Client-Server Blackjack System Parallel Gameplay

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Solution Overview

Problem

In traditional Blackjack games, the actions of upstream players significantly impact downstream players' hands, leading to frustration and limiting the number of players that can participate due to physical constraints and the potential for cheating, which restricts gameplay and player engagement.

Innovation Solution

A client-server network-based gaming system allows multiple players to play concurrently, with each player's decisions and hands managed independently, using a server system to deal cards and manage game state, enabling simultaneous gameplay without interference and increased throughput.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If multiple players play at a physical Blackjack table, then player engagement increases, but upstream players' actions impact downstream players' hands causing frustration

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvenumber of playersVSAvoidimpact of upstream players on downstream players

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The system segments the game into independent virtual instances for each player. Each player receives their own set of cards and plays their hand independently through virtual interfaces, eliminating the interference that occurs in traditional shared-deck games while maintaining multiple simultaneous players.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

A server acts as an intermediary between players and the game logic. The server manages multiple virtual decks and player hands independently, processing each player's decisions without allowing upstream players to affect downstream players' card distributions.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Adaptability or versatility

If more players are added to a physical Blackjack table, then player engagement increases, but physical constraints limit the number of players and increase cheating risk

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvenumber of playersVSAvoidcheating prevention

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The physical mechanical system of card dealing and table management is replaced with an electronic/virtual system. The server digitally manages decks, deals cards, and tracks player actions, eliminating physical constraints on player numbers and reducing cheating opportunities through automated oversight.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The system creates virtual copies of the Blackjack game for each player. Each player interacts with their own virtual interface and card representations, allowing unlimited simultaneous players while the server maintains secure control over the actual game logic and card distributions.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

3Productivity

If traditional sequential card dealing is used, then game rules are simple, but fewer hands can be dealt in the same time reducing productivity

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvenumber of hands dealt per timeVSAvoidgame management system

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system enables continuous parallel gameplay by having the server manage multiple independent player hands simultaneously. While traditional games require sequential processing of each player's decisions, this system processes multiple players' actions in parallel, continuously dealing hands without idle waiting time between players.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #20Continuity of useful action

Data Source

PatentUS10607440B2Blackjack system and method of playing the same

Publication Date: 2020.03.31 JACOBSON MARK H

AI summary

A gaming system for playing a modified version of a card game among a dealer and a plurality of players utilizing respective computer systems arranged in a client-server relationship, the gaming system includes at least one server system operable to play the card game as the dealer, the at least one server system comprising a processor, and a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations for managing the one or more games, and a plurality of client computer systems operable by respective players, the plurality of client computer systems each comprising a display, a processor, and a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations for receiving inputs from a respective player to generate game events and transmit game events over a computer network to the at least one server system, the network providing communication between the at least one server system and the plurality of client computer systems and cause the processor to operate with the plurality of client computer systems for a play of the card game.