Games of chance

Abstract

Games of chance based on linking or connecting randomly presented data sets which are compared to each other in order to determine whether or not a connection exists between them in which data sets which are identical may link or connect to each other, or be linked or connected to each other, and which can be played in multiple formats, both tangible and “virtual”, and include such formats as card games, dice, spinning wheels or mechanical or computer-video versions of slot-type games.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This U.S. Patent Application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/509,433 filed Oct. 7, 2003.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure relates to games of chance.

BACKGROUND, SUMMARY AND OBJECTS OF THE DISCLOSURE

Games of chance are well known in the prior art. The present disclosure reveals games of chance which may be easily used for gambling, if so desired, and in which randomly presented data sets are compared to each other in order to determine whether or not a connection exists between them. Generally, these data sets relate to artists and entertainers, including sports figures and even politicians, or information within the arts & entertainment industries. Games playable per this disclosure are based on linking or connecting elements, such as the linking of sets of information based on real people or personas, or such as on linking people or personas based on sets of factual information, such as linking movies in which movie makers or performers participated. For example, people or personas may be characters or people in the entertainment industry who may serve as connectors between movies. Denzel Washington links to Tom Hanks based on the movie, “Philadelphia”. In the same way that actors may be linked by motion pictures, motion pictures may be linked by actors. The movies “Sleepless In Seattle” and “Joe vs. The Volcano” are connectable because Tom Hanks performed in both. In fact, Meg Ryan could also serve as a link between the two movies.

Sports entertainers who interact, such as a pitcher, who throws the ball, a batter, who hits the ball and a fielder, who catches the ball, may be all interlinked and connected as a result of real, factual events, such as a baseball game. In the instance of a double play, four players are “linkable”. Players who switch teams, and teams which share or at one time had shared players in common, may also be connectable based on factual information or information perceived as factual. In the same way that sports figures may be linked by teams on which they have played, teams may be linked by sports figures in common. It is also possible to have data sets which pertain to famous brands, and trademarks which co-brand, such as a famous ice cream brand co-advertised and promoted together with a famous chocolate syrup ice cream-topping.

Games of chance, some of which are herein disclosed, can be played in multiple formats, both tangible and “virtual”, and include such formats as card games, dice, spinning wheels or mechanical or computer-video versions of slot-type games. Randomly displayed information sets, such as the identities of people, can be connected as a result of factual information, such as the co-participation of people in a motion picture, or, as well, because the identities are the same. This means that the same information set may link to itself, so that Tom Hanks can connect to Tom Hanks if two sets of information containing Tom Hanks emerge during play. Games could be played by people, on TV or Radio as a game show, interactively over the Internet or in a casino setting.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 discloses views of multiple, same information sets linking to each other;

FIG. 2 discloses multiple sets of game information which can link via the same set of information in two sets of three and three sets of two as the two middle sets link;

FIG. 3 discloses two sets of linked information including images and words, and in which two movies are linked via an actor;

FIG. 4 discloses four in a row/two in a row, and/or two sets of three, or three sets of two;

FIG. 5 discloses three sets of two, a set of three and two and added bonus with Penn;

FIG. 6 discloses three sets of three links;

FIG. 7 discloses a playing card format;

FIG. 8 discloses a rolling die format;

FIG. 9 discloses a virtual die rolling format;

FIG. 10 discloses a combination virtual playing card and virtual die format.

• • 22 Game Display Area
  • 24 Card
  • 26 Die
  • 28 Monitor

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

One embodiment which is a successful medium for the disclosure presented herein is a traditional-type, mechanical slot-machine having a Game Display Area 22. However, a mechanical slot machine necessarily significantly limits the number of displayable personas, people or game information or indicia, since the relatively small size of the spinning wheel necessitates few display elements. Certainly, the tinier the display, the more random items may be featured.

Another is an electronic slot-type game which, unlike traditional mechanical slots displays computer-generated imagery and therefore, having a virtual having a Game Display Area 22, is able to draw from and display an, effectively, limitless pool of game personas, people, information or indicia.

An update-able computer program stores images, names or other representations of movie actors, actresses and movie production participants, along with a database listing which entertainment projects, such as films, each played some function or role. The computer softwared is programmed to recognize, via the “relational” nature of its database, the correlation between the database information for each person and the stored, displayable image of the person.

The computer program randomizes the images displayed to the player and also monitors the relationship of the images to each other based on the database information. The monitoring function includes a contrast/comparison aspect so that if a connection is determined to exist by virtue of the database's recognition that two or more of the images are connected via co-participation motion picture, for example, a “link” is determined to exist. A pre-determined payout based on the number of links established during the random display of images to the player, determines the winning payout to the player. The degree of randomization also may be pre-programmed. A virtual game even permits the virtual throwing of dice, or the rotational spinning of a wheel, “Around, around she goes, and where she stops, nobody knows!”

A winning combination in a game of chance could be MADONNA, MADONNA, and MADONNA, offering a payout; and MADONNA, MADONNA, MADONNA, MADONNA, MADONNA, and MADONNA, offering a jackpot payout in, for instance, a random-generated, six-display viewing area. Different combinations of winning elements, such as MADONNA and MADONNA, TOM HANKS and TOM HANKS, could qualify as a pair of winning outcomes. Further, since the displays are traditionally aligned in non-moveable/non-switchable fashion so that the order of the presentation of the images can not be varied, if MADONNA were to be followed by SEAN PENN, then a link would be established since they really appeared together in the real movie SHANGHAI SURPRISE.

A combination of three TOM HANKS info sets (HANKS, HANKS and HANKS) and a combination of three DENZEL WASHINGTON info sets (WASHINGTON, WASHINGTON, and WASHINGTON) could be considered worthy of a greater payout than three TOM HANKS sets and three CHRISTIAN SLATER sets simply because WASHINGTON and HANKS link to each other through their co-participation in the movie PHILADELPHIA, while SLATER and HANKS have never participated together in a theatrically released motion picture—as of the filing of the utility patent application relating to this disclosure. As this status may change due to HANKS and SLATER working together professionally, so would the potential for payoffs need to be constantly re-evaluated so that, in the case in which SLATER and HANKS would participate in a motion picture together, the payout could be amended to be equal to that of, for instance, HANKS and WASHINGTON. In play, multiple versions of the same information sets may be linkable to each other.

It is not even necessary to display a portrait-type image. An information set may be a word or grouping of words, such as a name, the title of a book or movie or song.

This disclosure is novel. While preferred embodiments of the present disclosure have been described and illustrated using specific terms, such description is for illustrative purposes only. It may be appreciated and understood that changes and modification of the disclosure as described herein may be made by a person skilled in the art to which this subject matter pertains without substantially deviating from the spirit and scope of the disclosure and of the following claims. As the embodiments presented are capable of variation, addition, omission and modification without departing from the spirit an scope of the disclosure, consequently, it is not the intention of the applicant to limit the scope of this disclosure exclusively to those modes and embodiments of the disclosure shown or described above. Protection is desired for all changes and modifications that come within the spirit of the invention.

Claims

1. Games of chance with at least one player comprising the steps of:

providing a plurality of separate sets of game information;

randomizing or mixing said plurality of separate sets of game information;

a player randomly receiving a first set of game information, and at least one second set of game information from said mixed plurality of separate sets of game information;

the attempt to connect said random first set and said at least one random second set of game information via at least one element shared in common between the at least two sets;

the repetition of said attempt to connect said random first set and said at least one random second set of game information until said attempt is successful whereupon the player wins.

2. Games of chance of claim one, wherein:

said separate sets of game information are the identities of famous entertainers;

said randomizing or mixing said plurality of separate sets of game information is accomplished by a computer program in conjunction with a computer capable of running the computer program;

said attempt to connect said random first set and said at least one random second set of game information is accomplished by computer program.

3. Games of chance of claim one, wherein:

said attempt to connect said random first set and said at least one random second set of game information is based on a motion picture in which the actor of said random first set of game information and the actor of said at least one random second set of game information each play at least one role.

4. Games of chance with at least one player, wherein:

each set of game information has at least two identities of people, where the identities of people of one set of game information and the identities of people of any other set of game information are the same.