Uniquely identifiable casino gaming chips
First Claim
1. A method to produce gaming chips, the method comprising:
- providing a first chip member having an exterior surface and an interior surface opposed to the exterior surface, the interior surface of the first chip member forming a cavity and bearing at least one unique identifier; and
filling the cavity formed by the second surface of the first chip member to seal the at least one unique identifier in an interior of the first chip member, the first chip member being sufficiently transparent that the at least one unique identifier is optically detectable from an exterior of the first chip member.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention is directed to a gaming chip with a machine-readable symbol encoding a unique identifier for use in a casino environment and methods for producing the same. The present invention prints symbols and human-readable symbols onto a substrate where at least the symbol is machine-readable. The portions of the substrate having the printed symbols, human-readable symbols, or both can be formed into three-dimensional chip members such that the printed surfaces remain on the interior region of the chip member and readable from a region exterior to the gaming chip by a scanner or optical device. The chip members can be integrally formed into a gaming chip through the injection of filler material between the chip members. The injection molding process structurally and integrally bonds the respective chip members together.
222 Citations
52 Claims
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1. A method to produce gaming chips, the method comprising:
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providing a first chip member having an exterior surface and an interior surface opposed to the exterior surface, the interior surface of the first chip member forming a cavity and bearing at least one unique identifier; and
filling the cavity formed by the second surface of the first chip member to seal the at least one unique identifier in an interior of the first chip member, the first chip member being sufficiently transparent that the at least one unique identifier is optically detectable from an exterior of the first chip member. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A method to produce gaming chips, the method comprising:
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providing a first chip member having an approximately planar portion and a perimeter edge extending perpendicularly from a perimeter of the planar portion, the perimeter edge bearing at least one machine-readable symbol encoding a unique identifier;
providing a second chip member having an approximately planar portion; and
adhering the second chip member to the first chip member to seal the at least one machine-readable symbol encoding the unique identifier in an interior of the gaming chip, the first chip member being sufficiently transparent that the at least one machine-readable symbol encoding the unique identifier is optically detectable from an exterior of the gaming chip. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A method to produce gaming chips at least a first substrate, the method comprising:
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printing at least a machine-readable symbol on a plurality of regions on a first surface of at least the first substrate, the machine-readable symbol encoding an identifier that uniquely identifies the gaming chip;
creating at least one chip member from the first substrate, the chip member having an inner and an outer surface, at least the one chip member bearing the machine-readable symbol on the inner surface thereof, creating another chip member;
positioning at least one chip member in a back-to-back relationship with another chip member such that any inner surface bearing the machine-readable symbol is distally located by approximately the thickness of the substrate from the outer surface of the chip member; and
cohering the one chip member with another chip member such that the machine-readable symbol on at least the one chip member is readable from a location external of the gaming chip. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35)
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36. A method to produce a uniquely identifiable gaming chip, the method comprising:
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receiving digital data defining a chip request from a remote location, at least a portion of the digital data comprising game chip design data;
digitally encoding a unique identifier into a machine-readable symbol;
printing the machine-readable symbol onto at least a first region of at least one substrate;
printing an indicia defined by the digital data onto at least a second region of the at least one substrate; and
forming at least a first gaming chip from the at least one substrate with the machine-readable symbol and the indicia residing in an interior of the gaming chip and detectable from an exterior of the gaming chip. - View Dependent Claims (37, 38, 39, 40, 41)
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42. A gaming chip for use in a casino environment, the gaming chip comprising:
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an approximately planar first surface;
an approximately planar second surface;
spaced from and approximately parallel to the first surface;
a perimeter edge extending between the first and the second surfaces; and
a unique indicia extending along at least a portion of the perimeter edge on an interior of the gaming chip, wherein the perimeter edge is sufficiently transparent that the unique indicia is optically detectable from an exterior of the first chip member. - View Dependent Claims (43, 44, 45, 46, 47)
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48. A gaming chip for use in a casino environment, the gaming chip comprising:
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an approximately planar first surface;
an approximately planar second surface;
spaced from and approximately parallel to the first surface;
a perimeter side surface extending at least partially between the first and the second surfaces; and
a unique indicia located on at least a portion of the gaming chip, the unique indicia protected from wear, abrasion, or damage wherein the unique indicia is located beneath a sufficiently transparent member such that the unique indicia is optically detectable from a location exterior of the gaming chip. - View Dependent Claims (49, 50, 51, 52)
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Specification