Hand Held Tablet Communicating with Gaming Machine

• US 20080311971A1
• Filed: 06/14/2007
• Published: 12/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GTECH Germany GmbH
• Original Assignee: Atronic International GmbH (Gauselmann AG)
• Inventors: Dean, David
• Granted Patent: US 8,496,530 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/20
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3218 wherein at least part of the system is portable
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3223 Architectural aspects of a gaming system, e.g. internal configuration, master/slave, wireless communication

Abstract

The present invention is a small tablet that wirelessly communicates with a stationary gaming machine. The player makes bets using the tablet. The gaming machine, and not the tablet, determines the outcome of the game and transmits the award information to the tablet. The gaming machine may be an ordinary slot machine displaying random symbols in an array or displaying another game. The player using the tablet views the display on the gaming machine to see the outcome of a game, so the tablet does not need a large display to play a game. The player who operates the gaming machine bets independently from the player using the tablet. In another embodiment, the gaming machine is operated automatically, and multiple players with tablets independently bet on a common game.

Claims

1. A gaming system comprising:

a hand-held tablet containing a wireless transceiver for communicating with a remote gaming machine, the remote gaming machine carrying out a game program and displaying a game,

the tablet having a player interface for receiving a bet designation by a player,

the tablet having a processing circuit for receiving award information from the remote gaming machine and determining a number of credits to award the player, after a game is completely carried out and displayed by the gaming machine.

2. The system of claim 1 further comprising a stationary gaming machine that carries out a game program and displays a game, the gaming machine containing a transceiver and processor that communicates with the tablet to identify a payout based on a game outcome.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the gaming machine completely carries out and displays the game for the player operating the tablet.

4. The system of claim 2 wherein the player operating the tablet is a first player, and a second player operates the gaming machine, the tablet having no means for initiating the game by the gaming machine.

5. The system of claim 2 wherein the gaming machine has a housing containing all processing needed to carry out the game and containing a display for displaying the game.

6. The system of claim 2 wherein the gaming machine comprises a display screen for viewing by multiple players, wherein a circuit in the gaming machine automatically initiates a game without any player intervention.

7. The system of claim 2 wherein the gaming machine carries out a game whose outcome is common to a player playing the gaming machine and the player operating the tablet.

8. The system of claim 2 wherein the gaming machine carries out multiple games, where one game outcome is applied to a player playing the gaming machine and another game outcome is applied to the player operating the tablet.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the tablet processing circuit conveys no information to the gaming machine other than information to enable the gaming machine to communicate with the tablet.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the game comprises a random selection of symbols in an array solely carried out by the gaming machine, and an award is based on combinations of symbols in the array.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein the tablet does not display any game or carry out a game program.

12. The system of claim 1 further comprising a station that contains a plurality of substantially identical tablets, each tablet being assigned a different communication address for communicating with a gaming machine.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the station comprises a value receiving device that accepts value from the player and stores an equivalent value of credits in the tablet.

14. A method performed by a gaming system comprising:

a first player setting up wireless communications between a hand-held tablet and a stationary gaming machine;

the first player entering a bet designation into the tablet;

a stationary gaming machine wirelessly communicating with the tablet, wherein the gaming machine completely carries out and displays a game for the first player operating the tablet; and

the gaming machine transmitting a signal to the tablet to enable the tablet to determine an award to grant the first player based on an outcome of the game.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising a second player controlling the gaming machine to initiate games and betting independently of the first player betting using the tablet, wherein the first player wins an award based on an amount bet by the first player, and the second player wins an award based on an amount bet by the second player.

16. The method of claim 14 further comprising multiple players with associated tablets communicating with the gaming machine, each player independently entering a bet designation into their associated tablets, all players sharing a same outcome of the gaming machine in determining whether a player wins an award, and the gaming machine transmitting a signal to all the tablets to enable the tablets to determine an award to grant an associated player based on an outcome of the game.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the gaming machine has a display screen for viewing by all the players.

18. The method of claim 14 wherein games played on the gaming machine are initiated automatically without player intervention.

19. The method of claim 14 further comprising the first player obtaining the tablet from a station and the station wirelessly downloading credits into the tablet upon payment by the first player.

20. The method of claim 14 wherein the tablet does not display any game or carry out a game program.