Amusement devices: games – Including means for processing electronic data – Credit/debit monitoring or manipulation
Reexamination Certificate
2000-04-07
2004-01-27
Hotaling, II, John M. (Department: 3713)
Amusement devices: games
Including means for processing electronic data
Credit/debit monitoring or manipulation
C463S039000, C463S029000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06682421
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 game services to game players such as ticket validation.
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 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.
As technology in the gaming industry progresses, the traditional method of dispensing coins or tokens as awards for winning game outcomes is being supplemented by ticket dispensers which print ticket vouchers that may be exchanged for cash or accepted as credit of indicia in other gaming machines for additional game play. An award ticket system, which allows award ticket vouchers to be dispensed and utilized by other gaming machines, increases the operational efficiency of maintaining a gaming machine and simplifies the player pay out process. An example of an award ticket system is the EZ pay ticket system by International Game Technology of Las Vegas, Nev.
Currently, ticket vouchers are primarily used as credit indicia for other gaming machines and may be exchanged for cash after the ticket voucher has been validated. However, ticket vouchers have many other potential uses. For example, a ticket voucher may be utilized as prize voucher, which may be redeemed for merchandise awarded for a particular game outcome, or as a service voucher for food, room upgrades or other forms of compensation.
An important component of an award ticket system is the ticket validation process. Typically, a game player's satisfaction with an award ticket system is based upon the ease by which the ticket vouchers may be validated or utilized within the context of game playing. When the ticket validation process is difficult, a game player may become dissatisfied with the game playing area offering the award ticket system and frequent a game playing area without an award ticket system or a game playing area offering a simpler ticket validation process. As an example, the ticket voucher validation process is described in relation to the EZ pay system.
FIG. 1
is a block diagram of the components of the EZ pay ticket system. A first group of gaming machines,
65
,
66
,
67
,
68
, and
69
is shown connected to a first clerk validation terminal (CVT)
60
and a second group of gaming machines,
75
,
76
,
77
,
78
and
79
is shown connected to a second CVT
70
. All of the gaming machines print ticket vouchers which may be exchanged for cash or accepted as credit of indicia in other gaming machines. When the CVTs are not connected to one another, a ticket voucher printed from one gaming machine may be only be used as indicia of credit in another gaming machine which is in a group of gaming machines connected to the same clerk validation terminal. For example, an award ticket printed from gaming machine
65
might be used as credit of indicia in gaming machines
66
,
67
,
68
and
69
, which are each connected to the CVT
60
, but not in gaming machines
75
,
76
,
77
,
78
, and
79
, which are each connected to the CVT
70
.
The CVTs,
60
and
70
, store ticket voucher information corresponding to the outstanding ticket vouchers that are waiting for redemption. This information is used when the tickets are validated and cashed out. The CVTs
60
and
70
store the information for the ticket vouchers printed by the gaming machines connected to the CVT. For example, CVT
60
stores ticket voucher information for ticket vouchers printed by gaming machines
65
,
66
,
67
,
68
, and
69
. When a player wishes to cash out a ticket voucher and the CVT are not connected to one another, the player may redeem vouchers printed from a particular gaming machine at the CVT associated with the gaming machine. To cash out the ticket voucher, the ticket voucher is validated by comparing information obtained from the ticket with information stored within the CVT. After a ticket voucher has been cashed out, the CVT marks the ticket paid in a database to prevent a ticket voucher with similar information from being cashed multiple times.
Multiple groups of gaming machines connected to CVTs may be connected together in a cross validation network
45
. The cross validation network is typically comprised of one or more concentrators
55
which accepts inputs from two or more CVTs and enables communications to and from the two or more CVTs using one communication line. The concentrator is connected to a front end controller
50
which may poll the CVTs for ticket voucher information. The front end controller is connected to an EZ pay server
10
which may provide a variety of information services for the award ticket system including accounting
20
and administration
15
.
The cross validation network allows ticket vouchers generated by any gaming machine connected to the cross validation to be accepted by other gaming machines in the cross validation network
45
. Additionally, the cross validation network allows a cashier at a cashier station
25
,
30
, and
35
to validate any ticket: voucher generated from a gaming machine within the cross validation network
45
. To cash out a ticket voucher, a player may present a ticket voucher at one of the cashier stations
25
,
30
, and
35
. Information obtained from the ticket voucher is used to validate the ticket by comparing information on the ticket with information stored on one of the CVTs connected to the cross validation network. As tickets are validated, this information may be sent to another computer
40
providing audit services.
In some instances, to validate and cash an EZ pay ticket voucher, a player must go to the location of the CVT associated with the gaming machines from which the ticket voucher was printed. When the CVTs are connected via a cross validation network, a player must locate a CVT or go to a cashier station at another location. On a large and crowded casino floor, a player may not wish to find the location of a CVT containing the redemption information needed to validate their ticket voucher or may not wish to locate, find and then wait in line at a cashier station to redeem their ticket voucher. Further, when the ticket voucher is for a service such as food or accommodations at a game playing area, a player may wish to take advantage of the service offered on the ticket voucher while continuing their game play or remaining in the game playing area. For example, when the ticket voucher is for a free meal, the player may wish to make a dinner reservation while continuing to play a game on a gaming machine or remaining near the gaming machine.
In view of the above, it would be desirable to provide a ticket voucher validation system for gaming machines that generate and accept ticket vouchers which overcome th
Oberberger Michael M.
Rowe Richard E.
Beyer Weaver & Thomas LLP
Hotaling II John M.
IGT
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