CA2325153A1 - A system and method for collecting consumer information - Google Patents

Abstract

and gift selected. The site automatically sends e-mails to the listed friends and family, inviting them to come to the site to view the list and to purchase the products. Friends and family who come to the site are also invited to set up their own wish lists. The component creates additional incentives for users, as well as their friends and families, to shop at partnering e-commerce sites. Furthermore, it provides additional information about users' consumer preferences. Finally, this component provides viral marketing for the network, since users request that e-mails describing the network are sent to friends and family. The wish list site includes the following components: a graphical interface, a log-in/registration system (for both users who want to create a wish list and for visitors who want to access another's wish list), a CGI script to manage site functionality, and a database that keeps track of wish-list selections and which links to the game site database to improve each user's consumer profile. 3) A java applet that coordinates network functioning with third-party e-commerce sites. This is an applet that a user can load at either site in the network. It appears as a small window in the corner of the screen (though it can be moved around by the user). After users have loaded this applet, they will be able to visit partnering e-commerce sites and use the applet to redeem tokens or select products for a wish list. A user redeems tokens by selecting products at an e-commerce site and putting them in the site's electronic shopping cart. The user then clicks on a button in the applet, which causes a form to appear requesting the user to indicate how many tokens he or she would like to redeem. The applet then adds a negative number, corresponding to the number of tokens selected, to the shopping cart total price, thus reducing the amount that the user has to pay for the selected product or products. The applet also signals the network database, such that it reduces the user's token account appropriately and updates the user's consumer profile. A user selects a product for the wish-list by clicking on the appropriate button in the Java applet at the URL of a page displaying the desired product. Normally, only one product corresponds to each URL of an e-commerce site, but in case there is more than one product displayed, the user will be asked to write a short description of the product. The URL and the product description are then copied to the user's wish-list on file in the network's database. This function will be disabled if the user has not yet set up a wish list. This component enables the coordination of network and partnership functionality that is enhances the business process. This component includes: a graphical interface, and software that performs the applet's functionality and which links to the network database. 3 In this game, you want to try to form complete lines of bricks. Each time a complete line is formed, the line collapses. Collapsing lines is good, since you get points for each line collapsed, and it creates more space for you to continue laying bricks. When you start the game, your first brick will start falling from the top of the play area. The brick will be one of several shapes. You can spin the brick around by pressing the up arrow on your keyboard. You can move the brick from side to side by using the left and right arrows on your keyboard. You can speed up the brick's descent by pressing the down arrow. The brick is automatically lain with a "soft drop" (ie, a slight delay to enable sliding) when it touches the bottom of the play area or a brick that you've already lain. Periodically, after you've collapsed a certain number of brick lines, you will advance a level and the game will speed up. Just for playing Brick Layer, we automatically give you one free token. In fact, we'll give you a free token for every 5 minutes you play (or part thereof), to a maximum of five per day. You can win a lot more tokens if you make high scores: 50 tokens for the top score in a ten minute period, 100 tokens for the top score in an hour, 500 tokens for the top score in a day, 1,000 tokens for the top score in a week, and 5,000 tokens for the top score in a month. In each case, the relevant period is the one you end your game in. The running high scores for the relevant periods are updated every two minutes, as you play, on the right hand side of the game console. This way you can keep tabs on the minimum score you will have to beat in order to win during a particular period. Please note that simply beating the last running high score posted for a particular time period does guarantee that you will win for that period. Someone else may also beat the last running high score posted, AND get a higher score than you! We keep track of you current running high scores. You can check them by clicking on the "Check My High Scores" button. The object of this classic variation of solitaire is to stack all 52 cards in the four piles at the of your play area-in as little time as possible. When the game starts, you will see 7 cards, face up. All but the first card is placed on top of one or more cards that are face down. You will also see the remaining cards in a face down deck at the top-left corner of the play area, and four blank spaces, each one representing a different suit. Those are the spaces where you have to pile up all the cards to win the game. The face up cards can be moved around, just by clicking and dragging. A card can be placed under another face up card if it is one rank smaller than the card under which it is placed, and of the opposite color. So you can put a 7 of clubs (a black card) under a 8 of hearts (a red card that is one rank higher), or a Jack of diamonds under a queen of spades. There is no limit to how many cards you can place under one another, so it is possible to form lengthy vertical lines. By moving face cards around, you may uncover a face down card. This is great news, because it means you can flip it over by clicking on it, thus bringing another card into the game. Aces are also good news. When you get an ace, you can start one of the four piles that are needed to win. Just drag it up to one of the four spaces. The suit of the ace will designate which suit you need to pile into the space. Cards have to be piled in the order of their rank. So once you have, say, the Ace of clubs in one of the spaces, you can then put the 2 of clubs in the pile, and then the 3 of clubs, and so on. The pile is complete once you've placed all thirteen cards of the suit on it. Kings are the highest ranking cards in solitaire (Aces are low), so they can't be placed under any other cards. If by uncovering and moving cards, however, you create a blank space, you may move the king to it in order to start a new line of cards. Another source of new cards is the deck in the top-left corner of the play area. Click on it, and a card will flip up as if you were dealing out three cards and turning over the third. If possible, you can move this card to a line of cards, or you can add it to your suit piles at the top. If you can't do anything with it, you can just click on the deck again to reveal another card. This new card covers up the last one showing, so that it's no longer available~unless you're able to move the new card elsewhere. When you've gone through all the cards in the deck, just click on it, and the deck will turn over and you can go through the same cards again. 6 The game, in theory, could last forever, because you can just keep going through the deck and flipping it over at the end. But soon you'll notice that you're not making any progress, since you can't play any of the cards that are showing up. That's a good time to start playing a new game. Scoring You'll get five points for every card you manage to put into a suit pile. Since there are 52 cards, that means you can score up to 260 points. But speed also counts. If two or more people win the game by piling all the cards up, than whoever wins it fastest is considered to have the high score. Winning Tokens Just for playing Solitaire, we automatically give you one free token. In fact, we'll give you a free token for every 5 minutes you play (or part thereof), to a maximum of five per day. You can win a lot more tokens if you make high scores: 50 tokens for the top score in a ten minute period, 100 tokens for the top score in an hour, 500 tokens for the top score in a day, 1,000 tokens for the top score in a week, and 5,000 tokens for the top score in a month. In each case, the relevant period is the one you end your game in. The running high scores for the relevant periods are updated every two minutes, as you play, on the right hand side of the game console. This way you can keep tabs on the minimum score you will have to beat in order to win during a particular period. Please note that simply beating the last running high score posted for a particular time period does guarantee that you will win for that period. Someone else may also beat the last running high score posted, AND get a higher score than you! We keep track of you current running high scores. You can check them by clicking on the "Check My High Scores" button. 7 The goal of this game is to find all the bombs in the play area and defuse them~as fast as you can. But be careful, the game ends automatically if you accidentally set a bomb off! The play area is a grid. When you start playing, all the squares on the grid are covered up. Underneath this cover, some squares have bombs hiding. The other squares are empty, unless they're beside one or more bombs, in which case uncovering them will reveal a number equal to the number of bombs in adjacent squares just to help you out a little. To uncover a square, just click on it with your left mouse button. Be careful! If you uncover a bomb, the area will blow up, and your game will end. If you uncover a square with a number on it, you know that one or more bombs are nearby, and you should take extra care. If you uncover a blank square, then there are no bombs in adjacent squares. The computer knows that you'll then want to uncover all the adjacent squares, so it will do that automatically for you. Since there might be a number of blank squares in a row, uncovering just one square can end up revealing a whole bunch. With practice, you will learn to calculate which squares are safe ones to uncover based on the numbers and blank squares revealed nearby. You will also learn to calculate which uncovered squares must have bombs underneath. These squares you should defuse! Just click on them with your right mouse button. Note that you can defuse squares, whether or not a bomb lies underneath, but if you defuse a square that doesn't have a bomb, you will be penalized 5 points. An important feature of Wintokens' Bomb Hunter is the clearing feature. When you clear a square by left clicking on it and a number appears, simply flag that number of squares adjacent to the original square that are still covered. When the number of flagged squares equals the number displayed on the original square, you can now use the clearing feature. Just left click on the original numbered square again, and all non-flagged squares around it will be cleared. For example, if you see a square with the number "2", exactly two squares must be flagged around it for this feature to work, otherwise nothing happens. This is so you don't accidentally clear squares that contain bombs. 8 The game ends when you've defused all the squares with bombs underneath-or when you've blown yourself to smithereens. Scoring If the game ends in an explosion, your score is simply the number of squares you've correctly defused times 5, minus any penalties you've endured for defusing squares incorrectly. If the game ends in victory, your time is your score. When we calculate who has the highest score for any prize period, we look first at the times of completed games. Only if no one has successfully finished a game do we look at the scores of games that ended in explosion. Winning Tokens Just for playing Bomb Hunter, we automatically give you one free token. In fact, we'll give you a free token for every 5 minutes you play (or part thereof), to a maximum of five per day. You can win a lot more tokens if you make high scores: 50 tokens for the top score in a ten minute period, 100 tokens for the top score in an hour, 500 tokens for the top score in a day, 1,000 tokens for the top score in a week, and 5,000 tokens for the top score in a month. In each case, the relevant period is the one you end your game in. The running high scores for the relevant periods are updated every two minutes, as you play, on the right hand side of the game console. This way you can keep tabs on the minimum score you will have to beat in order to win during a particular period. Please note that simply beating the last running high score posted for a particular time period does guarantee that you will win for that period. Someone else may also beat the last running high score posted, AND get a higher score than you! We keep track of you current running high scores. You can check them by clicking on the "Check My High Scores" button. 9 Triple Token Slots Rules Object The object of Triple Token Slots is to "cash out" with as many credits as possible. How to Play The first thing we should mention is that all betting, payouts and high score calculation is done with credits, not tokens! So, you can never lose tokens playing Triple Token Slots -you can only win. When you begin play, you start with 100 credits, and with the bet set at 1 credit. You can increase the bet by increments of 1 credit by clicking on "bet one." You can bet the maximum - 5 credits - by clicking on "bet max." Once you increase your bet, however, you cannot lower it until the next pull (you "pull" the handle simply by clicking on it). Scoring There are two kinds of scoring going on here. The first is the number of credits you win or lose each time you bet and pull the handle. As you increase your bet, you stand to win that many times the indicated payout for a particular outcome. For example, if you bet 1 credit and get "7 7 7" you win 100 credits. But if you bet 5 credits, you win 500 credits. Of course, if you miss all the payout sequences, you lose 5 credits rather than 1. The second kind of scoring involves cashing out. When you click on "cash out," you register your current number of credits as your score. After you cash out, you are given 100 credits and can continue to play. You cannot cash out if you have less than 100 credits. Winning Tokens Just for playing Triple Token Slots, we automatically give you one free token. In fact, we'll give you a free token for every 5 minutes you play (or part thereof), to a maximum of five per day. You can win a lot more tokens if you make high scores: 50 tokens for the top score in a ten minute period, 100 tokens for the top score in an hour, 500 tokens for the top score in a day, 1,000 tokens for the top score in a week, and 5,000 tokens for the top score in a month. In each case, the relevant period is the one you end your game in. The running high scores for the relevant periods are updated every two minutes, as you play, on the right hand side of the game console. This way you can keep tabs on the minimum score you will have to beat in order to win during a particular period. Please note that simply beating the last running high score posted for a particular time period 10 does guarantee that you will win for that period. Someone else may also beat the last running high score posted, AND get a higher score than you! We keep track of you current running high scores. You can check them by clicking on the "Check My High Scores" button. 11 At Wintokens, we play the seven card Texas Hold 'Em variation of poker. Players win by making the best five card poker hand from the seven cards available to them. Play begins by "anteing up". Everyone puts 1 token, the "ante", into the pot. Two cards are dealt face-down to each player. These are known as "hole cards"--cards that can only be used by the player holding them to make a poker hand. This is followed by the first round of betting. Betting always begins with the player immediately to the left of the dealer, and from there it moves clock-wise. The first player can elect to pass or bet. The size of bets are subject to table limitations. Once a bet has been made, subsequent players cannot pass. They can either "call" the bet by matching it, "raise" the bet by increasing it (subject again to table limitations), or "fold", by refusing to match the bet and conceding the hand. Betting moves from player to player, clock-wise, until it returns to the last player to have made a bet or to have raised. At Wintokens, this person cannot raise any further, and the round of betting is closed. If, on the first round of betting, everyone passes, the cards are redealt. After this first round of betting, three cards are dealt face-up to the middle of the table. These are "community cards"--cards that any player can use to make the best possible poker hand. Then there is another round of betting. A fourth and fifth community card is then dealt, each followed by a separate round of betting. After all betting is complete, the "pot", consisting of the antes and all the bets, calls, and raises made, goes to whomever can make the best five-card poker hand out of the seven cards available (the two hole cards, which only the holder can use, and the five community cards, which everybody can use). There is no obligation to use both, or either, hole card when making the hand. If there is a tie, the pot is split--the two cards that are not used in the poker hand are not used to settle it. Poker hands are ranked, from best to worst, as follows: straight flush - five consecutive cards of the same suit four of a kind - four cards of the same value full house - three cards of one value, and two cards of another value flush - five cards of the same suit straight - five consecutive cards three of a kind - three cards of the same value two-pair - two cards of one value, and two cards of another value pair - two cards of one value 12 If two hands are within the same category, they're ranked according to the value of the cards. For a four of a kind, three of a kind or pair, the relevant value is that of the cards in the set. For a full house, it's the value of the cards in the set of three that counts. For a two-pair, it's the value of the higher pair. For the other hands, it's just the highest card in the hand. If there is still a tie, then the hand with the highest remaining card wins (though for a full house, look first to the cards in the set of two, and for a two pair, look first to the cards in the lower pair). Keep looking to lower cards until the tie is settled or until it is determined that the hands are equal. Note that if no player has made any of the hands listed above, the winner is simply the player with the highest card (again, with ties settled by looking at lower-valued cards). After the money has been distributed, the dealer moves to the left, the players ante up, and play begins again. Players may drop off a table at any time. If a player has placed any money in the pot, including the ante, and the player drops off prior to the end of the final round of betting, that player forfeits the hand and the money remains in the pot for the victor. New hands will not be dealt if there are fewer than four players at a table. Players will automatically be kicked off a table if they fail to ante up at the appropriate time within 30 seconds. 13 3 points re the optional rules: 1. Don't worry about beavers. 2. Do include an option for one, and only one, automatic double on the openning role. 3. Do use the Jacobi rule in match play. We should have an option that lets people play matches against each other of 3,7 or 11 games. Backgammon will not use a time control, except that each move must be made within 1.5 minutes. So instead of time being one of the variables, let's use single and multi-game matches: { 1-3-7-11 }. So, the player-matching chart will cross ref the number of points per match with the size of the bet in tokens: {0-1-2-5-20}. However, the {20} will be greyed out for single game matches. And, the {2) will be greyed out for multi-game matches. In single game matches, the cube will start at l and each point will be the equivalent of 1 token. We'll have to say that people cannot enter a single game match with a bet of more than 1/3 their token holdings. For example, if the player has 6 tokens, he can enter a game with the stakes set at 2 (a 1/2), but cannot enter a game where the initial bet is 5. If a person does not hold three times the value of a cube that is passed to him, he must drop the cube. Thus, we'll provide a warning that it is very unwise to enter a game with less than 6 times the initial stakes, since the player would have to drop the first pass of the cube. Token holdings will be hidden, so token rich players cannot pick on those less well off. In multi-game matches, the cube will represent not tokens but points toward winning the match, which is a simple race to the assigned number of points {3, 7, or 11 }. For example, we start at 0 - 0, and play a match to 7 points for 5 tokens. I win the first game with the cube at 2, so the score after one game is 2 - 0. But you gammon me the second game with the cube at 4, and thus win 8 points. So you win the match, 8 points to 2 points, and therefore win the 5 token bet. Note that the only limitation on the amount of tokens a player can bet going into a multi-game match is the amount of tokens the player actually has, since the bet is fixed. Ratings: Use the chess rating system (or one similar), but weight for the number of points in a multi-game match, and for the value of the cube (including gammons and backgammons) in a single player match. For example, winning an 11-point match counts for 11 times the value of winning a single game match with the cube at 1 (i.e., never 14 passed). The chess rating system would be OK, but given the quickness of backgammon and the doubling cube/multi-game match factor, we should crank down the rating points won and lost for each individual backgammon game (or individual match point, if a multi-game match is played). Possible move indicators: After every roll of the dice, a little green indicator shows where a particular checker (one the mouse is over or clicked on) can move, thus eliminating the need to count out where the checker can go, and speeding up the game. This is useful, because a typical complaint about online backgammon is the delay between moves. Each game table has a specific time and stake, set by the host of the table. In addition to losing under the rules of the traditional game, a player loses by running out of time, as long as the opponent has sufficient material to win the game (otherwise, the game is drawn). A player also loses if he leaves the table, disconnects from the network for any reason, or is idle for any three minute period (idleness can be avoided simply by sending a chat message to the other player). The stake is added to the token account of the winner, and subtracted from the token account of the loser. Players are free to leave tables between games without penalty. Only players with sufficient tokens can join tables with higher stakes.

Description

A System and Method for Collecting Consumer Information The general objective was to expand, facilitate and improve business to consumer e-commerce on the Intemet. More specifically, this was to be accomplished by establishing a system that simultaneously achieves three goals:

1) Attract substantial traffic to a web site. This helps to expand e-commerce by encouraging higher Internet use at a site devoted to facilitating e-commerce.

2) Create special linkages between the site and partnering e-commerce sites.
This facilitates e-commerce by making it easier and more rewarding for Internet users to shop at e-commerce sites.

3) Collect detailed information about the consumer preferences of each specific site user. This improves the quality of e-commerce, since it efficiently matches consumers with e-commerce sites that meet their specific needs and preferences.

Many internet sites attempt to achieve goal (1) by providing good web site content, including games, news, weather, internet searches, etc. Many of these sites are able to achieve, to some degree, goal (3). An Internet search site, for example, can collect consumer information about Intelnet users based on the searches that they conduct. The problem is that such information is vague and it does not necessarily correlate to consumer preferences.

Furthermore, none of these sites are able to adequately achieve goal (2), since aside from merely posting banner advertisements, they do not create any special linkages with e-commerce sites and they do not offer users special rewards for shopping at them. The invention cures this problem by giving tokens to users that are redeemable only at partnering e-commerce sites.

One internet site does come close to achieving all three goals simultaneously can be found at http://www.beenz.com. This site gives out tokens, which can be redeemed for rewards offered at other sites. However, the site has at least two major disadvantages:

1) The tokens cannot be redeemed for any product offered by partnering e-commerce sites, but only for specific rewards designated by the partner. This both limits the incentive that users have to use the site, and reduces the quality of the consumer information collected about the users (since the consumer choices that are tracked are made in the face of a very limited range of options).

2) The tokens are earned primarily by using other web sites. This means that actual traffic at the site is lower than it could be, failing to adequately achieve goal (1).

In accordance with the present invention users are enticed by providing gaming entertainment. Free tokens are provided as an incentive to participate in the games. The free tokens can only be redeemed at partnering e-commerce sites. Information specific to actual purchases made by users is collected by the system. Since users can purchase any products available at a partnering site, the tracking of consumer preferences is more precise than other methods currently implemented.

A system is provided that seeks to attract users to Internet sites by rewarding them with tokens. These tokens are then redeemable at any partnering e-commerce site.

There are three major components to this system:

1) A games web-site. At this site, users can play single-player and multi-player java games. Players earn a minimal amount of tokens for simply playing these games.
In addition, players earn substantial amounts of tokens for achieving high scores, in the case of single player games, and betting tokens, in the case of multi player games.

This component is an attractive feature because games are extremely popular on the Internet and game sites tend to attract substantial traffic. In addition, games provide an ideal vehicle for distributing tokens, since tokens can be given out as a reward for high scores, and can be used by visitors to gamble with each other playing multi-player games such as poker and backgammon.

An example of a scoring system for a single player game is as follows. Minimal tokens are awarded simply for playing a game. Therefore, a user can accumulate tokens even without winning. A greater number of tokens are awarded to a user who has a high score at the end of a predetermined time period. The number of tokens awarded increases according to the length of the predetermined time period. For example, 50 token are awarded for the high score after every 10 minutes, 100 tokens are awarded after ever 30 minutes and so on.

The above scoring system may also be used for multi-player games. Furthermore, for multi-player games, the participants may be allowed to wager the tokens they have already accumulated against each other.

Sample rules for games such as Bricklayer, Solitaire, Bomb Hunter, Triple Token Slots, Poker, Backgammon, Chess and Checkers are provided in appendices A, B, C, D, E, F, and G respectively.

The games web-site includes the following components: a graphical interface, a series of single-player and multi-player java-based internet games, a log-in/registration system, a CGI script to manage functionality, and a data-base that keeps track of user information and coordinates this with site advertising.

2) A wish list site. At this site, users can create a list of gifts they would like to receive at Christmas, for a birthday, or on any other gift-giving occasion. This list of gifts remains on the site database. Products are selected for the list with component 3, described below. While making the list of gifts they would like to receive, users also list the names of friends and family and their e-mail addresses. Users are rewarded a base number of tokens for starting a list, plus a certain sum of tokens per e-mail address listed and gift selected. The site automatically sends e-mails to the listed friends and family, inviting them to come to the site to view the list and to purchase the products. Friends and family who come to the site are also invited to set up their own wish lists.

The component creates additional incentives for users, as well as their friends and families, to shop at partnering e-commerce sites. Furthermore, it provides additional information about users' consumer preferences. Finally, this component provides viral marketing for the network, since users request that e-mails describing the network are sent to friends and family.

The wish list site includes the following components: a graphical interface, a log-in/registration system (for both users who want to create a wish list and for visitors who want to access another's wish list), a CGI script to manage site functionality, and a database that keeps track of wish-list selections and which links to the game site database to improve each user's consumer profile.

3) A java applet that coordinates network functioning with third-party e-commerce sites.
This is an applet that a user can load at either site in the network. It appears as a small window in the corner of the screen (though it can be moved around by the user). After users have loaded this applet, they will be able to visit partnering e-commerce sites and use the applet to redeem tokens or select products for a wish list.

A user redeems tokens by selecting products at an e-commerce site and putting them in the site's electronic shopping cart. The user then clicks on a button in the applet, which causes a form to appear requesting the user to indicate how many tokens he or she would like to redeem. The applet then adds a negative number, corresponding to the number of tokens selected, to the shopping cart total price, thus reducing the amount that the user has to pay for the selected product or products. The applet also signals the network database, such that it reduces the user's token account appropriately and updates the user's consumer profile.

A user selects a product for the wish-list by clicking on the appropriate button in the java applet at the URL of a page displaying the desired product. Normally, only one product corresponds to each URL of an e-commerce site, but in case there is more than one product displayed, the user will be asked to write a short description of the product. The URL and the product description are then copied to the user's wish-list on file in the network's database. This function will be disabled if the user has not yet set up a wish list.

This component enables the coordination of network and partnership functionality that is enhances the business process.

This component includes: a graphical interface, and software that performs the applet's functionality and which links to the network database.

Appendix A

Brick Layer Rules Object In this game, you want to try to form complete lines of bricks. Each time a complete line is formed, the line collapses. Collapsing lines is good, since you get points for each line collapsed, and it creates more space for you to continue laying bricks.

How to Play When you start the game, your first brick will start falling from the top of the play area.
The brick will be one of several shapes. You can spin the brick around by pressing the up arrow on your keyboard. You can move the brick from side to side by using the left and right arrows on your keyboard. You can speed up the brick's descent by pressing the down arrow. The brick is automatically lain with a "soft drop" (ie, a slight delay to enable sliding) when it touches the bottom of the play area or a brick that you've already lain.

Levels Periodically, after you've collapsed a certain number of brick lines, you will advance a level and the game will speed up.

Winning Tokens Just for playing Brick Layer, we automatically give you one free token. In fact, we'll give you a free token for every 5 minutes you play (or part thereof), to a maximum of five per day. You can win a lot more tokens if you make high scores: 50 tokens for the top score in a ten minute period, 100 tokens for the top score in an hour, 500 tokens for the top score in a day, 1,000 tokens for the top score in a week, and 5,000 tokens for the top score in a month. In each case, the relevant period is the one you end your game in.
The running high scores for the relevant periods are updated every two minutes, as you play, on the right hand side of the game console. This way you can keep tabs on the minimum score you will have to beat in order to win during a particular period. Please note that simply beating the last running high score posted for a particular time period does guarantee that you will win for that period. Someone else may also beat the last running high score posted, AND get a higher score than you!

We keep track of you current running high scores. You can check them by clicking on the "Check My High Scores" button.

- ------ ------Appendix B

Solitaire Rules Object The object of this classic variation of solitaire is to stack all 52 cards in the four piles at the of your play area-in as little time as possible.

Rules When the game starts, you will see 7 cards, face up. All but the first card is placed on top of one or more cards that are face down. You will also see the remaining cards in a face down deck at the top-left corner of the play area, and four blank spaces, each one representing a different suit. Those are the spaces where you have to pile up all the cards to win the game.

The face up cards can be moved around, just by clicking and dragging. A card can be placed under another face up card if it is one rank smaller than the card under which it is placed, and of the opposite color. So you can put a 7 of clubs (a black card) under a 8 of hearts (a red card that is one rank higher), or a Jack of diamonds under a queen of spades.
There is no limit to how many cards you can place under one another, so it is possible to form lengthy vertical lines.

By moving face cards around, you may uncover a face down card. This is great news, because it means you can flip it over by clicking on it, thus bringing another card into the game.

Aces are also good news. When you get an ace, you can start one of the four piles that are needed to win. Just drag it up to one of the four spaces. The suit of the ace will designate which suit you need to pile into the space. Cards have to be piled in the order of their rank. So once you have, say, the Ace of clubs in one of the spaces, you can then put the 2 of clubs in the pile, and then the 3 of clubs, and so on. The pile is complete once you've placed all thirteen cards of the suit on it.

Kings are the highest ranking cards in solitaire (Aces are low), so they can't be placed under any other cards. If by uncovering and moving cards, however, you create a blank space, you may move the king to it in order to start a new line of cards.

Another source of new cards is the deck in the top-left corner of the play area. Click on it, and a card will flip up as if you were dealing out three cards and turning over the third.
If possible, you can move this card to a line of cards, or you can add it to your suit piles at the top. If you can't do anything with it, you can just click on the deck again to reveal another card. This new card covers up the last one showing, so that it's no longer available-unless you're able to move the new card elsewhere. When you've gone through all the cards in the deck, just click on it, and the deck will turn over and you can go through the same cards again.

The game, in theory, could last forever, because you can just keep going through the deck and flipping it over at the end. But soon you'll notice that you're not making any progress, since you can't play any of the cards that are showing up. That's a good time to start playing a new game.

Scoring You'll get five points for every card you manage to put into a suit pile.
Since there are 52 cards, that means you can score up to 260 points. But speed also counts. If two or more people win the game by piling all the cards up, than whoever wins it fastest is considered to have the high score.

Winning Tokens Just for playing Solitaire, we automatically give you one free token. In fact, we'll give you a free token for every 5 minutes you play (or part thereof), to a maximum of five per day. You can win a lot more tokens if you make high scores: 50 tokens for the top score in a ten minute period, 100 tokens for the top score in an hour, 500 tokens for the top score in a day, 1,000 tokens for the top score in a week, and 5,000 tokens for the top score in a month. In each case, the relevant period is the one you end your game in.

The running high scores for the relevant periods are updated every two minutes, as you play, on the right hand side of the game console. This way you can keep tabs on the minimum score you will have to beat in order to win during a particular period. Please note that simply beating the last running high score posted for a particular time period does guarantee that you will win for that period. Someone else may also beat the last running high score posted, AND get a higher score than you!

We keep track of you current running high scores. You can check them by clicking on the "Check My High Scores" button.

Appendix C

Bomb Hunter Rules Object The goal of this game is to find all the bombs in the play area and defuse them-as fast as you can. But be careful, the game ends automatically if you accidentally set a bomb off!
How to Play The play area is a grid. When you start playing, all the squares on the grid are covered up. Underneath this cover, some squares have bombs hiding. The other squares are empty, unless they're beside one or more bombs, in which case uncovering them will reveal a number equal to the number of bombs in adjacent squares-just to help you out a little.

To uncover a square, just click on it with your left mouse button. Be careful!
If you uncover a bomb, the area will blow up, and your game will end.

If you uncover a square with a number on it, you know that one or more bombs are nearby, and you should take extra care.

If you uncover a blank square, then there are no bombs in adjacent squares.
The computer knows that you'll then want to uncover all the adjacent squares, so it will do that automatically for you. Since there might be a number of blank squares in a row, uncovering just one square can end up revealing a whole bunch.

With practice, you will learn to calculate which squares are safe ones to uncover based on the numbers and blank squares revealed nearby. You will also learn to calculate which uncovered squares must have bombs underneath. These squares you should defuse!
Just click on them with your right mouse button. Note that you can defuse squares, whether or not a bomb lies underneath, but if you defuse a square that doesn't have a bomb, you will be penalized 5 points.

An important feature of Wintokens' Bomb Hunter is the clearing feature. When you clear a square by left clicking on it and a number appears, simply flag that number of squares adjacent to the original square that are still covered. When the number of flagged squares equals the number displayed on the original square, you can now use the clearing feature. Just left click on the original numbered square again, and all non-flagged squares around it will be cleared.

For example, if you see a square with the number "2", exactly two squares must be flagged around it for this feature to work, otherwise nothing happens. This is so you don't accidentally clear squares that contain bombs.

The game ends when you've defused all the squares with bombs underneath-or when you've blown yourself to smithereens.

Scoring If the game ends in an explosion, your score is simply the number of squares you've correctly defused times 5, minus any penalties you've endured for defusing squares incorrectly.

If the game ends in victory, your time is your score.

When we calculate who has the highest score for any prize period, we look first at the times of completed games. Only if no one has successfully finished a game do we look at the scores of games that ended in explosion.

Winning Tokens Just for playing Bomb Hunter, we automatically give you one free token. In fact, we'll give you a free token for every 5 minutes you play (or part thereof), to a maximum of five per day. You can win a lot more tokens if you make high scores: 50 tokens for the top score in a ten minute period, 100 tokens for the top score in an hour, 500 tokens for the top score in a day, 1,000 tokens for the top score in a week, and 5,000 tokens for the top score in a month. In each case, the relevant period is the one you end your game in.
The running high scores for the relevant periods are updated every two minutes, as you play, on the right hand side of the game console. This way you can keep tabs on the minimum score you will have to beat in order to win during a particular period. Please note that simply beating the last running high score posted for a particular time period does guarantee that you will win for that period. Someone else may also beat the last running high score posted, AND get a higher score than you!

We keep track of you current running high scores. You can check them by clicking on the "Check My High Scores" button.

Appendix D

Triple Token Slots Rules Object The object of Triple Token Slots is to "cash out" with as many credits as possible.
How to Play The first thing we should mention is that all betting, payouts and high score calculation is done with credits, not tokens! So, you can never lose tokens playing Triple Token Slots -you can only win. When you begin play, you start with 100 credits, and with the bet set at 1 credit.

You can increase the bet by increments of I credit by clicking on "bet one."
You can bet the maximum - 5 credits - by clicking on "bet max." Once you increase your bet, however, you cannot lower it until the next pull (you "pull" the handle simply by clicking on it).

Scoring There are two kinds of scoring going on here. The first is the number of credits you win or lose each time you bet and pull the handle. As you increase your bet, you stand to win that many times the indicated payout for a particular outcome. For example, if you bet 1 credit and get "7 7 7" you win 100 credits. But if you bet 5 credits, you win 500 credits.
Of course, if you miss all the payout sequences, you lose 5 credits rather than 1.

The second kind of scoring involves cashing out. When you click on "cash out,"
you register your current number of credits as your score. After you cash out, you are given 100 credits and can continue to play. You cannot cash out if you have less than 100 credits.

Winning Tokens Just for playing Triple Token Slots, we automatically give you one free token.
In fact, we'll give you a free token for every 5 minutes you play (or part thereof), to a maximum of five per day. You can win a lot more tokens if you make high scores: 50 tokens for the top score in a ten minute period, 100 tokens for the top score in an hour, 500 tokens for the top score in a day, 1,000 tokens for the top score in a week, and 5,000 tokens for the top score in a month. In each case, the relevant period is the one you end your game in.

The running high scores for the relevant periods are updated every two minutes, as you play, on the right hand side of the game console. This way you can keep tabs on the minimum score you will have to beat in order to win during a particular period. Please note that simply beating the last running high score posted for a particular time period does guarantee that you will win for that period. Someone else may also beat the last running high score posted, AND get a higher score than you!

We keep track of you current running high scores. You can check them by clicking on the "Check My High Scores" button.

Appendix E
Poker - House Rules At Wintokens, we play the seven card Texas Hold 'Em variation of poker.
Players win by making the best five card poker hand from the seven cards available to them.

Play begins by "anteing up". Everyone puts 1 token, the "ante", into the pot.

Two cards are dealt face-down to each player. These are known as "hole cards"--cards that can only be used by the player holding them to make a poker hand. This is followed by the first round of betting. Betting always begins with the player immediately to the left of the dealer, and from there it moves clock-wise. The first player can elect to pass or bet. The size of bets are subject to table limitations. Once a bet has been made, subsequent players cannot pass. They can either "call" the bet by matching it, "raise" the bet by increasing it (subject again to table limitations), or "fold", by refusing to match the bet and conceding the hand. Betting moves from player to player, clock-wise, until it returns to the last player to have made a bet or to have raised. At Wintokens, this person cannot raise any further, and the round of betting is closed. If, on the first round of betting, everyone passes, the cards are redealt.

After this first round of betting, three cards are dealt face-up to the middle of the table.
These are "community cards"--cards that any player can use to make the best possible poker hand. Then there is another round of betting.

A fourth and fifth community card is then dealt, each followed by a separate round of betting.

After all betting is complete, the "pot", consisting of the antes and all the bets, calls, and raises made, goes to whomever can make the best five-card poker hand out of the seven cards available (the two hole cards, which only the holder can use, and the five community cards, which everybody can use). There is no obligation to use both, or either, hole card when making the hand. If there is a tie, the pot is split--the two cards that are not used in the poker hand are not used to settle it.

Poker hands are ranked, from best to worst, as follows:
straight flush - five consecutive cards of the same suit four of a kind - four cards of the same value full house - three cards of one value, and two cards of another value flush - five cards of the same suit straight - five consecutive cards three of a kind - three cards of the same value two-pair - two cards of one value, and two cards of another value pair - two cards of one value If two hands are within the same category, they're ranked according to the value of the cards. For a four of a kind, three of a kind or pair, the relevant value is that of the cards in the set. For a full house, it's the value of the cards in the set of three that counts. For a two-pair, it's the value of the higher pair. For the other hands, it's just the highest card in the hand. If there is still a tie, then the hand with the highest remaining card wins (though for a full house, look first to the cards in the set of two, and for a two pair, look first to the cards in the lower pair). Keep looking to lower cards until the tie is settled or until it is determined that the hands are equal.

Note that if no player has made any of the hands listed above, the winner is simply the player with the highest card (again, with ties settled by looking at lower-valued cards).
After the money has been distributed, the dealer moves to the left, the players ante up, and play begins again.

Players may drop off a table at any time. If a player has placed any money in the pot, including the ante, and the player drops off prior to the end of the final round of betting, that player forfeits the hand and the money remains in the pot for the victor.
New hands will not be dealt if there are fewer than four players at a table. Players will automatically be kicked off a table if they fail to ante up at the appropriate time within 30 seconds.

Appendix F
Backgammon:
http://www.bkgm.com/rules.html 3 points re the optional rules:

1. Don't worry about beavers.

2. Do include an option for one, and only one, automatic double on the openning role.
3. Do use the Jacobi rule in match play. We should have an option that lets people play matches against each other of 3,7 or 11 games.

Backgammon will not use a time control, except that each move must be made within 1.5 minutes. So instead of time being one of the variables, let's use single and multi-game matches: { 1-3-7-11 }. So, the player-matching chart will cross ref the number of points per match with the size of the bet in tokens: {0-1-2-5-20}. However, the {20}
will be greyed out for single game matches. And, the {2) will be greyed out for multi-game matches.

In single game matches, the cube will start at 1 and each point will be the equivalent of 1 token. We'll have to say that people cannot enter a single game match with a bet of more than 1/3 their token holdings. For example, if the player has 6 tokens, he can enter a game with the stakes set at 2 (a 1/2), but cannot enter a game where the initial bet is 5.

If a person does not hold three times the value of a cube that is passed to him, he must drop the cube. Thus, we'll provide a warning that it is very unwise to enter a game with less than 6 times the initial stakes, since the player would have to drop the first pass of the cube.

Token holdings will be hidden, so token rich players cannot pick on those less well off.
In multi-game matches, the cube will represent not tokens but points toward winning the match, which is a simple race to the assigned number of points {3, 7, or 11 }.
For example, we start at 0 - 0, and play a match to 7 points for 5 tokens. I win the first game with the cube at 2, so the score after one game is 2 - 0. But you gammon me the second game with the cube at 4, and thus win 8 points. So you win the match, 8 points to 2 points, and therefore win the 5 token bet. Note that the only limitation on the amount of tokens a player can bet going into a multi-game match is the amount of tokens the player actually has, since the bet is fixed.

Ratings: Use the chess rating system (or one similar), but weight for the number of points in a multi-game match, and for the value of the cube (including gammons and backgammons) in a single player match. For example, winning an 11-point match counts for 11 times the value of winning a single game match with the cube at 1 (i.e., never passed). The chess rating system would be OK, but given the quickness of backgammon and the doubling cube/multi-game match factor, we should crank down the rating points won and lost for each individual backgammon game (or individual match point, if a multi-game match is played).

Possible move indicators: After every roll of the dice, a little green indicator shows where a particular checker (one the mouse is over or clicked on) can move, thus eliminating the need to count out where the checker can go, and speeding up the game. This is useful, because a typical complaint about online backgammon is the delay between moves.

Appendix G
Chess and Checkers - House Rules Each game table has a specific time and stake, set by the host of the table.
In addition to losing under the rules of the traditional game, a player loses by running out of time, as long as the opponent has sufficient material to win the game (otherwise, the game is drawn). A player also loses if he leaves the table, disconnects from the network for any reason, or is idle for any three minute period (idleness can be avoided simply by sending a chat message to the other player). The stake is added to the token account of the winner, and subtracted from the token account of the loser. Players are free to leave tables between games without penalty. Only players with sufficient tokens can join tables with higher stakes.

Claims (6)

Claims

1) The creation of a web site that attracts users with free tokens, redeemable only at advertisers' sites.

2) The creation of a set of games that allow users to gamble their free redeemable tokens with one another.

3) A token redemption system that utilizes a java applet to coordinate redemption with third party e-commerce sites.

4) The use of a java applet that simultaneously permits token redemption and wish list selection at third party e-commerce sites.

5) The process of rewarding users with free tokens for providing Christmas (or birthday) wish lists.

6) The process of rewarding users with tokens for achieving the highest score for every 10 minutes, every hour, every day, every week, and every month, in various arcade and solitaire games.