# US 11,295,576 B2 · System and method for providing enhanced services to a user of a gaming application > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,295,576 B2 - Document ID: US11295576B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/892,845 - Filed: 2020-06-04 - Published: 2020-09-24 - Granted: 2022-04-05 - Earliest claimed: 2001-07-13 - Assignees: Interactive Games LLC - Applicants: Interactive Games Limited - Inventors: Fergus A. Leen; Sam B. Lawrence; David G. McNally; Clive Hetherington; David M. McDowell; Kevin R. O'Neal - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11295576B2 ## CPC - G07F 17/3255: {Incentive, loyalty and/or promotion schemes, e.g. comps, gaming associated with a purchase, gaming funded by advertisements} - G07F 17/32: for games, toys, sports, or amusements - G07F 17/3223: {Architectural aspects of a gaming system, e.g. internal configuration, leader-follower, wireless communication} - G07F 17/3225: {Data transfer within a gaming system, e.g. data sent between gaming machines and users} - G07F 17/3227: {Configuring a gaming machine, e.g. downloading personal settings, selecting working parameters} - G07F 17/323: {wherein the player is informed, e.g. advertisements, odds, instructions} - G07F 17/3234: {about the performance of a gaming system, e.g. revenue, diagnosis of the gaming system} - G07F 17/3237: {about the players, e.g. profiling, responsible gaming, strategy/behavior of players, location of players} - G07F 17/3239: {Tracking of individual players} - G07F 17/3244: {Payment aspects of a gaming system, e.g. payment schemes, setting payout ratio, bonus or consolation prizes} - G07F 17/3276: {wherein the players compete, e.g. tournament} - G07F 17/3286: {Type of games} - G07F 17/3293: {Card games, e.g. poker, canasta, black jack} - G07F: COIN-FREED OR LIKE APPARATUS (coin sorting G07D3/00; coin testing G07D5/00; {handling coins or paper currencies apart from payment activated apparatus G07D; payment architectures, schemes or protocols G06Q20/00}) ## Abstract A system for providing enhanced services to users of a gaming application comprises a server and a platform remotely coupled to the server. The server executes a gaming application. The platform receives a request for enhanced services, and establishes an enhanced services session with a user of the gaming application in response to the request for enhanced services. The enhanced services session corresponds in time at least in part with the execution of the gaming application. The platform further provides enhanced services to the user of the gaming application during the enhanced services session. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An apparatus comprising: at least one processor configured to control: receiving, over a communication network, login information from a first computing device of a first user, in which the first user is of a plurality of users associated with a respective plurality of computing devices; after receiving the login information, receiving, over the communication network, from each of the computing devices respectively of the plurality of users a respective at least one criterion, in which at least one first criterion of the at least one criterion is from the first user and at least one second criterion of the at least one criterion is from a second computing device of a second user, wherein the respective at least one criterion from each of the plurality of users comprises a wager limit; displaying, over the communication network, at the first computing device information about a plurality of possible competitions that meet the at least one first criterion; based at least in part on a selection of a displayed competition by the first user, entering the first user into a competition with the second user, the competition being associated with execution of a game, wherein the game comprises at least one of (1) an electronic card game played via the communication network, (2) an electronic game that involves a sport and that is played via the communication network, (3) an electronic casino game played via the communication network, (4) an electronic arcade game played via the communication network, or (5) an electronic dice game played via the communication network; initiating the game for play, over the communication network, by at least the first user and the second user at the first and second computing devices, respectively; during play of the game, in real time: monitoring information input, over the communication network, by at least the first user and the second user at the first and second computing devices, respectively, that affect an outcome of the game; based at least in part on the information input and parameters for generating one or more statistics, generating second information comprising at least one of (1) rankings of at least the first user and the second user, (2) skill levels of at least the first user and the second user, or (3) one or more statistic values associated with the game; and displaying, over the communication network, the second information to the first user at the first computing device and the second user at the second computing device; based at least in part on monitored information, determining a winner of the game, in which the winner comprises one of the first user and the second user; and responsive to determining the winner of the game, causing value to be transferred to an account of the winner. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the game comprises an electronic card game played via an electronic communications network. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the game comprises an electronic game that involves a sport and that is played via an electronic communications network. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the game comprises an electronic casino game played via an electronic communications network. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the game comprises an electronic dice game played via an electronic communications network. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second information comprises rankings of at least the first user and the second user. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, in which the second information comprises skill levels of at least the first user and the second user, in which the information about the plurality of possible competitions includes a plurality of games, and in which the at least one first criterion from the first user is received after the first user is authenticated based on login information received from the first user. ### Claim 8 A method comprising: controlling, by at least one processor, receiving, over a communication network, login information from a first computing device of a first user, in which the first user is of a plurality of users associated with a respective plurality of computing devices; after receiving the login information, receiving, over the communication network, from each of the computing devices respectively of the plurality of users a respective at least one criterion, in which at least one first criterion of the at least one criterion is from the first user and at least one second criterion of the at least one criterion is from a second computing device of a second user, wherein the respective at least one criterion from each of the plurality of users comprises a wager limit; displaying, over the communication network, at the first computing device information about a plurality of possible competitions that meet the at least one first criterion; based at least in part on a selection of a displayed competition by the first user, entering the first user into a competition with the second user, the competition being associated with execution of a game, wherein the game comprises at least one of (1) an electronic card game played via the communication network, (2) an electronic game that involves a sport and that is played via the communication network, (3) an electronic casino game played via the communication network, (4) an electronic arcade game played via the communication network, or (5) an electronic dice game played via the communication network; initiating the game for play, over the communication network, by at least the first user and the second user at the first and second computing devices, respectively; during play of the game, in real time: monitoring information input, over the communication network, by at least the first user and the second user at the first and second computing devices, respectively, that affect an outcome of the game; based at least in part on the information input and parameters for generating one or more statistics, generating second information comprising at least one of (1) rankings of at least the first user and the second user, (2) skill levels of at least the first user and the second user, or (3) one or more statistic values associated with the game; and displaying, over the communication network, the second information to the first user at the first computing device and the second user at the second computing device; based at least in part on monitored information, determining a winner of the game, in which the winner comprises one of the first user and the second user; and responsive to determining the winner of the game, causing value to be transferred to an account of the winner. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein the game comprises an electronic card game played via an electronic communications network. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein the game comprises an electronic game that involves a sport and that is played via an electronic communications network. ### Claim 11 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein the game comprises an electronic casino game played via an electronic communications network. ### Claim 12 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, in which the second information comprises rankings of at least the first user and the second user, and in which the information about the plurality of possible competitions includes a plurality of games. ### Claim 13 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, in which the second information comprises skill levels of at least the first user and the second user, and in which the at least one first criterion from the first user is received after authenticating the first user based on login information received from the first user. ### Claim 14 A non-transitory machine-readable medium configured to store instructions which, when executed by at least one processor, control: receiving, over a communication network, login information from a first computing device of a first user, in which the first user is of a plurality of users associated with a respective plurality of computing devices; after receiving the login information, receiving, over the communication network, from each of the computing devices respectively of the plurality of users a respective at least one criterion, in which at least one first criterion of the at least one criterion is from the first user and at least one second criterion of the at least one criterion is from a second computing device of a second user, wherein the respective at least one criterion from each of the plurality of users comprises a wager limit; displaying, over the communication network, at the first computing device information about a plurality of possible competitions that meet the at least one first criterion; based at least in part on a selection of a displayed competition by the first user, entering the first user into a competition with the second user, the competition being associated with execution of a game, wherein the game comprises at least one of (1) an electronic card game played via the communication network, (2) an electronic game that involves a sport and that is played via the communication network, (3) an electronic casino game played via the communication network, (4) an electronic arcade game played via the communication network, or (5) an electronic dice game played via the communication network; initiating the game for play, over the communication network, by at least the first user and the second user at the first and second computing devices, respectively; during play of the game, in real time: monitoring information input, over the communication network, by at least the first user and the second user at the first and second computing devices, respectively, that affect an outcome of the game; based at least in part on the information input and parameters for generating one or more statistics, generating second information comprising at least one of (1) rankings of at least the first user and the second user, (2) skill levels of at least the first user and the second user, or (3) one or more statistic values associated with the game; and displaying, over the communication network, the second information to the first user at the first computing device and the second user at the second computing device; based at least in part on monitored information, determining a winner of the game, in which the winner comprises one of the first user and the second user; and responsive to determining the winner of the game, causing value to be transferred to an account of the winner. ### Claim 15 (depends on 9) The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 9, in which the second information comprises rankings of at least the first user and the second user, in which the information about the plurality of possible competitions includes a plurality of games, and in which the game comprises one of (1) an electronic card game played via an electronic communications network, (2) an electronic game that involves a sport and that is played via an electronic communications network, or (3) an electronic casino game played via an electronic communications network. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 14, in which the second information comprises skill levels of at least the first user and the second user, and in which the at least one first criterion from the first user is received after authenticating the first user based on login information received from the first user.