Method and apparatus for online gaming on terminals

Abstract

A method and apparatus for enabling a player to participate in a live online game via a landbased gaming terminal. A game manager is playing the game while being captured for example by a video camera. A player participates in the game through using the landbased gaming terminal, which presents the image stream and lets the player make selections and perform actions for participating in the game.

1 . An apparatus for enabling an at least one player to participate in an at least one live online game, the apparatus comprising:
 an at least one gaming room, the gaming room comprising:
 equipment for playing the at least one live online game; and 
 an at least one camera for capturing an at least one image stream; 
   an at least one game server communicating with the gaming room for administrating the at least one live online game;   an at least one broadcasting server for transferring the at least one image stream; and   an at least one first landbased gaming terminal communicating with the at least one game server, the at least one first landbased gaming terminal used by the at least one player to participate in the at least one live online game, the at least one first landbased gaming terminal receiving the at least one image stream transferred from the at least one broadcasting server.   
   
   
       2 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the gaming room further comprises an encoder server for encoding the at least one image stream. 
   
   
       3 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the gaming room further comprises a computing platform running an operator applet. 
   
   
       4 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the gaming location further comprises equipment for computerizing an at least one aspect of the live online game. 
   
   
       5 . The apparatus of  claim 4  wherein the at least one aspect of the live online game is presented on the at least one first landbased gaming terminal. 
   
   
       6 . The apparatus of  claim 4  wherein the equipment is a scanner. 
   
   
       7 . The apparatus of  claim 1  further comprising an at least one second landbased gaming terminal for receiving the at least one image stream from the at least one broadcasting server and transferring the at least one image stream to the at least one first landbased gaming terminal. 
   
   
       8 . The apparatus of  claim 7  wherein the at least one image stream is decoded at an at least one second landbased gaming terminal. 
   
   
       9 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the at least one first landbased gaming terminal shows the at least one image stream in a first window. 
   
   
       10 . The apparatus of  claim 9  wherein the at least one first landbased gaming terminal shows additional information in the first window or in a second window. 
   
   
       11 . The apparatus of  claim 10  wherein the additional information is an illustration of the at least one live online game. 
   
   
       12 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the at least one image stream is compressed or encoded at the game server and decompressed or decoded, respectively, at the at least one first landbased gaming terminal. 
   
   
       13 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the at least one first landbased gaming terminal comprises a microphone or a loudspeaker for enabling the at least one player to chat with a game manager. 
   
   
       14 . A method for enabling an at least one player to participate in an at least one live online game, the method comprising the steps of:
 playing a game in a gaming location;   capturing the game into an image stream;   transferring information from the live online game to a game server;   transferring the information from the game server to an at least one first landbased gaming terminal;   transferring the image stream to a broadcasting server;   transferring the image stream from the broadcasting server to the at least one first landbased gaming terminal;   the at least one player participating in the at least one live online game at the at least one first landbased gaming terminal, while the image stream and information of the game is presented to the at least one player; and   transferring information about an at least one action of the at least one player to the game server.   
   
   
       15 . The method of  claim 14  further comprising a step of the at least one player chatting with a person managing the at least one live online game. 
   
   
       16 . The method of  claim 14  further comprising a step of recording the image stream. 
   
   
       17 . The method of  claim 14  further comprising a step of transferring the image stream from the at least one first landbased gaming terminal to an at least one second landbased gaming terminal. 
   
   
       18 . The method of  claim 14  further comprising the steps of encoding the image stream and decoding the image stream.