Gaming machine system operable with general purpose charge cards

• US 6,247,643 B1
• Filed: 05/01/1998
• Issued: 06/19/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/1989
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Scotch Twist Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Scotch Twist Incorporated
• Inventors: Lucero, James L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Evans, F L
• Application Number:
  US09/071,840
• Time in Patent Office: 1,145 Days
• Field of Search: 235/375, 235/380, 902/23, 463/25, 463/29, 463/41
• US Class Current: 235/380
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/04 Payment circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/342 Cards defining paid or billed services or quantities
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/346 Cards serving only as information carrier of service
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/363 with the personal data of a user
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0014 for vending, access and use of specific services not covered anywhere else in G07F17/00 meter-controlled dispensing of liquid, gas or electricity G07F15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3251 involving media of variable value, e.g. programmable cards, programmable tokens
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3281 wherein game attributes are transferred between players, e.g. points, weapons, avatars
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/025 by means, e.g. cards, providing billing information at the time of purchase, e.g. identification of seller or purchaser, quantity of goods delivered or to be delivered
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/0866 by active credit-cards adapted therefor G07F7/1008 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/1008 Active credit-cards provided with means to personalise their use, e.g. with PIN-introduction/comparison system

Abstract

In a gaming establishment, a player feeds a general purpose charge card such as a VISA, MasterCard or AMERICAN EXPRESS card to a reader at a gaming machine or enters on a keyboard or other input device, information relating to the general purpose charge card, and keys in a desired amount of playing credit and optionally, a PIN (personal identification number) for automatic transmission to a remote financial institution (VISA or other charge card facility) either directly or through an intermediate transaction processing facility. Also transmitted are an identification of the gaming machine and the gaming operator. Upon approval of the requested playing credit, the gaming machine is enabled and thereafter a running net (balance) is kept for the player and/or each machine-and/or the gaming operator by accounting for win-lose-draws. After the playing session is over, net playing credit information is automatically transmitted to the financial institution either directly or through an intermediate transaction processing facility so that the entire playing sessions can be a single line item on the player'"'"'s regular statement from that financial institution. Provisions are made to allow a player to use the same playing credit to play on more than one machine at the same time, to quit a machine and quickly move to another and still keep the same running balance, and to move from one gaming establishment to another on the same running balance.

Claims

1. An apparatus for using general purpose charge cards to obtain playing credit for use in games of chance played on gaming machines which are remote from and different from financial institutions which maintain accounts for said general purpose charge cards and bill the persons to whom said charge card are issued, comprising:

means for causing information about said general purpose charge cards to be received by said gaming machines;

means for requesting playing credits from a processing facility through said gaming machines based on said general purpose charge cards;

means for determining by said processing facility whether to grant said playing credits;

means for transmitting credit approvals to said gaming machines;

means for conditioning said gaming machines in response to said credit approvals to permit plays thereon using said playing credits as payment for plays;

means for forming multiple player groups for playing multiple player games on said gaming machines;

means for maintaining by said processing facility net playing credits which account for said credit approvals, playing credits and said plays on said gaming machines; and

means for selectively causing said processing facility to transmit information respecting said net playing credits to said remote financial institutions for use in maintaining said accounts for said general purpose charge cards at said remote financial institutions.

2. An apparatus as in claim 1, wherein said gaming machines are computers having software which allows said computers to operate as gaming machines.

3. An apparatus as in claim 1, wherein said means for conditioning further comprises:

means for transmitting and receiving game play information between said processing facility and said gaming machines.

4. An apparatus as in claim 3, in which said game play information is generated by said processing facility and is displayed at said-gaming machines.

5. An apparatus as in claim 1, further comprising:

means for displaying at said gaming machines said net playing credits.

6. An apparatus as in claim 1, further comprising:

means for displaying at said gaming machines a wagered playing credit amount.

7. A method of using a general purpose charge card to obtain and use playing credit for games of chance played on a first gaming machine in a transportation vehicle which is remote from and is different from a financial institution which maintains an account for said general purpose charge card and bills the person to whom said charge card is issued, comprising the steps of:

causing information from said general purpose charge card to be received by said first gaming machine;

requesting a playing credit through said first gaming machine based on said charge card;

determining whether to grant the requested playing credit and, in case of a determination to grant, transmitting a credit approval to said first gaming machine;

conditioning said first gaming machine in response to said credit approval to permit plays thereon using said playing credit as payment for the plays;

maintaining a net playing credit which accounts for said credit approval and for plays on said first gaming machine; and

selectively causing said first gaming machine to transmit information respecting said net playing credit to a processing facility for use in maintaining said-account for said general purpose charge card.

8. A method as in claim 7, wherein said transportation vehicle is selected from the group consisting of busses, trains, airplanes, automobiles and ships.

9. An apparatus for enabling a general purpose charge card to obtain playing credit for use in games of chance played on a first gaming machine in a transportation vehicle which is remote from and is different from a financial institution which maintains an account for said general purpose charge card and bills a person to whom said general purpose charge card is issued, comprising:

means for causing information from said general purpose charge card to be received by said first gaming machine;

means for requesting playing credit through said first gaming machine based on said general purpose charge card;

means for determining whether to grant said playing credit;

means for transmitting a credit approval to said first gaming machine;

means for conditioning said first gaming machine in response to said credit approval to permit plays thereon using said playing credit as payment for said plays;

means for maintaining a net playing credit which accounts for said credit approval, said playing credit and said plays on said first gaming machine; and

means for selectively causing said first gaming machine to transmit information respecting said net playing credit to a processing facility for use in maintaining said account for said general purpose charge card.

10. An apparatus as in claim 9, wherein said transportation vehicle is select ed from the group consisting of busses, trains, airplanes, automobiles and ships.