Point of play registration on a gaming machine

• US 6,896,618 B2
• Filed: 09/20/2001
• Issued: 05/24/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Benoy, Greg A., Nguyen, Binh T., Paulsen, Craig A.
• Primary Examiner(s): HOTALING, JOHN M
• Application Number:
  US09/957,742
• Publication Number:
  US 20030054878A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,342 Days
• Field of Search: 463/25, 463/29, 463 40- 42, 700 91- 93
• US Class Current: 463/25
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3209 Input means, e.g. buttons, touch screen
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3211 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3239 Tracking of individual players
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3255 Incentive, loyalty and/or promotion schemes, e.g. comps, gaming associated with a purchase, gaming funded by advertisements

Abstract

A disclosed gaming machine is used to provide a method of registering a player to a loyalty program such as a player tracking program at the gaming machine. At the gaming machine, the player or a casino service representative may enter identification information such as a name, an address and biometric information using an input mechanism located on the gaming machine or on a hand-held wireless device. The loyalty program information may be combined with information such as serial number or a bar-code read from a loyalty program instrument in a loyalty program registration request message sent to a loyalty program server such as a player tracking server. The loyalty program instrument may include a magnetic striped card, a smart card, a printed ticket, a room key, a cell-phone or a portable computing device. When the registration request is confirmed by the loyalty program server, the player may begin a loyalty program session on a gaming machine and earn loyalty points.

Claims

1. A method of registering a player to a loyalty program at a gaming machine used to play one or more games of chance:

detecting a request to register a player to a loyalty program at the gaming machine wherein the request to register the player is for allowing the player to join the loyalty program;

receiving loyalty program information;

receiving instrument information stored on an instrument at the gaming machine wherein the instrument is not associated with a loyalty program account in the loyalty program and wherein the instrument information identifies the instrument;

sending a registration request message including the loyalty program information and the instrument information from the gaming machine to a loyalty program server;

wherein the loyalty program information and the instrument information are for registering the player in the loyalty program by generating a new loyalty program account and wherein after completing the registration of the player in the loyalty program, the instrument becomes a loyalty program instrument operable for initiating a loyalty program session that uses the new loyalty program account during subsequent game play.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

encrypting the registration request message.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a registration reply message.

4. The method of claim 3, comprising:

when the registration reply contains information confirming the registration request,

initiating a loyalty program session on the gaming machine using the loyalty program instrument.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

decrypting the registration reply message.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying a registration interface to a touch screen display and

receiving loyalty program information using a touch screen mounted over the touch screen display.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the touch screen display is a main display on the gaming machine.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the touch screen display is a secondary display on the gaming machine.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the touch screen display is located on a player tracking unit.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a receipt at the gaming machine wherein the receipt is for confirming that the player has been registered in the loyalty program.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying a message confirming the registration request.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying a message denying the registration request.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the loyalty program information is selected from the group consisting of a name, an address, a phone number, an age, a birth date, an e-mail address, biometric information, preference information and combinations thereof.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the biometric information is selected from the group consisting of a finger print, a retina image, a voice print, a picture and a signature.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a wager for a game of chance and

presenting the game of chance on the gaming machine.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the game of chance is selected from the group consisting of video slot games, mechanical slot games, video blackjack games, video poker games, video keno games, video bingo games, video machine games, video card games, a video games of chance and combinations thereof.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the loyalty program is a player tracking program.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the loyalty program server is a player tracking server.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the instrument information is at least one of a bar code and a serial number.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the instrument is selected from the group consisting of a magnetic-striped card, a cell phone, a smart card, a ticket, a room key and a hand-held computing devices.

21. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a registration request message.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the loyalty program information is input into the gaming machine using a bill validator.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein the instrument information is input into the gaming machine using a bill validator.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the loyalty program information is input to the bill validator using a Scantron™

sheet.

25. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

printing a first loyally program instrument that is operable to initiate a loyalty program session during the subsequent game play.

26. The method of claim 1, further comprising

receiving player identification information from the instrument wherein the player identification information is used as loyalty program information.

27. A method of registering a player to a loyalty program using a gaming device:

receiving loyalty program information on the gaming device;

receiving instrument information stored on an instrument on the gaming device wherein the instrument is not associated with a loyalty program account in the loyalty program and wherein the instrument information identifies the instrument;

sending a registration request message with the loyalty program information and the instrument information from the gaming device to a loyalty program server;

wherein the loyalty program information and instrument information is for registering the player in the loyalty program and wherein a successful registration enrolls the player in the loyalty program by generating a new loyalty program account and wherein, after completing the registration of the player in the loyalty program, the instrument becomes a loyalty program instrument operable for initiating a loyalty program session that uses the new loyalty program account during subsequent game play.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the gaming device is at least one of a casino kiosk, a player tracking unit and a hand-held computing device.

29. The method of claim 27, further comprising:

displaying a registration interface to a touch screen display on the gaming device and

receiving loyalty program information using a touch screen mounted over the touch screen display.

30. The method of claim 27, further comprising:

encrypting the registration request message.

31. The method of claim 27, further comprising:

receiving a registration reply message.

32. The method of claim 31, further comprising:

decrypting the registration reply message.

33. The method of claim 27, further comprising:

generating a registration request message.

34. The method of claim 27, further comprising:

generating a receipt at the gaming device wherein the receipt is for confirming that the player has been registered in the loyalty program.

35. The method of claim 27, wherein the loyalty program information is selected from the group consisting of a name, an address, an age, a birth date, a phone number, an e-mail address, biometric information, preference information and combinations thereof.

36. The method of claim 27, wherein the loyalty program is a player tracking program.

37. The method of claim 27, wherein the loyalty program sewer is a player tracking server.

38. The method of claim 27, wherein the instrument information is at least one of a bar code and a serial number.

39. The method of claim 27, wherein the loyalty program instrument is selected from the group consisting of a magnetic-striped card, a smart card, a cell phone, a ticket, a room key and a hand-held computing device.

40. The method of claim 27, further comprising:

initiating a loyalty program session on a gaming machine using the loyalty program instrument.

41. The method of claim 27, wherein the registration request message is sent from the gaming device to the loyalty program server using a communication interface on a gaming machine.

42. The method of claim 27, further comprising

receiving player identification information from the instrument wherein the player identification information is used as loyalty program information.

43. A method of registering a player to a loyalty program in a loyalty program server, the method comprising:

receiving a registration request message including loyalty program information and instrument information from a gaming machine wherein the instrument information is from an instrument not associated with a loyalty program account in the loyalty program and wherein the instrument information identifies the instrument;

generating a new loyalty program account using the loyalty program information and the instrument information that allows the instrument to become a loyalty program instrument operable for initiating a loyalty program session that uses the new loyalty program account during subsequent game play; and

sending a registration reply message to the gaming machine wherein the registration reply message comprises information for allowing a loyalty program session to begin on the gaming machine using the new loyalty program account.

44. The method of claim 43, further comprising:

assigning a personal identification number to the player.

45. The method of claim 43, further comprising:

storing the player identification information and the instrument information in a loyalty program account database.

46. The method of claim 43, further comprising:

generating the registration reply message.

47. The method of claim 43, further comprising:

encrypting the registration reply message.

48. The method of claim 43, further comprising:

decrypting the registration request message.

49. The method of claim 43, further comprising:

receiving loyalty program information from a gaming machine for the new loyalty program account;

determining loyalty points using the loyalty program information; and

storing the loyalty points to the new loyalty program account.

50. The method of claim 43, wherein the loyalty program is a player tracking program.

51. The method of claim 43, wherein the loyalty program server is a player tracking server.

52. The method of claim 43, wherein the instrument information is at least one of a bar code and a serial number.

53. The method of claim 43, wherein the instrument is selected from the group consisting of a magnetic-striped card, a smart card, a ticket, a room key and a band-held computing device.

54. The method of claim 43, wherein the loyalty program information is selected from the group consisting of a name, an address, magnetic information, preference information and combinations thereof.