Dynamically configurable gaming system

• US 20040229698A1
• Filed: 08/18/2003
• Published: 11/18/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Everi Games Inc. (Everi Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Multimedia Games Incorporated
• Inventors: Lind, Jefferson C., Enzminger, Joseph R., Loebig, Gary L., Lind, Clifton, Lannert, Robert, OʼConnor, Brendan
• Granted Patent: US 8,029,360 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/42
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5573 player location
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3209 Input means, e.g. buttons, touch screen
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3211 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/323 wherein the player is informed, e.g. advertisements, odds, instructions
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3234 about the performance of a gaming system, e.g. revenue, diagnosis of the gaming system
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3237 about the players, e.g. profiling, responsible gaming, strategy/behavior of players, location of players
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3239 Tracking of individual players

Abstract

A gaming system (40) according to the present invention includes a number of gaming machines (10), each gaming machine including a single player game presentation arrangement that may be reconfigured to provide any one of a number of game presentations. In addition to the gaming machines (10) the present gaming system (40) includes a system configuration arrangement (51) and a game modification controller (50). The system configuration arrangement (51) produces system configuration commands based either on manual inputs, system usage information, or various information related to one or more players in a gaming facility. The game modification controller (50) included in preferred forms of the gaming system receives the system configuration commands and in response to the commands, communicates presentation switching instructions to one or more gaming machines (10) included in the system.

Claims

1. A gaming system including:

(a) a number of gaming machines, each gaming machine including a respective game presentation arrangement capable of producing any one of a number of unrelated game presentations;

(b) a system configuration arrangement for producing system configuration commands; and

(c) a game modification controller in communication with the player monitoring arrangement and with each respective gaming machine, the game modification controller for receiving system configuration commands from the system configuration arrangement and for communicating presentation switching instructions to one or more of the gaming machines in response to the system configuration commands, the presentation switching instructions causing the respective gaming machine to switch from a first game presentation to a second game presentation.

2. The gaming system of claim 1 wherein the system configuration arrangement includes a manual interface through which configuration commands may be manually initiated.

3. The gaming system of claim 1 wherein the system configuration arrangement includes a player monitoring arrangement for producing configuration commands based at least partially upon player characteristics.

4. The gaming system of claim 3 wherein the player monitoring arrangement includes:

(a) a player location tracking controller for producing configuration commands based at least partially upon the location of a player; and

(b) a player location determining arrangement for determining the location of the player in a gaming facility including one or more of the gaming machines.

5. The gaming system of claim 4 wherein the player location determining arrangement includes a signal reading device for remotely reading identifying information carried by the player or remotely receiving identifying signals originating from a device carried by the player.

6. The gaming system of claim 4 wherein the player location determining arrangement includes:

(a) a number of signal reading devices for remotely receiving identifying signals originating from a device carried by the player; and

(b) a signal timing analyzing device for analyzing the timing between the identifying signals received by the number of signal reading devices to determine the location of the player.

7. The gaming system of claim 3 wherein the player monitoring arrangement includes a player preference tracking controller for producing configuration commands based at least partially upon actual or postulated player preferences for one or more players in a gaming facility including one or more gaming machines.

8. The gaming system of claim 7 further including a player data collection arrangement for making individual or group player-related data available to the player preference tracking controller.

9. The gaming system of claim 3 wherein the player monitoring arrangement includes a player interface controller for producing configuration commands based at least partially upon communications with one or more players.

10. A method of configuring a system of gaming machines, the method including steps of:

(a) producing a system configuration command; and

(b) in response to the system configuration command, switching a game presentation at one or more gaming machines in the system from a first game presentation to a second game presentation unrelated to the first game presentation.

11. The method of claim 10 further including the step of producing presentation switching instructions in response to the system configuration command and communicating the presentation switching instructions to the one or more gaming machines to effect switching the game presentation at one or more gaming machines in the system from the first game presentation to the second game presentation.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein the step of producing the system configuration command includes receiving manual system configuration inputs through a system management interface.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein the step of producing the system configuration command includes:

(a) producing location information indicating the location of one or more players in a gaming facility including one or more of the gaming machines; and

(b) producing the system configuration command based at least partially upon the location information.

14. The method of claim 10 wherein the step of producing the system configuration command includes:

(a) transmitting gaming information to a particular player using one of the gaming machines through the respective gaming machine;

(b) receiving a player response from the player; and

(c) producing the system configuration command based at least partially upon the player response from the player.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the step of transmitting gaming information includes transmitting information on an additional game presentation different from the game presentation currently offered at the gaming machine used by the particular player, and providing the particular player an opportunity to select the additional game presentation.

16. The method of claim 10 wherein the step of producing the system configuration command includes:

(a) receiving player preference data associated with a player; and

(b) producing the system configuration command based at least partially upon the player preference data.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the step of receiving player preference data includes receiving player profile data for a player profile matched by the player.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein the step of receiving player preference data includes receiving historical system activity data collected for the player.

19. A program product for configuring a system of gaming machines, the program product being stored on a computer readable medium and including:

(a) system configuration program code for producing a system configuration command; and

(b) presentation switching program code for responding to the system configuration command by switching a game presentation at one or more gaming machines in the system from a first game presentation to a second game presentation unrelated to the first game presentation.

20. The program product of claim 19 wherein the presentation switching program code include presentation switching instruction program code for producing presentation switching instructions in response to the system configuration command and transmitting the presentation switching instructions to the one or more gaming machines to effect the switch of the game presentation at one or more gaming machines in the system from the first game presentation to the second game presentation.

21. The program product of claim 19 further including system management interface program code for producing an interface for receiving manual system configuration inputs and producing the system configuration command in response to the manual system configuration inputs.

22. The program product of claim 19 further including player location controller program code for producing the system configuration command based at least partially upon player location information.

23. The program product of claim 19 further including player interaction program code for transmitting gaming information to a particular player using one of the gaming machines through the respective gaming machine, receiving a player response from the player, and producing the system configuration command based at least partially upon the player response from the player.

24. The program product of claim 19 further including player preference controller program code for accessing player preference data associated with a player and producing the system configuration command based at least partially upon the player preference data.