Method and apparatus for gaming promotional printer

• US 20040095604A1
• Filed: 03/31/2003
• Published: 05/20/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Futurelogic Incorporated (Japan Cash Machine Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: Futurelogic Incorporated (Japan Cash Machine Company Limited)
• Inventors: Meyerhofer, Mark
• Granted Patent: US 7,594,855 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.18
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/342 Cards defining paid or billed services or quantities
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0209 Incentive being awarded or redeemed in connection with the playing of a video game
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0224 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3227 Configuring a gaming machine, e.g. downloading personal settings, selecting working parameters
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3239 Tracking of individual players
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/42 for ticket printing or like apparatus , e.g. apparatus for dispensing of printed paper tickets or payment cards
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/025 by means, e.g. cards, providing billing information at the time of purchase, e.g. identification of seller or purchaser, quantity of goods delivered or to be delivered
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality

Abstract

A method and apparatus for a gaming promotional printer for use within a cashless enabled gaming machine are disclosed. A gaming promotional printer includes a coupon database describing a stack of coupons that are specified using a template based couponing printer language. A coupon is selected for creation and issued to the player based on a matrix of event-based triggers involving factors or parameters known to the gaming promotional printer directly or supplied by master promotional controller. Triggers may include the time of day, the date or amount of a cash-out voucher to be issued to a player, the duration of play on a gaming machine, a player classification, the amount of money or credits added to a game, or a random frequency of coupon issuance having satisfied any or all of the aforementioned factors. The gaming promotional printer may further include the ability to store all of the coupons, trigger conditions, and related information resident in the gaming promotional printer in a non-volatile fashion thus enabling a host system to download a promotional environment into the gaming promotional printer which will run promotional campaigns on behalf of the hosting system.

Claims

1. A method of printing a promotional coupon in a gaming environment, comprising:

receiving coupon data by a gaming promotional printer from a promotional controller via a communications network, the coupon data including a coupon template; and

generating the coupon by the gaming promotional printer in response to a trigger, the coupon generated using variable data and the coupon template.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the variable data is received by the gaming promotional printer from the promotional controller via the communications network, the method further comprising:

generating the trigger by the promotional controller; and

transmitting the trigger by the promotional controller to the gaming promotional printer via the communications network.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the coupon data includes trigger control parameters, the method further comprising generating the trigger by the gaming promotional printer using the trigger control parameters and trigger data.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the trigger data includes a date.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the trigger data includes a time of day.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the trigger data includes a frequency of issuance of the coupon.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein the trigger data includes a time of play by a player of a gaming machine.

8. The method of claim 3, wherein the trigger data is received by the gaming promotional printer from a gaming machine controller.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the trigger data includes a player identifier.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the trigger data includes an amount of money in play on a gaming machine.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the trigger data includes a duration of a current session of play of a gaming machine.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein the trigger data includes a cash-in of a player.

13. The method of claim 7, wherein the trigger data includes a cash-out of a player.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing of coupon issuance data by the gaming promotional printer; and

transmitting the coupon issuance data by the gaming promotional printer to the promotional controller via the communications network.

15. A method of printing a promotional coupon in a gaming environment, comprising:

transmitting coupon data by a promotional controller to a gaming promotional printer via a communications network, the coupon data including a coupon template; and

transmitting variable data by the promotional controller to the gaming promotional printer via the communications network; and

transmitting trigger data by the promotional controller to the gaming promotional printer whereby the gaming promotional printer generates a coupon using the coupon template and the variable data in response to the trigger data.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the gaming promotional printer stores coupon issuance data, the method further comprising receiving the coupon issuance data by the promotional controller from the gaming promotional printer via the communications network.

17. A gaming promotional printer, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor, the memory having program instructions executable by the processor stored therein, the program instructions including;

receiving coupon data from a promotional controller via a communications network, the coupon data including a coupon template; and

generating a coupon in response to a trigger, the coupon generated using variable data and the coupon template.

18. The gaming promotional printer of claim 17, the program instructions further comprising:

storing of coupon issuance data; and

transmitting the coupon issuance data to the promotional controller via the communications network.

19. The gaming promotional printer of claim 17, wherein the trigger is generated by the promotional controller, the program instructions further including receiving the trigger from the promotional controller via the communications network.

20. The gaming promotional printer of claim 17, wherein the coupon data includes trigger control parameters, the program instructions further including generating the trigger using the trigger control parameters and trigger data.

21. The gaming promotional printer of claim 20, wherein the trigger data includes a date.

22. The gaming promotional printer of claim 20, wherein the trigger data includes a time of day.

23. The gaming promotional printer of claim 20, wherein the trigger data includes a frequency of issuance of the coupon.

24. The gaming promotional printer of claim 20, wherein the trigger data includes a time of play by a player of a gaming machine.

25. The gaming promotional printer of claim 20, the program instructions further including receiving the trigger data from a gaming machine controller.

26. The gaming promotional printer of claim 25, wherein the trigger data includes a player identifier.

27. The gaming promotional printer of claim 25, wherein the trigger data includes an amount of money in play on a gaming machine.

28. The gaming promotional printer of claim 25, wherein the trigger data includes a duration of a current session of play of a gaming machine.

29. The gaming promotional printer of claim 25, wherein the trigger data includes a cash-in of a player.

30. The gaming promotional printer of claim 25, wherein the trigger data includes a cash-out of a player.

31. A promotional controller, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor, the memory having program instructions executable by the processor stored therein, the program instructions including;

transmitting coupon data to a gaming promotional printer via a communications network, the coupon data including a coupon template; and

transmitting variable data to the gaming promotional printer via the communications network; and

transmitting trigger data to the gaming promotional printer whereby the gaming promotional printer generates a coupon using the coupon template and the variable data in response to the trigger data.

32. The promotional controller of claim 31, wherein the gaming promotional printer stores coupon issuance data, the program instructions further including receiving the coupon issuance data from the gaming promotional printer via the communications network.