions to be available for the current trivia gaming
session or may be selected in another manner.
[0017] In some embodiments, the trivia gaming content comprises
trivia questions, and the at least one filtering condition is a
selection of the trivia questions answered with the most delay in
one or more previous trivia gaming session or answered after a
selected delay. The selected delay may be a predetermined time
period, may be selected to permit a specific or sufficient number
of trivia questions to be available for the current trivia gaming
session or may be selected in another manner.
[0018] In some embodiments, the at least one filtering condition is
a combination of some or all of the filtering conditions described
above.
[0019] In another aspect, in at least one embodiment described
herein, there is provided a gaming management system for providing
a trivia gaming session to at least one client system, the gaming
management system being configured to interface with the at least
one client system. The system comprises at least one processor
configured to establish a database of participant records, each
participant record identifying trivia gaming content offered to the
corresponding participant in one or more previous trivia gaming
sessions; store the database of participant records in a memory;
establish a database of trivia gaming content; store the database
of trivia gaming content in the memory; receive, from the at least
one client system, a request to participate in the current trivia
gaming session; and dynamically generate a plurality of trivia
gaming content items from the database of the trivia gaming content
based on the trivia gaming content offered to the participants
corresponding to the at least one client system in one or more
previous trivia gaming sessions and at least one filtering
condition.
[0020] In some embodiments, the at least one processor is
configured to perform the methods as described above.
[0021] In another aspect, in at least one embodiment described
herein, there is provided a computer-readable medium storing
computer-executable instructions. The instructions cause a
processor to perform a method of operating a gaming management
system, the gaming management system being configured to interface
with at least one client system, the method comprising: operating
at least one processor to establish a database of participant
records, each participant record identifying trivia gaming content
offered to the corresponding participant in one or more previous
trivia gaming sessions; storing the database of participant records
in a memory; operating the at least one processor to establish a
database of trivia gaming content; storing the database of trivia
gaming content in the memory; receiving, from the at least one
client system, a request to participate in the current trivia
gaming session; and dynamically generating a plurality of trivia
gaming content items from the database of the trivia gaming content
based on the trivia gaming content offered to the participants
corresponding to the at least one client system in one or more
previous trivia gaming sessions and at least one filtering
condition.
[0022] In some embodiments, the instructions cause the processor to
perform the methods as described above.
[0023] Other features and advantages of the present application
will become apparent from the following detailed description taken
together with the accompanying drawings. It should be understood,
however, that the detailed description and the specific examples,
while indicating preferred embodiments of the application, are
given by way of illustration only, since various changes and
modifications within the spirit and scope of the application will
become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed
description.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0024] A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be
described in detail with reference to the drawings, in which:
[0025] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of components interacting with a
gaming management system in accordance with an example
embodiment;
[0026] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of components interacting with a
gaming management system in accordance with another example
embodiment;
[0027] FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a gaming management system in
accordance with an example embodiment;
[0028] FIG. 4 is a process flow diagram for a method of providing
trivia gaming content in accordance with an example embodiment;
and
[0029] FIG. 5 is a process flow diagram for a method of providing
trivia gaming content in accordance with another example
embodiment.
[0030] The drawings are provided for the purposes of illustrating
various aspects and features of the example embodiments described
herein. For simplicity and clarity of illustration, elements shown
in the Figures have not necessarily been drawn to scale. Further,
where considered appropriate, reference numerals may be repeated
among the Figures to indicate corresponding or analogous
elements.
DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS
[0031] Various apparatuses or processes will be described below to
provide an example of at least one embodiment of the claimed
subject matter. No embodiment described below limits any claimed
subject matter and any claimed subject matter may cover processes,
apparatuses, devices or systems that differ from those described
below. The claimed subject matter is not limited to apparatuses,
devices, systems or processes having all of the features of any one
apparatus, device, system or process described below or to features
common to multiple or all of the apparatuses, devices, systems or
processes described below. It is possible that an apparatus,
device, system or process described below is not an embodiment of
any claimed subject matter. Any subject matter that is disclosed in
an apparatus, device, system or process described below that is not
claimed in this document may be the subject matter of another
protective instrument, for example, a continuing patent
application, and the applicants, inventors or owners do not intend
to abandon, disclaim or dedicate to the public any such subject
matter by its disclosure in this document.
[0032] Furthermore, it will be appreciated that for simplicity and
clarity of illustration, where considered appropriate, reference
numerals may be repeated among the figures to indicate
corresponding or analogous elements. In addition, numerous specific
details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding
of the example embodiments described herein. However, it will be
understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the example
embodiments described herein may be practiced without these
specific details. In other instances, well-known methods,
procedures and components have not been described in detail so as
not to obscure the example embodiments described herein. Also, the
description is not to be considered as limiting the scope of the
example embodiments described herein.
[0033] The various embodiments of the devices, systems and methods
described herein may be implemented using a combination of hardware
and software. These embodiments may be implemented in part using
computer programs executing on programmable devices, each
programmable device including at least one processor, an operating
system, one or more data stores (including volatile memory or
non-volatile memory or other data storage elements or a combination
thereof), at least one communication interface and any other
associated hardware and software that is necessary to implement the
functionality of at least one of the embodiments described herein.
For example, and without limitation, the computing device may be a
server, a network appliance, an embedded device, a computer
expansion module, a personal computer, a laptop, a personal data
assistant, a cellular telephone, a smart-phone device, a tablet
computer, a wireless device or any other computing device capable
of being configured to carry out the methods described herein. The
particular embodiment depends on the application of the computing
device.
[0034] In some embodiments, the communication interface may be a
network communication interface, a USB connection or another
suitable connection as is known by those skilled in the art. In
other embodiments, the communication interface may be a software
communication interface, such as those for inter-process
communication (IPC). In still other embodiments, there may be a
combination of communication interfaces implemented as hardware,
software, and a combination thereof.
[0035] In at least some of the embodiments described herein,
program code may be applied to input data to perform at least some
of the functions described herein and to generate output
information. The output information may be applied to one or more
output devices, for display or for further processing.
[0036] At least some of the embodiments described herein that use
programs may be implemented in a high level procedural or object
oriented programming and/or scripting language or both.
Accordingly, the program code may be written in C, Java, SQL or any
other suitable programming language and may comprise modules or
classes, as is known to those skilled in object oriented
programming. However, other programs may be implemented in
assembly, machine language or firmware as needed. In either case,
the language may be a compiled or interpreted language.
[0037] The computer programs may be stored on a storage media (e.g.
a computer readable medium such as, but not limited to, ROM,
magnetic disk, optical disc) or a device that is readable by a
general or special purpose computing device. The program code, when
read by the computing device, configures the computing device to
operate in a new, specific and predefined manner in order to
perform at least one of the methods described herein.
[0038] Furthermore, some of the programs associated with the
system, processes and methods of the embodiments described herein
are capable of being distributed in a computer program product
comprising a computer readable medium that bears computer usable
instructions for one or more processors. The medium may be provided
in various forms, including non-transitory forms such as, but not
limited to, one or more diskettes, compact disks, tapes, chips, and
magnetic and electronic storage. In alternative embodiments the
medium may be transitory in nature such as, but not limited to,
wire-line transmissions, satellite transmissions, internet
transmissions (e.g. downloads), media, digital and analog signals,
and the like. The computer useable instructions may also be in
various formats, including compiled and non-compiled code.
[0039] The various embodiments disclosed herein generally relate to
improved techniques of providing content during a trivia gaming
session. Content during a trivia gaming session may include any
content that contributes towards a user experience during a trivia
gaming session. Such content may include trivia questions and
trivia games of various types, advertising during trivia games,
merchandise or services for purchase, rewards and prizes, and other
related content.
[0040] Reference is first made to FIG. 1, illustrating a block
diagram of components interacting with a gaming management system
in accordance with an example embodiment. Trivia gaming system 100
of FIG. 1 includes one or more client systems 120 and a gaming
management system 160. The client system(s) 120 and gaming
management system 160 communicate with each other via network
140.
[0041] Network 140 may be any network or network components capable
of carrying data including the Internet, Ethernet, plain old
telephone service (POTS) line, public switch telephone network
(PSTN), integrated services digital network (ISDN), digital
subscriber line (DSL), coaxial cable, fiber optics, satellite,
mobile, wireless (e.g. Wi-Fi, WiMAX), SS7 signaling network, fixed
line, local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN), a direct
point-to-point connection, mobile data networks (e.g., Universal
Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), 3GPP Long-Term Evolution
Advanced (LTE Advanced), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave
Access (WiMAX), etc.), and others, including any combination of
these.
[0042] Client system 120 may be any networked computing device,
including a processor and memory, capable of communicating with a
network. A computing device may be a personal computer,
workstation, server, portable computer, mobile phone, laptop
wirelessly coupled to an access point (e.g. a wireless router, a
cellular communications tower, etc.), a wirelessly enabled personal
data assistant (PDA) or smart phone, a terminal, a tablet computer,
a game console over a wired or wireless connection, WAP phone, or a
combination of these.
[0043] Client system 120 typically includes one or more input
devices, such as a keyboard, mouse, camera, touch screen and a
microphone etc., and also includes one or more output devices such
as a display screen and a speaker etc. Client system 120 has a
network interface for connecting to network 140 in order to
communicate with other components within system 100.
[0044] In various embodiments, client system 120 comprises a client
which may be an application, such as a computing application,
application plug-in, a widget, mobile device application, Java.TM.
application, or web browser executed by the client system 140 in
order to send or transmit data.
[0045] Gaming management system 160 may be a server system that has
one or more servers with computing processing abilities and memory
such as database(s) or file system(s). Although one gaming
management system 160 is shown for clarity, there may be multiple
gaming management systems 160 distributed over a wide geographic
area and connected via e.g. network 140. Gaming management system
160 has a network interface for connecting to network 140 in order
to communicate with other components and to serve web pages and
other computing applications. The gaming management system 160 is
configured to receive and transmit data to one or more client
systems 140.
[0046] Gaming management system 160 is configured to provide
content for trivia gaming sessions to users of client system 120. A
trivia gaming session may be hosted on a server and may be
connected to a series of individual client systems through a
network. In some cases, gaming management system 160 provides
access to trivia gaming sessions in exchange for an entry fee.
[0047] Gaming management system 160 is configured to provide one or
more trivia gaming content including trivia questions and trivia
games of different types, advertisements during trivia games,
merchandise or services for purchase, rewards and prizes, and other
related content to client systems 120.
[0048] In some cases, gaming management system 160 is coupled to a
sponsor server to provide advertisements to client systems 120.
Sponsor system may be any networked computing device, including a
processor and memory, capable of communicating with a network, such
as network 140. Sponsor system is a server system that provides
promotional services for one or more products and/or services.
Sponsor system may comprise one or more media servers for providing
multimedia content, such as video and audio advertisement content
to the gaming management system 160. In some other cases, gaming
management system 160 and sponsor system are integrated into a
single system.
[0049] Reference is first made to FIG. 2, illustrating a block
diagram of components interacting with a gaming management system
in accordance with another example embodiment. Trivia gaming system
200 of FIG. 2 includes a venue 210, one or more remote client
systems 220, a communications controller 230, network 240, and a
gaming management system 250.
[0050] Venue 210 is any location, indoor or outdoor, such as a
cinema, theatre, conference hall, presentation hall, restaurant,
bar, an amphitheatre, stadium or other outdoor or indoor area where
a plurality of players engage in a trivia gaming session and where
the attention of participants can be focused on large central
display.
[0051] As illustrated, venue 210 includes a display system 205 and
one or more local client systems 215. Display system 205 comprises
one or more display means, such as, for example, one or more
computer monitors, television screens, projection screens etc.
which provides a display corresponding to the trivia gaming
session. One or more local client systems 215 are analogous to
client systems 120 of FIG. 1 and are used by participants to
participate in the trivia gaming session.
[0052] In one embodiment, the display system 205 displays trivia
questions and participants operate the local client systems 215 to
provide answers to the trivia questions. In some other embodiments,
the display system 205 displays trivia session related
advertisements. In such embodiments, trivia questions appear on the
local client system 215 and answers are also provided on the local
client system 215. In various cases, answers may be provided by
entering the answer itself or entering a letter or number
corresponding to the answer selected by the participant. Answers
may alternatively by provided by selecting (e.g. by clicking or
tapping) one out of many available options.
[0053] In some cases, one or more local client systems 215 comprise
an input means for providing input instructions and a secondary
screen for display. In some other cases, one or more local client
systems 215 comprise only an input means.
[0054] Gaming management system 250 interfaces with the venue 210
through communications controller 230, which controls high speed
wireless (radio frequency) and/or wired communication within the
venue 210 as well as to and from the venue 210.
[0055] Remote client systems 220 are client systems analogous to
client systems 120 of FIG. 1. Remote client systems 220a and 220b
are located remotely from the display system 205. A remote client
system 220 communicates to and from other remote client systems
220, local client systems 215 and gaming management system 250 via
network 240.
[0056] Gaming management system 250 is analogous to gaming
management system 160 of FIG. 1. Gaming management system 250
comprises a local gaming management system 260 and a remote gaming
management system 270.
[0057] Local gaming management system 260 is a server or group of
servers configured to communicate with various components within
the venue 210. In some cases, the local gaming management system
260 is located inside the venue 210. In some other cases, the local
gaming management system 260 is located outside but in the vicinity
of the venue 210. Remote gaming management system 270 is a server
or group of servers located remotely from the venue 210. In most
cases, the remote gaming management system 270 interacts with the
venue 210 via network 240.
[0058] Gaming management system 250 is configured to generate and
provide customized content during the trivia gaming session, where
the content is customized based on historical patterns of the
players currently participating in the session. The gaming
management system 250 is further configured to customize the
content offered during the trivia gaming session based on other
factors, such as, for example, player preferences, geographical
data, likes and dislikes, interaction with content etc. Content
offered by the gaming management system 250 during the trivia
gaming session may include content, such as, for example, trivia
questions, trivia games, advertising during, before or after trivia
games, merchandise or services for purchase, rewards and prizes,
and other related content that provides a wholesome trivia gaming
session experience to the players.
[0059] Gaming management system 250 is configured to provide trivia
questions in the trivia gaming session based on historical play
patterns of the players currently participating in the session. In
some cases, gaming management system 250 determines how many
players in the session have seen each of the potential questions
selected to be displayed, and eventually display only those
questions that have been seen by the fewest or none of the current
participants.
[0060] Gaming management system 250 is also configured to determine
the type of trivia game to be offered to the participants in the
current trivia gaming session. Gaming management system 250
analyzes the history of current participants to determine which
trivia games have been played by the fewest or none of the current
players, and offers those trivia games in the trivia gaming
session.
[0061] Gaming management system 250 is also configured to provide
special offers to players based on players' historical patterns
with the special offers. Special offer or offers provided by the
gaming management system 250 allow the participant to make an
instant perchance. In some cases, the gaming management system 250
analyzes the history of previous offers and purchases among the
current participants to determine which of the offers would be best
received by the majority of the players. In some other cases, the
gaming management system 250 analyzes the history of previous
offers and purchases among the current participants to determine
which offers have been seen by the fewest or none of the current
participants.
[0062] Gaming management system 250 is also configured to provide
rewards and prizes to players based on players' historical patterns
with the rewards and prizes. Gaming management system 250 analyzes
the history of previous rewards and prizes provided to the players
to determine which rewards and prizes would be best received by the
majority of the current participants.
[0063] In some cases, the gaming management system 250 offers
rewards and prizes that have not been offered to the players in the
past or over a predetermined duration of time. In some other cases,
the gaming management system 250 offers rewards and prizes that
have been received by the fewest of the current players. In some
further cases, the gaming management system 250 offers rewards and
prizes that have been the most popular among the participants in
the past. The popularity of the rewards and prizes may be gauged
based on analyzing which rewards and prizes are redeemed or claimed
by the participants and how quickly after winning are the rewards
and prizes redeemed or claimed.
[0064] In some cases, the awards may be offered to the participants
based on other criteria, such as, for example, the participant with
the quickest response, the participant who has been participating
the longest in a trivia gaming session.
[0065] Gaming management system 250 is also configured to offer one
or more advertisements to the players before, after or during the
trivia gaming session. The one or more advertisements are offered
to the participants based on players' historical patterns. The
advertisements offered to the participants may be interactive or
non-interactive and include multimedia content for promoting
brands, products, and services etc.
[0066] In some cases, gaming management system 250 analyzes the
history of previous advertisements offered to the players and offer
the advertisements that have been provided to the fewest or none of
the current players. In some other cases, gaming management system
250 offers those interactive advertisements that have the highest
participant interaction rate in the past.
[0067] Gaming management system 250 is configured to monitor trivia
gaming content historically offered to players currently
participating in the trivia gaming session. In some cases, the
historical data or player pattern is determined based on
information directly received from the users, such as, for example,
demographic data, e.g. age, gender, and user preferences, e.g.
likes, dislikes, hobbies etc. Such information may be received from
the user during registration or polling. In some other cases, the
historical data or player pattern is determined based on the record
of the content previously offered to the participants or the client
systems, and stored in a memory module, such as memory module 320
of FIG. 3 as discussed below.
[0068] Referring now to FIG. 3, there is illustrated a block
diagram of a gaming management system 300, such as gaming
management system 160 of FIG. 1 and gaming management system 250 of
FIG. 2. Gaming management system 300 includes a processor 310, a
non-transitory memory 320, a communication module 330, and a
content generation module 340.
[0069] Content generation module 340 operates within the gaming
management system 300 to configure processor 310 to provide
interactive and non-interactive activities. Each of the
communication module 330 and content generation module 340 is
executed by processor 310 within the gaming management system
300.
[0070] Memory module 320 is a storage module that communicates with
the processor 310 and includes one or more relational databases
(such as a Structured Query Language (SQL) database), or other
suitable data storage devices. The memory module 320 storage
devices are configured to host data about the participants, client
systems corresponding to the participants and trivia gaming content
corresponding to the participants and/or client systems
participating in the trivia gaming session both currently and in
the past.
[0071] Memory module 320 is configured to store a participant
profile or database, which stores a plurality of information
associated with the current and previous participants of the trivia
gaming session. Some examples of the participant information stored
in the participant profile include, but are not limited to:
identification information (e.g. name, data of birth, age,
location, preferences etc.); trivia gaming content related
information, such as names, types, difficulty level and/or number
of trivia games and questions, names, types and/or number of
advertisements watched and/or interacted with, rewards or prizes
won or offered to the participant, rewards or prizes redeemed or
claimed by the participant, special offers provided to the
participants, purchases made by the participants etc.
[0072] In some cases, the memory module 320 stores profiles based
on client systems, where each client system corresponds to one or
more participants. Similar to the participant profile, the client
system profile stores a plurality of information such as, for
example, identification information of the participant or
participants associated with the client system, and trivia gaming
content related information, as mentioned above, for each
participant associated with the client system. In some cases, where
the trivia gaming content related information for each participant
is not available, the memory module 320 stores the aggregate trivia
gaming content related information for all participants associated
with the client system.
[0073] Memory module 320 further stores a database of available
trivia gaming content. For example, memory module 320 includes a
plurality of trivia questions, trivia games, prizes and rewards,
offers, advertisements etc. from which the trivia gaming content
offered to the participants is selected. Such databases may be
updated periodically or at some pre-determined times. Such
databases may alternatively or concurrently be updated as and when
new content becomes available. In most cases, the databases are
updated by operator(s) of gaming management system 300.
[0074] Communication module 330 may include any variety of software
or hardware modules facilitating communication over a network. In
some embodiments, communication module 330 may allow gaming
management system 300 to communicate with client systems, such as
client systems 120 of FIG. 1, client systems 215 located within the
venue 210 in FIG. 2, and/or client systems 220 located remotely
from the venue 210 in FIG. 2, over a network, such as network 110
of FIG. 1 or network 240 of FIG. 2.
[0075] Content generation module 340 is a storage and processing
module configured to manage the operation of one or more gaming
management systems in accordance with the teachings herein. Content
generation module 340 may contain software objects or components
executed by the processor 310 to control function of the gaming
management system 300.
[0076] In various embodiments, content generation module 340
contain filtering instructions for configuring processor 310 to
determine trivia gaming content to be offered to the participants.
Content generation module 340 configures the processor 310 to
access participant and/or client system profile in memory module
320 and determine which trivia gaming content to be offered to the
participants or client systems based on the instructions.
[0077] In some cases, the content generation module 340 contain
filtering instructions or conditions requiring the trivia gaming
content that is viewed by or offered to the fewest or none of the
current participants to be offered to the current participants. In
some other cases, the content generation module 340 contain
instructions requiring the trivia gaming content that is best
received by the majority of the current participants to be offered
to the current participants. In some further cases, the content
generation module 340 contains other filtering instructions or
condition based on which the trivia gaming session is offered to
the current participants.
[0078] Referring back to FIG. 2, in one embodiment of the
invention, the remote gaming management system 270 is configured to
generate trivia gaming session content, and the local gaming
management system 260 is configured to receive the generated
content from the remote gaming management system 270 and provide it
to the client systems 215 located in the venue 210. In this
embodiment, the client systems 220 located remotely from the venue
210 receive the trivia gaming session content from the remote
gaming management system 270 via network 240. The trivia gaming
session content generated by the remote gaming management system
270 is based on the current participants of the trivia gaming
session, which includes participants corresponding to client
systems 215 located in the venue 210 and client systems 220 located
remotely from the venue 210.
[0079] In some cases, the local gaming management system 260 may be
further configured to process the trivia gaming session content
received from the remote gaming management system 270 to correspond
only to the current participants or current gaming systems 215
participating in the trivia gaming session within the venue
210.
[0080] In another embodiment, the local gaming management system
260 is configured to generate the trivia gaming session content for
the participants or gaming systems 215 currently participating in
the trivia gaming session within the venue 210. In this embodiment,
the remote gaming management system 270 generates trivia gaming
session content for the participants or gaming systems 220 located
remotely from the venue 210.
[0081] Reference is next made to FIG. 4, which illustrates a
process flow 400 for a method of providing trivia gaming content in
accordance with an example embodiment. The process 400 is carried
out by a gaming management system, such as gaming management system
160 of FIG. 1, gaming management system 250 of FIG. 2 and gaming
management system 300 of FIG. 3.
[0082] Method 400 begins at 405, where a gaming management system
begins a trivia gaming session. At 410, the gaming management
system identifies the participants currently participating in a
trivia gaming session. In some cases, the gaming management system
identifies the client systems corresponding to participants
currently participating in the trivia gaming session.
[0083] At 415, the gaming management system retrieves the trivia
questions previously offered to the current participants. Gaming
management system can retrieve the previously offered trivia
questions based on participant or client system profiles stored in
a memory module, such as memory module 320 of FIG. 3.
[0084] At 420, the gaming management system selects trivia
questions to be offered to the participants by filtering a database
of trivia questions based on one or more applicable filtering
conditions and questions previously offered to current
participants. The database of trivia questions is stored in a
memory module, such as memory module 320 of FIG. 3.
[0085] In some cases, the filtering condition applied is a
selection of new trivia questions. In such cases, the gaming
management system selects from the database those trivia questions
that have never been previously provided to the participants
currently participating in the trivia gaming session.
[0086] In some other cases, the filtering condition applied is a
selection of least used trivia questions. In such cases, the gaming
management system selects from the database those trivia questions
that have been previously offered to the fewest number of current
participants.
[0087] In some further cases, the filtering condition applied is a
selection of toughest trivia questions. In such cases, the gaming
management system selects from the database those trivia questions
that have been answered incorrectly the maximum number of times by
some or all of the current participants.
[0088] These filtering conditions are provided as examples only.
Any other conditions to filter a database of trivia gaming content,
such as trivia gaming questions, may also be used by the gaming
management system.
[0089] At 425, a selected list of trivia questions is provided to
the participants.
[0090] Reference is next made to FIG. 5, which illustrates a
process flow 500 for a method of providing trivia gaming content in
accordance with an example embodiment. The process 500 is carried
out by a gaming management system, such as gaming management system
160 of FIG. 1, gaming management system 250 of FIG. 2 and gaming
management system 300 of FIG. 3.
[0091] Method 500 begins at step 505, where a gaming management
system begins a trivia gaming session. In some cases, the trivia
gaming session is considered to have been started when, for
example, an online website offering the trivia gaming session is
accessed, or an app on a mobile device is launched etc.
[0092] At 510, the gaming management system selects a trivia game
from a database of trivia games. The trivia game may be selected
based on participant selection. The trivia game may also be
selected based on the historical analysis of the trivia games
played by the current participants. In the latter case, the trivia
game played by the fewest or none of the current participants is
offered to the current participants.
[0093] At 515, the gaming management system selects and offers a
plurality of trivia questions to the participants based on the
analysis of the trivia questions previously provided to the current
participants. In various cases, the trivia questions are offered
based on the process flow as described in FIG. 4.
[0094] At 520, the gaming management system selects one or more
advertisements to be provided to the participants. The
advertisements are selected based on analysis of the advertisements
previously provided to the current participants of the trivia
gaming session. In various cases, the advertisements are selected
by filtering a database of advertisements based on one or more
conditions, such as, for example, advertisements viewed by the
fewest or none of the current participants, advertisements most
popular among the current participants (e.g. as gauged by
interaction with the advertisements in the case of interactive
advertisement) etc.
[0095] Advertisements may be provided to the participants at a
pre-determined duration of time, such as, for example, at the end
of first round of the trivia gaming session, 5 minutes from the
commencement of the trivia gaming session etc. Gaming management
system may be configured to trigger one or more advertisements when
a certain genre of question or questions is offered. For example,
if the trivia questions relates to a car engine, the gaming
management system may be configured to select and offer a car
commercial that has been offered to the fewest or none of the
current participants.
[0096] At 525, the gaming management system determines if the
trivia game has ended. If the trivia game has not ended, or only
one or more rounds in a multi-round trivia game have ended, the
process flow returns to step 515.
[0097] If the trivia game has ended, the process flow proceeds to
step 530. At 530, the trivia gaming session, determines the winner
and provides prizes or rewards to the winner(s). The prizes or
rewards are based on the historical analysis of the previous prizes
and/or rewards offered to the winner.
[0098] In some cases, the gaming management system offers rewards
that have not been offered to the winner or winners in the past or
over a predetermined duration of time. In some other cases, the
gaming management system offers rewards that have been received by
the fewest of the current winners. In some further cases, the
gaming management system offers rewards that have been received by
the fewest of all the current participants in the trivia gaming
session. In some other cases, the gaming management system may
offer rewards that have been the most popular among the
participants in the past.
[0099] At 535, the trivia gaming session ends.
[0100] It will be appreciated that numerous specific details are
set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the
exemplary embodiments described herein. However, it will be
understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the
embodiments described herein may be practiced without these
specific details. In other instances, well-known methods,
procedures and components have not been described in detail so as
not to obscure the embodiments described herein. The scope of the
claims should not be limited by the preferred embodiments and
examples, but should be given the broadest interpretation
consistent with the description as a whole.
* * * * *