Player Wagering Account and Methods Thereof

• US 20100227670A1
• Filed: 06/28/2007
• Published: 09/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LNW Gaming Incorporated
• Original Assignee: WMS Gaming Incorporated (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Inventors: Arezina, Vladimir I, Schwartz, Richard T., Hornik, Jeremy M., Thomas, Alfred, Gagner, Mark
• Granted Patent: US 8,393,955 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/25
• 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 17/3244 Payment aspects of a gaming system, e.g. payment schemes, setting payout ratio, bonus or consolation prizes
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3248 involving non-monetary media of fixed value, e.g. casino chips of fixed value
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3251 involving media of variable value, e.g. programmable cards, programmable tokens

Abstract

A system for adding funds to a handheld gaming machine. The system includes a portable digital wallet that wirelessly communicates with a handheld gaming machine (“handheld”). The digital wallet stores an amount of funds or funds associated with a remotely stored player account, and is used by the player to add credits to a handheld. The credit meter may be stored remotely, though the player perceives that the funds are actually being transferred via the digital wallet. Other funding techniques include a kiosk that accepts cash or credit/debit cards and dispenses tickets or other media that encodes information representing an amount of funds. The player uses this media to add credits to the handheld. The media may be player-dependent such that the player'"'"'s identity is somehow linked to the media or it may be player-agnostic such that the player'"'"'s identity is not linked to the funds associated with the media.

Claims

1. A method of transferring funds for playing a wagering game, comprising:

receiving an amount of funds;

storing a player account associated with a player;

increasing a balance of the player account by the amount of funds;

crediting a credit meter associated with a wagering game playable on a handheld gaming machine;

debiting the player account by the amount credited on the credit meter; and

displaying the wagering game on the handheld gaming machine.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the storing is carried out on a server remote from the handheld gaming machine, the method further comprising establishing a wireless communication link between the remote server and the handheld gaming machine.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the receiving is carried out at a funding terminal communicatively linked with the remote server and the handheld gaming machine, the funding terminal accepting funds from the player.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising authorizing the transfer of the amount of funds from the player to the player account by communicating a signal between a first portable data unit and a second portable data unit, the signal representing an authorization of the transfer.

5. The method of claim 2, further comprising storing data representing the credit meter in a memory of the remote server.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the increasing is carried out without transferring any funds to a handheld gaming machine

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing data representing the credit meter in a memory of the handheld gaming machine.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving is carried out at the handheld gaming machine, the method further comprising scanning, at the handheld gaming machine, a ticket encoded with information representing the amount of funds.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a signal indicative of a wager amount on the wagering game and deducting the amount of the wager from the player account balance.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising deducting the amount of the wager from the credit meter and displaying information indicative of the credit meter on the handheld gaming machine.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the funds include cash.

12. A method of linking a handheld gaming machine to a remote player account, comprising:

establishing a wireless communication link between the handheld gaming machine and a remote server;

associating the player account with a player;

storing the player account on the remote server, the player account having a balance;

communicating a signal to the remote server, the signal representing an amount of funds;

adjusting the balance of the player account in response to the communicating; and

receiving a wager to play a wagering game on the handheld gaming machine.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising deducting an amount of funds commensurate with the amount of the wager in response to the receiving.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the adjusting includes increasing the balance of the player account when the signal represents an amount of funds received from the player.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the adjusting includes decreasing the balance of the player account when the signal represents an amount of funds transferred from the player account.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising displaying a wagering game on the handheld gaming machine in response to the receiving without transferring any funds from the player account to the handheld gaming machine.

17. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

displaying a credit meter on the handheld gaming machine; and

automatically adjusting the credit meter as funds are credited to or deducted from the player account without transferring any funds out of the player account.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the automatically adjusting includes detecting when the level of the credit meter falls below a predetermined level.

19. A method of crediting funds to a player account, comprising:

receiving funds at a funding terminal that is coupled to a remote server;

storing a player account in the remote server, the player account having a balance;

communicating a signal to the remote server representing the amount of funds received at the funding terminal;

increasing the balance of the player account by the amount of funds;

crediting a credit meter displayed on a handheld gaming machine; and

receiving a wager to play a wagering game on the handheld gaming machine.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the communicating is carried out by the funding terminal.