PLAYER VALUE DETERMINATION SYSTEM

• US 20090124373A1
• Filed: 07/01/2008
• Published: 05/14/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Patent Investment & Licensing Company
• Original Assignee: Acres Technology
• Inventors: Acres, John F.
• Application Number:
  US12/166,150
• Publication Number:
  US 20090124373A1
• 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 17/3225 Data transfer within a gaming system, e.g. data sent between gaming machines and users
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3239 Tracking of individual players
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3244 Payment aspects of a gaming system, e.g. payment schemes, setting payout ratio, bonus or consolation prizes
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3255 Incentive, loyalty and/or promotion schemes, e.g. comps, gaming associated with a purchase, gaming funded by advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/326 Game play aspects of gaming systems

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention are directed toward a system that determines a player'"'"'s value. Valued players may then be rewarded with certain benefits based on their value or expected value. Valuation can be determined based on an identified player'"'"'s historical record, or calculated based on a perceived or projected value. Third-party data can be a factor in determining the player valuation.

Claims

1. A system for determining a value of a player having a player account in a player rewards system, comprising:

a player information storage section to store non-game related player information about the player;

an information correlator structured to compare the stored player information to existing data stored in the player rewards system having common characteristics to the player information; and

an associator structured to ascribe a player value to the player based on an output of the information correlator.

2. The system for determining a value of a player of claim 1 in which the associator is structured to ascribe a player value based at least in part on player values of other players in the player rewards system.

3. The system for determining a value of a player of claim 1 in which the existing data stored in the player rewards system comprises zip code data.

4. The system for determining a value of a player of claim 1 in which the existing data stored in the player rewards system comprises street address data.

5. The system for determining a value of a player of claim 1, further comprising:

a data repository associated with the player information and storing historical game-related player information about the player.

6. The system for determining a value of a player of claim 5, further comprising a game-play-based player valuator coupled to the data respository and structured to generate a secondary player value.

7. The system for determining a value of a player of claim 6 in which the player value is combined with the secondary player value to create a final player value.

8. The system for determining a value of a player of claim 1, further comprising a public record database.

9. The system for determining a value of a player of claim 1, further comprising:

a game configurator having the player value as an input and structured to generate an action that causes the configurable game device to modify a paytable based on the player value.

10. A method of determining a player value, comprising:

gathering non-game-related data about the player;

comparing the non-game-related data to non-game-related data about other players for which a value is already determined; and

assigning a player value to the player based on the value of the other players.

11. The method of claim 10, in which the non-game-related data comprises age.

12. The method of claim 10, in which the non-game-related data comprises affiliation in a group.

13. The method of claim 10, in which the non-game-related data comprises credit score.

14. The method of claim 10, in which the non-game-related data comprises frequency of visits.

15. The method of claim 10 in which assigning a player value comprises averaging the player values of each player who has matching non-game-related data.

16. The method of claim 10, further comprising adjusting the assigned player value by factoring game-related data about the player.

17. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

modifying a paytable of a game based on the assigned player value.