SYSTEM AND METHOD OF MANAGING CASINO PATRON MONEY BALANCES

• US 20110098106A1
• Filed: 10/28/2009
• Published: 04/28/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NCR Corporation
• Original Assignee: NCR Corporation
• Inventors: He, Chao, Colley, Andrew
• Granted Patent: US 9,251,642 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 17/3223 Architectural aspects of a gaming system, e.g. internal configuration, master/slave, wireless communication
• 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

Abstract

A system and method of managing casino patron money balances which stores patron money balances in electronic form. The system includes an interrogator, and a self-service computer coupled to the interrogator for interrogating a wireless communicator associated with a casino patron to determine a money balance associated with the wireless communicator and for processing a selection by the casino patron to produce a change in the money balance.

Claims

1. A system of managing casino patron money balances comprising:

an interrogator; and

a self-service computer coupled to the interrogator for interrogating a wireless communicator associated with a casino patron to determine a money balance associated with the wireless communicator and for processing a selection by the casino patron to produce a change in the money balance.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the change comprises an increase in the money balance.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the change comprises a decrease in the money balance.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the change comprises an exchange of money value with a bank account of the casino patron.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the change comprises an exchange of money value and tangible cash money.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the change comprises a payment for gambling.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the change comprises a payment for lodging services.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the change comprises a payment for restaurant services.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the change comprises a coupon.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the self-service computer determines the money balance from the wireless communicator and changes the money balance within the wireless communicator.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the self-service computer determines the money balance from a server computer which stores a record associated with the wireless communicator containing the money balance, and changes the money balance within the record.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the self-service computer is also for associating special promotions with the wireless communicator.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the self-service computer comprises a kiosk.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the self-service computer comprises a gaming machine.

15. The system of managing casino patron money balances comprising:

a cash dispenser;

a display;

an input device;

an interrogator; and

a self-service computer for interrogating a portable wireless communicator associated with a casino patron using the interrogator, for determining first security information associated with the portable wireless communicator, for displaying a prompt to the casino patron on the display to enter second security information, for obtaining the second security information entered by the casino patron using the input device, for determining that the second security information matches the first security information, for determining a money balance associated with the portable wireless communicator, for processing a transaction including a selection by the casino patron to decrease the money balance following a gambling session by at least one of adding money value to a bank account of the casino patron and dispensing tangible cash money to the casino patron using the tangible cash money dispenser, and for ignoring other portable wireless communicators of other casino patrons during the transaction.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the input device comprises a biometric sensor.

17. A method of system of managing casino patron money balances comprising:

interrogating a wireless communicator associated with a casino patron by a computer;

determining a money balance associated with the wireless communicator by the computer;

processing a transaction including a selection by the casino patron to change the money balance by the computer; and

ignoring other portable wireless communicators of other casino patrons during the transaction by the computer.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the computer comprises a gambling machine and the transaction is one of paying for a gambling session and receiving winnings from the gambling session.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the computer comprises a kiosk and the transaction is one of adding a first money value to the money balance and subtracting a second money value from the money balance.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the processing step comprises processing the transaction prior to a gambling session and the selection comprises increasing the money balance by at least one of adding money value from a bank account of the casino patron and accepting an amount of tangible cash money from the casino patron using a tangible cash money acceptor.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

processing another transaction following the gambling session including another selection by the casino patron to decrease the money balance by at least one of adding money value to the bank account of the casino patron and dispensing another amount of tangible cash money to the casino patron using a tangible cash money dispenser by the computer.

22. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

determining first security information associated with the portable wireless communicator by the computer;

displaying a prompt to the casino patron to enter second security information by the computer;

recording the second security information entered by the casino patron by the computer; and

determining that the second security information matches the first security information before the processing step.