INTERNET GAMING METHOD CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority of Chinese ApplicationNo.200710089376.4 , filed on March 23 , 2007. BACKGROUND

1. Field

The present writing relates to a gaining method, more particularly to an Internet gaming method.

2. Description of the Related Art The Internet is increasingly becoming interactive. For example, more and more users are participating in social networks which provide various ways for users to interact through messaging, file sharing, discussion groups, and so on. Another example is a wiki which is software that allows users to create, edit, and link web pages easily. A wiki is typically used to create a collaborative website. As yet another example, online auction and shopping websites allow people and businesses to buy and sell goods and services. An interactive aspect of such online auction and shopping websites relates to the feedback ratings used to determine each member's feedback score.

Although many computer users enjoy Internet gaming, websites that offer Internet gaming services have yet to integrate into their games the highly popular interactive aspects of Internet services. SUMMARY

Therefore, an attempt of the presently disclosed method is to provide an Internet gaming method that provides a more interactive experience to players of Internet games. According to one aspect here disclosed, the Internet gaming method comprises: (a) providing an on-line competition platform that includes an interactive group, the interactive group having a plurality of members; (b) allowing a competition administrator of the interactive group to hold a competition in the form of an Internet game through the on-line competition platform, and to provide a product having a reference value; (c) requiring the members of the interactive group desiring to participate in the competition to pay participation fees so as to obtain the right to participate in the competition, and starting the competition after a competition commencement condition is satisfied, the competition commencement condition being satisfied when a total participation fee amount obtained from the members participating in the competition is not less than a predetermined amount based on the reference value of the product; and (d) at the end of the competition, determining a winning member among the members who participated in the competition and awarding the product to the winning member.--

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other features and advantages of the present

invention will become apparent in the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram, illustrating a system for implementing an Internet gaming method according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; and

Fig. 2 is a flowchart of the Internet gaming method according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention . DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to Fig. 1, an Internet gaming method according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is implemented using an on-line competition platform 12. Prior to providing a detailed description, it is first noted that a competition service provider 11 in the preferred embodiment may be a system developer of the on-line competition platform 12, or may be an Internet access provider (IAP) that has leased the on-line competition platform 12 from the system developer. The on-line competition platform 12 is a computer server that is connected to the Internet 13. A plurality of users 14 may be connected to the on-line competition platform 12 via the Internet 13 and respectively through a plurality of terminals (not shown) . The terminals may be laptop or desktop computers, web pads, tablet PCs, personal digital assistants, cell phones, smart

displays, home appliances with video capability, interactive digital televisions, etc.

An Internet gaming method according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described with additional reference to Fig. 2.

First, in step 201, the on-line competition platform 12 is provided. The on-line competition platform 12 includes at least one interactive group 121. In the preferred embodiment, the on-line competition platform 12 includes a plurality of the interactive groups 121, and each interactive group 121 has a plurality of members .

The users 14 connect to the on-line competition platform 12 respectively through their terminals and the Internet 13. Each user 14 can join any interactive group 121 that is of interest to him or her and thereby become a member oftheinteractivegroupl21. In addition, theusers 14 canapplytothe competition service provider 11 to establish a new interactive group 121 on the on-line competition platform 12. Typically, the person that establishes an interactive group 121 becomes the group leader (i.e., one of the members of each interactive group 121 is a group leader), and the group leader has the authority to manage and organize the interactive group 121 that he or she has established. It is to be noted that the competition service provider 11 does not necessarily have to be the system developer, and may instead be an IAP that is leasing

the on-line competition platform 12 from the system developer. By leasing the on-line competition platform 12 to an IAP, the system developer can reduce the costs and risks associated with directly managing and operating the on-line competition platform 12. When the competition service provider 11 is a system developer or an IAP, the competition service provider 11 has the option of not directly participating in activities of the i ^' nteractive group 121 and may only take part in managing the interactive group 121.

In the preferred embodiment, a credibility-rating scheme is introduced into the Internet gaming method of the present invention. Each interactive group 121 is assigned a predetermined one of a plurality of credibility ratings when first established. As an example, assuming a credibility rating on a scale of 1 to 10 where 1 is the lowest and 10 is the highest, a credibility rating of 1 may be given to a low-level interactive group 121 (e.g., a newly established interactive group 121), while a credibility rating of

10 may be given to a high-level interactive group 121

(e.g., an interactive group that had many competitions and that has encountered no problems) . The credibility ratings, in addition to effectively providing the competition service provider 11 a mechanism to manage all the interactive groups 121, provide also a reference for users 14 that have not joined the interactive groups

121 a way to decide whether to join the interactive groups 121, as well as a reference for members that have already joined the interactive groups 121 to withdraw from the interactive groups 121 whenever, for example, the credibility ratings fall below a certain level.

Next, in step 202, using one of the interactive groups 121 as an example, a competition administrator of the interactive group 121 is allowed to hold a competition in the form of an Internet game through the on-line competition platform 12 , and to provide a product having a reference value . In the preferred embodiment, a member of the interactive group 121 is the competition administrator that holds the competition and provides a product having a reference value. In some embodiments, the group leader is the competition administrator of the interactive group 121. Inorderto prevent the holding of too many competitions simultaneously and competitions of bad quality, competition administrators must gain approval from the competition service provider 11, the group leader of the interactive group 121, or the other members of the interactive group 121.

The "products" involved in the Internet gaming method of the present invention are not limited in any sense. That is, in addition to typical products (e.g., physical items that must be shipped) , the products involved in the Internet gaming method of the present invention may be digital or virtual items such as electronic books,

software, and access to premium content on a website. Additionally, the reference value of the product is established by the competition administrator of the interactive group 121 in the preferred embodiment. Alternatively, the reference value may be established by the competition service provider 11 or the group leader . The reference value may be calculated as an actual monetary amount or as a predetermined number of member points . The credibility rating of the interactive group 121 places limitations on the interactive group 121. For example, the credibility rating may limit the number of competitions that can be held by the interactive group 121, the time duration for which a competition can be held by the interactive group 121, the maximum number of members that can participate in a competition for an interactive group 121, and the highest reference value for a product of a competition for the interactive group 121. Since less restrictive limitations are placed on the interactive group 121 when it has a higher credibility rating (for example, a higher product reference value for the competitions or permission to allow a greater number of members to participate in a competition) , the group leader of the interactive group 121 has an incentive to pay close attention to the quality of the competitions held by the interactive group 121 and prevent disputes among members that participate in the competitions. If

it is desired to exceed some of the limitations, for example, if it is desired to exceed the highest reference value for products permitted by the credibility rating for the interactive group 121, it may be possible to specially apply for permission toholdsucha competition, and the competition may proceed after receiving such permission from the competition service provider 11.

It is to be further noted that a variety of Internet games may be used for the competitions. In the preferred embodiment, the Internet games are casual games. Casual games refer to games targeted at a mass audience, typically have very simple rules or play techniques, and are generally easy to learn . Ideally, the games would be suitable for players of different ages, and would arouse a desire to win and continue playing..

Subsequently, in step 203, the members of the interactive group 121 desiring to participate in the competition are required to pay participation fees so as to obtain the right to participate in the competition, and the competition is started after a competition commencement condition is satisfied.

As in the case of the reference value of the product, each of the participation fees is one of a predetermined actual monetary amount and a predetermined number of member points. With respect to the competition commencement condition, this is satisfied when a total participation fee amount obtained from the members

participating in the competition is not less than a predetermined amount based on the reference value of the product. As an example, the commencement condition is satisfied when the total participation fee is not less than one-half the reference value of the product.

In the preferred embodiment, the participation fees paid by the members desiring to participate in the competition are held for safekeeping by a third party, and the third party is the competition service provider 11 that has provided the on-line competition platform 12.

Next, in step 204, at the end of the competition, a winning member among the members who participated in the competition is determined from the result of the competition.

Subsequently, in step 205, the product is awarded to the winning member. Further, sometime after the end of the competition and in accordance with a pre-established revenue-sharing agreement, the third party is allowed to pay out a share of the total participation fee amount to the competition administrator of the interactive group 121. Assuming awarding of the product has occurred without incident, step 205 may further include raising the credibility rating of the interactive group 121.

However, in step 206, it may be determined that an irregularity has occurred during the competition. For

example, the actual product awarded and the initial indication of the same may not correspond, confirmation that the product has been received by the winning member of the Internet game is not obtained, or fraud is determined to have occurred. If it is determined that such an irregularity has occurred, the credibility rating of the interactive group 121 is lowered. Further, the third party may be allowed to invalidate the competition and return the participation fees paid by the members who participated in the competition if it is determined that an irregularity has occurred during the competition.

When several hundred interactive groups 121 on the on-line competition platform 12 simultaneously hold a plurality of competitions, it is difficult for the competition service provider 11 to immediately determine that problems have occurred and take corresponding action. Therefore, the competition service provider 11 can reduce the credibility rating of interactive groups 121 with problems after the fact. It is evident that the group leader of the interactive group 121 must maintain honesty in the interactive group 121 so as to prevent a reduction in the credibility rating of the interactive group 121. Three examples are provided below of implementations of the Internet gaming method of the present invention. The three examples outline the relationships among the

competition service provider 11, the person holding the competition (the competition administrator) , and members participating in the competition. It is assumed for the examples that the users 14 have already purchased sufficient member points, and that the on-line competition platform 12 uses the member points whenever payment is required from the users 14. After the competition, the member points may be converted back to actual monetary amounts. Example 1:

Member (a) is a member of an "A" interactive group 121, and desires to sell a watch with a reference value of 1,000,000 points. Member (a) obtains the right to hold a competition from the A interactive group 121, and initiates a competition. The participation condition for the competition is the payment of a participation fee of 100 points. A card game of elimination is chosen as the Internet game. For example, a card game of elimination may be chosen in which one-quarter of the players are left remaining after each hand. Assuming 10,000 participants, this would result in the accumulation of a total of 1, 000, 000 points, which are held for safekeeping by the competition service provider 11. After the first hand, 2,500 participants are remaining. This is continued until a sole winner is left remaining.

In Example 1, as a result of the first hand of the

competition, member (a) obtains 1,000,000 points and therefore, in effect, breaks even (since 1,000,000 points is the reference value set for the watch by member

(a) ) . In the next hand of the competition, member (a) can earn 250 , 000 points (assuming the 2 , 500 participants remaining each continues to pay a participation fee of

100 points) , and so on for the subsequent hands of the competition. Hence, although no profit is made for the first hand of the competition, there is potential for profit from the subsequent hands of the competition. Example 2:

The group leader of ^λλ B" interactive group 121 holds a competition. The competition will be held for 5 days from 12:00 to 13:00 every day. The product is a gift certificate for a well-known department store with a reference value of 10,000 points (a cash value of 10,000 Taiwan dollars). The participation condition for the competition is the payment of a participation fee of 100 points. A multi-level card game is chosen as the Internet game, in which each sub-game is different . First, sub-games are used to select out a small number of participants, and the final winner is selected through a game of, for example, five-card stud. Assuming 200 participants in the competition, this would result in the accumulation of 20,000 points, which are held for safekeeping by the competition service provider 11. In the first hand, 4 sub-games are simultaneously played,

in which 50 participants play each of the sub-games. From the 4 sub-games, a total of 4 winners emerge, and a final winner is determined by playing a game of five-card stud, which we will call member (b) . The "B" interactive group 121 gives the gift certificate worth 10,000 Taiwan dollars to member (b) , and after member (b) notifies the competition service provider 11 that the product has been received safely and that there is no problem with the same, the competition service provider 11 takes a portion of the points in accordance with the agreement made beforehand, and gives the remaining points to the group leader of the "B" interactive group 121 that held the competition. The group leader of the "B" interactive group 121 then may change the points into actual currency, such as US or Taiwan dollars.

In Example 2, each hand of the competition includes a plurality of sub-games, and the person holding the competition can choose whether to make each hand more exciting than the last hand to thereby make the competition more diverse and interesting. Example 3:

System developer X runs a retail business with a plurality of products on the on-line competition platform 12. The on-line competition platform 12 can be considered an electronic shopping market, and the interactive groups 121 on the on-line competition

platform 12 can be considered different outlets. As an example, one of the interactive groups 121 is a home electronics store, and this interactive group 121 has ten liquid crystal display (LCD) televisions in which each LCD TV has a reference value set at 10,000 points

(cash value of 10,000 Taiwan dollars).

System developer X holds a competition for these products. A multi-level game is chosen as the Internet game, for example, a game of 6 levels, in which the first 10 members to complete all 6 levels win the products. Further, the participation condition for the competition is the payment of a participation fee of 60 points . Members winning one level of the game progress to a higher level and play the level with other members that have progressed. On the other hand, members not winning descend to a lower level and play the level with others that similarly have dropped a level, and continue in this manner until there is no lower level. Assuming 2000 participants in the competition, this would result in the accumulation of 120, 000 points obtained by system developer X. After completion of the competition, the 10 members first completing the 6 levels are the final winners . The system developer X makes a profit of 20, 000 points. The members, in addition to having a chance at winning the products , can directly purchase the products from system developer X, such as by using 10,000 points to buy the products.

In Example 3, system developer X runs an on-line retail business, and the products that system developer X provides may be won by members participating in the competition, or may be directly purchased using points, such that both buying and gaming pleasure is provided by system developer X.

From the aforementioned, the Internet gaming method of the present invention has the following advantages:

1. The Internet gaming method of the present invention provides for a completely new Internet gaming experience that is interactive.

2. Compared to traditional Internet shopping, sellers using the present invention to sell their products do not have to bear the costs associated with keeping an inventory, service personnel, etc. In addition, since the present invention has, at its core, the characteristics of Internet gaming, popularity is enhanced and the number of sales transactions is increased . 3. For the buyers, those desiring to buy products need only satisfy an extremely low participation condition (i.e., payment of the participation fee) in order to participate in a competition and thereby have the chance to win a product that may be many times more valuable than the participation fee.

4. For the competition administrator, instead of being limited to a profit that is based on the highest

bid price as in the case of traditional auctions, the competition administrator may earn a profit that is a function of the number of participants to the competition, which is potentially far greater. 5. Although the competition service provider 11 does not directly handle buying and selling, through use of the credibility ratings, a high level of quality may be maintained for the interactive groups 121.

6. In order to increase the chances of winning, the members of each interactive group 121 may frequently participate in the competitions as a form of practice. Hence, the popularity and click-through rate of the on-line competition platform 12 may be increased. This results in great potential for profits, and provides for the possibility of earning advertising revenue.

While the present invention has been described in connection with what is considered the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is understood that this invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiment but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent arrangements.