Player tracking communication mechanisms in a gaming machine

• US 7,112,138 B2
• Filed: 09/16/2002
• Issued: 09/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/03/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Hedrick, Joseph R., Nguyen, Binh T., Kinsley, Mike
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, KIM T
• Application Number:
  US10/246,373
• Publication Number:
  US 20030054881A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,471 Days
• Field of Search: 463 16- 20, 463/25, 463/30, 463/35, 463/37, 463 39- 40, 463 42- 43, 463/29, 463/31
• US Class Current: 463/29
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/405 being a wireless ad hoc network, e.g. Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Pico net
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0014 for vending, access and use of specific services not covered anywhere else in G07F17/00 meter-controlled dispensing of liquid, gas or electricity G07F15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3202 Hardware aspects of a gaming system, e.g. components, construction, architecture thereof
• 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 17/3239 Tracking of individual players

Abstract

A disclosed a player tracking unit provides a multimedia interface with a display and an interface to one or more sound projection devices and a multimedia board for processing digitally formatted program files for output on the multimedia interface. The player tracking unit may provide menus of audio and video programs, such as a menu for a musical jukebox or a menu for a video-on-demand service. Using a “TV-like” interface, a user may be able to select a program to output on the multimedia interface and control playback features of the program.

Claims

1. A player tracking unit comprising:

a multimedia interface comprising;

a video display;

an audio interface operable to connect to one or more sound projection devices;

one or more of the following player tracking interface devices;

a card reader, a key pad, a bonus button, a function button, a microphone, sound projection devices, a camera, a wireless interface device, a proximity sensor, selection buttons, a enter button, a bar-code reader, an RFID reader and a finger print reader;

a player tracking controller designed or configured to;

     1) communicate with the multimedia interface, the one or more player tracking interface devices, a master gaming controller that controls a game played on a gaming machine and one or more remote servers,

     2) output a program comprising one of audio content, video content and combinations thereof, to the multimedia interface;

     3) in response to a request initiated at a first remote server, receive a download of digitally formatted video content,

     4) in response to the request initiated at the first remote server, receive one or more conditions for when to display the digitally formatted video content;

     5) in response to a first condition of the one or more conditions being met, display the digitally formatted video content,

     6) collect gaming data from the gaming machine and

     7) send the gaming data to one of the remote servers;

a multimedia board for processing digitally formatted program files including the digitally formatted video content for output on the multimedia interface;

a memory for storing the downloaded digitally formatted video content coupled to the multimedia board.

2. The player tracking unit of claim 1, wherein the wireless interface device is capable of receiving input from a wireless remote control.

3. The player incking unit of claim 2, wherein the wireless remote control is for selecting the program for playback on the player tracking unit and for controlling playback features of the program.

4. The player tracking unit of claim 3, wherein the playback features are selected from the group consisting of pause, stop, play, forward, rewind and volume level.

5. The player tracking unit of claim 3, wherein the wireless remote control is configured like a TV/VCR remote control interface.

6. The player tracking unit of claim 1, wherein the player tracking unit includes the enter button and the selection buttons and the enter buttons and the selection buttons are configured like a TV/VCR remote control interface.

7. The player tracking unit of claim 1, wherein the multimedia interface further comprises:

one or more input devices for selecting programs for output on the multimedia interface and for controlling playback features of the multimedia interface.

8. The player tracking unit of claim 1, wherein the player tracking controller is further designed or configured to receive a program selection for playback on the multimedia interface.

9. The player tracking unit of claim 8, wherein the program selection is input into the player tracking unit from one or more of:

1) of a touch screen interface,

     2) a wireless remote control in conununication with the player tracking unit via the wireless interface,

     3) the key pad,

     4) the selection buttons,

     5) the enter button,

     6) the microphone and

     7) combinations thereof.

10. The player tracking unit of claim 8, wherein a selected program corresponding to the program selection is downloaded to the player tracking unit from a remote server.

11. The player tracking unit of claim 1, wherein the program is selected from the group consisting of an advertisement, news, stock quotes, electronic mail, a web page, a message service, a locator service and a hotel/casino service, a movie, a musical selection or a broadcast event.

12. The player tracking unit of claim 1, wherein the player tracking controller is further designed or configured to display a menu of programs on the display that are available for output on the multimedia interface.

13. The player tracking unit of claim 1, further comprising:

one or more of illumination devices adjacent to said display for visually communicating gaming information.

14. The player tracking unit of claim 1, further comprising:

a mass storage device.

15. The player tracking unit of claim 14, wherein the mass storage device is for storing one or more of programs, player tracking software, gaming machine software and combinations thereof.

16. The player tracking unit of claim 1, wherein the player tracking controller is further designed or configured to download programs for output on the multimedia interface from one at least one of a player tracking unit, a gaming machine, a remote server, a portable input device and combinations thereof.

17. The player tracking unit of claim 1, wherein the player tracking controller is further designed or configured to download gaming software for execution by at least one of the player tracking controller and the master gaming controller from at least one of a player tracking unit, a gaming machine, a remote server, a portable input device and combinations thereof.

18. The player tracking unit of claim 1, wherein the multimedia interface further comprises one or more sound projection devices connected to the audio interface.

19. The player tracking unit of claim 1, wherein the multimedia interface further comprises a touch screen interface over the display.

20. The player tracking unit of claim 1, further comprising:

a memory device storing a plurality of attract programs for output on the multimedia interface wherein the attract programs are played according to a schedule.

21. The player tracking unit of claim 20, wherein the player tracking unit includes a proximity detector and wherein a first attract program is output to the multimedia interface in response to a signal from the proximity indicating a user near the player tracking unit.

22. The player tracking unit of claim 20, wherein to attract programs are downloaded to the player tracking unit from a remote server and stored on the memory device.

23. The player tracking unit of claim 20, wherein the attract programs stored on the memory device are varied with time.

24. The player tracking unit of claim 23, wherein to video content and the audio content used in to attract programs are selected to match a holiday theme.

25. The player tracking unit of claim 23, wherein the video content and audio content used in the attract programs are selected using player identification information for a player at the gaming machine.

26. The player tracking unit of claim 25, wherein the player identification information is stored in a player tracking account for the player.

27. The player tacking unit of claim 1, wherein the program is selected from a video-on-demand menu which provides a plurality of video program selections.

28. The player tracking unit of claim 1, wherein the multimedia board is capable of processing programs received by the player tracking unit in a streaming format.

29. The player tracking unit of claim 1, wherein the player tracking controller is further designed or configured for peer-to-peer communications with one or more other player tracking units.

30. The player tracking unit of claim 29, wherein the peer-to-peer communications allow a user of the player tracking unit to communicate with a second user on a second player tracking unit.

31. The player tracking unit of claim 1, wherein the player tracking controller is further designed or configured to provide a feature used in one of competitive game play or cooperative game play on the multimedia interface.

32. The player tracking unit of claim 31, wherein the feature is a status display for the competitive game play or to cooperative game play.

33. The player tracking imit of claim 1, wherein the player tracking controller is further designed or configured to provide a feature that augments a game of chance generated by the master gaming controller.

34. The player tracking unit of claim 1, wherein the player tracking controller is further designed or configured to control a game played on the multimedia interface.

35. The player tracking unit of claim 34, wherein the game is one of a bonus game and a game of chance.

36. The player tracking unit of claim 1, wherein the player tracking controller is further designed or configured to provide one of a video player, an audio player and a web-browser on the multimedia interface.

37. The player tracking unit of claim 1, wherein the player tracking controller is further designed or configured to register one of the player tracking unit, a gaming machine and combinations thereof with one or more remote servers.

38. The player tracking unit of claim 37, wherein the remote servers are selected from the group consisting of a dynamic host configuration protocol server, a network time protocol server, a file transfer protocol server, a floor controller server, a player tracking/accounting server.

39. The player tracking unit of claim 1, further comprising:

an audio input interface for inputting musical selections from a portable music device for output on the multimedia interface.

40. The player tracking unit of claim 1, wherein player tracking controller is further designed or configured to display a menu of audio program selections available for output on the multimedia interface.

41. The player tracking unit of claim 1, further comprising:

a network interface.

42. The player tracking unit of claim 1, wherein the multimedia board further comprises at least one of an Ethernet interface, a digital audio/video decoder, a NTSC/PAL decoder, a video output interface, a video input interface, a USB interface, a PCI interface, an IDE interface, an ISA interface, a CPU, a graphics card, a USB interface, a wireless interface, an audio output interface, an audio input interface, an audio codec (coder/decoder), a microphone input interface, a memory interface and combinations thereof.

43. The player tracking unit of claim 1, wherein the player tracking controller is further designed or configured to send messages including one or more of video content, audio content and text for display on a multimedia interface on a second player tracking unit.

44. The player tracking unit of claim 1, wherein the player tracking controller is designed or configured to communicate with the one or more player tracking interface devices using at least one of a USB communication standard, an IEEE 1394 communication standard or a Firewire communication standard.

45. The player tracking unit of claim 1, wherein the display is at least one of a LCD display, a plasma display and a CRT.

46. The player tracking unit of claim 1, wherein the display is between about 3 inches and about 15 inches in diameter.

47. The player tracking unit of claim 1, further comprising:

one or more of a CD player, an FM/AM tuner, a DVD player, a TV timer, a hard-drive and combinations thereof.

48. A gaming machine comprising:

a master gaming controller designed or configured to control one or more games of chance played on the gaming machine; and

a player tracking unit comprising;

a multimedia interface comprising;

a video display;

an audio interface operable to connect to one or more sound projection devices;

one or more of the following player tracking interface devices;

a card reader, a key pad, a bonus button, a function button, a microphone, sound projection devices, a camera, a wireless interface device, a proximity sensor, selection buttons, an enter button, a bar-code reader, an RFID reader and a finger print reader;

a player tracking controller designed or configured to;

     1) communicate with the multimedia interface, the one or more player tracking interface devices, the master gaming controller that controls the game played on the gaming machine and one or more remote servers,

     2) output a program comprising one of audio content, video content and combinations thereof, to the multimedia interface;

     3) in response to a request initiated at a first remote server, receive a download of digitally formatted video content,

     4) in response to the request initiated at the first remote server, receive one or more conditions for when to display the digitally formatted video content;

     5) in response to a first condition of the one or more conditions being met, display the digitally formatted video content;

     6) collect gaming data from the gaming machine and

     7) send the gaming data to one of the remote servers;

a multimedia board for processing digitally formatted program files including the digitally formatted video content for output on the multimedia interface;

a memory for storing the downloaded digitally formatted video content coupled to the multimedia board.

49. The gaming machine of claim 48, wherein the one or more games of chance is selected from the group consisting of video slot games, mechanical slot games, video black jack games, video poker games, video keno games, video pachinko games, video card games, video games of chance and combinations thereof.

50. The gaming machine of claim 48, further comprising:

an antenna for transmitting and receiving wireless communications.

51. The gaming machine of claim 48, wherein the multimedia interface further comprises:

one or more input devices for selecting programs for output on the multimedia interface and for controlling playback features of the multimedia interface.

52. The gaming machine of claim 48, wherein the wireless interface device is capable of receiving input from a wireless remote control.

53. The gaming machine of claim 52, wherein the wireless remote control is for selecting the program for playback on the player tracking unit and for controlling playback features of the program.

54. The gaming machine of claim 48, wherein the player tracking controller is further designed or configured to receive a program selection for playback on the multimedia interface.

55. The gaming machine of claim 54, wherein a selected program corresponding to the program selection is downloaded to the player tracking unit from a remote server.

56. The gaming machine of claim 48, wherein the program is selected from the group consisting of an advertisement, news, stock quotes, electronic mail, a web page, a message service, a locator service and a hotel/casino service, a movie, a musical selection or a broadcast event.

57. The gaming machine of claim 48, wherein the player tracking controller is further designed or configured to display a menu of programs on the display that are available for output on the multimedia interface.

58. The gaming machine of claim 48, wherein the player tracking controller is further designed or configured to download programs for output on the multimedia interface from one at least one of a player tracking unit, a gaming machine, a remote server, a portable input device and combinations thereof.

59. The gaming machine of claim 48, wherein the player tracking controller is further designed or configured to download gaming software for execution by at least one of the player tracking controller and the master gaming controller from at least one of a player tracking unit, a gaming machine, a remote server, a portable input device and combinations thereof.

60. The gaming machine of claim 48, wherein the program is selected from a video-on-demand menu providing a plurality of video program selections.

61. The gaming machine of claim 48, wherein the multimedia board is capable of processing programs received by the player tracking unit in a streaming format.

62. The gaming machine of claim 48, wherein the player tracking controller is further designed or configured for peer-to-peer communications with one or more other player tracking units.

63. The gaming machine of claim 48, wherein the player tracking controller is further designed or configured to provide a feature that augments the game of chance generated by the master gaming controller on the gaming machine.

64. A player tracking system comprising:

one or more remote servers;

a plurality of gaming machines, said gaming machines each comprising;

a master gaming controller designed or configured to control one or more games of chance played on the gaming machine; and

a player tracking unit comprising;

a multimedia interface comprising;

a video display;

an audio interface operable to connect to one or more sound projection devices;

one or more of the following player tracking interface devices;

a card reader, a key pad, a bonus button, a function button, a microphone, sound projection devices, a camera, a wireless interface device, a proximity sensor, selection buttons, an enter button, a bar-code reader, an RFID) reader and a finger print reader;

a player tracking controller designed or configured to;

     1) communicate with the multimedia interface, the one or more player tracking interface devices, the master gaming controller that controls the game played on the gaming machine and the one or more remote servers,

     2) output a program comprising one of audio content, video content and combinations thereof, to the multimedia interface;

     3) in response to a request initiated at a first remote server, receive a download of digitally formatted video content,

     4) in response to the request initiated at the first remote server, receive one or more conditions for when to display the digitally formatted video content;

     5) in response to a first condition of the one or more conditions being met, display the digitally formatted video content;

     6) collect gaming data from the gaming machine and

     7) send the gaming data to one of the remote servers;

a multimedia board for processing digitally formatted program files including the digitally formatted video content for output on the multimedia interface;

a memory for storing the downloaded digitally formatted video content coupled to the multimedia board; and

a network designed or configured to allow communication between the plurality of gaming machines, the player tracking units on the gaming machines and the one or more remote servers.

65. The player tracking network of claim 64, wherein the one or more remote servers are selected from the group consisting of a player tracking/accounting server, a video/audio content server, a messaging server, a gaming software server and a cashless system server.