WAGERING GAME ENVIRONMENT INCLUDING AN AD SERVER

• US 20100105482A1
• Filed: 03/19/2008
• Published: 04/29/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sg Gaming, Inc. (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Original Assignee: WMS Gaming Incorporated (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Inventors: Lasseter, Laurie, Pace, Mark C., Pacey, Larry, Joshi, Shridhar P.
• Granted Patent: US 8,414,374 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/42
• 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 17/3237 about the players, e.g. profiling, responsible gaming, strategy/behavior of players, location of players

Abstract

A wagering game machine network including wagering game machines and other devices includes an ad server operable to receive and store ads having ad components. The ads may be sent to any device on the wagering game machine network. Ad components for ads and the ads themselves may be selected based on the capabilities of the device receiving the ad. Ads and ad components may be received from remote ad servers connected to the ad server via a network such as the Internet. Ads may be directed to devices at particular locations, such as a location where a particular wagering game player is located, or where a group of wagering game players having similar demographic characteristics or preferences is located. Ads may be selected based on statistics related to time, ad popularity, payment etc.

Claims

1. A method for execution by one or more processors, the method comprising:

receiving, by a server on a wagering game machine network, ad components for an ad, the wagering game machine network including one or more wagering game machines operable to present a wagering game upon which monetary value may be wagered;

selecting by the one or more processors one or more devices to present the ad; and

selecting by the one or more processors one or more of the ad components for the ad based on the capabilities of the one or more devices to receive the ad; and

sending the selected one or more ad components to the one or more devices.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more devices include the one or more wagering game machines, a kiosk, a sign, a cellular phone, a PDA, a portable wagering game machine, a computer coupled to the wagering game network through a network interface, a computer coupled to the ad server through a second network.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving the ad components for the ad from a server located on the Internet.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting the ad from a plurality of available ads, the selection based on one or more statistics.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the one or more statistics include one or more of a popularity statistic for a general population, a popularity statistic for a gaming population, or availability of tickets for an event.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a device in proximity to a user;

selecting the ad from a plurality of available ads, the selection based on one or more characteristics associated with the user.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein at least one of the one or more characteristics is determined from a captive list of preferences.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the at least one or more characteristics include demographics characteristics.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting the ad from a plurality of available ads based on a priority.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the priority is determined by one or more of a payment, a popularity statistic, an expiration date of an offer, or a time value.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining an offer for the ad based on one or more of time of day, day of week, day of year, player status, or market location.

10. (canceled)

12-14. -14. (canceled)

16. A method for execution by one or more processors, the method comprising:

determining the presence of a plurality of casino patrons;

selecting by the one or more processors a device in proximity to the plurality of casino patrons;

selecting, by one or more processors of a an ad server on a wagering game machine network, an ad based on characteristics of the plurality of casino patrons; and

sending the ad to the device for display by the device.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein determining the presence of the plurality of casino patrons includes detecting one or more wireless devices in proximity to or carried by one or more of the one or more casino patrons.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the one or more wireless devices include one or more of a cellular phone, a Bluetooth device, or a portable wagering game machine.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein determining the presence of one or more of the plurality of casino patrons includes detecting the use of a player tracking card or detecting an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tag.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein selecting a device in proximity to the plurality of casino patrons includes determining the location of the plurality of casino patrons.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein determining the location includes one or more of detecting a signal strength, triangulation among a plurality of signal receivers, use of a player tracking card at a device, or presence of an RFID tag near an RFID tag detector.

22. The method of claim 16, wherein the characteristics comprise demographic characteristics.

23. A system comprising:

a wagering game network, the wagering game network including one or more wagering game machines operable to present a wagering game upon which monetary value may be wagered; and

an ad server communicably coupled to the wagering game network and operable to;

store one or more ad components for an ad;

select one or more devices to present the ad;

select one or more of the ad components for the ad based on the capabilities of the one or more devices to receive the ad; and

send the selected ad components to the one or more selected devices.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the one or more devices include the one or more wagering game machines, a kiosk, a sign, a cellular phone, a PDA, a portable wagering game machine, a computer coupled to the wagering game network through a network interface, a computer coupled to the ad server through a second network.

25. The system of claim 23, wherein the ad is displayed on a gaming symbol of a wagering game presented on the one or more wagering game machines.

27. The system of claim 23, wherein a display of the one or more wagering game machines includes a first area for presenting a wagering game and a second area for presenting the ad, and wherein a size of the second area is increased and a size of the first area is decreased upon receiving an input related to the first area.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the display is touch sensitive and wherein the input includes receiving an indication of a touch within the first area.

29. The system of claim 27, further comprising an ad interface and wherein the input includes receiving input from the ad interface.

30. The system of claim 27, wherein the input includes receiving a pointing device input indicating a cursor is within the first area.

32. The system of claim 23, further comprising a remote ad server operable to provide ad components to the ad server through a second network.

34. The system of claim 23, further comprising an ad submission interface operable to receive ad components for storage on the ad server.

35. The system of claim 23, further comprising an ad accounting server operable to receive data related to ad presentation and data related to ad responses.

26. (canceled)

31. (canceled)

33. (canceled)

36-37. -37. (canceled)

38. A machine-readable medium having machine executable instructions stored thereon, that when executed, cause one or more processors to perform a method, the method comprising:

receiving, by a server on a wagering game machine network, ad components for an ad, the wagering game machine network including one or more wagering game machines operable to present a wagering game upon which monetary value may be wagered;

selecting one or more devices to present the ad; and

selecting one or more of the components for the ad based on the capabilities of the one or more devices to receive the ad; and

sending the selected one or more ad components to the one or more devices.

39. (canceled)