Amusement devices: games – Including means for processing electronic data – Perceptible output or display
Reexamination Certificate
2001-09-20
2004-03-30
O'Neill, Michael (Department: 3713)
Amusement devices: games
Including means for processing electronic data
Perceptible output or display
C463S016000, C463S020000, C463S042000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06712698
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to game playing methods for gaming machines such as video slot machines and video poker machines. More particularly, the present invention relates to methods and apparatus for providing player tracking services and related gaming services on a gaming machine.
There are a wide variety of associated devices that can be connected to a gaming machine such as a slot machine or video poker machine. Some examples of these devices are player tracking units, lights, ticket printers, card readers, speakers, bill validators, ticket readers, coin acceptors, display panels, key pads, coin hoppers and button pads. Many of these devices are built into the gaming machine or components associated with the gaming machine such as a top box which usually sits on top of the gaming machine.
Typically, utilizing a master gaming controller, the gaming machine controls various combinations of devices that allow a player to play a game on the gaming machine and also encourage game play on the gaming machine. For example, a game played on a gaming machine usually requires a player to input money or indicia of credit into the gaming machine, indicate a wager amount, and initiate a game play. These steps require the gaming machine to control input devices, including bill validators and coin acceptors, to accept money into the gaming machine and recognize user inputs from devices, such as button pads and levers, to determine the wager amount and initiate game play.
After game play has been initiated, the gaming machine determines a game outcome, presents the game outcome to the player and may dispense an award of some type depending on the outcome of the game. A game outcome presentation may utilize many different visual and audio components such as flashing lights, music, sounds and graphics. The visual and audio components of the game outcome presentation may be used to draw a players attention to various game features and to heighten the players interest in additional game play. Maintaining a game player's interest in game play, such as on a gaming machine or during other gaming activities, is an important consideration for an operator of a gaming establishment.
One related method of gaining and maintaining a game player's interest in game play are player tracking programs which are offered at various casinos. Player tracking programs provide rewards to players that typically correspond to the player's level of patronage (e.g., to the player's playing frequency and/or total amount of game plays at a given casino). Player tracking rewards may be free meals, free lodging and/or free entertainment. These rewards may help to sustain a game player's interest in additional game play during a visit to a gaming establishment and may entice a player to visit a gaming establishment to partake in various gaming activities.
In general, player tracking programs may be applied to any game of chance offered at a gaming establishment. In particular, player tracking programs are very popular with players of mechanical slot gaming machines and video slot gaming machines. In a gaming machine, a player tracking program is implemented using a player tracking unit installed in the gaming machine and in communication with a remote player tracking server. Player tracking units are usually manufactured as an after-market device separate from the gaming machine. Many different companies manufacture player tracking units as part of player tracking/accounting systems. These player tracking/accounting systems are used in most casinos. Most casinos utilize only one type of player tracking system (i.e. from one manufacturer) while the type of player tracking system varies from casino to casino.
Player tracking cards and player tracking programs are becoming more and more popular. They have become a de facto marketing method of doing business at casinos. The programs allow a casino to identify and reward customers based upon their previous game play history. In particular, a goal of the casinos is to identify and then to provide a higher level of service to certain groups of players identified as especially valuable to the casinos. An incentive of a casino for providing these services is to generate “brand” loyalty, and thus, repeat business from its valued customers. For instance, players that visit the casino, on average, once a week may be deemed as “special” customers and the casino may desire to cultivate a “special” relationship with these customers. In general, the selection of gaming services offered to players via loyalty programs, such as player tracking programs, is increasing. Also, the gaming services offered to a particular player are becoming more focused based upon the desires of a particular player.
In the past, player tracking units have been primarily designed to allow a player to enter a magnetic striped card and possibly enter an identification code using a key pad. Therefore, the player tracking unit interface, which has been designed to perform these tasks, typically includes a key pad, a card reader and a simple display such as an LED. Thus, a disadvantage of current player tracking units is that the player interface is not necessarily suited for providing increasingly complex and diverse gaming services to game players that are customized to an individual player's preferences.
In view of the above, it would be desirable to provide apparatus and methods for a player tracking unit interface that allows a diverse range of gaming services to be offered to a player playing a game on a gaming machine.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention addresses the needs indicated above by providing a player tracking unit with a touch screen display with a touch screen controller integrated into the touch screen sensor assembly. Game service interfaces may be presented on the touch screen display that allow a user to obtain one or more game services. The game service interfaces may include buttons with alpha-numeric symbols, function keys and hand-writing recognition capabilities that are recognized using input data from the touch screen sensor. Thus, with the touch screen sensor, a user may navigate through the game service interface and supply gaming information required to obtain a game service. In one embodiment, a registration game service interface is provided with the player tracking unit that allows a player to join a player tracking program at the gaming machine. In another embodiment, a metering game service interface with a calculator is provided that allows a casino operator to obtain and operate on metering information at a gaming machine.
One aspect of the present invention provides a player tracking unit. The player tracking unit may be generally characterized as including: 1) a display; 2) a touch screen mounted over the display; 3) one or more of the following player tracking interface devices: a card reader, a bonus button, a microphone, a sound projection device, a camera, a wireless interface device, a proximity sensor, a key pad, a bar-code reader, an illumination device and a finger print reader; 4) a logic device designed or configured; a) to communicate with the display, the touch screen, the one or more player tracking interface devices, a master gaming controller that controls a game played on a gaming machine and a player tracking server and b) to execute gaming logic; and gaming logic for generating a key pad interface on the display and receiving input signals from the touch screen corresponding to input buttons on the key pad interface. The touch screen may include a touch screen sensor, a touch screen assembly enclosing the touch screen sensor; and a touch screen controller integrated into the touch screen assembly. When one of the player tracking devices is an illumination device, the illumination device may be illuminated to signal a casino service representative to register a player to a loyalty program.
In particular embodiments, the touch screen sensor is at least one of a capacitive touch screen sensor, a resi
Benbrahim Jamal
Benoy Greg A.
Paulsen Craig A.
Beyer Weaver & Thomas
IGT
O'Neill Michael
LandOfFree
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