National customer recognition system and method

• US 5,761,647 A
• Filed: 05/24/1996
• Issued: 06/02/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Harrah's Operating Company Incorporated (Caesars Entertainment, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Harrah's Operating Company Incorporated (Caesars Entertainment, Inc.)
• Inventors: Boushy, John Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Cosimano, Edward R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): OH, JUNGHOON
• Application Number:
  US08/653,436
• Time in Patent Office: 739 Days
• Field of Search: 463/25, 463/29, 395/210, 705/10
• US Class Current: 705/7.29
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06375 Prediction of business process outcome or impact based on a proposed change
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/387 Payment using discounts or coupons relating to marketing G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0204 Market segmentation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0209 Incentive being awarded or redeemed in connection with the playing of a video game
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0212 Chance discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0215 Including financial accounts
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0226 Incentive systems for frequent usage, e.g. frequent flyer miles programs or point systems
• 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 17/3237 about the players, e.g. profiling, responsible gaming, strategy/behavior of players, location of players
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3239 Tracking of individual players
• 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 for implementing a customer tracking and recognition program that encompasses customers'"'"' gaming and non-gaming activity alike at a plurality of affiliated casino properties. Customer information is accumulated at each affiliated casino through one or more LAN-based management systems, updated to a central patron database (CPDB) that is coupled to each casino LAN through a WAN, and made available to each affiliated casino property as needed. Customer accounts are automatically activated and provided with data from the CPDB when a customer from one casino property first visits an affiliated casino property. Customer accounts are updated with new activity data whenever a management system associated with the casino receives customer data from input devices, such as card readers, workstations, and dumb terminals, located at various venues throughout the casino. Customers are awarded points, based on their tracked activity at all affiliated casino properties. The point awards have a monetary value and are redeemable for gifts, meals, cash and the like, at any of the casino properties. The point awards may embody different promotional schemes in which point awards are adjusted to target different casino properties or different venues within a casino. Summary customer data, including point levels, is regularly updated to reflect ongoing customer activity at the casino property. This data is made available to employees at any affiliated casino property, as needed, to personalize customer services.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for rewarding patronage of a customer at a plurality of casino properties, the method comprising the steps of:

monitoring betting activity of the customer at a plurality of the casino properties;

accumulating points in a customer account of the customer according to a monetary value of the monitored betting activity of the customer at the plurality of casino properties;

periodically updating a theoretical win profile for the customer as a function of estimated winnings from the monitored betting activity of the customer at the plurality of casino properties over a time period, the theoretical win profile for subsequently determining complementaries or services to be provided to the customer;

storing the theoretical win profile in association with the customer account; and

providing access to the customer account at any of the plurality of casino properties.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

redeeming the accumulated points in the customer account for an award determined by a number of accumulated points; and

reducing the accumulated points by the number of accumulated points redeemed for the award.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of redeeming accumulated points comprises redeeming accumulated points for gifts or services provided by the casino property.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of accumulating points comprises the substeps of:

assigning point values to betting activities according to selected criteria;

determining which of the selected criteria are met by the customer'"'"'s betting activity; and

accumulating points in the customer account according to the determination.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the step of assigning point values comprises the step of assigning points values to a betting activity according to at least one of:

a time when the betting activity occurs;

a venue where the betting activity occurs;

or

a casino property at which the betting activity occurs.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein periodically updating a theoretical win profile includes:

updating the theoretical win profile as a function of the monitored betting activity of the customer for each separate visit of the customer to one of the casino properties.

7. The method of claim 1, including the additional step of displaying the theoretical win profile of the customer to a casino employee or the customer at any of the casino properties.

8. A method for tracking customer activity at a plurality of casino properties wherein each casino property includes a computer-implemented management system and at least one input device coupled to the management system for transferring activity data of a customer to the management system, the management system of each casino property being further coupled to a central database server, the method comprising the steps of:

at each of the plurality of casino properties, assigning a customer ID and a corresponding customer account to each of a plurality of customers at the casino property, and storing the customer ID and corresponding customer account assigned at a casino property in the management system at the casino property, each customer account at each casino property including an accumulated point balance from betting activity at the casino property;

forming, from the customer accounts in each of the management systems at the plurality of casino properties, a database of customer accounts in the central database server, each customer account in the database accessible through the corresponding customer ID, each customer account in the central database including a theoretical win profile determined as a function of estimated winnings from the betting activity of the customer at the plurality of casino properties over a time period;

monitoring at least one input device at a casino property for activity data of a customer, including a customer ID;

responsive to detecting a customer ID, determining whether the corresponding customer account is activated in the management system of the casino property;

responsive to determining that the corresponding customer account is activated in the management system, updating the corresponding customer account with the activity data of the customer monitored at the input device; and

responsive to determining that the corresponding customer account is not activated in the management system;

copying selected activity data of the customer from the corresponding customer account in the central database to the management system at the casino property to activate the customer account in the management system at the casino property, the selected activity data including the theoretical win profile of the customer;

updating the accumulated point balance in the activated customer account in the management system as a function of activity data of the customer monitored at the input devices; and

updating the theoretical win profile of the customer in the activated customer account in the central database as a function of estimated winnings of the casino from the betting activity of the customer at the casino property.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein updating the accumulated point balance further comprises:

identifying an activity characteristic from the activity data of the customer;

determining a number of activity points from the activity characteristic; and

adding the determined number of activity points to the accumulated point balance of the customer account.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the activity characteristic comprises an activity type and an activity level.

11. The method of claim 8, including the additional step of periodically updating, for selected customer accounts, the central database with the accumulated point balance from customer account data in the management system of the casino property.

12. A The method of claim 8, comprising the additional steps of:

determining whether a display device is associated with the monitored input device; and

transmitting the selected activity data of the customer from the activated customer account to the associated display device when such a device is present.

13. A method for making customer account data collected at one or more casino properties available at another casino property, wherein each casino property is coupled to a management system for tracking activity data of a customer accumulated through at least one input device in the casino property and wherein the management system is further coupled to a central database, the method comprising the steps of:

issuing to each of a plurality of customers at a plurality of casino properties a customer ID number for identifying an associated customer account;

adding the customer accounts to the central database;

storing for each customer account in the central database an accumulated point balance generated as a function of a monetary value of activity data of the customer at the plurality of casino properties, and a theoretical win profile generated as a function of estimated winnings from betting activity of the customer at the plurality of the casino properties over a time period;

retrieving selected data of the customer, including either the accumulated point balance or the theoretical win profile, of the customer generated at at least one first casino property from a customer account in the central database in response to an input of the associated customer ID number to the management system at a second casino property; and

updating the accumulated point balance or the theoretical win profile of the customer account in the central database a function of activity data of the customer and betting activity of the customer tracked at at least one input device at a second casino property through the management system of the second casino property.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein updating the accumulated point balance comprises the substeps of:

determining a type of gaming activity; and

accumulating a number of activity points according to the type of gaming activity.

15. A system for tracking customer activity at a plurality of casino properties using customer accounts customer IDs, the system comprising:

a local computer system at each of the casino properties;

at least one input device at each casino property and coupled to the local computer system for transmitting customer activity data received at the input device, including a customer ID and any customer betting activity, to the local computer system;

a management system coupled to each of the local computer systems for receiving the customer activity data from the coupled input devices, the management system being further coupled to a central database for selectively retrieving customer account data from the central database associated with the customer ID, and selectively updating the retrieved customer account data with the received customer activity data from the coupled input device; and

the central database comprising;

a plurality of customer accounts for the customers, each customer account having an associated customer ID, and customer activity data including an accumulated point balance generated as a function of betting of the customer at the plurality of casino properties, and a theoretical win profile generated as a function of estimated winnings from the betting activity of the customer at the plurality of casino properties over a time period; and

,

a database management program for receiving customer activity data from each management system, updating the customer accounts of the central database, including the accumulated point balance and the theoretical win profile each customer account, to reflect customer activity data at the plurality of casino properties, and providing selected customer activity data to a local computer system at a casino property through the management system coupled to the local computer system.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein there are a plurality of input devices located at various venues of at least one casino property and the venues include slot machines, gaming tables, restaurants, retail sales locations, hotel check-in locations, and other service locations associated with the casino property.

17. The system of claim 15 wherein each customer account includes a gaming field in which customer activities associated with slots, gaming tables, and other gaming sites are tracked separately.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein each customer account includes an activity points field to which points are added when customer activity is registered in the gaming field.

19. A computer implemented method for rewarding patronage of a customer at a plurality of casino properties, the method comprising the steps of:

monitoring betting activity of the customer at a plurality of the casino properties;

storing a customer account for the customer;

periodically updating a theoretical win profile for the customer as a function of estimated winnings from the betting activity of the customer at the plurality of casino properties over a time period, the theoretical win profile for subsequently determining complementaries or services to be provided to the customer;

storing the theoretical win profile in association with the customer account; and

providing access to the theoretical win profile in the customer account at any of the plurality of casino properties.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein periodically updating a theoretical win profile includes:

updating the theoretical win profile as a function of monitored betting activity of the customer for each separate visit to one of the casino properties.

21. The method of claim 19, including the additional step of displaying the theoretical win profile of a customer to a casino employee or the customer at any of the casino properties.

22. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

retrieving the theoretical win profile for the customer from the customer account; and

determining a complementary or a service to be provided to the customer as a function of the theoretical win profile of the customer.

23. A method for tracking customer activity at a plurality of casino properties wherein each casino property includes a computer-implemented management system and at least one input device coupled to the management system for transferring customer activity data to the management system, the management system of each casino property being further coupled to a central database server, the method comprising the steps of:

at each of the plurality of casino properties, assigning a customer ID and a corresponding customer account to each of a plurality of customers at the casino property, and storing the customer ID and corresponding customer account assigned at a casino property in the management system at the casino property;

forming, from the customer accounts in each of the management systems at the plurality of casino properties, a database of customer accounts in the central database server, each customer account in the database accessible through the corresponding customer ID, and including a theoretical win profile determined as a function of estimated winnings of the casino from the betting activity of the customer at the plurality of casino properties over a time period;

monitoring at least one input device at a casino property for customer activity data, including a customer ID;

responsive to detecting a customer ID, determining whether the customer account corresponding to the customer ID is activated in the management system of the casino property;

responsive to determining that the corresponding customer account is activated in the management system, updating the corresponding customer account in the management system with the customer activity data monitored at the input device; and

responsive to determining that the corresponding customer account is not activated in the management system, copying selected customer activity data from a customer account corresponding to the customer ID in the central database to the management system at the casino property to activate a new customer account in the management system at the casino property, the selected customer data including the theoretical win profile of the customer;

updating the theoretical win profile in the customer account in the central database as a function of estimated winnings from the betting activity of the customer at the casino property where the customer ID is detected by a monitoring device.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein for each management system of a casino property, each customer account thereof includes a point balance accumulated as a function of a monetary value of betting activity of the customer at the casino property, the method further comprising:

updating the point balance in each customer account in response to the monetary value of betting activity of the customer at the casino property where the customer ID is detected by an input device.

25. A method for making a theoretical win profile of any customer available at the plurality of a plurality of casino properties, the method comprising the steps of:

storing a central database of customer accounts, each customer account in the central database associated with a customer ID and a theoretical win profile generated as a function of estimated winnings from betting activity of the customer at the plurality of casino properties over a time period;

retrieving the theoretical win profile from a customer account in the central database in response to an input of the associated customer ID number to a computer system at a first casino property; and

updating the theoretical win profile of the customer account in the central database as a function of customer betting activity tracked of the customer at a second casino property through a computer system of the second casino property.

26. A system for tracking customer activity at a plurality of casino properties using customer accounts associated with customer IDs, the system comprising:

a local computer system at each of the casino properties;

at least one input device at each casino property, each input device coupled to the local computer system for transmitting to the local computer system, customer betting data and a customer ID received at the input device;

a management system coupled to each of the local computer systems for receiving the customer betting data and customer ID of a customer from an input device, the management system being further coupled to a central database for selectively providing the received customer betting data and customer ID to the central database; and

the central database comprising;

a plurality of customer accounts for the customers, each customer account of a customer including a customer ID and a theoretical win profile; and

a database management program for receiving customer betting data and a customer ID for a customer from a management system, and updating the theoretical win profile of in the customer account in the central database corresponding to the received customer ID as a function of the customer betting data at the plurality of casino properties over a time period.

27. A system for tracking customer activity at a plurality of casino properties using customer accounts associated with customer IDs, the system comprising:

at each of the casino properties;

a local computer system storing a plurality of customer accounts, each customer account including an accumulated point balance generated as a function of betting activity of the customer at the casino property;

at least one input device coupled to the local computer system for transmitting to the local computer system activity data of a customer received at the input device, the activity data including a customer ID and betting activity of the customer, the local computer system updating the accumulated point balance in a customer account associated with the received customer ID as a function of a monetary value of the betting activity of the customer;

at least one management system coupled to each of the local computer systems for receiving therefrom the activity data of a customer from an input device coupled thereto, the management system being further coupled to a central database management program, for selectively providing to the central database management program the activity data of the customer;

a central database comprising;

a plurality of customer accounts for the customers, each customer account having an associated customer ID and a theoretical win profile; and

,

the central database management program for receiving from the management system the activity data, including a customer ID, of a customer, and updating in the central database the theoretical win profile of the customer account associated with the received customer ID as a function of estimated winnings from the betting activity of the customer at the plurality of casino properties over a time period.

28. A method for making customer account data any customer available at any of a plurality of casino properties, the method comprising the steps of;

storing at each of the plurality of casino properties a local database of customer accounts, each customer account associated with an accumulated point balance generated as a function of a monetary value of betting activity of the customer at the casino property;

storing a central database of customer accounts, each customer account in the central database associated with a theoretical win profile generated as a function of estimated winnings from betting activity of the customer at the plurality of casino properties over a time period;

at each casino property, monitoring betting activity of a customer, and accumulating points in the point balance in the customer account of the customer as a function of the monetary value of the monitored betting activity; and

updating the theoretical win profile of the customer account of the customer in the central database as a function of the monitored betting activity of the customer at each casino property.