METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR PLAYER LINKED AUDIO

• US 20130053144A1
• Filed: 08/23/2011
• Published: 02/28/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/23/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Nicely, Mark C.
• Granted Patent: US 8,821,266 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/35
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3227 Configuring a gaming machine, e.g. downloading personal settings, selecting working parameters
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/323 wherein the player is informed, e.g. advertisements, odds, instructions
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3239 Tracking of individual players

Abstract

A method of linking gaming machine audio content to a player and network-based gaming system are provided. The system may include a gaming machine, a database, and a server system configured to be coupled to the gaming machine and the database. The server system may be associated with a server-based network configured to associate a connection identification (ID) with a listening device, receive an identification of the listening device through the gaming machine, and transmit an audio content generated by the gaming machine to the identified listening device using the connection ID.

Claims

1. A network-based gaming system for linking a gaming machine audio content with a player listening device, the system comprising:

a gaming machine;

a database; and

a server system configured to be coupled to the gaming machine and the database, the server system associated with a server-based network, the server system configured to;

associate a connection identification (ID) with a listening device;

receive an identification of the listening device through the gaming machine; and

transmit an audio content generated by the gaming machine to the identified listening device using the connection ID.

2. The system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the server system is configured to transmit the audio content generated by the gaming machine to the identified listening device using a transmitter positioned proximate the gaming machine.

3. The system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the gaming machine further comprises a transmitter configured to wirelessly broadcast the audio content generated by the gaming machine.

4. The system in accordance with claim 3, wherein the transmitter is operable to permit a player to control broadcast audio separately from said gaming machine audio content.

5. The system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the server is configured to receive addressing information for the listening device.

6. The system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the server is configured to determine if another player is using an identical connection ID, and, if so, selecting a secondary connection ID for the listening device.

7. The method of linking gaming machine audio content to a player, the method comprising:

associating a connection identification (ID) with a listening device;

receiving an identification of the listening device by a gaming machine; and

transmitting an audio content generated by the gaming machine to the identified listening device using the connection ID.

8. The method in accordance with claim 7 wherein associating a connection identification (ID) with a listening device further comprises associating a connection identification (ID) with a phone number of a cell phone of the player.

9. The method in accordance with claim 7 wherein associating a connection identification (ID) with a listening device further comprises associating a connection identification (ID) with an address of a Bluetooth headset of the player.

10. The method in accordance with claim 7 wherein receiving an identification of the listening device further comprises:

initiating a near field radio frequency (RF) field proximate the gaming machine;

reading a near field communication (NFC) tag associated with the listening device when the listening device is positioned in the near field RF field; and

establishing a NFC link between the listening device and the gaming machine using information read from the NFC tag; and

receiving the connection ID from the listening device by the gaming machine using the NFC link.

11. The method in accordance with claim 7 wherein transmitting an audio content generated by the gaming machine further comprises transmitting the audio content wirelessly.

12. The method in accordance with claim 7 wherein transmitting an audio content generated by the gaming machine further comprises transmitting the audio content directly from the gaming machine.

13. The method in accordance with claim 7 wherein transmitting an audio content generated by the gaming machine further comprises transmitting the audio content from a transmitter remote from the gaming machine.

14. The method in accordance with claim 7 wherein transmitting an audio content generated by the gaming machine further comprises transmitting the audio content through a network to a server communicatively coupled to the listening device.

15. A gaming machine system comprising:

a radio frequency (RF) transmitter;

an audio sound generator device; and

a processor coupled to the RF transmitter and the audio sound generator device and configured to;

associate a connection identification (ID) with a listening device;

receive an identification of the listening device by the gaming machine system; and

transmit an audio content generated by the gaming machine to the identified listening device using the connection ID.

16. The system in accordance with claim 15, wherein the processor is further configured to associate a connection identification (ID) with a phone number of a cell phone of a player.

17. The system in accordance with claim 15, wherein the processor is further configured to associate a connection identification (ID) with an address of a Bluetooth headset of the player.

18. The system in accordance with claim 15, wherein the processor is further configured to:

initiate a near field radio frequency (RF) field proximate the gaming machine using the RF transmitter;

read a near field communication (NFC) tag associated with the listening device when the listening device is positioned in the near field RF field; and

establish a NFC link between the listening device and the RF transmitter using information read from the NFC tag; and

receive the connection ID from the listening device using the NFC link.

19. The system in accordance with claim 15, wherein the RF transmitter further comprises a receiver section configured to receive RF communications wirelessly from the listening device.

20. The system in accordance with claim 15, wherein the RF transmitter is further configured to transmit the audio content through a network to a server communicatively coupled to the listening device.