Record-keeping for gaming machine operations

• US 6,633,881 B2
• Filed: 08/22/2001
• Issued: 10/14/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Upper Skagit Indian Tribe
• Original Assignee: Upper Skagit Indian Tribe
• Inventors: Boyd, William L., Drobish, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Robinson, Greta
• Assistant Examiner(s): DODDS, HAROLD E
• Application Number:
  US09/935,788
• Publication Number:
  US 20030041067A1
• Time in Patent Office: 783 Days
• Field of Search: 707/1-4, 707/10, 707/100, 709/200-203, 235/375, 235/379-385, 235/435, 235/434, 235/454, 235/462.01, 382/312, 382/313
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3234 about the performance of a gaming system, e.g. revenue, diagnosis of the gaming system

Abstract

A system and method for providing record-keeping in a gaming environment where money or scripts representing money are collected from a gaming area on a routine basis. Using a scanning device, information tags affixed to gaming machines and removable money boxes attached to the gaming machines are scanned for information regarding the identification of the gaming machines and money boxes. Data is transmitted to a database to be recorded and later assessed using a record-keeping program. Once all money boxes have been collected in a gaming area, the data can be assessed for anomalies by using a record-keeping program running on the server computer.

Claims

1. A method for providing record-keeping in a gaming environment having a plurality of gaming machines that have removable money boxes, comprising:

defining, in a computer database, a list of the plurality of gaming machines and a list of money boxes removably attached to the plurality of gaming machines;

retrieving and storing in computer memory, information from an information tag affixed to each of the plurality of gaming machines, the information uniquely identifying a gaming machine;

retrieving and storing in computer memory, information from an information tag affixed to each money box removably attached to and associated with each of the plurality of gaming machines, the information uniquely identifying a money box;

the retrieving of information from the gaming machine tag and the money box tag being conducted separately;

associating, in a database, the retrieved information from each of the plurality of gaming machines with the particular information from the corresponding money box removably attached to each of the plurality of gaming machines;

identifying each gaming machine that is defined in the list of the plurality of gaming machines but does not have information retrieved and stored from a corresponding information tag; and

identifying each money box that is defined in the list of the money boxes but does not have information retrieved and stored from a corresponding information tag affixed therein.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein retrieving information is accomplished using a scanning device to scan the information tag.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein storing information in memory is accomplished by transmitting information to a computer database.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the transmitting of information to the computer database is via a wireless communication connection.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the transmitting of information to the computer database is via a hard-wired link connected to a computer network capable of communicating with the computer database.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

retrieving and storing information that represents the amount of money in each money box,

associating the information that represents the amount of money in each money box with the information retrieved from each of the plurality of gaming machines and corresponding money boxes.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein retrieving information is accomplished using a scanning device to scan an information tag.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein storing information in memory is accomplished by transmitting information to a computer database.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the transmitting of information to the computer database is via a wireless communication connection.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the transmitting of information to the computer database is via a hard-wired link connected to a computer network capable of communicating with the computer database.

11. The method of claim 6, further comprising storing in memory a timestamp identifying the time of retrieval of the information from the gaming machines, the money boxes and the amount of money inside each money box.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising determining an anomaly after all information has been associated in the database, wherein an anomaly is a gaming machine without an associated money box or a money box without an associated gaming machine.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the information tag is a barcode.

14. A computer-readable medium containing computer-executable instructions for each of the methods in claims 1-13.

15. A system for providing record-keeping in a gaming environment having a plurality of gaming machines containing money boxes, the system comprising:

a scanning device for retrieving information from an information tag affixed to a gaming machine that corresponds uniquely to the gaming machine and from an information tag affixed to a money box associated with the gaming machine that corresponds uniquely to the money box;

the retrieving of information from the gaming machine tag and the money box tag being conducted separately;

a computer with a program running thereon, the program being capable of associating, in a database, the information from the information tag affixed to the gaming machine to the information from the information tag affixed to the money box; and

a transmitting device used in conjunction with the scanning device to transmit both the information retrieved from the information tag affixed to the gaming machine and the information retrieved from the information tag affixed to the money box to the database at the computer.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the transmitting device is capable of transmitting a timestamp with the information retrieved.

17. The system of claim 15, further comprising a device for printing a receipt after the information retrieved from the money box has been transmitted to the database in the computer.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the transmitting device transmits via a wireless communication connection.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the transmitting device transmits via a hard-wired communication connection through a link with the scanning device.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein the scanning device is an infrared scanning device.

21. The system of claim 15, wherein the scanning device is an RF scanning device.

22. The system of claim 15, wherein the program comprises a sequence of program steps that cause a processor in the computer to determine on or more anomalies in the information received from the scanning device.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the anomaly is an unidentified or missing money box.

24. The system of claim 22, wherein the anomaly is an unidentified or missing gaming machine.

25. The system of claim 22, wherein the anomaly is a money box identified more than once.

26. The system of claim 22, wherein the anomaly is a gaming machine identified more than once.