EZ pay smart card and tickets system

• US 6,852,031 B1
• Filed: 11/22/2000
• Issued: 02/08/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Rowe, Richard E
• Primary Examiner(s): Wellington, A. L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, BINH AN DUC
• Application Number:
  US09/718,974
• Time in Patent Office: 1,539 Days
• Field of Search: 463/1, 463/9, 463/10, 463 16- 21, 463 25- 30, 463 40- 47, 273/138.1, 273/139, 273/138.2, 273/148.R, 273/148.B, 235/375, 235/379, 235/380, 235/493
• US Class Current: 463/29
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/323 wherein the player is informed, e.g. advertisements, odds, instructions
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3251 involving media of variable value, e.g. programmable cards, programmable tokens

Abstract

A disclosed smart card includes a processor and memory configured to execute a number of gaming applications, such as a bonus game application, a progressive game application, a voucher application and a paytable application, and communicate with a master gaming controller on the gaming machine. Gaming instructions, generated during the execution of one or more of the gaming application on the smart card, may be used to affect game play on the gaming machine. The gaming instructions for various gaming services may be supplied to gaming machines operating in a “stand alone” mode or gaming machine connected to some type of dedicated network. In addition, the smart card may store game components including audio game components and video game components that may be downloaded into a gaming machine and incorporated into a game presentation on the gaming machine. The smart card may be utilized at many different venues including casinos, hotels, bars, restaurants and retail stores.

Claims

1. A gaming machine for executing a game play with the aid of a smart card, the gaming machine comprising:

a master controller designed or configured to control a game of chance played on the gaming machine by executing game code that uses gaming instructions generated by a processor on the smart card wherein the gaming instructions generated by the processor include commands and/or data compatible with the game code executed by the master gaming controller, said master gaming controller including a first memory for storing the gaming instructions received from the smart card, a first processor, separate from the processor on the smart card, for executing the game code and a communication interface for allowing communications with the smart card and receiving the gaming instructions from the smart card;

the smart card operable to execute one more gaming applications to generate the gaming instructions, said smart card including;

the processor for executing the gaming applications, an input/output interface for allowing communications with the master gaming controller and a second memory for storing the gaming applications executed by the processor;

a smart card reader providing a communication interface between said smart card and said master gaming controller;

an input mechanism, connected to and under control of the master gaming controller, for receiving cash or indicia of credit for wagers on the game of chance played on the gaming machine; and

and an output mechanism, connected to and under control of the master gaming controller, for outputting cash or indicia of credits.

2. The gaming machine of claim 1, further comprising:

a network communication interface wherein the smart card communicates with a game service server using said network communication interface.

3. The gaming machine of claim 2, wherein the game service server is selected from the group consisting of an accounting server, a bonus game server, a progressive server, a player tracking server and a cashless system server.

4. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein the gaming instructions generated by a processor on the smart card specify a progressive game that affects a game presentation on the gaming machine.

5. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein the gaming instructions generated by a processor on the smart card specify a paytable used by the gaming machine in a game presentation.

6. The gaming machine of claim 1, further comprising:

a speaker.

7. The gaming machine of claim 6, wherein said speaker outputs audio components stored in a memory on said smart card.

8. The gaming machine of claim 1, further comprising a graphical display.

9. The gaming machine of claim 8, wherein said graphical display outputs graphical components stored in a memory on said smart card.

10. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein the gaming instructions generated by a processor on the smart card specify a bonus game that affects a game presentation on the gaming machine.

11. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein the game is selected from the group consisting of a video black jack game, a video slot game, a mechanical slot game, a video poker game, a video keno game, a video pachinko game and a video card game.

12. In gaming machine, a method for executing a game play on the gaming machine with the aid of a smart card, the method comprising:

receiving a signal indicating a smart card has been inserted in a smart card reader on the gaming machine wherein the signal is received in a master gaming controller designed to control a game of chance played on the gaming machine;

establishing communications, under control the master gaming controller, with said smart card;

receiving, under control of a master gaming controller, first gaming instructions from at least one of a plurality of gaming applications executed by a processor on the smart card wherein the first gaming instructions generated by the processor include commands and/or data compatible with game code for controlling the game of chance that is executable by the master gaming controller;

storing the first gaming instructions on a memory device on the master gaming controller;

receiving a wager on a game of chance; and

executing game code, under control of the master gaming controller, to generate generating the game of chance on the gaming machine using the first gaming instructions provided the smart card.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

authenticating the smart card.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving a list of gaming applications available on the smart card from the smart card.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

selecting a gaming application from the list of gaming applications and requesting the smart card to execute the selected gaming application.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

sending gaming machine identification information to the smart card.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the fist gaming instructions include at least one of player tracking information, loyalty points, paytables, game components, game configuration information, a game play history, progressive game information, bonus game information, voucher information and combinations thereof.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the game component includes at least one of a graphical game component and an audio game component.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the game configuration information is selected from the group consisting of a game type, a game version, a game background, a game denomination and a game wager amount.

20. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

in response to the first gaming instructions received from the smart card communicating with a remote game server.

21. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

sending game play information to the smart card.

22. The method of claim 12, wherein the game play is for a video black jack game, a video slot game, a mechanical slot game, a video poker game, a video keno game, a video pachinko game and a video card game.

23. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

downloading a gaming application stored on the smart card and executing said gaming application on the gaming machine.

24. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

downloading a game stored on the smart card and executing said game on the gaming machine.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the game is a pull tab game.