Entertainment management system with multi-lingual support

• US 20060009282A1
• Filed: 08/29/2005
• Published: 01/12/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Edward Sepich IV, Jeffrey George, Martin Dempsey, Thomas E. Soukup
• Original Assignee: Edward Sepich IV, Jeffrey George, Martin Dempsey, Thomas E. Soukup
• Inventors: Dempsey, Martin, George, Jeffrey, Soukup, Thomas E., Sepich, Edward IV
• Granted Patent: US 9,033,788 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/29
• 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 17/3234 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 system and method manages an electronic gaming environment. The gaming environment includes at least one gaming device. The system includes a database and a computer coupled to the database. The database stores system and user account data for at least one user and establishes a default language for the system. The computer is networked to the device. A user interface, associated with either the computer or the gaming device identifies a user, interacts with the user, and provides access to the system as a function of the identity of the user. The user interface is displayed in (a) in a preferred language of the identified user or (b) in the default language of the system if no preferred language is specified.

Claims

1. A system for managing an electronic gaming environment including at least one gaming device, comprising:

a user interface corresponding to each gaming device for identifying a user, interacting with the user, and providing access to the system as a function of the identity of the user;

a database for storing system and user account data for at least one user, the database including a default language for the system;

a computer coupled to the database and networked to the device corresponding to each gaming machine, the user interface being displayed;

(a) in a preferred language of the identified user;

or

(b) in the default language of the system if no preferred language is specified.

2. A system, as set forth in claim 1, the computer for allowing a predetermined user to set the default language for the system and/or the preferred language for the at least one user.

3. A system, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the gaming device is a gaming machine for allowing a player to place a wager on a game played on the gamine device

4. A system, as set forth in claim 3, wherein the gaming machine, a virtual gaming machine, an interface to a table management system, a kiosk or a points of sale or redemption terminal.

5. A system, as set forth in claim 3, wherein the at least one gaming machine includes a player tracking device, wherein the user interface is implemented on the player tracking device.

6. A system, as set forth in claim 5, the player tracking device including:

a processor;

an ID Card reader coupled to the processor;

a display coupled to the processor for displaying a bezel and information to the player, the information being displayed within the bezel; and

,

a keypad coupled to the processor for receiving input from the player, the processor instructing the display to display instructions for inserting a player ID Card into the ID Card reader.

7. A system, as set forth in claim 6, the display being a touch-screen display.

8. A system, as set forth in claim 7, the keypad being implemented by the touch-screen display.

9. A system, as set forth in claim 6, the processor being coupled to the computer, the database containing patron information including bonus points, the player tracking device for identifying a patron, the display for displaying to the player at least one of a bonus point total, a session bonus point total, and an available cash play.

10. A system, as set forth in claim 1, the user being an employee, the user interface for allowing the employee to perform functions related to the gaming device.

12. A system, as set forth in claim 1, the computer for allowing a predetermined user to establish the preferred language of the other user.

13. A system, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the computer provides one or more of the following functions:

bonus jackpots, slot accounting, player tracking, cage credit and vault, sports book data collection, point of sale (POS) accounting, Keno accounting, bingo accounting, table game accounting, progressive jackpots, and electronic funds transfer.

14. A system, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the gaming device is a remote device.

11. A system, as set forth in claim 11, the user being a player, the user interface for allowing the player to access their user account data.

15. A method for managing an electronic gaming environment, the electronic gaming environment including at least one gaming device, comprising:

establishing a default language for the electronic gaming environment;

identifying a user of the at least one gaming device;

providing a user interface at the at least one gaming machine for interaction with the user, wherein the user interface is displayed;

(a) in a preferred language of the identified user;

or

(b) in the default language of the system if no preferred language is specified.

16. A method, as set forth in claim 15, including the step of establishing the preferred language of the at least one user.

17. A method, as set forth in claim 15, including the step of allowing a predetermined user to set the default language for the system and/or the preferred language for the at least one user.

18. A method, as set forth in claim 15, wherein the gaming device is a gaming machine, the method including the step of allowing a player to place a wager on a game played on the gaming machine.

19. A method, as set forth in claim 18, the gaming machine is one of an electronic gaming machine, a virtual gaming machine, an interface to a table management system, a kiosk or a points of sale or redemption terminal.

20. A method, as set forth in claim 17, wherein the gaming machine includes a player tracking device, the method including the step of implementing the user interface on the player tracking device.

21. A method, as set forth in claim 20, the player tracking device including a processor, an ID Card reader coupled to the processor, a display coupled to the processor for displaying information to the player, and a keypad coupled to the processor for receiving input from the player.

22. A method, as set forth in claim 20, the display being a touch-screen display, the method including the step of implementing the keypad on the touch-screen display.

23. A method, as set forth in claim 15, the user being an employee, the method including the step of allowing the employee to perform functions related to the gaming device and/or gaming environment through the user interface.

24. A method, as set forth in claim 15, the user being a player, the method including the step of allowing the player to access their user account data using the user interface.

25. A method, as set forth in claim 15, wherein the user interface is embodied in a remote device.

30. A system, as set forth in claim 25, the user being an employee, the user interface for allowing the employee to perform functions related to the gaming device.

31. A system, as set forth in claim 25, the computer for allowing a predetermined user to establish the preferred language of the other user.

32. A system, as set forth in claim 25, wherein the computer provides one or more of the following functions:

bonus jackpots, slot accounting, player tracking, cage credit and vault, sports book data collection, point of sale (POS) accounting, Keno accounting, bingo accounting, table game accounting, progressive jackpots, and electronic funds transfer.

33. A system, as set forth in claim 25, wherein the gaming device is a remote device.

26. A system for managing an electronic gaming environment including at least one gaming device, comprising:

a database for storing system and user account data for at least one user, the database including a default language for the system;

a computer coupled to the database and networked to the device corresponding to each gaming machine; and

,

a user interface associated with the computer for identifying a user, interacting with the user, and providing access to the system as a function of the identity of the user, the user interface being displayed;

(a) in a preferred language of the identified user;

or

(b) in the default language of the system if no preferred language is specified.

27. A system, as set forth in claim 26, the computer for allowing a predetermined user to set the default language for the system and/or the preferred language for the identified one user.

28. A system, as set forth in claim 26, wherein the gaming device is a gaming machine for allowing a player to place a wager on a game played on the gamine device

29. A system, as set forth in claim 28, wherein the gaming device is a gaming machine, a virtual gaming machine, an interface to a table management system, a kiosk or a point of sale or redemption terminal.

34. A method for managing an electronic gaming environment, the electronic gaming environment including at least one gaming device, comprising:

establishing a default language for the electronic gaming environment;

identifying a user of the system;

providing a user interface for interaction with the user, wherein the user interface is;

(a) in a preferred language of the identified user;

or

(b) in the default language of the system if no preferred language is specified.

35. A method, as set forth in claim 34, including the step of establishing the preferred language of the at least one user.

36. A method, as set forth in claim 34, including the step of allowing a predetermined user to set the default language for the system and/or the preferred language for the at least one user.

37. A method, as set forth in claim 34, the user being an employee, the method including the step of allowing the employee to perform functions related to the gaming device and/or gaming environment through the user interface.