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(11) | EP 3 217 368 A1 |
| (12) | EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION |
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| (54) | METHOD FOR PROVIDING A REMUNERATION IN THE PARTICIPATION TO SKILL GAMES AND CORRESPONDING SYSTEM |
| (57) The present invention relates to a method for transforming the use of games of skill
during leisure time into a form of profit, thus investing in one's personal abilities
during the execution thereof. The present invention further relates to a platform system situated in-cloud or in-housing on the proponent's own structures, characterized in that it comprises: an ARBITRATION MODULE (100) containing inside all the logic which deals with taking charge of the players and the respective application algorithms; an ACCOUNTS MANAGEMENT MODULE (200) containing inside all the logic which deals with the opening of accounts for each player, with the internal transactions in case of competition entry and with the respective winnings, with calculating the deductions due to the proponent; a PAYMENT (CHARGING) SYSTEM (300) containing inside all the logic which deals with the charging of arbitrary sums of money identified by the ACCOUNT MANAGEMENT MODULE by means of the normal payment systems; a PAYMENT (CREDITING) SYSTEM (400) containing inside all the logic which deals with the crediting of arbitrary sums of money on bank accounts owned by the player through the normal banking circuits, for a player and an amount previously identified by the ACCOUNTS MANAGEMENT MODULE; a COMPETITION MANAGEMENT MODULE (500) containing inside all the logic which deals with the management of a life cycle of a competition, from its creation to its extinction, and deals with delivering the mechanisms for managing the game modalities; a GAME LIBRARY (600) containing inside all the single operating logics, the rules, the score and time related mechanisms and all aspects of each single described and enumerated game, comprising the variants and possible exceptions related to specific game modalities or related to the number of players; an "APP" APPLICATION (700), which delivers a user interface and makes accessible the services delivered by the ARBITRATION MODULE, with specific operating modalities for smartphone and tablet; a WEBSITE (800), which delivers a user interface and makes available the services delivered by the ARBITRATION MODULE for personal computer, for smartphone and tablet which do not use the specific "APP" APPLICATION. |
Technical field
[0001] The present invention relates to a method for transforming the use of games of skill during leisure time into a form of profit, thus investing in one's personal abilities during the execution thereof.
Prior art
[0002] In the existing embodiments, entering online challenges in games of skill, with two or more players or in tournaments, does not offer any form of remuneration.
[0003] By way of non-exhaustive example, the existing games supported by the present method according to the present invention are: 1024, 2048, 4096, CROSSWORD PUZZLES, CHECKERS, FUTOSHIKY, 15-PUZZLE, HITORI, KAKURO, KEN KEN, MINI SUDOKU, CROSSWORDS, PUZZLES, QUIZZES (MATHEMATICS, LOGICS AND GENERAL KNOWLEDGE), REBUS, CHESS, SUDOKU, TAM GRAM, PSYCHOMETRIC TESTS, WEIQI, GO TRIS.
[0004] Currently, games of skill are forms of entertainment and do not constitute a source of profit but only a leisure pastime. Furthermore, even when such entertainment is performed with the involvement of at least one other human competitor, such interaction generates neither profits nor motivation for completing the game itself.
[0005] As known, all embodiments which envisage the organization of tournaments or challenges for games of skill (not gambling) do not envisage any money prize or remuneration policies for the competitors.
Summary of the invention
[0006] It is an object of the method according to the present invention to overcome the drawback indicated above.
[0007] It is an object of the method to allow entering various competitions with prizes simultaneously in which the competitors challenge each other in games of skill but which, unlike the existing embodiments, are not simple pastimes but include the possibility of receiving an earning when the game is completed and/or won.
[0008] It is a further object of the method to allow the creation of innumerable contemporary events on local, national and international scale on app and/or websites.
[0009] It is yet another object of the method according to the invention to allow competitors to enter one or more competitions having specific features, such as game type and starting time, with the concurring payment of a fee which will be added to the one paid by the other competitors and will constitute the jackpot to be paid to players, net of the proponent's deduction.
[0010] It is another object of the method of the invention that of being able to implement the distribution of the jackpot according to the chosen criterion, which will be made explicit beforehand to all competitors.
[0011] It is yet another object of the method of the invention to be able to fix the game modalities.
[0013] It offers itself on the entertainment market in attractive manner because game entry is guided by an economic motivation.
[0014] Indeed, a potential player is motivated by remuneration in case of victory, but also by the possibility of choosing the game most akin to their own features and abilities and can also decide the buy-in (cost) of the competition before selecting it; it is possible, but not foregone, that the player will, in turn, find more expert players in a game in which they have invested a large sum. For example, it is possible to imagine a TIMED SUDOKU match starting at half past ten and buy-in which can be chosen having an equivalent value in their own currency which can be selected from 2 EUR, 5 EUR, 10 EUR, 20 EUR, 50 EUR, 100 EUR.
[0015] The method envisages entering real prize competitions extended on national, continental and world scale, which start at predetermined times and in which the competitors will challenge each other in specific games of skill being able to choose from the following five different game modalities.
[0016] Timed games: competitions, in which each competitor entering within the deadline is set the goal of completing the game as quickly as possible, are organized for the entire day and at predetermined times.
[0017] Time and score games: competitions, in which each competitor entering within the deadline is set the goal of achieving the highest score within the time limit established by the proponent, are organized for the entire day and at predetermined times.
[0018] Direct elimination tournaments: competitions are organized, in which all competitors entering within the established limits are set the goal of winning a series of direct challenges which are organized automatically and without the proponent's direct intervention, with gradual elimination of the losers.
[0019] Tournaments in rounds: competitions are organized, in which all competitors entering within the established limits are set the objective of winning as many challenges as possible to obtain the highest score and to progress round after round to the final, the challenges being organized automatically and without the proponent's direct intervention.
[0020] 1vs1: competitions are organized in which the competitors challenge each other in a duel. The present invention makes it possible for competitors to put themselves to the test in specific types of games, according to the selected game modality:
Timed games - SUDOKU, CROSSWORD PUZZLES, 1024, 2048, 4096, KEN KEN, 15-PUZZLE, HITORI, FUTOSHIKY, TAM GRAM, KAKURO, MINI SUDOKU, PUZZLE, CROSSWORDS, REBUS, QUIZZES (MATHEMATICS, LOGICS AND GENERAL KNOWLEDGE), PSYCHOMETRIC TESTS, TRIS, WEIQI, GO;
Timed and scored games - SUDOKU, CROSSWORD PUZZLES, 1024, 2048, 4096, KEN KEN, 15-PUZZLE, HITORI, FUTOSHIKY, TAM GRAM, KAKURO, MINI SUDOKU, PUZZLE, CROSSWORDS, REBUS, QUIZZES (MATHEMATICS, LOGICS AND GENERAL KNOWLEDGE), PSYCHOMETRIC TESTS, TRIS, WEIQI, GO;
Direct elimination tournaments and tournaments in rounds - CHESS, CHECKERS, SUDOKU, CROSSWORD PUZZLES, 1024, 2048, 4096, KEN KEN, 15-PUZZLE, HITORI, FUTOSHIKY, TAM GRAM, KAKURO, MINI SUDOKU, TRIS, PUZZLE, CROSSWORDS, REBUS, QUIZZES (MATHEMATICS, LOGICS AND GENERAL KNOWLEDGE), PSYCHOMETRIC TESTS, TRIS, WEIQI, GO;
1vs1 - CHESS, CHECKERS, SUDOKU, CROSSWORD PUZZLES, 1024, 2048, 4096, KEN KEN, 15-PUZZLE, HITORI, FUTOSHIKY, TAM GRAM, KAKURO, MINI SUDOKU, PUZZLE, CROSSOWRDS, REBUS, QUIZZES (MATHEMATICS, LOGICS AND GENERAL KNOWLEDGE), PSYCHOMETRIC TESTS, TRIS, WEIQI, GO;
[0021] Each type of game is governed by specific rules which are summarized afterwards and present in form of text, hypertext, graphic and/or audio-visual, when a player selects that particular type of game.
[0022] Such entry may occur, for example, by means of a specific website and/or app on the hardware/software platforms available on the market. Such tools will allow the payment on the competitors account of an initial capital which can be successively used, in all or in part, for entering competitions. The payment will be made using the normal payment systems, by means of credit cards or electronic money tools or similar payment methods, which will book the payment, making it unavailable on the credit card right away, considering such operation as a "definitive transaction" of the sum. Such fee will constitute the initial capital of an actual online account, the accounting of which will be managed by the implementation of the present method, like a traditional bank account. It will therefore be possible, at any time, to pay integrative sums and take what is available until the account is closed.
[0023] The user, i.e. the player, after having registered, can access the list of available competitions (timed games, timed/score games, tournaments and 1vs1). Should the user decide to enter a specific competition, the user will authorize the proponent to automatically draw the cost of the chosen competition, using part or the entire total of their credit as entry fee.
[0024] The sum of all entries will form the jackpot, which will be transferred, net of the proponent's deduction, to the winner or will be divided, again net of the deduction, among the competitors who will end the competition first and which will be paid into the respective open online accounts. If there is no winner or if a winning ranking cannot be drawn up (according to the execution modality of the competition), each player will return into possession of the paid fee net of the deduction due to the proponent.
[0025] In case of draw, the jackpot will be divided in equal parts between the winners, net of the deduction due to the proponent.
[0026] The potential player, who may enter competitions which are already open at any time, must be willing to wait for the competition to start according to the conditions which are publicly and explicitly indicated (e.g. within a given time or when a minimum number of competitors are reached). Competitions which start at predetermined times are therefore envisaged, in which the players must in all cases pay their entry fee before entering.
[0027] Furthermore, the potential player, by means of web platform or dedicated app available by means of smartphone or tablet, may view the game type, the date and time within which entry requests are accepted, the required fee and the minimum and maximum number of players. According to a predetermined program/procedure, other players may also decide to accept and pay the necessary entry fee, again simply by clicking (or tapping) or decide to browse other competitions.
[0028] If the competition has no entries within the time set by the proponent and/or within the other set conditions (e.g. minimum number of players), the respective free entirely returns available to the player. If the competition is accepted by another player and the minimum number of players (or the set deadline) is reached, the other potential players will automatically no longer be able to enter and the competition will be no longer selectable.
[0029] The present method envisages a possible implementation by means of the presence of configurable computerized modules which allow the parties (player and proponent) to perform all the steps related to payments and deductions automatically and/or with guided procedures.
[0030] In such case, the customized computerized modules of the system could be identified by procedures and/or applications residing on servers made available and/or managed by the system according to the present invention and may envisage the possibility of integration with third party computerized and organizational systems, by means of remote interfacing systems which may or may not envisage the installation of scripts, software and/or computer code made available on the computerized systems of the potential vendors and/or concerned third parties.
[0031] Navigation in the application (app/website), regardless of how it will be implemented, must allow filtering by game type, modality, date, time, total and involved players, as well as other usable options of the platform.
[0032] After having selected the data related to the preferred game or the preferred modality, the system will provide all the information related on competitions which contain the features selected by the potential player to the user. After the player has clicked on the chosen competition, a summary page or window of the competition data will open and a button will open according to the present invention. By clicking (or tapping) on it, the player completes the payment through the previously opened account with respective docked entry fee. If the competition does not start, at the set deadline, the payment will be revoked and the paid sum will return available to the competitors.
[0033] Instead, if the competition starts, the payments are understood to be tied up until the end of the competition. A specific window will open for all competitors in which to view the progress state of the game, according to the chosen game type and the contest modality.
[0034] All competitors are responsible for checking the possible starting or cancellation of the competition through the app and/or the website.
[0035] The system according to the present invention may envisage a high-performance platform located in-cloud and strongly scalable according to the access needs. It could be also situated in-housing on one's own structures made available by the proponent.
[0036] Such system would be structured according to the most current web infrastructure technologies and practices with equal and valid distribution of the work loads on the available servers, structural responsibility and data protection according to the laws in force, controlled access methods and automatic work load adaption functions: the system may increase the available resources as the traffic increases to adapt the power to the number of user who can be managed at the same time.
[0037] The implementation approach of the present invention has no constraints because it can be implemented according to specific prerogatives and operative needs. All modern development types may be applied from the WATERFALL development cycle to the Agile (SCRUM) method.
[0038] The platform thus developed must make available at least one multi-platform application. It may be developed for iOS and/or for Android, Windows, OSx, macOS, watchOS, Linux and all other types of operating system.
Brief description of the drawings
[0039]
Figure 1 diagrammatically illustrates a possible organization of the software components which implement the present invention:
Figure 2 diagrammatically illustrates the interaction between the various components and subjects;
Figure 3 shows the logical diagram of the operation of the platform according to the present invention.
Description of an embodiment
[0040] Figure 1 shows how the structure of the software components which may form a possible embodiment of the invention is organized, and in particular:
ARBITRATION MODULE indicated by reference numeral 100
This module contains inside all the logic which deals with taking charge of the players
and the respective application algorithms, with interacting with the ACCOUNTS MANAGEMENT
MODULE and the COMPETITION MANAGEMENT MODULE , in order to implement the present invention.
ACCOUNTS MANAGEMENT MODULE indicated by reference numeral 200
This module contains inside all the logic which deals with the opening of accounts
for each player, with the internal transactions in case of competition entry and with
the respective winnings, with calculating the deductions due to the proponent.
PAYMENT (CREDITING) SYSTEM indicated by reference numeral 300
This module contains inside all the logic which deals with charging arbitrary sums
of money identified by the ACCOUNTS MANAGEMENT MODULE by means of the normal payment
systems, by means of credit cards or electronic money tools or similar payment methods,
which will book the payment, making it unavailable on the credit card right away,
considering such operation as a "definitive transaction" of the sum.
PAYMENT (CREDITING) SYSTEM indicated by reference numeral 400
This module contains inside all the logic which deals with the crediting of arbitrary
sums of money on bank accounts owned by the player through the normal banking circuits,
for a player and an amount previously identified by the ACCOUNTS MANAGEMENT MODULE.
COMPETITION MANAGEMENT MODULE indicated by reference numeral 500
This module contains inside all the logic which deals with the management of a life
cycle of a competition, from its creation (with respective identification and definition
of the game parameters) to its extinction (for the end of the game or other ending
conditions), and deals with delivering the mechanisms for managing the game modalities.
GAME LIBRARY indicated by reference numeral 600
This is a collection of modules which contains inside all the single operation logics,
the rules, the score related mechanisms and all aspects of each single described and
enumerated game, comprising the variants and possible exceptions related to specific
game modalities or related to the number of players.
An "APP" APPLICATION indicated by reference numeral 700
This application delivers a user interface and makes accessible the services delivered
by the ARBITRATION MODULE, with specific operating modalities for smartphone and tablet.
A WEBSITE indicated by reference numeral 800.
This is the website which delivers a user interface and makes available the services
delivered by the ARBITRATION MODULE for personal computer, for smartphone and tablet
which do not use the specific "APP" APPLICATION.
[0041] With reference to figure 2, said figure shows the interaction in diagrammatic form of the various component modules of the invention, as follows:
- Players who use different communication/interaction devices indicated by reference numerals 701 (Tablet), 702 (Smartphone), 703 (Personal Computer);
- App which makes available the functions of the present invention on smartphone and tablet, indicated by reference numeral 700;
- Website which makes available the functions of the present invention on a common browser, indicated by reference numeral 800;
- Arbitration module according to the present invention indicated by reference numeral 100;
- Accounts management module according to the present invention indicated by reference numeral 200;
- Payment (charging) system according to the present invention indicated by reference numeral 300;
- Payment (crediting) system according to the present invention indicated by reference numeral 400;
- Bank and/or financial intermediary enabled to manage the step of paying and collecting, indicated by reference numeral 1000;
- Competition management module according to the present invention indicated by reference numeral 500;
- Game library according to the present invention indicated by reference numeral 600;
- Communication vehicle between all mentioned subjects indicated by reference numeral 900 (Internet).
[0042] Figure 3 shows a logical diagram of the operation of the platform according to the present mechanism, from the point of view of a simple player:
- the player downloads and installs the platform application from App Store, Google Play or other digital stores or from the browser, indicated by reference numeral 100;
- after having connected to the arbitration module, the player pays the entry fee due indicated by reference numeral 101;
- the player browses the list of available competitions (timed games, timed/score games, tournaments and 1vs1), it being possible to filter them according to specific criteria and/or to put them in order according to specific attributes; the application of possible filters will provide all the information to the user related to the competitions which contain the selected features, indicated by reference numeral 102;
- after the player has clicked on a competition, a summary page or window of the competition data will appear, indicated by reference numeral 103;
- the player than then choose to enter the competition and pay the respective entry fee, which will always be available because it was previously credited on the player's account indicated by reference numeral 104;
- during the initial step of the competition, periodical checks are performed on the meeting of the criteria for starting the competition, such as the minimum number of players and the payment of the minimum entry fee by all the players 105.
- if the competition does not start within the established limits because either the entry criteria or the time criteria were not met, the paid entry fee is returned to the player 106;
- the competition which is starting is removed from the list of competitions available to other potential competitors, indicated by reference numeral 107;
- an informative window is shown, containing a summary of the conditions of the competition, the rules of the game, of the competitors, of the jackpot and of the respective redistribution modality according to the type of winning, indicated by reference numeral 108;
- the game is launched and executed according to the rules contained in the game library and will continue until the respective end (time or score), according to the envisaged modalities, indicated by reference numeral 109;
- periodically, the system checks verified whether a tie (110) has occurred, i.e. if no player has won or has the chance of winning, indicated by reference numeral 110;
- if the game ended without a winner (in case of tie), the part of the original entry fee to be returned, net of the proponent's deduction is calculated, indicated by reference numeral 114;
- if the game ends with at least one winner, the deduction to be applied to the jackpot itself will be calculated and automatically transferred to the proponent, indicated by reference numeral 111;
- it is verified that the player has won, indicated by reference numeral 112;
- if the player wins, the jackpot will be given to the player either entirely or partially to other players ranked according to criteria which may or may not be of equal distribution or as a function of the position in the ranking, indicated by reference numeral 113.
- a player downloads the platform application from a website and/or from the store to the device (100);
- the player, once connected to an arbitration module, registers their personal data and electronically sends a scan of their identity document or a photograph at the time of registration or within a 25-day limit; if the user cannot complete this operation for any reason, the user shall send a copy of their identity document by registered mail to the registered office of the company, within 45 days, which will be calculated from the time of registration (101);
- the player browses the list of available competitions (102);
- after having clicked on a competition, the player opens a page or a window containing a summary of the competition data (103)
- the player chooses to enter the competition and pay the respective entry fee (104);
- the competition which is starting is removed from the list of competitions available to other potential competitors (107);
- an informative window is shown, containing a summary of the conditions of the competition, of the rules of the game, of the competitors, of the jackpot and of the respective redistribution modality according to the type of winnings (108);
- the game is launched and executed according to the rules contained in the game library and envisaged modalities and will continue until the respective end (109);
- periodically, the system checks whether a tie (110) has occurred, and, if it has the jackpot will be equally divided among the winners, net of the proponent's deduction (114);
- if the game ends with at least one winner, the deduction to be applied to the jackpot itself will be calculated and automatically transferred to the proponent (111); the system checks that the player has won (112);
- if the player has won, the jackpot will be given to the player or partially to the player and to other players ranked with chosen criteria (113).
an ARBITRATION MODULE (100) containing inside all the logic which deals with taking charge of the players and the respective application algorithms;
an ACCOUNTS MANAGEMENT MODULE (200) containing inside all the logic which deals with the opening of accounts for each player, with the internal transactions in case of competition entry and with the respective winnings, with calculating the deductions due to the proponent;
a PAYMENT (CHARGING) SYSTEM (300) containing inside all the logic which deals with the charging of arbitrary sums of money identified by the ACCOUNT MANAGEMENT MODULE by means of the normal payment systems;
a PAYMENT (CREDITING) SYSTEM (400) containing inside all the logic which deals with the crediting of arbitrary sums of money on bank accounts owned by the player through the normal banking circuits, for a player and an amount previously identified by the ACCOUNTS MANAGEMENT MODULE;
a COMPETITION MANAGEMENT MODULE (500) containing inside all the logic which deals with the management of a life cycle of a competition, from its creation to its extinction, and deals with delivering the mechanisms for managing the game modalities;
a GAME LIBRARY (600) containing inside all the single operating logics, the rules, the score and time related mechanisms and all aspects of each single described and enumerated game, comprising the variants and possible exceptions related to specific game modalities or related to the number of players;
an "APP" APPLICATION (700), which delivers a user interface and makes accessible the services delivered by the ARBITRATION MODULE, with specific operating modalities for smartphone and tablet;
a WEBSITE (800), which delivers a user interface and makes available the services delivered by the ARBITRATION MODULE for personal computer, for smartphone and tablet which do not use the specific "APP" APPLICATION.