Methods and apparatus for awarding prizes based on authentication of computer generated outcomes using coupons

Abstract

The present invention provides authentication of computer generated game or test results (“outcomes”), and a system by which persons who play games or take tests on a game or testing computer, respectively, may submit the outcomes of the games or tests to a central authority having at least one central computer, and have the central computer “certify” those outcomes as being accurately reported and fairly achieved. This certification of the computer generated result constitutes a “remote-auditing” of the activity taking place on the game computer. In one application, the system enables computer generated game tournaments in which players play the games on game computers and compete against each other by submitting the outcomes for those tournament games to the central computer, which certifies the outcomes and rates and ranks the players. In another application, the system provides for players of computer games to obtain a certified ranking and rating without participation in a tournament. In other embodiments, the system provides for self-authentication and certification of outcomes for games played on the game computer itself, or for mutual-authentication and certification of such outcomes on any other game computer in the system.

We claim:  
     
         1 . A method, comprising the steps of: executing a computer game program by a first processor to generate a computer game outcome; encoding the computer game outcome by a second processor to generate an encoded message; providing said encoded message to a user; and providing by said user said encoded message to a device configured for decoding said encoded message.  
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein said encoded message contains information selected from the group consisting of (a) a random number generated by a central computer, (b) a number corresponding to a time at which said outcome was generated, (c) a number which is incremented upon each successive outcome of said computer game and (d) an end parameter received from a central computer.  
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1  wherein at least a portion of said encoding step occurs in a device selected from the group consisting of (a) a secure processor, (b) a dongle, (c) a separate cryptographic processor and (d) a plug-in module.  
     
     
         4 . A method, comprising the steps of: receiving from a user an encoded message corresponding to an outcome of a computer game; decoding said encoded message to retrieve said outcome; storing for further use said decoded message; and metering time use of said computer game.  
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4  wherein said decoding step comprises the step of decrypting said encoded message using an algorithm selected from the group consisting of (a) a symmetric key algorithm, (b) a public key algorithm and (c) a hashing algorithm.  
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 4  wherein said encoded message includes information selected from the group consisting of (a) tamper evident information, (b) unique digital signature information and (c) end parameter information.  
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 4  further comprising the step of transmitting an end parameter to said computer game for inclusion in said encoded message.  
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 4  further comprising the steps of transmitting an input parameter to said computer game and receiving an output parameter, corresponding to said input parameter, from said computer game.  
     
     
         9 . A computer device comprising: means for executing a computer game program to generate a computer game outcome; means for metering an amount of time of use of said computer game program; 
 means for encoding the computer game outcome to generate an encoded message; and means for providing said encoded message to a user.    
     
     
         10 . The computer device of  claim 9  wherein said means for encoding generates said encoded message by using information selected from the group consisting of (a) tamper-evidence information, (b) user identity information, (c) unique digital signature information, (d) global positioning information regarding a global position of said computer device, (e) a random number generated by a central computer, (t) a number corresponding to a time at which said outcome was generated, (g) a number which is incremented upon each successive outcome ot said computer game program, (h) an end parameter received from a central computer, (i) symmetric key information, (j) public key information, and (k) hashing algorithm information.  
     
     
         11 . A computer device, comprising: means for receiving from a user an encoded message corresponding to an outcome of a computer game; means for decoding said encoded message to retrieve said outcome; means for storing the decoded message; and means for metering an amount of time of use of said computer game.  
     
     
         12 . The computer device of  claim 11  wherein said means for decoding performs an additional function of decrypting said encoded message using information selected from the group consisting of (a) a symmetric key algorithm, (b) a public key algorithm, (c) a hashing algorithm and (d) a cryptographic protocol.  
     
     
         13 . The computer device of  claim 11  wherein said means for decoding performs an additional function of decoding said encoded message to retrieve information selected from the group consisting of (a) tamper evidence information, (b) unique digital signature information and (c) end parameter information.  
     
     
         14 . A computer device comprising: a computer readable medium having computer readable program code means embodied therein, said computer readable program code means comprising encoding means for causing said computer device to generate an encoded message representing an outcome of a computer game, code means for causing said computer device to provide said encoded message to a user and metering means for metering an amount of time of use of said computer game.  
     
     
         15 . The computer device of  claim 14  wherein said encoding means performs an additional function of causing said computer device to generate said encoded message including information selected from the group consisting of (a) tamper-evidence information, (b) user identity information, (c) unique digital signature information, (d) global positioning information regarding a global position of said computer device, (e) a random number generated by a central computer, (f) a number corresponding to a time at which said outcome was generated, (g) a number which is incremented upon each successive outcome of said computer game, (h) an end parameter received from a central computer, (i) symmetric key information, (j) public key information, and (k) hashing algorithm in formation.  
     
     
         16 . A computer device comprising: a computer readable medium having computer readable program code means embodied therein, said computer readable program code means comprising decoding means for causing said computer device to decode an encoded message corresponding to an outcome of a computer game, fraud-detection code means for causing said computer device to determine whether said outcome is fraudulent, and metering means for metering an amount of time of use of said computer game.  
     
     
         17 . The computer device of  claim 16  wherein said decoding means performs the function of causing said computer device to decrypt said encoded message using information selected from the group consisting of (a) a symmetric key algorithm, (b) a public key algorithm, (c) a hashing algorithm and (d) a cryptographic protocol, (e) tamper evidence information, (f) unique digital signature information and (g) end parameter information.  
     
     
         18 . A method, comprising the steps of: executing a computer game program to generate a computer game outcome; metering time use of said computer program to generate metered time information; encoding the computer game outcome and said metered time information to generate an encoded message; and providing said encoded message to a user.  
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18  further comprising the step of: providing by said user said encoded message to a device configured for decoding said encoded message.  
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 18  wherein said encoded message contains information selected from the group consisting of (a) a random number generated by a central computer, (b) a number corresponding to a time at which said outcome was generated, (c) a number which is incremented upon each successive outcome of said computer game and (d) an end parameter received from a central computer.  
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 18  wherein said encoding step comprises encoding the computer game outcome by a first processor, and wherein said executing step comprises executing said computer game program on a second processor.  
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 18  wherein at least a portion of said encoding step occurs in a device selected from the group consisting of (a) a secure processor, (b) a dongle, (c) a separate cryptographic processor and (d) a plug-in module.  
     
     
         23 . A method, comprising the steps of: receiving from a user an encoded message corresponding to an outcome of a computer game and metered time use information of said computer game; decoding said encoded message to retrieve said outcome and said metered use information; and storing for further use said decoded message.  
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 23  wherein said decoding step comprises the step of decrypting said encoded message using an algorithm selected from the group consisting of (a) a symmetric key algorithm, (b) a public key algorithm and (e) a hashing algorithm.  
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 23  wherein said encoded message includes information selected from the group consisting of (a) tamper evident information, (b) unique digital signature information and (c) end parameter information.  
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 23  further comprising the step of transmitting an end parameter to said computer game for inclusion in said encoded message.  
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 23  further comprising the steps of transmitting an input parameter to said computer game and receiving an output parameter, corresponding to said input parameter, from said computer game.  
     
     
         28 . A computer device, comprising: means for receiving from a user an encoded message corresponding to an outcome of a computer game and metered time use information of said computer game; means for decoding said encoded message to retrieve said outcome and said metered use information; and means for storing the decoded message.  
     
     
         29 . The computer device of  claim 28  wherein said means for decoding performs an additional function of decrypting said encoded message using information selected from the group consisting of (a) a symmetric key algorithm, (b) a public key algorithm, (c) a hashing algorithm and (d) a cryptographic protocol.  
     
     
         30 . The computer device of  claim 28  wherein said means for decoding performs an additional function of decoding said encoded message to retrieve information selected from the group consisting of (a) tamper evidence information, (b) unique digital signature information and (c) end parameter information.  
     
     
         31 . A computer device comprising: a computer readable medium having computer readable program code means embodied therein, said computer readable program code means comprising (a) encoding means for causing said computer device to generate an encoded message representing an outcome of a computer game and metered time use of said computer game, and (b) code means for causing said computer device to provide said encoded message to a user.  
     
     
         32 . The computer device of  claim 31  wherein said encoding means performs an additional function of causing said computer device to generate said encoded message including information selected from the group consisting of (a) tamper-evidence information, (b) user identity information, (c) unique digital signature information, (d) global positioning information regarding a global position of said computer device, (e) a random number generated by a central computer, (f) a number corresponding to a time at which said outcome was generated, (g) a number which is incremented upon each successive outcome of said computer game, (h) an end parameter received from a central computer, (i) symmetric key information, (j) public key information, and (k) hashing algorithm information.  
     
     
         33 . A computer device comprising: a computer readable medium having computer readable program code means embodied therein, said computer readable program code means comprising (a) decoding means for causing said computer device to decode an encoded message corresponding to an outcome and metered time use of a computer game and (b) fraud-detection code means for causing said computer device to determine whether said outcome is fraudulent.  
     
     
         34 . The computer device of  claim 33  wherein said decoding means performs the function of causing said computer device to decrypt said encoded message using information selected from the group consisting of (a) a symmetric key algorithm, (b) a public key algorithm, (c) a hashing algorithm and (d) a cryptographic protocol, (e) tamper evidence information, (f) unique digital signature information and (g) end parameter information.  
     
     
         35 . A computer device comprising: a memory device configured to store a computer game program; and a processor configured to: execute a computer game program to generate a computer game outcome; meter use of said computer program to generate metered time information; encode the computer game outcome and said metered time information to generate an encoded message; and provide said encoded message to a user.  
     
     
         36 . A computer device, comprising: a processor adapted to: receive from a user an encoded message corresponding to an outcome of a computer game and metered time use information of said computer game; decode said encoded message to retrieve said outcome and said metered time use information; and store for further use said decoded message; and a memory device configured to store said decoded message for further use.  
     
     
         37 . A method, comprising the steps of: executing a computer game program by a first processor to generate a computer game outcome; encoding the computer game outcome by a second processor to generate an encoded message; providing said encoded message to a user for transmission to a remote device configured for decoding said encoded message.