Method for providing incentive to play gaming devices connected by a network to a host computer

• US 20030104862A1
• Filed: 08/06/2002
• Published: 06/05/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/1996
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: John F. Acres
• Inventors: Acres, John
• Granted Patent: US 6,800,030 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/25
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2001/008 adapted for being playable on a screen
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3239 Tracking of individual players
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3248 involving non-monetary media of fixed value, e.g. casino chips of fixed value
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3251 involving media of variable value, e.g. programmable cards, programmable tokens
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3281 wherein game attributes are transferred between players, e.g. points, weapons, avatars

Abstract

A method for providing incentive to players of networked slot machines includes a card reader associated with each machine and a card associated with each player. A player account accessible by a host computer on the network is created which associates the player'"'"'s card with the account. A predetermined credit is applied to the player'"'"'s account. In a complementary incentive, credit from the player'"'"'s account is applied to the coin-in meter of a slot machine responsive to insertion of the player card into a card reader associated with the machine. In a matching incentive also implemented by the present invention, each time the player inserts a coin into the slot machine, an equal credit is debited from the player'"'"'s account and applied to the coin-in meter of the machine. In both cases, the credit can only be used by the player to play the machines and cannot be cashed out by the player.

Claims

1. A method for providing incentive to play gaming devices connected by a network to a host computer comprising:

associating each gaming device with a card reader;

issuing a card to a gaming device player;

creating a player account accessible by the host computer;

associating the card with the player account;

applying a predetermined credit to the player'"'"'s account;

debiting the account responsive to insertion of the card into one of the card readers; and

crediting the gaming device associated with said one card reader with the amount debited from the account.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of debiting the account responsive to insertion of the card into one of the card readers comprises debiting the account by the maximum number of coins payable on the gaming device responsive to insertion of the card into one of the card readers.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said method further comprises preventing debiting the account beyond a predetermined time period.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein said method further comprises entering an end time in the player'"'"'s account and preventing debiting the account after the end time.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein said method further comprises entering a start time in the player'"'"'s account and preventing debiting the account before the start time.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said method further comprises debiting the account by the maximum number of coins playable on the gaming device responsive to the completion of each game played by the player on the gaming device and crediting the gaming device associated with said one card reader with the amount debited from the account each time the account is debited.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein said method comprises paying jackpots won by the player on the gaming device by applying a credit to a credit meter in the gaming device.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein said method comprises paying jackpots won by the player on the gaming device by paying coins from the machine to the player.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein paying any jackpots won as a result of gaming device play utilizing credit from the player account to the player comprises hand paying the jackpot.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein said method further includes issuing a second card associated with the player account and associating the second card with the player account.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein said method further includes the step of preventing debiting the account responsive to insertion of one of the cards into one of the card readers when the other card is inserted into one of the card readers.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein said method further includes the step of displaying the current amount of credit in a player'"'"'s account.

13. A method for providing incentive to play gaming devices connected by a network to a host computer comprising:

associating each gaming device with a card reader;

issuing a card to a gaming device player;

associating the card with the player account;

creating a player account accessible by the host computer;

applying a predetermined credit to the player'"'"'s account;

accessing information in the player account responsive to insertion of the card into one of the card readers;

debiting the account;

crediting the gaming device associated with said one card reader with the amount debited from the account; and

paying to the player any jackpots which result from gaming device play utilizing credit from the player account.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein paying to the player any jackpots which result from gaming device play utilizing credit from the player account comprises paying coins from the machine to the player.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein paying to the player any jackpots which result from gaming device play utilizing credit from the player account comprises applying a credit to a credit meter in the gaming device.

16. The method of claim 13 wherein paying to the player any jackpots which result from gaming device play utilizing credit from the player account comprises hand paying the jackpot.

17. The method of claim 13 wherein the step of making the credit in the player'"'"'s account accessible by the gaming device responsive to insertion of the card into the card reader associated with the gaming device comprises debiting the account by the maximum number of coins payable on the gaming device responsive to insertion of the card into the card reader associated with the gaming device.

18. The method of claim 13 wherein said method further includes the step of displaying the current amount of credit in a player'"'"'s account.

19. A method for providing incentive to play gaming devices connected by a network to a host computer comprising:

associating each gaming device with a card reader;

issuing a card to a gaming device player;

creating a player account accessible by the host computer;

associating the card with the player account;

applying a credit to the player'"'"'s account;

accessing information in the player account responsive to insertion of the card into one of the card readers; and

applying credit from the player account to the gaming device associated with said one card reader responsive to a coin inserted into the gaming device.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the credit applied from the player account is equal to the value of the coin inserted into the gaming device.

21. The method of claim 19 wherein said method further comprises applying credit from the player account to the gaming device associated with said one card reader each time a coin is inserted into the gaming device.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein the credit applied from the player account is equal to the value of the coin inserted into the gaming device.

23. The method of claim 19 wherein said method further comprises establishing a predetermined condition which must be met before applying credit from the player account to the gaming device associated with said one card reader responsive to a coin inserted into the gaming device.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein said predetermined condition comprises a minimum number of coins played.

25. The method of claim 19 wherein said method further comprises applying a predetermined credit to the player'"'"'s account each time a predetermined condition is met.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein said predetermined condition comprises a minimum number of coins played.

27. The method of claim 19 wherein applying a credit to the player'"'"'s account comprises applying a predetermined credit to the player'"'"'s account each time the player plays a predetermined amount of money.