NEAR FIELD COMMUNICATIONS IN WAGERING GAME ENVIRONMENTS

• US 20130324237A1
• Filed: 02/14/2012
• Published: 12/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LNW Gaming Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Bally Gaming Incorporated (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Inventors: Adiraju, Srinivyasa M., Bytnar, Michael R., Sylla, Craig J., Weijers, Gerardus A.
• Granted Patent: US 9,153,095 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/29
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3218 wherein at least part of the system is portable
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3223 Architectural aspects of a gaming system, e.g. internal configuration, master/slave, wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3225 Data transfer within a gaming system, e.g. data sent between gaming machines and users
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3237 about the players, e.g. profiling, responsible gaming, strategy/behavior of players, location of players
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3241 Security aspects of a gaming system, e.g. detecting cheating, device integrity, surveillance computer security G06F21/00

Abstract

A method includes establishing a Near Field Communication (NFC) between a wagering game machine and a mobile device, without a manual configuration and a manual intervention. The method includes receiving, into the wagering game machine, player identification data from the mobile device through the Near Field Communication. The method includes authenticating the player identification data, wherein the authenticating is at least part of a player login into a wagering game account.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

establishing a Near Field Communication between a wagering game machine and a mobile device, without a manual configuration and a manual intervention;

receiving, into the wagering game machine, player identification data from the mobile device through the Near Field Communication; and

authenticating the player identification data, wherein the authenticating is at least part of a player login into a wagering game account.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein a distance between the mobile device and the wagering game machine is less than 12 inches.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising downloading content into the mobile device from the wagering game machine using the Near Field Communication, after authenticating and based on the player identification data.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the authenticating comprises transmitting the player identification data to a backend server that is communicatively coupled to the wagering game machine, wherein in response to the authenticating and receipt of the player identification data the backend server downloads content into the mobile device through a different wireless communication that does not include the Near Field Communication and does not include the wagering game machine.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the authenticating comprises transmitting the player identification data to a backend server that is communicatively coupled to the wagering game machine, wherein the method comprises:

performing account-based wagering in the wagering game machine after authenticating and based on the player identification data.

6. A method comprising:

receiving, into a first wagering game machine from a second wagering game machine that is adjacent to the first wagering game machine, a wireless communication to establish a wireless communication between the first wagering game machine and the second wagering game machine;

establishing the wireless communication between the first wagering game machine and the second wagering game machine, without a manual configuration and a manual intervention;

receiving, through the wireless communication and into the first wagering game machine, an identification of the second wagering game machine; and

determining, by the first wagering game machine, a physical location of the second wagering game machine relative to the first wagering game machine based on the identification of the second wagering game machine.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the first wagering game machine and the second wagering game machine are part of a bank of wagering game machines, wherein a celebration at one of the wagering game machines in the bank of wagering game machines is spread across the bank of wagering game machines, wherein the method comprises:

receiving, through the wireless communication into the first wagering game machine from the second wagering game machine, an identification of a type of the celebration and a time value to coordinate a timing of the celebration; and

creating the celebration at the first wagering game machine in coordination with the bank of wagering game machines based on the identification of the type of celebration and the time value received through the wireless communication.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the wireless communication comprises a Near Field Communication.

9. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

receiving, through the wireless communication by the first wagering game machine and from the second wagering game machine, a network address of a host device that is storing content;

receiving, through the wireless communication by the first wagering game machine and from the second wagering game machine, an instruction to download the content from the host device; and

downloading, by the first wagering game machine, the content from the host device, in response to receiving the instruction and based on the network address of the host device.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the downloading of the content from the host device comprises downloading of the content from the host device using a wired communication.

11. A wagering game machine comprising:

a processor;

a wagering game module, executable on the processor, configured to present a wagering game on which monetary value can be wagered to a wagering game player; and

a communication module communicatively coupled to the processor, wherein the communication module is configured to,

receive, from a mobile device, a wireless communication between the wagering game machine and the mobile device based on a communication protocol wherein the mobile device and the wagering game machine are required to within 12 inches of each other;

establish the wireless communication between the wagering game machine and the mobile device; and

receive identification data of the wagering game player from the mobile device through the wireless communication, wherein the wagering game player is authenticated based on the identification data, wherein the authentication is at least part of a login of the wagering game player into a wagering game account.

12. The wagering game machine of claim 11, wherein the communication protocol comprises Near Field Communication.

13. The wagering game machine of claim 11, wherein the communication module is configured to download content into the mobile device from the wagering game machine using the wireless communication.

14. The wagering game machine of claim 11, wherein the authentication comprises transmission of the identification data to a backend server that is communicatively coupled to the wagering game machine, wherein in response to the authentication and receipt of the identification data the backend server is configured to download content into the mobile device through a different wireless communication that does not include the wireless communication and does not include the wagering game machine.

15. The wagering game machine of claim 11, wherein the authentication comprises transmission of the identification data to a backend server that is communicatively coupled to the wagering game machine, wherein the wagering game module is configured to perform account-based wagering in the wagering game machine after the authentication and based on the identification data.

16. A wagering game machine comprising:

a processor;

a wagering game module, executable on the processor, configured to present a wagering game on which monetary value can be wagered to a wagering game player; and

a Near Field Communication module communicatively coupled to the processor, wherein the Near Field Communication module is configured to,

receive, from a different wagering game machine that is adjacent to the wagering game machine, a wireless communication to establish a Near Field Communication between the wagering game machine and the different wagering game machine;

receive, through the Near Field Communication, an identification of the different wagering game machine, wherein a physical location of the different wagering game machine is determined relative to the wagering game machine based on the identification of the different wagering game machine.

17. The wagering game machine of claim 16, wherein the wagering game machine and the different wagering game machine are part of a bank of wagering game machines, wherein a celebration at one of the wagering game machines in the bank of wagering game machines is spread across the bank of wagering game machines,

wherein the Near Field Communication module is configured to receive, through the Near Field Communication from the different wagering game machine, an identification of a type of the celebration and a time value to coordinate a timing of the celebration;

and

wherein the wagering game module is configured to create the celebration at the wagering game machine in coordination with the bank of wagering game machines based on the identification of the type of celebration and the time value received through the Near Field Communication.

18. The wagering game machine of claim 17, wherein the celebration comprises at least one of sound, lighting and video.

19. The wagering game machine of claim 16,

wherein the Near Field Communication module is configured to receive, through the Near Field Communication and from the different wagering game machine, a network address of a host device that is storing content;

wherein the Near Field Communication module is configured to receive, through the Near Field Communication and from the different wagering game machine, an instruction to download the content from the host device; and

wherein the wagering game module is configured to download, the content from the host device, in response to receiving the instruction and based on the network address of the host device.

20. The wagering game machine of claim 19, wherein the wagering game module is configured to download the content from the host device using a wired communication.

21. An apparatus comprising:

means for establishing a Near Field Communication between a wagering game machine and a mobile device, without a manual configuration and a manual intervention;

means for receiving, into the wagering game machine, player identification data from the mobile device through the Near Field Communication; and

means for authenticating the player identification data, wherein the means for authenticating is at least part of a player login into a wagering game account.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein a distance between the mobile device and the wagering game machine is less than 12 inches.

23. The apparatus of claim 21, further comprising means for downloading content into the mobile device from the wagering game machine using the Near Field Communication, after authentication and based on the identification data.

24. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the means for authenticating comprises means for transmitting the player identification data to a backend server that is communicatively coupled to the wagering game machine, wherein in response to the authentication and receipt of the player identification data the backend server downloads content into the mobile device through a different wireless communication that does not include the Near Field Communication and does not include the wagering game machine.

25. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the means for authenticating comprises means for transmitting the player identification data to a backend server that is communicatively coupled to the wagering game machine, wherein the apparatus comprises means for performing account-based wagering in the wagering game machine after authenticating and based on the player identification data.