# US 8,540,577 B2 · System for computerized multiplayer tournament gaming and a method thereof > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 8,540,577 B2 - Document ID: US8540577B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 12/472,967 - Filed: 2009-05-27 - Published: 2009-09-17 - Granted: 2013-09-24 - Earliest claimed: 2006-08-16 - Assignees: Playtech Software Limited - Applicants: Omer Shvili - Inventors: Omer Shvili - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8540577B2 ## CPC - G07F 17/3258: {Cumulative reward schemes, e.g. jackpots} - G07F 17/32: for games, toys, sports, or amusements - G07F 17/3276: {wherein the players compete, e.g. tournament} - 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 There are provided a computerized tournament game system and a method of operating of the system. The method includes a) obtaining via the registration interface requests from a plurality of users for registration to a commenced tournament characterized by certain parameters thus giving rise to a plurality of registration requests to the commenced tournament; b) testing, with a help of the computer, if the plurality of registration requests matches a predefined criterion, c) upon matching the predefined criterion, substantially concurrently initiating two or more active tournaments characterized by the same parameters as the commenced tournament; and d) assigning, with a help of the computer, the requests comprised in the plurality of registration requests to the initiated active tournaments in a manner enabling distribution of assignments between all concurrently initiated active tournaments, the assigning provided in accordance with predefined assigning rules. The method may further include updating information related to status of the commenced tournament presented by the registration interface, the information including at least number of players registered to the commenced tournament. The information is provided as average data over the active tournaments corresponding to the commenced tournament. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of operating a computerized tournament game system comprising a computer operatively coupled to a registration interface, the method comprising: a) obtaining via the registration interface requests from a plurality of users for registration to a commenced tournament characterized by certain parameters thus giving rise to a pool of registration requests to the commenced tournament; b) testing, with the computer, if the pool of registration requests matches a predefined criterion related to the pool; c) upon matching the predefined criterion related to the pool, substantially concurrently initiating two or more active tournaments characterized by the same parameters as the commenced tournament; d) assigning, with the computer, the requests comprised in the pool of registration requests to the initiated active tournaments in a manner enabling distribution of assignments between all respective concurrently initiated active tournaments, the assigning provided in accordance with predefined assigning rules, thereby providing distribution of the requests for registration to the commenced tournament between the initiated active tournaments for actual gaming; and e) updating information related to status of the commenced tournament presented by the registration interface, the information including at least the number of players registered to the commenced tournament, wherein the information is provided as average data over the active tournaments corresponding to the commenced tournament. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the pool of registration requests to a certain commenced tournament is generated upon recognizing requests for registration to the tournament, the requests being recognized among requests for registration to different commenced tournaments. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the testing is provided in at least one mode selected from a group comprising continuous testing, scheduled testing and testing in accordance with one or more pre-defined events. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the predefined criterion is defined as a threshold number of requests in the pool of registration requests and/or deviations thereof. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4 wherein the threshold number is selected from a group comprising a minimal number of requests in the pool of registration requests, minimal number of requests from a single casino and/or advertiser, minimal number of different casinos and/or advertisers corresponding to the requests in the pool of registration requests. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4 wherein a number of concurrently initiated active tournaments is defined as a rounded down result of dividing the threshold number by a minimum number of players required for the tournament. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the predefined assigning rules are configured to enable assigning a certain request to one or another tournament among the concurrently initiated active tournaments in a random manner. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the predefined assigning rules are configured to enable assigning the requests to the active tournaments in accordance with an order that the requests have been obtained in the pool of registration requests. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the predefined assigning rules are configured to enable assigning the requests to the active tournaments in accordance with at least one characteristic of the requests selected from a group comprising: source IP address associated with the respective request, range of source IP addresses associated with the respective request, an advertiser associated with the respective request, a casino associated with the respective request. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the registration interface is further configured to enable a user to select several options of commenced tournaments with different parameters in order to be registered to any one of them, thus giving rise to a multi-option registration request; the method further comprising: a) obtaining via the registration interface a multi-option registration request; b) appending the request to all pluralities of registration requests corresponding to the commenced tournaments selected as options in the multi-option request; c) handling the appended request in each of the corresponding pluralities of registration requests upon assigning the request to an active tournament in one of the pluralities; and d) disabling the appended request in the rest of the corresponding pluralities of registration requests. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 further comprising altering at least one of the tournament parameters upon assigning the registration requests to the concurrently initiated active tournaments. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11 wherein altering is provided if a time of achieving the threshold number exceeds a predefined maximal time. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the tournament is configured as a progressive prize tournament characterized by initial tournament parameters, wherein at least one of the initial tournament parameters is selected from a group comprising: minimal number of players per tournament, one or more criteria qualifying for winning a progressive prize, initial prize value, rules of adding an ante to the progressive prize, maximal number of tournaments before awarding the progressive prize, maximal time of playing the tournaments before awarding the progressive prize. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13 further comprising altering at least the one of the initial tournament parameters, wherein altering is provided if a time and/or number of tournaments for winning a prize is less than a predefined minimal value. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13 further comprising altering at least the one of the initial tournament parameters, wherein altering is provided if a time of achieving the threshold number for assigning the registration requests exceeds a predefined maximal time. ### Claim 16 A computerized tournament game system comprising a computer operatively coupled to a registration interface, wherein: a) the registration interface is configured to obtain requests from a plurality of users for registration to a commenced tournament characterized by certain parameters, the requests constituting a pool of registration requests to the commenced tournament; b) the computer is configured i) to test if the pool of registration requests matches a predefined related to the pool, ii) upon matching the predefined criterion related to the pool, substantially concurrently initiate two or more active tournaments characterized by the same parameters as the commenced tournament; iii) to assign the requests comprised in the pool of registration requests to the initiated active tournaments in a manner enabling distribution of assignments between all concurrently initiated active tournaments, the assigning provided in accordance with predefined assigning rules, thereby providing distribution of the requests for registration to the commenced tournament between the initiated active tournaments for actual gaming; and iv) updating information related to status of the commenced tournament presented by the registration interface, the information including at least the number of players registered to the commenced tournament, wherein the information is provided as average data over the active tournaments corresponding to the commenced tournament. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The system of claim 16 wherein the computer is configured to generate updated information related to status of the commenced tournament, and the registration interface is configured to present the information, wherein the information includes at least number of players registered to the commenced tournament and is generated as average data over the active tournaments corresponding to the commenced tournament. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The system of claim 16 wherein the predefined criterion is defined as a threshold number of requests in the pool of registration requests and/or deviations thereof. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The system of claim 18 wherein the threshold number is selected from a group comprising a minimal number of requests in the pool of registration requests, minimal number of requests from a single casino and/or advertiser, minimal number of different casinos and/or advertisers corresponding to the requests in the pool of registration requests. ### Claim 20 (depends on 18) The system of claim 18 wherein a number of concurrently initiated active tournaments is defined as a rounded down result of dividing the threshold number by a minimum number of players required for the tournament. ### Claim 21 (depends on 16) The system of claim 16 wherein the predefined assigning rules are configured to enable assigning a certain request to one or another tournament among the concurrently initiated active tournaments in a random manner. ### Claim 22 (depends on 16) The system of claim 16 wherein the predefined assigning rules are configured to enable assigning the requests to the active tournaments in accordance with an order the requests have been obtained in the pool of registration requests. ### Claim 23 (depends on 16) The system of claim 16 wherein the predefined assigning rules are configured to enable assigning the requests to the active tournaments in accordance with at least one characteristic of the requests selected from a group comprising: source IP address associated with the respective request, range of source IP addresses associated with the respective request, an advertiser associated with the respective request, and a casino associated with the respective request. ### Claim 24 (depends on 16) The system of claim 16 wherein the registration interface is further configured to enable a user to select several options of commenced tournaments with different parameters in order to be registered to any one of them, thus giving rise to a multi-option registration request; and the computer is further configured: a) to obtain via the registration interface the multi-option registration request; b) to append the request to all pluralities of registration requests corresponding to the commenced tournaments selected as options in the multi-option request; c) to handle the appended request in each of the corresponding pluralities of registration requests upon assigning the request to an active tournament in one of the pluralities; and d) to disable the appended request in the rest of the corresponding pluralities of registration requests. ### Claim 25 A non-transitory program storage device readable by machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform a method of operating a computerized tournament game system, the method comprising: a) obtaining requests from a plurality of users for registration to a commenced tournament characterized by certain parameters thus giving rise to a pool of registration requests to the commenced tournament; b) testing if the pool of registration requests matches a predefined criterion, c) upon matching the predefined criterion related to the pool, substantially concurrently initiating two or more active tournaments characterized by the same parameters as the commenced tournament; d) assigning the requests comprised in the pool of registration requests to the initiated active tournaments in a manner enabling distribution of assignments between all concurrently initiated active tournaments, the assigning provided in accordance with predefined assigning rules, thereby providing distribution of the requests for registration to the commenced tournament between the initiated active tournaments for actual gaming; and e) updating information related to status of the commenced tournament presented by the registration interface, the information including at least the number of players registered to the commenced tournament, wherein the information is provided as average data over the active tournaments corresponding to the commenced tournament. ### Claim 26 A computer program product comprising a computer useable non-transitory physical medium having computer readable program code embodied therein of operating a computerized tournament game system, the computer program product comprising: a) computer readable program code for causing the computer to obtain requests from a plurality of users for registration to a commenced tournament characterized by certain parameters thus giving rise to a pool of registration requests to the commenced tournament; b) computer readable program code for causing the computer to test if the pool of registration requests matches a predefined criterion related to the pool, c) computer readable program code for causing the computer to substantially concurrently initiate, upon matching the predefined criterion related to the pool, two or more active tournaments characterized by the same parameters as the commenced tournament; d) computer readable program code for causing the computer to assign the requests comprised in the pool of registration requests to the initiated active tournaments in a manner enabling distribution of assignments between all concurrently initiated active tournaments, the assigning provided in accordance with predefined assigning rules, thereby providing distribution of the requests for registration to the commenced tournament between the initiated active tournaments for actual gaming; and e) updating information related to status of the commenced tournament presented by the registration interface, the information including at least the number of players registered to the commenced tournament, wherein the information is provided as average data over the active tournaments corresponding to the commenced tournament.