Universal player tracking system

Amusement devices: games – Including means for processing electronic data – Access or authorization

Reexamination Certificate

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Details

C463S046000, C273S14800B, C273S14800B

Reexamination Certificate

active

06722985

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to game playing services for gaming machines such as slot machines and video poker machines. More particularly, the present invention relates to methods of providing player tracking game services to casinos and game players.
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, including key pads and button pads, 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.
For gaming machine operators, an important aspect of gaming machine operations is determining the game playing habits of individual game players. When the game playing habits of an individual player are known, the gaming machine operator may provide incentives corresponding to the game playing habits of the individual game player to encourage additional game play. For example, the gaming machine operator may provide an individual player with coupons for free meals, free rooms or discounted game play depending on their game playing habits. The game playing habits of individual game players are typically determined by monitoring game usage on a gaming machine using a player tracking unit. The player tracking unit collects game usage data and player identification information from the gaming machine which is sent to a remote server for archival and analysis purposes.
Currently, 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. While the type of player tracking system varies from casino to casino, a particular casino will utilize only one type of player tracking system (i.e. from one manufacturer).
FIG. 1
is a block diagram of two gaming machines,
100
and
101
, with player tracking units connected to two servers,
120
and
121
, providing player tracking/accounting services. Characteristics of a player tracking accounting/system such as dimensions of the player tracking unit, communication protocols used by the player tracking unit, dimensions and layout of player tracking devices contained in the player tracking unit, connection schemes and mounting of the player tracking unit to the gaming machine, vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. Thus, to illustrate differences among player tracking systems manufactured by different companies and their impact gaming machine design and operation, the gaming machines,
100
and
101
, are described with representative features of different player tracking systems.
A first player tracking unit comprising, a device box
107
and slot machine interface board (SMIB)
103
, is mounted within the top box
117
on top the main cabinet
118
of the gaming machine
100
with a display
102
. On a video gaming machine, a player may view a game presentation on the display
102
. A second player tracking unit comprising, a device box
104
and SMIB
103
, is mounted the main cabinet
118
of the gaming machine
100
. Each player tracking unit utilizes a display, key pad and card reader enclosed within a device housing or chassis of some type,
104
and
107
. The devices incorporated in a player tracking unit may vary. Some player tracking units have only a display and a card reader with no key pad, others have a display, a card reader, a key pad and a bonus button, while others have a display, a card reader and a bonus button with no key pad.
Typically, the dimensions of the device housings,
104
and
107
, differ among manufacturers. For instance, the frontal area of housing
107
is smaller than
104
. Further, the player tracking devices in the device housings,
104
and
107
, may be of different sizes, which may affect the dimensions of the device housing such as the depth that the device housing extends into the gaming machine. Also, the layout of the player tracking devices within the device housings and the dimensions of each device may differ. For example, a key pad
115
is wider and longer than a key pad
114
and is located below a card reader
109
while the key pad
114
is located across from the card reader
108
.
Many other player tracking unit specifications are also variable. For instance, within each device housing, each of the player tracking devices may be attached to the device housing in a different manner which varies depending on the manufacturer of a particular tracking device. Further, different attachment means may be supplied with each device housing for attaching the player tracking unit to a gaming machine which also varies from manufacturer to manufacturer. Also, connection schemes (e.g. pin connectors), cabling and power requirements supplied with each player tracking unit may vary from manufacturer to manufacturer.
Many player tracking units include a separate slot machine interface board (SMIB), such as
103
and
106
, which may be mounted in a location within the gaming machine which is separate from the device housings,
104
and
107
. For instance, in gaming machine
100
, the SMIB
106
is mounted within the top box
117
opposite the device housing
107
and in gaming machine
101
, the SMIB
103
is mounted within the main cabinet
118
below the device housing
104
. Like the device housings,
104
and
107
, the dimensions of the SMIBs,
103
and
106
, physical attachments and connection schemes, cabling and power requirements may vary depending on the manufacturer of the SMIB.
The SMIBs,
103
and
106
, are used to collect game usage information from the gaming machine (e.g.
100
or
101
) which is transmitted to a player tracking/accounting server such as
120
and
121
using a network interface of some type such as the main communication board
110
. Via the network interface, the SMIB's may communicate with a data collection unit
116
. Each data collection unit (DCU)
116
may be connected to as many as thirty two different SMIBs where each SMIB resides on a different gaming machine. The DCU's consolidate the information gathered from the SMIBs connected to the DCU
116
and forward the information to a player tracking account server such as
120
or
121
.
Each type of player tracking/accounting server
120
and
121
and associated player tracking unit may utilize a different communication protocol to communicate game usage information and player tracking information collected by its associated SMIB over the network interface. For instance, player tracking/accounting server
120
and SMIB
103
may use a Slot Accounting System (SAS) protocol provided by IGT (Reno, Nev.) to communicate game usage information while player tracking/accounting server
121
and SMIB
106
may use a Slot Data System (SDS) protocol provided by Bally gaming systems (Las Vegas, Nev.).
To collect gaming information from a gaming mac

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