A Method for enabling a Game to be played on a Communication Device

Embodiments of the present invention relate to a method for enabling a game to be played on a communication device. In particular, they relate to a method for enabling a gambling game to be played on a radio telephone.

In recent years, it has become possible to play computer games on radio communication devices such mobile cellular telephones. One problem associated with such games is that they may require a constant wireless link to a server in order to download information to enable the game to be played. For example, in gambling games, the server may be contacted each time the user places a bet. Additionally, the radio communication device may not progress the game until information has been received from the server after the user has placed his bet. The communication associated with each bet may require a considerable amount of time since the wireless link to the server may be shared with a plurality of other user's or may be lossy. A user may have to wait for up to 45 seconds between each bet. This waiting time may reduce the user's satisfaction with the game and may result in him playing it less frequently or not at all.

Consequently, it would be desirable to provide an alternative method for enabling a game to be played on a communication device.

According to one embodiment of the invention, there is provided a method for enabling a game to be played on a first communication device, the method at the first communication device comprising: receiving game related first information from a second communication device, via a wireless link, to enable a game to be played thereon; closing the wireless link between the first communication device and the second communication device subsequent to the first information being received by the first communication device; opening the wireless link between the first communication device and the second

communication device; and providing second information derived from a game outcome to the second communication device via the opened wireless link.

The method may comprise sending game related third information to the second communication device prior to the step of receiving game related first information. The game related third information may include information provided by a user of the first communication device which determines, at least partially, the game related first information. The information provided by the user may indicate a monetary value which the user is willing to provide to play the game. The wireless link may be opened by the first communication device when it determines that the monetary value spent playing the game equals the monetary value provided by the user.

The game related first information may be sent to the first communication device in response to the second communication device receiving the game related third information. The game related first information may include information which indicates a maximum value for a game outcome.

The second information may include information which indicates a value for a game outcome. The second information may include information which indicates a monetary value achieved by a user while playing the game.

The game may be operable by a user while the wireless link is closed.

The first communication device may be a radiotelephone. The second communication device may be a server.

According to another embodiment of the invention, there is provided a method for enabling a game to be played on a first communication device, the method at a second communication device comprising: providing game related first information to the first communication device, via wireless link, to enable a game to be played on the first communication device, and receiving second

information derived from a game outcome from the first communication device via the wireless link, wherein the wireless link is closed after the step of providing game related first information and is opened prior to the step of receiving second information from the first communication device.

The method may comprise receiving game related third information from the first communication device prior to the step of providing game related first information. The game related third information may include information provided by a user of the first communication device. The information provided by the user may indicate a monetary value which the user is willing to provide to play the game.

The method may further comprise determining, at least partially, the game related first information using the received game related third information. The method may further comprise determining whether the second information derived from a game outcome is valid by comparing it with the determined game related first information.

If the second information derived from a game outcome is valid, the second communication device may perform a transaction using the second information. If the second information derived from a game outcome is invalid, the second communication device may not perform a transaction using the second information.

The second information may include information which indicates a value for a game outcome. The second information may include information which indicates a monetary value achieved by a user while playing the game.

The game related first information may be sent to the first communication device in response to the second communication device receiving the game related third information. The game related first information may include information which indicates a maximum value for a game outcome.

The game may be operable by a user while the wireless link is closed.

The first communication device may be a radiotelephone. The second communication device may be a server.

According to a further embodiment of the invention, there is provided a communication device for enabling a game to played thereon, the communication device comprising: a transceiver for receiving game related first information from a further communication device, via a wireless link, to enable a game to be played thereon, a controller for closing the wireless link between the communication device and the further communication device subsequent to the first information being received by the communication device and for subsequently opening the wireless link, wherein the transceiver is operable to provide second information derived from a game outcome to the further communication device via the opened wireless link.

According to another embodiment of the invention, there is provided a communication device for enabling a game to be played on a further communication device, the communication device comprising: a transceiver for providing game related first information to a further communication device, via wireless link, to enable a game to be played on the further communication device, and for receiving second information, derived from a game outcome, from the further communication device via the wireless link, wherein the wireless link is closed after the game related first information has been provided to the further communication device and is opened prior to the communication device receiving the second information from the further communication device.

According to a further embodiment of the invention there is provided a computer program comprising program instructions for enabling a game to be played on a first communication device and comprising means for receiving game related first information from a second communication device, via a wireless link,

to enable a game to be played on the first communication device; means for closing the wireless link between the first communication device and the second communication device subsequent to the first information being received by the first communication device; means for opening the wireless link between the first communication device and the second communication device; and means for providing second information derived from a game outcome to the second communication device via the opened wireless link.

According to another embodiment of the invention, there is provided a computer program comprising program instructions for enabling a game to be played on a first communication device and comprising means for providing game related first information to the first communication device, via wireless link, to enable a game to be played on the first communication device, and receiving second information derived from a game outcome from the first communication device via the wireless link, wherein the wireless link is closed after the step of providing game related first information and is opened prior to the step of receiving second information from the first communication device.

For a better understanding of the present invention reference will now be made by way of example only to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 illustrates a schematic diagram of a first communication device connected to a second communication device via a wireless link and a network; and

Fig. 2 illustrates a flow diagram of a method for enabling a game to be played on a first communication device.

Fig. 2 illustrates a method for enabling a game to be played on a first communication device 10, the method at the first communication device 10 comprising: receiving game related first information from a second communication device 12, via a wireless link 11 , to enable a game to be played

thereon; closing 46 the wireless link 11 between the first communication device

10 and the second communication device 12 subsequent to the first information being received by the first communication device 10; opening 48 the wireless link

11 between the first communication device 10 and the second communication device 12; and providing 50 second information derived from a game outcome to the second communication device via the opened wireless link 11.

Fig. 1 illustrates a schematic diagram of a first communication device 10 and a second communication device 12 which are connected to one another via a network 13. The first communication device 10 and the second communication device 12 communicate with one another via the network 13 and the first communication device 10 is connected to the network 13 via a wireless link 11. In one embodiment, the first communication device 10 is connected to the second communication device 12 via a wireless link 11 and the internet 13. The wireless link 11 may be a radio frequency connection to the internet (for example, via a cellular network such as GSM or GPRS or via a WIFI link). The second communication device 12 may be connected to the internet 13 via a wired link or via a wireless link (as per the first communication device 10).

In more detail, the first communication device 10 comprises a memory 14, a controller 15, a display 16, a user input device 18, an audio output device 20, an audio input device 21 , a transceiver 22 and an antenna arrangement 24.

The first communication device 10 may be any device that is arranged to communicate via a wireless link 11. For example, the first communication device 10 may be a portable radio telephone, such as a mobile cellular telephone. Alternatively, the first communication device 10 may be a personal digital assistant (PDA), a laptop computer or a personal computer. In this embodiment, the first communication device 10 is a mobile cellular telephone.

The controller 15 may be any suitable processor and is, in this embodiment, a microprocessor. The controller 15 is connected to read from and

write to the memory 14. The memory 14 may be any suitable memory and may, for example be permanent built-in memory such as flash memory or it may be a removable memory such as a hard disk.

The display 16 is coupled to the controller 15 for receiving and displaying data. The controller 15 may read data from the memory 14 and provide it to the display 16 for display to a user of the cellular telephone 10. The controller 15 may also be arranged to control a graphical user interface displayed on the display 16. The display 16 may be any suitable display and may be for example, a thin film transistor (TFT) display, a liquid crystal display (LCD), a monitor or a television.

The user input device 18 is operable by a user to provide control signals to the controller 15. The user may control the user input device 18 to input data to the cellular telephone 10 or to control a cursor displayed on a graphical user interface of the display 16 of the cellular telephone 10. The user input device 18 may be a keypad, a keyboard, a mouse, a trackball, a touch pad, a trackpoint or any other suitable user input device.

The controller 15 is arranged to provide audio data to the audio output device 20. The audio output device 20 is arranged to convert the audio data into acoustic waves, audible to the user of the cellular telephone 10. The audio output device 20 may be, for example, a loudspeaker.

The audio input device 21 is arranged to convert acoustic waves (for example, a voice of a user) into an electrical signal for input to the controller 15. The audio input device 21 is, in this embodiment, a microphone.

The transceiver 22 is connected to the antenna arrangement 24 and to the controller 15. The controller 15 is arranged to provide data to the transceiver 22.

The transceiver 22 is arranged to encode the data and provide it to the antenna

arrangement 24 for transmission. The antenna arrangement 24 is arranged to transmit the encoded data as a radio signal to a base station of the network 13.

The antenna arrangement 24 is also arranged to receive a radio signal from the second communication device 12 via the network 14. The antenna arrangement 24 then provides the received radio signal to the transceiver 22 which decodes the radio signal into data. The transceiver 22 then provides the data to the controller 15.

The memory 14 stores an application 26 which is executable by the controller 15 and may be operated by a user of the cellular telephone 10. In one embodiment, the application 26 is a game program which may be played by a user of the cellular telephone 10. The memory 14 also stores a computer program 28 which includes computer program instructions that control the operation of the cellular telephone 10 when loaded into the controller 15. The computer program instructions provide the logic and routines that enables the cellular telephone 10 to perform a portion of the method illustrated in, and described below with reference to Fig. 2.

The computer program instructions may, for example, arrive at the first communication device 10 via an electromagnetic carrier signal. For example, the electromagnetic carrier signal may be sent via a wired connection from an internet server or may be sent via a wireless link. The computer program instructions may be copied from a physical entity such as a storage device, a computer program product, a memory device or a computer readable record medium such as a CD-ROM or DVD. These physical entities may be portable and brought to the first communication device 10 for the transfer of the computer program instructions to memory 14 or may be remotely located and the computer program instructions may be transferred via a network such as the internet to the first communication device 10.

The second communication device 12 includes a controller 30, a memory 32 and an input/output device 34. In one embodiment, the second communication device 12 is a server. It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the second communication device 12 is located remotely from the cellular telephone 10 and may even be located in a different country. For example, the cellular telephone 10 may be located in the United Kingdom and the second communication device 12 may be located in the United States of America.

The controller 30 may be any suitable processor and is, in this embodiment, a microprocessor. The controller 30 is connected to read from and write to the memory 32. The memory 32 may be any suitable memory and may be a hard disk for example.

The controller 30 is connected to the network 13 via an input/output device

34 and is operable to transmit and receive information via the input/output device 34. In one embodiment, the input/output device 34 is an interface for a wired connection to the internet 13. In another embodiment, the input/output device 34 includes a transceiver and an antenna arrangement (as per the first communication device 12) and is operable to transmit and receive radio frequency signals.

The memory 32 stores a computer program 36 which includes computer program instructions that control the operation of the second communication device 12 when loaded into the controller 30. The computer program instructions provide the logic and routines that enables the second communication device 12 to perform a portion of the method illustrated in, and described below with reference to Fig. 2.

The computer program instructions may, for example, arrive at the second communication device 12 via an electromagnetic carrier signal. For example, the electromagnetic carrier signal may be sent via a wired connection from an

internet server or may be sent via a wireless link. The computer program instructions may be copied from a physical entity such as a storage device, a computer program product, a memory device or a computer readable record medium such as a CD-ROM or DVD. These physical entities may be portable and brought to the second communication device 12 for the transfer of the computer program instructions to memory 32 or may be remotely located and the computer program instructions may be transferred via a network such as the internet to the second communication device 12.

Fig. 2 illustrates a flow diagram of a method for enabling a game to be played on the first communication device 10. In the embodiment which is described in the following paragraphs, the first communication device 10 is a radio telephone, the second communication device 12 is a server and the network 13 includes the internet.

Initially, the controller 15 controls the transceiver 22 and the antenna arrangement 24 to open a wireless link 11 between the radio telephone 10 and the network 13 so that communication is enabled between radio telephone 10 and the server 12 (step 38).

A user of the radio telephone 10 then operates the user input device 18 and provides information relating to a game program 26 which he wants to play on the radio telephone 10. In one embodiment, this information may include an indication of an amount of money which he is willing to spend on playing the game and if the game is a gambling game, the stake which he is willing to place for each bet in the game.

The controller 15 receives the information from the user input device 18 and compiles game related third information using the information provided by the user. In step 40, the controller 15 controls the transceiver 22 and the antenna arrangement 24 to send the game related third information to the server 12.

In step 42, the controller 30 of the server 12 determines game related first information using, at least partially, the received game related third information. In one embodiment, the controller 30 determines a maximum value for a game outcome for the game the user wishes to play on the radio telephone 10. In particular, if the game is a betting game, the maximum value for a game outcome may be the maximum amount of money a user may win while playing the game. The maximum amount of money that may be won is determined by the controller 30 using an algorithm that takes into account the received third information and other factors such as the monetary return to the organisation which runs the server. The controller 30 stores the first information in the memory 32 and controls the input/output device 34 to send the first information to the radio telephone 10 via the network 13 (step 44).

When the radio telephone 10 receives the game related first information, the controller 15 stores the first information in the memory 14, enables the game for playing on the radio telephone 10 (step 47) and then controls the transceiver

22 and the antenna arrangement 24 to close the wireless link 11 between the radio telephone 10 and the network 13 (step 46).

The user of the radio telephone 10 may then play the game on the radio telephone 10. The controller 15 may influence the game using its knowledge of the first information. For example, in the embodiment where the game is a betting game, the controller 15 uses its knowledge of the maximum win amount to ensure that the game does not provide a game outcome which is greater in value than the maximum win amount. At a desired instance, the controller 15 controls the transceiver 22 and the antenna arrangement 24 to open the wireless link 11 between the radio telephone 10 and the network 13 (step 48). In one embodiment, the user may have spent all (or a predetermined portion) of the money which he indicated he would play the game with and in response, the controller 15 controls the transceiver 22 and the antenna arrangement 24 to open the wireless link 11. It should be appreciated that the user may have placed several bets while playing the game and thereby spent some or all of his money.

After the wireless link 11 has been opened, the controller 15 controls the transceiver 22 and the antenna arrangement 24 to send second information, which is derived from the game outcome, to the server 12 (step 50). In one embodiment, the second information includes information which indicates a value for a game outcome. In particular, the second information may indicate the amount of money won by a user while playing a gambling game.

In step 52, the controller 30 determines if the second information is valid by comparing it with the first information which is stored in the memory 32. If the second information is valid (step 54), the server 12 performs a transaction to register the second information and then closes the game session. If the second information is not valid (step 56), the server 12 does not perform a transaction and closes the game session. In one embodiment, the controller 30 determines if the amount of money won by the user of the radio telephone 10 is equal to or less than the maximum amount of money which was calculated by the controller

30 in method step 42. If the amount of money won by the user is equal to or less than the stored maximum amount of money it is considered valid and the controller 30 performs a transaction to credit an account of the user with the amount of money he has won. If the amount of money won by the user is greater than the stored maximum amount of money, the controller does not perform a transaction to credit the account of the user with the money which he has won.

Embodiments of the present invention provide an advantage in that they enable a game to be played on a communication device without requiring a wireless link to a server while the game is being played. This may increase the speed at which the game can be played since the communication device does not require information from the server while the game is being played.

Additionally, since the communication device is not connected to the server while the game is being played, it may reduce the cost of the airtime for playing the game.

Additionally, embodiments of the present invention provide a further advantage in that they may offer protection against fraudulent transactions. In the above mentioned embodiment, the controller 30 of the server 12 compares the amount of money won by the user of the radio telephone 10 with the stored maximum amount of money which the user may win. If the user or another party hacks the radio telephone 10 to increase the amount of money won, they will not be able to increase it beyond the maximum value stored at the server 12 since the controller 30 determines whether the amount won is valid and only performs a financial transaction if it is valid.

Although embodiments of the present invention have been described in the preceding paragraphs with reference to various examples, it should be appreciated that modifications to the examples given can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Whilst endeavoring in the foregoing specification to draw attention to those features of the invention believed to be of particular importance it should be understood that the Applicant claims protection in respect of any patentable feature or combination of features hereinbefore referred to and/or shown in the drawings whether or not particular emphasis has been placed thereon.

I/We claim: