Method and apparatus for gaming promotional printer

• US 20050038704A1
• Filed: 09/27/2004
• Published: 02/17/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Jcm American Corporation (Japan Cash Machine Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: Futurelogic Incorporated (Japan Cash Machine Company Limited)
• Inventors: Meyerhofer, Mark
• Granted Patent: US 7,812,992 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.120
• 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 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0209 Incentive being awarded or redeemed in connection with the playing of a video game
• 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 17/3248 involving non-monetary media of fixed value, e.g. casino chips of fixed value
• 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

Abstract

A method and apparatus for a promotional printer for use within a cashless enabled gaming machine or vending machine are disclosed. A 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 a user or player based on a matrix of event-based triggers involving factors or parameters known to the promotional printer directly or supplied by a master promotional controller. Triggers may include the time of day, the date or amount of a cash-out voucher to be issued to the user or 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 promotional printer may further include the ability to store all of the coupons, trigger conditions, and related information resident in the promotional printer in a non-volatile fashion thus enabling a host system to download a promotional environment into the promotional printer which will run promotional campaigns on behalf of the hosting system.

Claims

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

receiving by a first device a first operational signal intended for a second device; and

generating by the first device a coupon trigger using the first operational signal.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first device and the second device are included in a gaming machine.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first device and the second device are included in a vending machine.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the first device is a promotional module;

the second device is a bill validator; and

the first operational signal is a cash-in signal.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the first device is a promotional module;

the second device is a printer; and

the first operational signal is a cash-out signal.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving by the first device a second operational signal intended for a third device, wherein generation of the trigger further comprises using the second operational signal.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein:

the first device is a promotional module;

the second device is a bill validator;

the third device is a printer;

the first operational signal is a cash-in signal; and

the second operational signal is a cash-out signal.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first operational signal is received by the first device from a signal tap coupled to the second device.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising adding a device identifier to the first operational signal by the signal tap.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the first operational signal is received by the first device from a communications network coupled to both the first device and the second device.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the first operational signal is received from a communications network coupled to both the promotional module and the second device.

11. A promotional module comprising:

a processor; and

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

receiving a first operational signal intended for a second device; and

generating a coupon trigger using the first operational signal.

12. The promotional module of claim 11, wherein the promotional module and the second device are included in a gaming machine.

13. The promotional module of claim 11, wherein the promotional module and the second device are included in a vending machine.

14. The promotional module of claim 11, wherein:

the second device is a bill validator; and

the first operational signal is a cash-in signal.

15. The promotional module of claim 11, wherein:

the second device is a printer; and

the first operational signal is a cash-out signal.

16. The promotional module of claim 11, the program instructions further comprising:

receiving a second operational signal intended for a third device; and

using the second operational signal along with the first operational signal to generate the trigger.

17. The promotional module of claim 16, wherein:

the second device is a bill validator;

the third device is a printer;

the first operational signal is a cash-in signal; and

the second operational signal is a cash-out signal.

18. The promotional module of claim 11, wherein the first operational signal is received from a signal tap coupled to the second device.

19. The promotional module of claim 18, wherein the signal tap is operable to add a device identifier to the first operational signal.