Prize redemption kiosk

• US 20080318671A1
• Filed: 06/22/2007
• Published: 12/25/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Rowe, Richard E., Oberberger, Michael M., Pennington, Richard
• Granted Patent: US 8,308,554 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/26
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3248 involving non-monetary media of fixed value, e.g. casino chips of fixed value
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3253 involving articles, e.g. paying in bottles, paying out toys
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3262 Player actions which determine the course of the game, e.g. selecting a prize to be won, outcome to be achieved, game to be played

Abstract

Some preferred implementations of the invention provide a kiosk that can read a cashless instrument, determine one or more corresponding items of merchandise for which the cashless instrument may be redeemed and provide the corresponding item(s) of merchandise. The cashless instrument may be, for example, an ordinary “cash out” ticket, a ticket formed according to the invention, a player loyalty instrument, etc. Some implementations of the invention provide EGMs configured to issue cashless instruments that may be exchanged for various types of merchandise. The cashless instruments may be, for example, encoded tickets. Some implementations provide EGMs configured for encoding a prize code that indicates a corresponding item of merchandise for which the cashless instrument may be redeemed. However, a cashless instrument may or may not indicate a prize code. If a cashless instrument includes a prize code, the prize code may or may not be indicated in human-readable form.

Claims

1. A kiosk, comprising:

means for determining cashless instrument information from a cashless instrument issued by a wager gaming machine;

an indicator for indicating non-cash prizes to a player;

means for providing non-cash prizes; and

a logic system configured to do the following;

determine whether a non-cash prize corresponds to the cashless instrument information; and

control the indicator to indicate whether a first non-cash prize corresponds to the player loyalty point information.

2. The kiosk of claim 1, wherein the logic system comprises at least one processor.

3. The kiosk of claim 1, wherein the determining means comprises a ticket reader.

4. The kiosk of claim 1, wherein the cashless instrument information comprises a monetary value of the cashless instrument.

5. The kiosk of claim 1, wherein the cashless instrument information comprises a code that corresponds with a non-cash prize.

6. The kiosk of claim 1, further comprising a memory having a data structure stored therein, the data structure indicating non-cash prizes and corresponding cashless instrument information.

7. The kiosk of claim 1, further comprising a memory having a data structure stored therein, the data structure indicating non-cash prizes and corresponding non-cash prize monetary values.

8. The kiosk of claim 1, wherein the providing means comprises a system for dispensing non-cash prizes.

9. The kiosk of claim 1, further comprising a display for a plurality of non-cash prizes.

10. The kiosk of claim 1, wherein the providing means comprises means for receiving a user'"'"'s selection of a non-cash prize.

11. The kiosk of claim 1, further comprising means for validating the cashless instrument.

12. The kiosk of claim 1, further comprising means for voiding the cashless instrument.

13. The kiosk of claim 1, wherein the indicator comprises at least one of a display device and an audio device.

14. The kiosk of claim 1, wherein, when the logic system determines that a first plurality of non-cash prizes corresponds to the player loyalty point information, the logic system is further configured to control the indicator to indicate the first plurality non-cash prizes.

15. The kiosk of claim 1, further comprising means for determining cashless instrument information from a cashless instrument issued by a wager gaming machine, wherein the logic system is further configured for determining whether a second non-cash prize corresponds to a combination of the player loyalty account information and the cashless instrument information.

16. The kiosk of claim 6, wherein the corresponding cashless instrument information comprises ranges of monetary values.

17. The kiosk of claim 7, wherein the logic system is further configured to do the following:

determine a cashless instrument monetary value;

determine whether there is a non-cash prize monetary value that is less than or equal to the cashless instrument monetary value;

determine, when there is a non-cash prize monetary value that is less than or equal to the cashless instrument monetary value, a non-cash prize corresponding with the non-cash prize monetary value;

calculate a monetary difference between the cashless instrument monetary value and the non-cash prize monetary value; and

provide at least one indicium of value corresponding to the monetary difference.

18. The kiosk of claim 7, further comprising means for providing a message, wherein the logic system is further configured to do the following:

determine a cashless instrument monetary value;

determine a non-cash prize monetary value that is greater than the cashless instrument monetary value;

determine a non-cash prize corresponding with the non-cash prize monetary value;

calculate a monetary difference between the non-cash prize monetary value and the cashless instrument monetary value; and

cause the message-providing means to provide a message indicating that the non-cash prize could be obtained for the monetary difference.

19. The kiosk of claim 10, wherein the receiving means comprises at least one of a button panel, a graphical user interface provided on a display device, a microphone and a dial.

20. The kiosk of claim 15, wherein, when the logic system determines that a second non-cash prize corresponds to the combination of the player loyalty account information and the cashless instrument information, the logic system is further configured to control the indicator to indicate the second non-cash prize.

21. The kiosk of claim 16, wherein the logic system is further configured to do the following:

determine a monetary value of the cashless instrument;

determine a range of monetary values that includes the monetary value of the cashless instrument; and

determine whether a non-cash prize corresponds with the range of monetary values.

22. The kiosk of claim 19, wherein, when a non-cash prize corresponds with the range of monetary values, the logic system is further configured to control at least one of a speaker or a display device to offer the non-cash prize.

23. An apparatus, comprising:

means for providing a wagering game; and

means for issuing a cashless instrument in response to a wager gaming event, the cashless instrument comprising cashless instrument information that corresponds to a non-cash prize, wherein the issuing means is configured to print a message indicating the award of an unspecified prize in human-readable form on the cashless instrument.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the apparatus comprises a wager gaming machine.

25. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the issuing means comprises a ticket printer.

26. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the wager gaming event comprises a cash out event.

27. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the wager gaming event comprises a bonus event.

28. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the issuing means is configured to indicate a specific prize in machine-readable form on the cashless instrument.

29. A kiosk, comprising:

means for determining player loyalty account information from a player loyalty instrument issued by a wager gaming machine;

an indicator for indicating non-cash prizes to a player;

means for providing non-cash prizes; and

a logic system configured to do the following;

determine player loyalty point information that corresponds with the player loyalty account information;

determine whether a first non-cash prize corresponds to the player loyalty point information; and

control the indicator to indicate whether a first non-cash prize corresponds to the player loyalty point information.

30. The kiosk of claim 29, wherein the indicator comprises at least one of a display device and an audio device.

31. The kiosk of claim 29, wherein, when the logic system determines that a first plurality of non-cash prizes corresponds to the player loyalty point information, the logic system is further configured to control the indicator to indicate the first plurality of non-cash prizes.

32. The kiosk of claim 29, further comprising means for determining cashless instrument information from a cashless instrument issued by a wager gaming machine, wherein the logic system is further configured for determining whether a second non-cash prize corresponds to a combination of the player loyalty account information and the cashless instrument information.

33. The kiosk of claim 29, wherein the indicator comprises a plurality of windows for displaying non-cash prizes or representations of non-cash prizes.

34. The kiosk of claim 29, wherein the logic system comprises at least one processor.

35. The kiosk of claim 29, wherein the determining means comprises a player loyalty card reader.

36. The kiosk of claim 29, further comprising a memory having a data structure stored therein, the data structure indicating non-cash prizes and corresponding player loyalty point information.

37. The kiosk of claim 29, further comprising a memory having a data structure stored therein, the data structure indicating non-cash prizes and corresponding non-cash prize monetary values.

38. The kiosk of claim 29, further comprising means for receiving a user'"'"'s selection of a non-cash prize.

39. The kiosk of claim 32, wherein the cashless instrument information comprises a monetary value of the cashless instrument.

40. The kiosk of claim 32, wherein the cashless instrument information comprises a code that corresponds with a non-cash prize.

41. The kiosk of claim 32, wherein, when the logic system determines that a second non-cash prize corresponds to the combination of the player loyalty account information and the cashless instrument information, the logic system is further configured to control the indicator to indicate the second non-cash prize.

42. The kiosk of claim 32, further comprising a memory having a data structure stored therein, the data structure indicating non-cash prizes and corresponding non-cash prize monetary values.

43. The kiosk of claim 32, further comprising a memory having a data structure stored therein, the data structure indicating non-cash prizes and corresponding cashless instrument information.

44. The kiosk of claim 38, wherein the receiving means comprises at least one of a button panel, a graphical user interface provided on a display device, a microphone and a dial.

45. The kiosk of claim 42, wherein the logic system is further configured to do the following:

determine a combination value of the combination of the player loyalty account information and the cashless instrument information;

determine whether there is a non-cash prize value that is less than or equal to the combination value;

determine, when there is a non-cash prize value that is less than or equal to the cashless instrument value, a second non-cash prize corresponding with the non-cash prize value;

calculate a value difference between the cashless instrument value and the non-cash prize value; and

provide at least one indicium of value corresponding to the value difference.

46. The kiosk of claim 42, wherein the logic system is further configured to do the following:

determine a combination value of the combination of the player loyalty account information and the cashless instrument information;

determine a non-cash prize value that is greater than the combination value;

determine a second non-cash prize corresponding with the non-cash prize value;

calculate a value difference between the non-cash prize value and the combination value; and

cause the indicator to provide a message indicating that the second non-cash prize could be obtained for the value difference.

47. The kiosk of claim 45, wherein the value is at least one of a monetary value and a player loyalty point value.

48. The kiosk of claim 46, wherein the value is at least one of a monetary value and a player loyalty point value.