Game based on combinations of words and implemented by computer means

Abstract

The game uses a computer system with a gaming site coupled to gaming terminals. A search engine receives requests containing a starting word or a combination of a starting word and an additional word, and responds by delivering a numerical score representative of the number of web page hits found. Winning points are allocated to the player finding the additional word which, in combination with the starting word, produces the highest possible score. In a preferred implementation of the game, the starting word is a trademark, thus making it possible to incorporate branding content, and thereby provide an original method of advertising that ensures privileged exposure of the trademark with the actual wording of the trademark constituting one of the essential parameters of the game. The terminal and the players can be installed in a television studio and successive sessions of the game can be broadcast. The terminal could also be a cell phone or a personal computer remotely connected to the gaming site. In another implementation, the starting word is selected by a player from a predefined set of words, or is selected by the gaming site from a predefined set of words. In yet another implementation, the gaming site presents the player with a series of additional words and asks the player to select therefrom or to classify three, four, or five words amongst those proposed to the player, like betting on three, four, or five horses.

1 . A game implemented by means of a computer system, the system comprising:
 at least one terminal suitable for presenting data to a player and for enabling the player to provide parameters for the system;   a gaming site coupled to each of said at least one terminal; and   a search engine;   the terminal and the site being suitable for:   submitting requests to the search engine, each request containing a starting word or a plurality of words grouped together in a phrase comprising a starting word and an additional word; and   receiving in response a numerical score representative of the number of hits for the word or the phrase, in a set of web pages indexed by the search engine;   the game comprising the following sequence of successive steps:   a) determining said starting word and submitting a request containing the starting word;   b) receiving an initial score corresponding to said request containing the starting word;   c) selecting an additional word and submitting a request containing a phrase including the starting word and the selected additional word, separated by a separator;   d) receiving the score, lower than the initial score, corresponding to the request made in step c);   e) reiterating steps c) and d) (N−1) times using a different additional word each time, thus giving N respective scores corresponding to the N additional words selected in succession; and   f) allocating winning points to one or more players in application of a rule that is a function of said N scores and of said parameters supplied to the system by the respective players.   
   
   
       2 . The game of  claim 1 , in which said starting word determined in step a) is a trademark. 
   
   
       3 . The method of  claim 1 , in which said starting word determined in step a) is a word selected by a player from a predefined set of words. 
   
   
       4 . The method of  claim 1 , in which said starting word determined in step a) is a word selected by the gaming site from a predefined set of words. 
   
   
       5 . The game of  claim 1 , in which said parameters supplied by the players to the system comprise said additional words, each player selecting at least one respective additional word. 
   
   
       6 . The game of  claim 5 , in which in step f), winning points are allocated to the player who has selected the additional word giving the highest score amongst said N scores. 
   
   
       7 . The game of  claim 5 , in which in step f), winning points are allocated to the player who has selected the additional word giving the lowest non-zero score amongst said N scores. 
   
   
       8 . The game of  claim 7 , in which in step c), the additional word is selected to as to maximize the distance between the respective semantic fields of the starting word and of the additional word. 
   
   
       9 . The game of  claim 5 , further comprising a step consisting, prior to step c), in presenting the player with an alternative between i) being allocated in step f) winning points for selecting the additional word that gives the highest score amongst said N scores, or else ii) being allocated in step f) winning points for selecting the additional words giving the lowest non-zero score amongst said N scores. 
   
   
       10 . The game of  claim 5 , in which in step f), the winning points that are allocated decrease with increasing number N. 
   
   
       11 . The game of  claim 1 , further comprising, between steps e) and f), the following intermediate steps:
 the gaming site selecting a starting word and N additional words, and determining a real classification for the N additional words as a function of their respective scores;   the gaming site submitting to the player the N associated words presented in arbitrary order; and   the player drawing up an estimated classification of M words where M≦N, selected from the N additional words presented, said parameters supplied to the system by the player comprising said estimated classification;   and in which, step f) is a step of:   f) allocating winning points to the player who has provided the estimated classification that is the closest to the real classification.   
   
   
       12 . The game of  claim 1 , in which said terminal and the players are installed in a television studio, and the successive sessions of the game are broadcast. 
   
   
       13 . The game of  claim 1 , in which said terminal is a cell phone, and said gaming site is a remote site connected to a plurality of said terminals by telecommunications means. 
   
   
       14 . The game of  claim 1 , in which said terminal is a personal computer, and said gaming site is a remote site connected to a plurality of said terminals by telecommunications means.