Systems, methods, and apparatus for bingo games having a visible ball queue

Abstract

Systems, apparatus, methods, and articles of manufacture provide for a bingo game including a representation of a ball queue. In one example, a display for a bingo game represents a queue of one or more upcoming ball calls for the bingo game. In some embodiments, a ball queue may include partial information about an upcoming ball call (e.g., an indication of a corresponding bingo card column but not a bingo number).

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An apparatus for providing online games to remote user devices, comprising:
 a processor of a game application delivery controller, wherein the game application delivery controller is in communication with a game server cluster;   a computer-readable memory in communication with the processor of the game application delivery controller, the computer-readable memory storing instructions that when executed by the processor of the game application delivery controller direct the processor to:
 receive, from a user device, a request for an online gaming interface for a bingo game; 
 transmit a call for the bingo game to a bingo game server of the game server cluster; 
 determine a sequence of bingo symbols for the bingo game; 
 provide the online gaming interface to the user device, wherein the generated online gaming interface comprises a representation of an electronic bingo card and a visible ball queue; 
 generate, in the visible ball queue of the online gaming interface, a representation of at least one bingo symbol of the determined sequence of bingo symbols that is not yet playable in the bingo game; 
 enable, in the online gaming interface, a represented first bingo symbol of the determined sequence in the visible ball queue for play in the bingo game; and 
 remove the represented first bingo symbol enabled for play in the bingo game from the visible ball queue in the online gaming interface. 
   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the sequence comprises a first bingo ball and a second bingo ball to be called after the first bingo ball. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein determining the sequence of bingo symbols for the bingo game comprises:
 determining the sequence of bingo symbols for the bingo game before initiating play of the bingo game by a player.   
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the visible ball queue comprises a representation of a first bingo ball and a representation of a second bingo ball, wherein neither the first bingo ball nor the second bingo ball is playable in the bingo game. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the visible ball queue comprises a representation of a first bingo ball including an indication of a location identifier associated with the first bingo ball and not including an indication of a bingo number associated with the first bingo ball. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , the computer-readable memory further storing instructions that when executed by the processor direct the processor to:
 advance a represented second bingo symbol in the visible ball queue, wherein the second bingo symbol is not playable in the bingo game.   
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein enabling the represented first bingo symbol for play in the bingo game comprises:
 calling a bingo symbol displayed in the visible ball queue, thereby making the bingo symbol playable.   
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein enabling the represented first bingo symbol for play in the bingo game comprises:
 allowing a player to mark, using the online gaming interface, a bingo space corresponding to the represented first bingo symbol.   
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , the computer-readable memory further storing instructions that when executed by the processor direct the processor to:
 display, using the online gaming interface, an indication that a represented bingo symbol of the sequence displayed in the visible ball queue would complete a winning bingo pattern when enabled for play, wherein displaying the indication is before enabling the represented bingo symbol for play.   
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the generated online gaming interface further comprises a button configured to allow the player to indicate completion of a predetermined winning bingo pattern. 
     
     
         11 . A method for providing online games to remote user devices, comprising:
 receiving, by a game application delivery controller from a user device, a request for an online gaming interface for a bingo game;   transmitting, by the game application delivery controller, a call for the bingo game to a bingo game server of the game server cluster;   determining, by the game application delivery controller, a sequence of bingo symbols for the bingo game;   providing the online gaming interface to the user device, wherein the online gaming interface comprises a representation of an electronic bingo card and a visible ball queue;   generating, by the game application delivery controller, in the visible ball queue of the online gaming interface, a representation of at least one bingo symbol of the determined sequence of bingo symbols that is not yet playable in the bingo game;   enabling, by the game application delivery controller, in the online gaming interface, a represented first bingo symbol of the determined sequence in the visible ball queue for play in the bingo game; and   removing, by the game application delivery controller, the represented first bingo symbol enabled for play in the bingo game from the visible ball queue in the online gaming interface.   
     
     
         12 . An apparatus for providing online games to remote user devices, comprising:
 a processor in communication with a game server cluster;   a computer-readable memory in communication with the processor, the computer-readable memory storing instructions that when executed by the processor direct the processor to:   receive, from a user device, a request for an online gaming interface for a bingo game;   transmit a call to a bingo game server of the game server cluster for the online gaming interface for the bingo game;   determine a sequence of bingo symbols for the bingo game;   transmit the online gaming interface, wherein the online gaming interface comprises a representation of an electronic bingo card and a visible ball queue, wherein the visible ball queue of the online gaming interface comprises a representation of at least one bingo symbol of the determined sequence of bingo symbols that is not yet playable in the bingo game;   enable, in the online gaming interface, a represented first bingo symbol of the determined sequence in the visible ball queue for play in the bingo game; and   remove the represented first bingo symbol enabled for play in the bingo game from the visible ball queue in the online gaming interface.   
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 12 , wherein the sequence comprises a first bingo ball and a second bingo ball to be called after the first bingo ball. 
     
     
         14 . The apparatus of  claim 12 , wherein determining the sequence of bingo symbols for the bingo game comprises:
 determining the sequence of bingo symbols for the bingo game before initiating play of the bingo game by a player.   
     
     
         15 . The apparatus of  claim 12 , wherein the visible ball queue comprises a representation of a first bingo ball and a representation of a second bingo ball, wherein neither the first bingo ball nor the second bingo ball is playable in the bingo game. 
     
     
         16 . The apparatus of  claim 12 , wherein the visible ball queue comprises a representation of a first bingo ball including an indication of a location identifier associated with the first bingo ball and not including an indication of a bingo number associated with the first bingo ball. 
     
     
         17 . The apparatus of  claim 12 , the computer-readable memory further storing instructions that when executed by the processor direct the processor to:
 advance a represented second bingo symbol in the visible ball queue, wherein the second bingo symbol is not playable in the bingo game.   
     
     
         18 . The apparatus of  claim 12 , wherein enabling the represented first bingo symbol for play in the bingo game comprises:
 calling a bingo symbol displayed in the visible ball queue, thereby making the bingo symbol playable.   
     
     
         19 . The apparatus of  claim 12 , wherein enabling the represented first bingo symbol for play in the bingo game comprises:
 allowing a player to mark, using the online gaming interface, a bingo space corresponding to the represented first bingo symbol.   
     
     
         20 . The apparatus of  claim 12 , the computer-readable memory further storing instructions that when executed by the processor direct the processor to:
 display, using the online gaming interface, an indication that a represented bingo symbol of the sequence displayed in the visible ball queue would complete a winning bingo pattern when enabled for play, wherein displaying the indication is before enabling the represented bingo symbol for play.   
     
     
         21 . The apparatus of  claim 12 , wherein the generated online gaming interface further comprises a button configured to allow the player to indicate completion of a predetermined winning bingo pattern.