System and method for managing gaming tables in a gaming facility

• US 6,446,864 B1
• Filed: 02/01/2000
• Issued: 09/10/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Don Sik Kim, Jung Ryeol Kim
• Original Assignee: Dong Sik Kim, Jung Ryeol Kim
• Inventors: Kim, Jung Ryeol, Han, Dong Heon, Kim, Dong Sik, Lee, Dae Hyung
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Michael G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): LEE, SEUNG H
• Application Number:
  US09/495,368
• Time in Patent Office: 952 Days
• Field of Search: 463/39, 463/25, 463/29, 463/46, 463/42, 235/382, 235/380, 235/375
• US Class Current: 235/382
• 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 17/3234 about the performance of a gaming system, e.g. revenue, diagnosis of the gaming system
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3241 Security aspects of a gaming system, e.g. detecting cheating, device integrity, surveillance computer security G06F21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3248 involving non-monetary media of fixed value, e.g. casino chips of fixed value

Abstract

Disclosed is a gaming table managing system and method thereof for determining the performance of dealers and also estimating the revenue for each gaming table. The system employs a wireless communications network and includes: an identification card; a table module having a plurality of service call buttons, a chip sensing mechanism and a card reader, for generating service call data, dealer-associated data and chip-associated data; a host computer for receiving the dealer-associated data and the chip-associated data and determining the performance of the dealer and estimating the revenue of the gaming facility, using received data; and a service call processing unit for receiving the service call data and displaying same on a screen.

Claims

1. A system for automatically monitoring and tracking dealers located at gaming tables in a gaming facility using a wireless communications network, the system comprising:

a portable data-carrying device;

a table module provided near the dealer on the gaming table, the table module including a plurality of call buttons, a chip sensing mechanism, a reading unit and a signal processing means, for generating service call data, dealer-associated data and chip-associated data, wherein each chip has an unique color representing a denomination thereof;

means connected to the table module via the network, for receiving two types of the data generated from the table module, storing them in a first and second databases, determining the performance of the dealer and estimating a revenue of the gaming facility, based on the stored data; and

means connected to the table module via the network, for receiving the remaining type of the data generated from the table module, and displaying same on a screen.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the reading means reads out an identification code of the dealer contained in the portable data carrying device;

and the signal processing means processes the service call data, the dealer-associated data and the chip-associated data, stores them in a memory and transmits the same via the network.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein the chip sensing mechanism includes:

a passage member along which the chip slide toward a chip bin provided at the gaming table;

an opening formed on one end of the passage member, through which the chip is inserted into the passage member;

a first sensing means attached to an entrance of the passage member, for sensing the chip drop and transmitting a chip drop signal to the signal processing means;

means attached to the passage member, for generating a reference signal, in response to a control signal issued from the signal processing means based on the chip drop signal; and

a second sensing means provided in a facing relationship with the reference signal generating means, for sensing the number and denomination of the dropped chips based on the control signal, and transmitting same as the chip-associated data to the signal processing means.

4. The system according to claim 3, wherein the second sensing means includes:

a plurality of light emitting means, each of which has an unique color;

means for sequentially driving the plurality of light emitting means in response to the control signal issued from the signal processing means, and allowing each of the plurality of light emitting means to emit a light beam corresponding to the unique color toward the chip to be reflected therefrom; and

means for detecting the reflected light beam from the chip and outputting detected light beam data to the signal processing means.

5. The system according to claim 2, wherein the reading means includes a groove along/into which the portable data carrying device is slid/inserted, the reading means reads out the identification code of the dealer when the portable data carrying device is slid/inserted along/into the groove, and outputs the identification code as the dealer-associated data to the signal processing means which stores in the memory the identification code and the device insertion time.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the managing means includes:

means for determining whether or not data received from the table module is the two types of the data;

if so, storing the same in the first and second databases, respectively, and if otherwise, discarding the same;

means for transmitting an acknowledge signal to the table module, the acknowledge signal informing the table module of the receipt of the two types of the data;

means for displaying the two types of the data on a screen;

means for selecting a desired item among information on the screen; and

means for updating the two types of the data previously stored in the first and second databases with the two types of the data newly received.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein the displaying means includes:

means for determining whether data received from the table module is the remaining type of the data;

if so, processing the same to allow it to be displayed on the screen; and

if otherwise, discarding the same;

means for transmitting an acknowledge signal to the table module, the acknowledge signal informing the table module of receipt of the remaining type of the data; and

means for reducing the displayed data on the screen.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the two types of the data are the dealer-associated data and the chip-associated data, and the remaining type of the data is the service call data including any of food services, chip deliveries, open seats and callings.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein the portable data-carrying device is a magnetic card and the reading unit is a magnetic card reader.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein the color of the chip is one of red, green and blue, and colored at the center of the chip.

11. A method, for use in a gaming table managing system, for automatically monitoring and tracking dealers located at a plurality of gaming tables in a gaming facility, wherein the system includes a portable data carrying device, a table module, a managing means and a call processing unit which are connected with one another in a wireless network communication, the table module including a plurality of call buttons, a chip sensing mechanism, a reading unit and a signal processing means, which comprising the following steps:

(a) detecting a plurality of dealer-associated data, chip-associated data and service call data, using the portable data carrying device and the table module, storing two types of the detected data in a memory, and outputting the remaining type of the data together with the two types of the data, wherein each chip has an unique color representing a denomination of the chip thereof;

(b) receiving the two types of the data, storing each of the two types of the data in a first and second databases, respectively, determining the performance of the dealer and estimating a revenue of the gaming facility, using each data stored in the first and second databases; and

(c) receiving the remaining type of the data generated from the table module, and displaying the same on a screen.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the step (a) includes the following steps of:

(a1) checking whether or not the portable data-carrying device is slid/inserted along/into the reading unit;

(a2) checking, if the portable data carrying device is slid/inserted, a device insertion time and an identification code contained in the device, outputting the checked time and code as the dealer-associated data and storing the same in the memory;

(a3) checking whether or not a chip is dropped into a chip slot provided on the chip sensing mechanism;

(a4) detecting, if the chip is dropped, the number of the dropped chip and the denomination of each dropped chip, outputting the detected value as the chip-associated data, and storing it in the memory;

(a5) checking, if there is no the dropped chip, whether any one of the call buttons mounted on the table module is pressed, detecting a value of the pressed call button, if there is a pressed call button, and outputting the detected value as the service call data; and

(a6) checking whether the device is again slid/inserted along/into the reading unit, and iteratively performing the steps (a3) to (a5), if the device is not slid/inserted.

13. The method according to claim 12, comprising after step (a2) the steps of:

(a21) determine whether or not an acknowledge signal is received by the table module, the acknowledge signal informing the table module of the receipt of the device insertion time and the identification code; and

(a22) waiting, if there is no the acknowledge signal, for a prescribed interval and again outputting the device insertion time and the identification code.

14. The method according to claim 13, comprising after step (a6), the steps of:

(a61) determining, if the device is again slid/inserted along/into the reading unit, that the play of corresponding gaming table is over;

(a62) outputting all of the data stored in the memory at steps (a2) and (a4);

(a63) determining whether or not the acknowledge signal is received by the table module;

(a64) waiting, if there is no the acknowledge signal, for the prescribed interval and again outputting all of the data stored in the memory; and

(a65) powering off the table module, if the acknowledge signal is received.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the portable data-carrying device is a magnetic card and the reading unit is a magnetic card reader.

16. The method according to claim 14, wherein the two types of the data are the dealer-associated data and the chip-associated data, and the remaining type of the data is the service call data.

17. The method according to claim 11, wherein the step (b) includes the following steps of:

(b1) determining whether or not a receive interrupt signal is generated;

(b2) checking, if the receive interrupt signal is generated, whether a received data is valid;

(b3) determining, if the received data is valid, whether or not the received data is the service call data, and if so, discarding the service call data;

(b4) determining, if the received data is not valid, whether the received data is the dealer-associated data

(b5) updating, if the received data is the dealer-associated data, dealer-associated data previously stored in the first database with the dealer-associated data newly received, and transmitting the acknowledge signal to the table module;

(b6) checking, if the received data is not the dealer-associated data, whether the received data is the chip-associated data;

(b7) updating, if the received data is the chip-associated data, chip-associated data previously stored in the second database with the chip-associated data newly received, and transmitting the acknowledge signal to the table module; and

(b8) iteratively performing the steps (b1) to (b7), if the received data is not the chip-associated data.

18. The method according to claim 11, wherein the step (c) includes the following steps of:

(c1) determining whether or not a receive interrupt signal is generated;

(c2) checking, if the receive interrupt signal is generated, whether a received data is valid;

(c3) determining, if the received data is valid, whether or not the received data is the service call data, and if otherwise, discarding the same;

(c4) displaying, if the received data is the service call data, a message corresponding to the service call data on the screen; and

(c5) transmitting the acknowledge signal to the table module.