Cashless computerized video game system and method

• US 6,280,328 B1
• Filed: 06/17/1997
• Issued: 08/28/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sg Gaming, Inc. (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oneida Indian Nation
• Inventors: Riolo, Frank J., Holch, Niels C.
• Primary Examiner(s): HARRISON, JESSICA
• Application Number:
  US08/877,375
• Time in Patent Office: 1,533 Days
• Field of Search: 463/10, 463/16, 463/17, 463/18, 463/19, 463/22, 463/25, 463/29, 463/42
• US Class Current: 463/42
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/12 involving interaction between a plurality of game devices, e.g. transmisison or distribution systems protocols for networked virtual reality, networked games H04L29/06034
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/30 Interconnection arrangements between game servers and game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/50 characterized by details of game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 3/081 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• 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 17/3262 Player actions which determine the course of the game, e.g. selecting a prize to be won, outcome to be achieved, game to be played
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3272 Games involving multiple players

Abstract

A coinless video game system includes a plurality of electronic video game terminals, a game server corresponding to each player terminal, and a central control network for administering and controlling games and player accounts. A player initially establishes a player account in the central control network and receives a player I.D. card bearing the player'"'"'s account number and other relevant information. Players use these I.D. cards to establish sessions at a player terminal. The server provides a random number to each player terminal at predefined intervals to determine wins and loses for each game selected by a player. Waged amounts are then debited or credited to a player'"'"'s account in the central control network. Players may redeem any account balance from a cashier associated with the central control network. Additionally the central controller keeps track of all player activity information.

Claims

1. A game system for operating several games for a plurality of players, comprising:

a plurality of player terminals coupled together, each terminal including

means for receiving player identification information from a participating one of the players,

means for receiving game selection information from the participating player indicating one of the plurality of games,

a video display for displaying a selected one of the games to the participating player, and

means for executing software application programs, said application programs corresponding to a plurality of games in response to an externally-generated set of random numbers to determine the result of the selected game independent of player participation at other ones of the player terminals;

a game server, connected to the plurality of player terminals, and including

means for sending to the player terminals the set of random numbers as externally-generated random numbers; and

a central controller, connected to each of the plurality of player terminals, and including

means for storing player account information for each of the players, and

means for adjusting the account information of the players according to the result of the games from the player terminal.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the adjusting means includes

means for crediting a player'"'"'s account when the player wins the selected game of chance, and

means for debiting the player'"'"'s account when the player loses the selected game of chance.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the player terminal includes

means for sending to the game server the game selection information.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the player terminal includes

means for notifying the game server to enroll the player terminal for the next game.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the game server includes

means for receiving from the player terminal the game selection information,

means for generating sets of random numbers, each set corresponding to a different one of the plurality of games of chance, and

wherein the sending means of the game server further includes

means for sending to the player terminals the set of random numbers corresponding to the game selection information.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the game server includes

means for generating the sets of random numbers representing game-specific winning numbers.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the game server includes

means for generating the sets of sets of random numbers representing game-specific winning graphical figures.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the game server further includes

means for changing the numbers representing the winning graphical figures.

9. The system of claim 3, wherein the game server includes

means for receiving from the player terminal the game selection information, and

means for generating the set of random numbers;

and

wherein the player terminal includes

means for converting the set of random numbers into game-specific numbers corresponding to the game selection information.

10. A method of operating games comprising the steps of:

establishing a player account file at a central controller for a participating player;

receiving, at a player terminal coupled to the central controller, player identification information input by the participating player;

displaying, on a video display of the player terminal, a plurality of games of chance;

receiving, at the player terminal, information for a selected one of the plurality of games;

sending, by a game server, to the player terminal an externally-generated set of random numbers;

executing software application programs corresponding to the selected game by the player terminal in response to the externally-generated set of random numbers to determine the result of the selected game independent of player participation at other ones of the player terminals; and

updating, by the central controller, the participating player'"'"'s account file according to the result of the games from the player terminal.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the step of updating the player'"'"'s account includes the steps of

crediting the player'"'"'s account file when the player wins the selected game of chance, and

debiting the player'"'"'s account file when the player loses the selected game of chance.

12. The method of claim 10, further including the step of

sending, by the player terminal, to the game server the game selection information.

13. The method of claim 12, further including the step of

notifying the game server by the player terminal to enroll the player terminal for the next game.

14. The method of claim 12, further including the steps of

receiving, by the game server, from the player terminal the game selection information.

generating sets of random numbers by the game server, each set corresponding to a different one of the plurality of games of chance, and

wherein the sending step further includes the substep of

sending, by the game server, to the player terminals the set of random numbers corresponding to the game selection information.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the generating step includes the substep of generating the sets of random numbers representing game-specific winning numbers.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the generating step includes the substep of

generating the sets of random numbers representing game-specific winning graphical figures.

17. The method of claim 16, further including the step of

changing, by the game server, the numbers representing the winning graphical figures.

18. The method of claim 12, further including the steps of

receiving, by the game server, from the player terminal the game selection information,

generating the set of random numbers by the game server, and

converting, by the player terminal, the set of random numbers into game-specific numbers corresponding to the game selection information.

19. A player terminal capable of executing a plurality of games of chance the terminal comprising:

means for receiving player identification information from a participating player,

means for receiving game selection information from the participating player indicating one of the plurality of games of chance;

means for sending the game selection information;

a video display for displaying to the participating player a display corresponding to the game selection information;

means for receiving a set of random numbers corresponding to the game selection information;

means for executing a game corresponding to the game selection information using the received set of random numbers to determine the result of the game independent of player participation at other player terminals; and

means for transmitting to a central controller information about the participating player and about the game, including results of the game.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the player terminal further includes

means for receiving from the player a wager amount.

21. A game server for a video game system comprising:

means for establishing a predetermined interval;

means for generating a plurality of sets of random numbers once during each predetermined interval, each set corresponding to a different type of game of chance;

means for receiving from a player terminal game selection information; and

means for sending to a player terminal the set of random numbers corresponding to the game selection information for use by a player terminal to determine the result of the selected game independent of player participation at other player terminals.

22. The game server of claim 21, wherein the generating means includes

means for generating the sets of random numbers representing game-specific winning numbers.

23. The game server of claim 21, wherein the generating means includes

means for generating the sets of random numbers representing game-specific winning graphical figures.

24. The game server of claim 23, further including

means for changing the numbers representing the winning graphical figures.

25. A game server for a video game system comprising:

means for establishing a predetermined interval;

means for generating a set of game-independent random numbers once during each predetermined interval; and

means for sending to a player terminal the set of game-independent random numbers during each predetermined interval for use by a player terminal, wherein a player terminal executes the game by converting the set of game-independent random numbers to a set of game-specific numbers corresponding to the type of game selected by a player.

26. A game system having central player tracking for a plurality of players, comprising:

a plurality of player terminals coupled together, each terminal including

means for receiving player identification information from a participating one of the players,

means for receiving game selection information from the participating player indicating one of the plurality of games,

a video display for displaying a selected one of the games to the participating player,

means for receiving a wager amount from the participating player.

means for executing a software application program for a game corresponding to the game selection information, and

means for transmitting player activity information after each game for which the wager amount was received from the participating player, the player activity information including the result of the game and the wager amount; and

a central controller, connected to each of the plurality of player terminals, and including

means for storing player account information for each of the players,

means for receiving from the player terminals the transmitted player activity information after each game for which the wager amount was received, and

means for adjusting the account information of the players according to the player activity information after each game for which the wager amount was received.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the adjusting means includes

means for crediting the player'"'"'s account when the player wins the selected game of chance, and

means for debiting the player'"'"'s account when the player loses the selected game of chance.

28. The system of claim 26, wherein the central controller includes

means for generating a report of the player activity information.

29. The system of claim 26, wherein the central controller includes

means for issuing player awards during the player'"'"'s game using player activity information.

30. The system of claim 26, wherein the central controller includes

means for issuing free play cards using the player activity information.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein the central controller includes

means for invalidating free player cards after a predetermined period.

32. The system of claim 30 wherein the central controller includes

means for modifying the plurality of games offered at player terminals using player activity information.

33. The system of claim 30, wherein the central controller includes

means for detecting wins exceeding an average statistical odds.

34. The system of claim 30 wherein the central controller includes

means for detecting simultaneous play at multiple player terminals by a single player.

35. A method of operating games in a system with central player tracking comprising the steps of:

establishing a player account file at a central controller for a participating player,

receiving, at a player terminal coupled to the central controller, player identification information input by the participating player;

displaying, on a video display of the player terminal, a plurality of games of chance,

receiving, at the player terminal, information for a selected one of the plurality of games including a wager amount from the participating player;

executing a software application program by the player terminal for a game corresponding to the game selection information to determine the result of the game;

transmitting, by the player terminal, player activity information after each game for which the wager amount was received from the participating player, the player activity information including the result of the game and the wager amount; and

updating, by the central controller, the participating player'"'"'s account file according to the result of the game and the player activity information after each game for which the wager amount was received.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein the step of updating the player'"'"'s account includes the steps of

crediting the player'"'"'s account file when the player wins the selected game of chance, and

debiting the player'"'"'s account file when the player loses the selected game of chance.

37. The method of claim 35, wherein the updating step includes the step of

generating a report of the player activity information.

38. The method of claim 35, wherein the updating step includes the step of

issuing, by the central controller, player awards during the player'"'"'s game using player activity information.

39. The method of claim 35, further including the step of

issuing, by the central controller, free play cards using the player activity information.

40. The method of claim 35, further including the step of

invalidating, by the central controller, free player cards after a predetermined period.

41. The method of claim 35, further including the step of

modifying, by the central controller, the plurality of games offered at player terminals using player activity information.

42. The method of claim 35, further including the step of

detecting, by the central controller, wins exceeding an average statistical odds.

43. The method of claim 35, further including the step of

detecting, by the central controller, simultaneous play at multiple player terminals by a single player.

44. A central controller for a game system with central player tracking comprising:

means for communicating with each of a plurality of player terminals;

means for storing player account information for all players at the player terminals;

means for receiving, from the player terminals, player activity information after each game for which a wager amount was received by the player terminals, the player activity information including the result of the game and the wager amount; and

means for adjusting the player account information of each of the players according to the player activity information received after each game for which the wager amount was received by the player terminals.

45. The central controller of claim 44, wherein the adjusting means includes

means for crediting the player'"'"'s account when the player wins the selected game of chance, and

means for debiting the player'"'"'s account when the player loses the selected game of chance.

46. The central controller of claim 44, further including

means for generating a report of the player activity information.

47. The central controller of claim 44, further including

means for issuing player awards during the player'"'"'s game using player activity information.

48. The central controller of claim 44, further including

means for issuing free play cards using the player activity information.

49. The central controller of claim 44, further including

means for invalidating free player cards after a predetermined period.

50. The central controller of claim 44, further including

means for modifying the plurality of games offered at player terminals using player activity information.

51. The central controller of claim 44, further including

means for detecting wins exceeding an average statistical odds.

52. The central controller of claim 44, further including

means for detecting simultaneous play at multiple player terminals by a single player.