Player tracking communication mechanisms in a gaming machine

• US 20050239546A1
• Filed: 03/30/2005
• Published: 10/27/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/03/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Hedrick, Joseph R., Nguyen, Binh T.
• Granted Patent: US 8,210,927 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/29
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/405 being a wireless ad hoc network, e.g. Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Pico net
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0014 for vending, access and use of specific services not covered anywhere else in G07F17/00 meter-controlled dispensing of liquid, gas or electricity G07F15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3202 Hardware aspects of a gaming system, e.g. components, construction, architecture thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3227 Configuring a gaming machine, e.g. downloading personal settings, selecting working parameters
• 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 disclosed player tracking unit provides a display and a player tracking controller designed or configured to provide a web-browser on the display. The player tracking unit may include one or more input devices that can receive selections associated with the web-browser. Furthermore, the player tracking unit can include a multimedia board for processing digitally formatted program files for output on the display.

Claims

1. A player tracking unit comprising:

a display;

a player tracking controller designed or configured to a) to track wagering activity on a gaming machine providing wagering on a game of chance and b) to provide a web-browser on the display, wherein the web-browser is configured to display web pages on the display;

one or more input devices configured to receive selections associated with the web-browser;

a multimedia board for processing digitally formatted program files for output on the display; and

a communication board for communicating with remote gaming devices including a web server.

2. The player tracking unit of claim 1, further comprising an audio interface for connecting to one or more sound projection devices.

3. The player tracking unit of claim 1, wherein the one or more input devices are selected from the group consisting of:

a touch screen interface, a wireless remote control in communication with the player tracking unit via a wireless interface, a key pad, selection buttons, an enter button, a microphone.

4. The player tracking unit of claim 1, further comprising a touch screen interface over the display.

5. The player tracking unit of claim 1, wherein the web browser can access content on the web server to display on the web pages, wherein the content is selected from the group consisting of advertisements, game samples, games of chance, hotel information/reservations, show information/reservations, restaurant information/reservations, and tourist information/reservations.

6. The player tracking unit of claim 1, wherein the player tracking unit is operable to display a menu of games of chance available for play on the gaming machine or the player tracking unit as one of the web pages.

7. The player tracking unit of claim 1, further comprising a content filter, wherein the content filter is configured to limit access to certain web sites through the web browser and display.

8. The player tracking unit of claim 1, further comprising an access filter, wherein the access filter is configured to limit access to certain web content to specified players.

9. The player tracking unit of claim 8, wherein the access filter is configured to limit access based on player identification number, status, or both identification number and status.

10. The player tracking unit of claim 1, further comprising a jurisdictional filter configured to limit access to particular content in various jurisdictions.

11. The player tracking unit of claim 10, wherein the jurisdictional filter is configured to deny access to gaming content that is not permitted in the jurisdiction where the player tracking unit is located.

12. The player tracking unit of claim 10, wherein the jurisdiction filter is configured to deny access to gaming content based upon jurisdictional limits on bet amounts.

13. The player tracking unit of claim 1, wherein the player tracking unit provides two-way communications between a player and a website.

14. The player tracking unit of claim 13, wherein the player can select web sites and information for display.

15. The player tracking unit of claim 13, wherein the player tracking unit provides a scroll bar that allows the player to view desired portions of content on the display.

16. The player tracking unit of claim 1, wherein the multimedia board includes transcode capabilities configured to adapt multimedia content, including video and audio content that is configured for a first gaming device with first processing, first storage and first output capabilities, to a second gaming device with second processing, second storage and second output capabilities for the multimedia content.

17. The player tracking unit of claim 16, wherein the first gaming device or the second gaming device are one or more of the gaming machine, the player tracking unit or a portable gaming device.

18. The player tracking unit of claim 16, wherein the player tracking unit is further designed or configured to send transcoded multimedia content to a remote gaming device.

19. The player tracking unit of claim 18, wherein prior to sending the transcoded multimedia content to the remote gaming device, the player tracking unit is operable to determine one or more of the processing, storage and output capabilities of the remote gaming device for use in transcoding the multimedia content.

20. The player tracking unit of claim 16, wherein the second output capabilities of the second gaming device depend on properties of video or audio output devices coupled to the second gaming device.

21. The player tracking unit of claim 16, wherein the display on the player tracking unit provides less resolution than a main display used to present the game of chance on the gaming machine and wherein the transcode capabilities allow video gaming content configured for a first resolution of the main display to be scaled to a second resolution of the display.

22. The player tracking unit of claim 21, wherein the gaming content is a game of chance or a bonus game available for play on the gaming machine.

23. The player tracking unit of claim 16, wherein the display on the player tracking unit provides less resolution than a main display used to present the game of chance on the gaming machine and wherein the transcode capabilities allow gaming content configured for a first resolution of the display to be scaled to a second resolution of the main display.

24. The player tracking unit of claim 1, further comprising an Ethernet connection between the player tracking unit and a web server.

25. The player tracking unit of claim 1, further comprising an Ethernet connection between the player tracking unit and a master gaming controller configured to present a game of chance on a gaming machine.

26. The player tracking unit of claim 1, further comprising a printer configured to print content displayed on the display.

27. The player tracking unit of claim 1, wherein the web browser is configured to provide a search tool, a help tool, or both a search tool and help tool.

28. The player tracking unit of claim 1, wherein the search tool allows a search for games of chance that can be played on the gaming machine or the player tracking unit.

29. The player tracking unit of claim 1, wherein the player tracking controller is configured to provide reminders based on information stored in a player tracking account.

30. The player tracking unit of claim 1, wherein the multimedia board is capable of processing programs received by the player tracking unit in a streaming format.

31. The player tracking unit of claim 1, further comprising:

a network interface.

32. The player tracking unit of claim 1, wherein the multimedia board further comprises at least one of an Ethernet interface, a digital audio/video decoder, an NTSC/PAL decoder, a video output interface, a video input interface, a USB interface, a PCI interface, an IDE interface, an ISA interface, a CPU, a graphics card, a USB interface, a wireless interface, an audio output interface, an audio input interface, an audio codec (coder/decoder), a microphone input interface, a memory interface and combinations thereof.

33. The player tracking unit of claim 1, wherein the display is at least one of a LCD display, a plasma display, and a CRT.

34. The player tracking unit of claim 1, further comprising:

a non-volatile memory for storing critical information.

35. The player tracking unit of claim 34, wherein the player tracking controller is further designed or configured to detect a tilt event on the player tracking unit and store the critical information to the non-volatile memory before the critical information is lost.

36. The player tracking unit of claim 35, wherein the tilt event is a loss of power.

37. The player tracking unit of claim 34, wherein the critical information is one or more of a snap shot of a web page displayed on the display, a video image displayed on the display, game content displayed on the display, transactional information displayed on the display or combinations thereof.

38. The player tracking unit of claim 34, wherein the player tracking controller is designed or configured to determine the critical information to store in the non-volatile memory.

39. The player tracking unit of claim 34, wherein the player tracking controller is further designed or configured to retrieve a selected portion of the critical information from the non-volatile memory and to display the selected portion of the critical information on the display or send the selected portion of the critical information to a remote gaming device.

40. The player tracking unit of claim 34, wherein the player tracking unit is further designed or configured to generate an interface on the display for selecting critical information stored in the non-volatile for retrieval.

41. The player tracking unit of claim 34, wherein the player tracking unit is further designed or configured to reconstruct a video image from a previous state of the player tracking unit displayed on the display using the critical information stored on the gaming machine.

42. The player tracking unit of claim 41, wherein the reconstructed video image is from a game, a bonus game or a transaction interface generated on the player tracking unit.

43. The player tracking unit of claim 34, wherein the player tracking unit is further designed or configured to store a video image from a previous state of the player tracking unit to the non-volatile memory.

44. The player tracking unit of claim 43, wherein the video image is from a game, a bonus game or a transaction interface generated on the player tracking unit.

45. The player tracking unit of claim 34, wherein the critical information is from a game, a bonus game or a transaction generated on the player tracking unit.

46. The player tracking unit of claim 34, wherein, during operation of player tracking unit, the player tracking controller advances between a plurality of states and stores the state information for each of the plurality of states to the non-volatile memory and wherein when a malfunction occurs between a first state and a second state in the plurality of states the player tracking unit is operable to restore itself to the first state using the state information for the first state stored in the non-volatile memory.

47. A gaming machine comprising:

a master gaming controller designed or configured to present one or more games of chance played on the gaming machine; and

a player tracking unit comprising;

a display;

a player tracking controller designed or configured to provide a web-browser on the display, wherein the web-browser is configured to display web pages on the display;

one or more input devices configured to receive selections associated with the web-browser; and

a multimedia board for processing digitally formatted program files for output on the display.

48. A player tracking unit comprising:

a display;

a player tracking controller designed or configured to a) to track wagering activity on a gaming machine providing wagering on a game of chance and b) advance between a plurality of states and stores the state information for each of the plurality of states to a non-volatile memory wherein when a malfunction occurs between a first state and a second state in the plurality of states the player tracking unit is operable to restore itself to the first state using the state information for the first state stored in the non-volatile memory;

one or more input devices configured to receive selections associated with interfaces displayed on the display;

a communication board for communicating with remote gaming devices; and

the non-volatile memory for storing the state information.

49. The player tracking unit of claim 48, wherein state information is from a game, a bonus game or a transaction interface generated on the player tracking unit.