System for electronic game promotion

• US 20040053681A1
• Filed: 12/02/2002
• Published: 03/18/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: Acres Gaming Incorporated (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Boyd, Scott A., Jordan, R. Jeffrey
• Application Number:
  US10/308,768
• Publication Number:
  US 20040053681A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/20
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3248 involving non-monetary media of fixed value, e.g. casino chips of fixed value
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3255 Incentive, loyalty and/or promotion schemes, e.g. comps, gaming associated with a purchase, gaming funded by advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/42 for ticket printing or like apparatus , e.g. apparatus for dispensing of printed paper tickets or payment cards

Abstract

A printer on a networked gaming device can be controlled by the network to generate awards. The printer can operate as both a typical printer in a gaming device and as a printer for the gaming network, or separate printers can be installed in the gaming device. If the particular player has identified himself or herself to the gaming network, then the gaming system has a very high probability that it is communicating to a known player. Therefore, the printer operates as a direct communication conduit to a player. Additionally, previously issued awards can be redeemed by a validator coupled to the gaming network.

Claims

1. A gaming system, comprising:

a gaming device containing a game to be played by a user;

a gaming network coupled to the gaming device;

an award generator operative on the gaming network, the award generator structured to generate more than one award available for a user of the gaming device;

a selection mechanism structured to accept from the user an indication of a selected one of the available awards; and

a ticket printer coupled to the gaming device and structured to generate printed output based on a signal received from the selection mechanism.

2. The gaming system of claim 1 wherein the award generator is a system award generator.

3. The gaming system of claim 1 wherein the award generator is a bonus award generator.

4. The gaming system of claim 1 wherein the ticket printer is a system ticket printer, the gaming system further comprising a separate game printer controlled by a set of game electronics within the gaming device.

5. The gaming system of claim 4 wherein the system ticket printer is controlled by the gaming network.

6. The gaming system of claim 1 wherein the selection mechanism is a keypad coupled to the gaming device.

7. The gaming system of claim 6 wherein the selection mechanism is a touchscreen.

8. The gaming system of claim 7, wherein the award generator causes the more than one awards to be shown on the touchscreen.

9. The gaming system of claim 1 wherein the award generator causes the more than one awards to be shown on a display screen that is coupled to the gaming device.

10. The gaming system of claim 1 wherein the award comprises a drawing ticket.

11. The gaming system of claim 1 wherein the award comprises a complimentary item.

12. The gaming system of claim 11 wherein the complementary item is food.

13. The gaming system of claim 11 wherein the complementary item is a ticket to a show.

14. The gaming system of claim 11 wherein the complementary item is an accommodation.

15. The gaming system of claim 11 wherein the complementary item is a beverage.

16. The gaming system of claim 1 wherein the award comprises bonus points.

17. The gaming system of claim 1 wherein the award comprises bonus points for a user that is unidentified to the gaming network.

18. The gaming system of claim 1 wherein the award is machine credits awarded in a gaming session that are valid no earlier than a next gaming session.

19. The gaming system of claim 1 wherein the award generator comprises:

a set of static criteria;

a set of variable data; and

a comparator to compare the set of variable data to the set of static data and generate the award when the static criteria are met by the variable data.

20. The gaming system of claim 19 wherein the set of static criteria are pre-defined system parameters.

21. The gaming system of claim 19 wherein the set of static criteria can change over time.

22. The gaming system of claim 19 wherein the set of static criteria comprises the user'"'"'s historical game data.

23. The gaming system of claim 19 wherein the set of static criteria comprises an average of more than one user'"'"'s historical game data.

24. The gaming system of claim 19 wherein the set of static criteria comprises the time of day.

25. The gaming system of claim 19 wherein the set of variable data is based on current game play of the user.

26. The gaming system of claim 19 wherein the set of variable data criteria comprises the amount of the user'"'"'s coin in.

27. The gaming system of claim 19 wherein the set of variable data comprises the user'"'"'s accumulated bonus points.

28. A gaming system, comprising:

a gaming device containing a game to be played by a user;

a ticket printer coupled to the gaming device and structured to generate printed tickets;

a gaming network coupled to the gaming device, the gaming network structured to monitor game activity;

a second ticket printer coupled to the gaming network;

an awarding system running on the gaming network, the awarding system structured to generate an award for a user; and

a ticket generator coupled to the second ticket printer and structured to signal the second ticket printer to generate the tickets based on signals from the awarding system.

29. The gaming system of claim 28 wherein the gaming network is structured to monitor non-game activity from other than the gaming device.

30. The gaming system of claim 28 wherein the awarding system is structured to generate a system award.

31. The gaming system of claim 28 wherein the awarding system is structured to generate a bonus award.

32. The gaming system of claim 29 wherein the awarding system is structured to generate an award based on the game activity and the non-game activity.

33. The gaming system of claim 29 wherein the non-game activity comprises historical data about the user.

34. The gaming system of claim 28 wherein the awarding system comprises:

a set of conditions that, when met, satisfies requirements for generating a an award; and

a managing process structured to evaluate one or more data sources and, when the set of conditions are met by the one or more data sources, generate the award.

35. The gaming system of claim 28, further comprising a display screen adapted to display one or more award choices to the user.

36. The gaming system of claim 35, wherein the ticket generator is structured to communicate to the second ticket printer an award that was selected by the user from the one or more award choices.

37. The gaming system of claim 28 wherein the second ticket generator is structured to print information.

38. The gaming system of claim 37 wherein the information comprises instructions.

39. The gaming system of claim 37 wherein the information was requested by the user.

40. The gaming system of claim 37 wherein the information comprises rules.

41. A gaming system, comprising:

a gaming device containing a game to be played by a user;

a gaming network coupled to the gaming device, the gaming network including a player database;

an identification system coupled to the gaming device and to the gaming network, the identification system structured to match a user playing the game to player information stored on the player database;

a ticket reader coupled to the gaming device and structured to read and decode data from a ticket inserted in the ticket reader to identify a particular award; and

a ticket validator coupled to the ticket reader and to the gaming network, the ticket validator structured to grant the particular award to the identified player when the ticket is inserted in the ticket reader and the identified player is authorized to receive such an award.

42. The gaming system of claim 41 wherein the ticket inserted in the ticket reader was previously printed by a ticket printer.

43. The gaming system of claim 41 wherein the award comprises bonus points.

44. The gaming system of claim 41 wherein the award is credited to a player account in the player database.

45. The gaming system of claim 41 wherein the award is credited to the gaming device.

46. The gaming device of claim 41 wherein the identified player is limited in the number of awards that can be credited to the identified player'"'"'s account.

47. A gaming system, comprising:

a gaming device containing a game to be played by a user;

a gaming network coupled to the gaming device, the gaming network including a modeling parameters database that includes a plurality of ticket triggers;

an award generator operative on the gaming network, the award generator structured to use the plurality of ticket triggers in generating an award available for a user of the gaming device; and

a ticket printer coupled to the gaming device and structured to generate printed output based on a signal received from the award generator.

48. The gaming system of claim 47 wherein the award generator is a system award generator.

49. The gaming system of claim 47 wherein the award generator is a bonus award generator.

50. The gaming system of claim 47 wherein the ticket printer is a system ticket printer, the gaming system further comprising a separate game printer controlled by a set of game electronics within the gaming device.

51. The gaming system of claim 47 wherein the award generator comprises a comparator and is structured to compare a set of present conditions in the gaming network to the plurality of ticket triggers and to generate the award when one of the plurality of ticket triggers is satisfied by one or more of the set of present conditions.

52. The gaming system of claim 51 wherein one of the set present conditions comprises the time of day.

53. The gaming system of claim 51 wherein one of the set present conditions is based on current game play of the user.

54. The gaming system of claim 51 wherein one of the set present conditions comprises the amount of the user'"'"'s coin in.

55. The gaming system of claim 51 wherein one of the set present conditions comprises the user'"'"'s accumulated bonus points.

56. The gaming system of claim 47 wherein the plurality of ticket triggers can change over time.

57. The gaming system of claim 56 wherein more triggers can be added to the plurality of ticket triggers.

58. The gaming system of claim 47 wherein one of the plurality of ticket triggers comprises a particular series of game outcomes.

59. The gaming system of claim 47 wherein an individual ticket trigger of the plurality of ticket triggers can have more than one triggering component.

60. The gaming system of claim 59 wherein the award generator is structured to generate the award when any of the triggering components of the individual ticket trigger is satisfied.

61. The gaming system of claim 59 wherein the award generator is structured to generate the award when all of the triggering components of the individual ticket trigger is satisfied.

62. The gaming system of claim 59 wherein at least one component of one of the plurality of ticket triggers comprises the user'"'"'s historical game data.

63. The gaming system of claim 59 wherein at least one component of one of the plurality of ticket triggers comprises an average of more than one user'"'"'s historical game data.

64. A gaming system, comprising:

a plurality of gaming devices containing games to be played by users;

a gaming network coupled to the plurality of gaming devices;

an award generator operative on the gaming network and structured to generate an award available for at least one of the users of the gaming device, the award generator including;

a first set of triggers associated with a first group of one or more of the plurality of gaming devices,

a second set of triggers associated with a first group of one or more of the plurality of gaming devices, and

a comparator to compare current data on the gaming network to the first and second sets of triggers; and

a ticket printer coupled to the award generator and structured to generate printed output based on a signal received from the award generator.

65. The gaming system of claim 64 wherein the ticket printer is coupled to one of the plurality of gaming devices.

66. The gaming system of claim 64 wherein none of the plurality of gaming devices is in both the first group of gaming devices and the second group of gaming devices.

67. The gaming system of claim 64 wherein all in the plurality of gaming devices belong to both the first group of gaming devices and the second group of gaming devices.

68. A method for printing tickets at a gaming device that is interconnected by a gaming network to a host computer, the method comprising:

monitoring game play data received from the gaming device;

comparing the play data to a set of predefined award variables;

granting two or more awards when the play data conform to the set of predefined variables;

accepting a user selected one of the awards; and

generating a ticket indicative of the selected award at the gaming device.

69. The method of claim 68, further comprising monitoring non-game play data.

70. The method of claim 69, further comprising comparing the non-game play data to the set of predefined variables.

71. The method of claim 68, further comprising:

offering a player of the gaming device a selection of the two or more awards on a video display coupled to the gaming device.

72. The method of claim 71 wherein offering a player a selection of one or more awards comprises:

generating a video signal; and

displaying the video signal on a touchscreen display mounted to the gaming device.

73. The method of claim 68 wherein generating a ticket comprises generating a drawing ticket.

74. The method of claim 68 wherein generating a ticket comprises generating a ticket for a complimentary item.

75. The method of claim 68 wherein generating a ticket comprises generating a ticket for complementary food.

76. The method of claim 68 wherein generating a ticket comprises generating a ticket for complementary accommodation.

77. The method of claim 68 wherein generating a ticket comprises generating a ticket for a complementary beverage.

78. The method of claim 68 wherein generating a ticket comprises generating a ticket for bonus points.

79. The method of claim 68 wherein monitoring non-game play data comprises monitoring historical data of a user of the gaming device.

80. The method of claim 68 wherein the predefined variables change over time.

81. A method for generating an award at a gaming device that is interconnected by a gaming network to a host computer, the method comprising:

loading into an award processor a set of predefined conditions;

accepting data generated by a player using the gaming device;

comparing the data to the set of conditions;

awarding a first award when the data match a first of the set of predefined conditions;

awarding a second award when the data match a second of the set of predefined conditions; and

generating a ticket indicative of either the first or second award.

82. The method of claim 81, further comprising accepting data other than that from the player using the gaming device, and wherein comparing the data to the set of conditions comprises comparing the data generated by the player and the data other than that from the gaming device to the set of conditions.

83. The method of claim 81 wherein generating a ticket comprises generating a ticket at the gaming device.

84. The method of claim 81 wherein the predefined conditions are modifiable.

85. A method for operating a gaming network that includes a database of player data, the method comprising:

accepting a representation of a promotional item from a user who is identified to the computer network;

verifying that the user is eligible to receive the promotional item by inspecting the database of player data; and

, if so verified

awarding the promotional item to the user.

86. The method of claim 85 wherein the representation of the promotional item is a ticket.

87. The method of claim 85 wherein accepting a representation of a promotional item comprises accepting a ticket at a validator that is coupled to a gaming device on the gaming network.

88. The method of claim 85 wherein awarding the promotional item comprises awarding a system award.

89. The method of claim 85 wherein awarding the promotional item comprises awarding a bonus award.

90. The method of claim 85 wherein awarding the promotional item comprises crediting bonus points to an account of the identified user.

91. The method of claim 85 wherein awarding the promotional item comprises crediting machine credits to a gaming device.

92. A method of generating an award for a user of a gaming device that is one of a plurality of gaming devices coupled to a gaming network, the method comprising:

assigning a first set of ticket triggering events to a first group of the plurality of gaming devices, the first group including fewer than all in the plurality of gaming devices;

comparing current gaming network data to the first set of ticket triggering events; and

generating a ticket to the user when one of the first set of ticket triggering events is satisfied by the current network gaming data.

93. The method of claim 92, further comprising assigning a second set of ticket triggering events to a second group of the plurality of gaming devices, and wherein generating a ticket comprises generating a ticket to the user when one of the first or second set of ticket triggering events is satisfied by the current network gaming data.

94. The method of claim 93 wherein some of the plurality of gaming devices belong to both the first group and the second group.