Distributed account based gaming system

• US 6,969,320 B2
• Filed: 01/10/2002
• Issued: 11/29/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/10/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Everi Games Inc. (Everi Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Multimedia Games Incorporated
• Inventors: Lind, Jefferson C., Enzminger, Joseph R., Lind, Clifton
• Primary Examiner(s): SAGER, MARK ALAN
• Application Number:
  US10/044,478
• Publication Number:
  US 20020132666A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,419 Days
• Field of Search: 463/1, 463 9- 13, 463 16- 20, 463 25- 26, 463 29- 30, 463/36, 463 40- 43, 273292-293, 273236-237, 273/273, 273/309, 273/143.R, 273/139, 273/138.1, 273/138.2
• US Class Current: 463/25
• 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 17/3241 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

A back office system is preferably located in a secure area and includes one or more central computers. Each central computer stores a number of game records with each game record representing a play in a game. A database computer included in the back office system maintains an account for each authorized player in the gaming system. A casino floor system is operatively connected for communication with the back office system and includes a number of player terminals through which players may participate in various games offered in the gaming system. Each player terminal in the casino floor system is serviced by one central computer in the back office system. Each player terminal allows a player to log in and make a request for a game play, and then communicates the entered game play request to the respective central computer servicing that particular player terminal. In response to the game play request from the player terminal, the central computer system reads a selected game record from the group of game records stored in the back office system and identifies the result associated with the game record. The central computer also directs the database computer to change the player'"'"'s account balance according to the game play request and result of the selected game record. The central computer also sends information regarding the game play result back to the player terminal, which then uses the information to notify the player of the result.

Claims

1. A method including:

(a) storing a group of game records and a reserve group of game records at a storage device, each respective game record being associated with a game result for that respective game record;

(b) in response to a game play request, reading a selected game record from the group of game records and notifying a respective player associated with the game play request of the game result associated with the selected game record from the group of game records;

(c) modifying a stored account balance for the respective player associated with the game play request, the stored account balance modification being made in accordance with the game play request and in accordance with the game result associated with the selected game record from the group of game records;

(d) in response to a subsequent game play request received after a certain amount of game records from the group of game records have been used, reading a selected game record from the reserve group of game records, and notifying a respective player associated with the subsequent game play request of the game result associated with the selected game record from the reserve group of game records; and

(e) modifying a stored account balance for the respective player associated with the subsequent game play request, the stored account balance for the respective player associated with the subsequent game play request being modified in accordance with the subsequent game play request and in accordance with the game result associated with the selected game record from the reserve group of game records.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of storing the group of game records and the reserve group of game records is performed at a respective computer and the step of modifying each stored account balance is performed at a database computer separate from the respective computer.

3. The method of claim 2 further including the steps of storing a set of game records at a manufacturing computer and dividing the set of game records into multiple subsets of game records.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the group of game records and the reserve group of game records each comprise a respective subset of game records selected from the set of game records.

5. A method including:

(a) producing a number of game records at a manufacturing computer;

(b) communicating a first subset of the game records from the manufacturing computer to a first central computer and storing the first subset of game records at the central computer;

(c) storing a number of player accounts at a database computer separate from the manufacturing computer and separate from the first central computer, each player account being associated with a respective player and having a respective account balance; and

(d) in response to a game play request for a first player having a respective player account, reading a selected one of the game records stored at the first central computer, modifying the respective player account for the first player at the database computer in accordance with the game play request and a result associated with the selected game record, and notifying the first player of the result associated with the selected game record.

6. The method of claim 5 further including communicating a second subset of game records to a second central computer located at a gaming facility where the first central computer is also located.

7. The method of claim 6 further including, in response to a game play request for a second player having a respective player account, reading a respective one of the game records stored at the second central computer, modifying the respective player account for the second player at the database computer in accordance with the game play request and a result associated with the respective game record, and notifying the first player of the result associated with the respective game record.

8. The method of claim 5 further including:

(a) in response to player information received at the first central computer, creating a respective account for a player associated with the player information, the account being created at the database computer; and

(b) in response to additional player information received at the second central computer, creating a respective account for the player associated with the additional player information, the account for the player associated with the additional player information being created at the database computer.

9. The method of claim 5 further including:

(a) in response to a first added funds value received at the first central computer, modifying a respective account associated with the first added funds value at the database computer; and

(b) in response to a second added funds value received at the second central computer, modifying a respective account associated with the second added funds value at the database computer.

10. The method of claim 5 further including:

(a) in response to a first cash out request received at the first central computer, cashing out a respective account associated with the first cash out request at the database computer; and

(b) in response to a second cash out request received at the second central computer, cashing out a respective account associated with the second cash out request at the database computer.

11. A gaming system including:

(a) a first central computer having a game record storage device storing a first group of game records;

(b) a database computer in communication with the first central computer, the database computer having a database storage device storing a number of player accounts, each player account associated with a respective player;

(c) a number of first player terminals in communication with the first central computer, each first player terminal for transmitting a respective player account modification request to the first central computer; and

(d) wherein the first central computer is configured to respond to a received player account modification request by directing the database computer to modify a respective player account associated with the received player account modification request.

12. The gaming system of claim 11 further including a manufacturing computer in communication with the first central computer, the manufacturing computer having a respective storage device for storing a number of subsets of game records, each subset being divided from an initial set of game records.

13. The gaming system of claim 12 further including:

(a) a second central computer in communication with the manufacturing computer and having a second game record storage device storing a second group of game records, the second group of game records comprising a respective one of the subsets initially stored at the manufacturing computer, and the second central computer being located at a gaming facility at which the first central computer is also located;

(b) a number of second player terminals in communication with the second central computer, each second player terminal for transmitting a respective player account modification request to the second central computer; and

(c) wherein the second central computer is configured to respond to a given player account modification request from one of the second player terminals by directing the database computer to modify a respective player account associated with the given player account modification request.

14. The gaming system of claim 11 wherein the first game record storage device associated with the first central computer stores a first reserve group of game records in addition to the first group of game records and wherein the first central computer is adapted for selecting a game record from the first reserve group of game records once a certain number of game records have been used from the first group of game records.