WO2015003244A1

WO2015003244A1 - Method of advertising in a game using advertisement gameplay elements

Info

Publication number: WO2015003244A1
Application number: PCT/CA2014/000549
Authority: WO
Inventors: Stephane Leblanc
Original assignee: Stephane Leblanc
Priority date: 2013-07-08
Filing date: 2014-07-07
Publication date: 2015-01-15

Abstract

The method of advertising comprises providing a game comprising a number of gameplay elements that represent information transferred to a user of the game that is required to play the game, with at least one gameplay element comprising an advertisement element.

Description

TITLE OF THE TNVENTTON: METHOD OF ADVERTISING IN A GAME USING ADVERTISEMENT GAMEPLAY ELEMENTS

CROSS-REFERENCE DATA

The present application claims conventional priority of American provisional application N°61/843,542 filed July 8^th, 2013.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to advertisement in a game.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Advertising is becoming more and more difficult as potential customers become desensitized to the advertisements. Indeed, advertisements have invaded the public domain and can be found on street and highway borders, in paper publications, on public television and radio, in computer-accessible information such as web sites and in virtual environments created by computer game software, as well as in many other environments. In view of the omnipresence of advertisement, it becomes more and more difficult to attract or maintain the attention of potential customers towards advertisement. Often, this problem exists because there is no interaction between the potential customer and the advertisement. For example, television advertisements are simply displayed during commercial breaks, and the potential customers are not required to pay attention to the television advertisements.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a method of advertising comprising:

• providing a game comprising a number of gameplay elements that represent information transferred to a user of the game that is required to play the game; and

• at least one gameplay element comprising an advertisement element.

In one embodiment, the game is a slot machine game that will randomly generate a set of displayed gameplay elements in the form of images upon user input by the user.

In one embodiment, the game is a virtual slot machine accessible through one of a computer program and a website. The present invention also relates to a computer-implemented method of displaying advertisement on a computer screen responsively to user input in the context of a computer gaming program, comprising:

• running said computer gaming program on a computer connected to said computer screen;

• displaying a computer screen interface of said computer gaming program on said a computer screen;

• providing a user input interface connected to said computer;

• awaiting user input through said user input interface within a predetermined ruleset of said computer gaming program;

• when said user input is received, displaying a number of gameplay elements among a pool of possible gameplay elements responsively to said user input;

• at least one of said gameplay elements within said pool of gameplay elements comprising an advertisement element.

The present invention further relates to a computer-implemented method of displaying advertisement on a computer screen in the context of a slot machine program, comprising:

• displaying a slot machine program computer screen interface on said computer screen that is connected to a computer;

• providing a user input interface connected to said computer and capable of receiving user input for influencing said slot machine program computer screen interface;

• awaiting user input through said user input interface;

• when said user input is received, randomly displaying a number of gameplay elements responsively to said user input;

• at least some of said gameplay elements comprising advertisement elements. In one embodiment, all said gameplay elements comprise advertisement elements.

In one embodiment, at least some of said gameplay elements comprise non- advertisement gameplay elements. DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the annexed drawings :

Figure 1 is a schematic view of a slot machine capable of displaying gameplay elements comprising advertisement elements, according to the present invention;

Figure 2 is a schematic view showing different implementations of the slot machine; and

Figure 3 is a schematic view showing a virtual slot machine system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

The invention is a system and method for advertising within a game by providing gameplay elements comprising advertisement elements.

In one embodiment, the advertisement elements are visual advertisements.

In one embodiment, the advertisement elements are images that are provided as gameplay elements. More particularly, the person playing the game will interact with advertisement gameplay elements in a way that is useful to advance the course of the game, and will consequently take notice of the advertisements.

One way to carry out the invention comprises slot machines. Slot machines are machines that comprise a housing in which a number of drums are rotatably mounted, each drum partly visible though a visualisation window. Each drum has a number of different pictorial gameplay elements drawn on it. Traditionally, these pictorial gameplay elements can represent food images such as cherry images, images of coins or images of numbers such as the number seven, or any other suitable image. Each drum is typically provided with the same images as the other drums. The drums may be rotated with a lever provided on the slot machine. The machine will stop the rotation of each drum at a random position with one of their pictorial gameplay elements facing the visualisation window. A set of pictorial gameplay elements is formed by the combination of the visible pictorial gameplay elements of all drums. If certain combinations of pictorial gameplay elements are obtained with the visible pictorial gameplay elements of all drums, the user may win a certain prize, such as money or credits. The ultimate combination offering the best prize is often called the jackpot. For example, in a slot machine comprising three rotating drums, if the three drums stop their rotation each with cherries facing the visualisation windows, then the user wins the jackpot.

According to the present invention, at least one - and possibly all - of the pictorial gameplay elements are more specifically advertisement elements. Consequently, the images of cherries, coins or number sevens are replaced by advertisement images such as a trade-mark, a trade-name, the image of a product, the name of a service, a company name, or any other image that will promote a product. Generally, the advertisement elements will usually represent a notice concerning a product, service, company, commercial entity, organisation, or other similar advertisement element. Hence, these advertisement elements displayed and visible on the drums of the slot machines are promoted since the user of the slot machine is likely to notice the advertisement elements since they are also used as gameplay elements.

A slot machine may comprise product images, trade-marks and other advertisement elements that all relate to a single company. For example, a hypothetical company XYZ INC. may advertise on a slot machine a product A, a product B, a trade-mark C, a trademark D and the company name XYZ. Each of these five advertisement elements will be used as gameplay elements and be displayed on the drums of the slot machine. When the drums are rotated, each will eventually stop with one of its advertisement gameplay elements facing its corresponding visualisation window. As per usual slot machine rules, certain combinations will offer prizes. For example, obtaining three identical advertisement gameplay elements might yield a prize, and moreover obtaining three product A gameplay elements may allow the user to win the jackpot.

Additional advertisement may also be displayed on the slot machine. For example, a banner may be provided on the top of the slot machine displaying additional advertisement that may be related to the other advertisement gameplay elements.

Alternately the slot machine may comprise advertisement elements from different companies.

The slot machines may be mechanical and/or electrical and comprise actual drums as noted above, or may be implemented on computers having a computer screen that displays the results of a program running on the computer and simulating a conventional mechanical slot machine. Such computerized slot machines often comprise tactile screens that allow the user to interface with the program.

According to another embodiment of the invention, the slot machine is entirely virtual and may be accessed either through a computer program, a web site, or the like. The virtual slot machine will comprise a program simulating a regular slot machine that will display advertisement gameplay elements as described above. A user that wishes to use the virtual slot machine program may either start the associated program or log on to the appropriate website, and the slot machine interface will display on the user's computer screen. The user's computer may be a PC, a smartphone, a digital tablet, or any other computer device. A suitable user interface allows the user to interface with the program, for example through commands issued by means of the user's keyboard or tactile screen. The user may then command virtual drums to randomize advertisement gameplay elements, with one of predetermined displayed combinations allowing the user to win a prize.

Additional advertisement may be displayed on the user's computer screen, for example in the form of online banners or the like.

It is understood that all gameplay elements need not be advertisement elements. For example, the slot machine could include advertisement gameplay elements and non- advertisement gameplay elements. In one embodiment, predetermined combinations of advertisement gameplay elements allow the user to win prizes, while combinations of non- advertisement gameplay elements do not allow the user to win a prize.

In another embodiment, an advertisement gameplay element could comprise an advertisement element in addition to a strictly game-related element, for example by being formed of two side-by-side images.

The present invention consequently aims to provide a method of advertising in a game that comprises:

• at least one gameplay element comprising an advertisement element that represents a notice concerning a product or company.

With reference to Figure 1 of the annexed drawings, there is schematically shown a slot machine 10 that comprises a number of visualisation windows 20 with a drum 25 being partly visible in each visualisation window 20. More specifically, each drum 25 comprises a number of gameplay elements 30, with a single gameplay element 30 being visible at any given time through the visualisation window 20. A controller 32 controls the drums 25 upon a user input device 35 being activated to have each drum 25 display a respective random gameplay element 30 within visualisation window 20. Figure 1 further shows that each gameplay element 30 comprises an advertisement gameplay element 40 and a non-advertisement gameplay element 50. In one embodiment, only some gameplay elements 30 comprise advertisement gameplay elements 40.

Gameplay elements 30 comprise a number of pictorial elements that can be randomly displayed to form a combination of display elements with all displayed gameplay elements 30.

Additional advertisements in the form of a banner 70 is displayed on slot machine

10.

As suggested in Figure 2, slot machine 10 can be implemented as either a mechanical slot machine 12, an electrical slot machine 14 or a virtual slot machine 16.

In a mechanical slot machine 12, user input device 35 is a lever that can be pulled to transfer mechanical energy through a controller 32 in the form of a mechanical movement transfer device, to the drums 25, to have them rotate and randomly display a combination of gameplay elements 30 in the visualisation windows 20.

In an electrical slot machine 14, user input device is a tactile screen or any other suitable user input device such as a keyboard. In the case of a tactile screen, the user will press on appropriate portions of the screen. Controller 32 is a computer running a slot machine software that displays slot machine images on the tactile screen and receives user input commands from the tactile screen. The slot machine software will simulate rotation of the drums 25 by displaying corresponding images on the screen; and will randomly display combinations of gameplay elements in the visualisation windows 20 that represent gameplay element display windows on the screen.

In a virtual slot machine 16, user input device 35 is a computer user interface device such as a mouse, a keyboard, a touch pad, a tactile screen or any other suitable user interface device. Controller 32 is a computer running a slot machine software either locally on the user's computer that displays the slot machine interface on the user's computer, or distally from a server that downloads data and displays the slot machine interface on the user's computer. The slot machine interface will comprise slot machine images on the user's screen. User input commands are received from the computer's user interface device. The slot machine software will simulate rotation of the drums 25 by displaying corresponding images on the screen as a result of user input through the user input device 35; and will randomly display combinations of gameplay elements in the visualisation windows 20 that represent gameplay element display windows on the user's screen.

Figure 3 shows one embodiment of a virtual slot machine system 16 according to the present invention. The user U interacts with his computer 80 that can be implemented in the form of a laptop or PC 82, a smartphone 84, an electronic tablet 86 or any other suitable computer device. Through a computer network 90 the user's computer 80 can communicate with a game server 92 that will allow the game software to be either uploaded to the user computer 80 or run locally on server 92 while displaying the game interface on the screen of the user's computer 80. This includes the possibility that the user access the game through a web site.

Claims

A method of advertising comprising:

• at least one gameplay element comprising an advertisement element.

A method of advertising in a game as defined in claim 1 , wherein the game is a slot machine game that will randomly generate a set of displayed gameplay elements in the form of images upon user input by the user.

A method of advertising in a game as defined in claim 2, wherein the game is a virtual slot machine accessible through one of a computer program and a website.

A computer-implemented method of displaying advertisement on a computer screen responsively to user input in the context of a computer gaming program, comprising:

• providing a user input interface connected to said computer;

A computer-implemented method of displaying advertisement on a computer screen in the context of a slot machine program, comprising:

• displaying a slot machine program computer screen interface on said computer screen that is connected to a computer; providing a user input interface connected to said computer and capable of receiving user input for influencing said slot machine program computer screen interface;

awaiting user input through said user input interface;

when said user input is received, randomly displaying a number of gameplay elements responsively to said user input;

at least some of said gameplay elements comprising advertisement elements.

A computer-implemented method as defined in claim 5, wherein all said gameplay elements comprise advertisement elements.

A computer-implemented method as defined in claim 5, wherein at least some of said gameplay elements comprise non-advertisement gameplay elements.