Self-verifying gaming voucher having secondary machine readable indicia

• US 7,118,478 B2
• Filed: 09/25/2002
• Issued: 10/10/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Caesars License Company, LLC (Caesars Entertainment, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Harrah's Operating Company Incorporated (Caesars Entertainment, Inc.)
• Inventors: Pangoras, William N., Fayter, Peter C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Thai, Xuan M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): WILLIAMS, ROSS A
• Application Number:
  US10/255,160
• Publication Number:
  US 20040058728A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,476 Days
• Field of Search: 463 25- 29, 463/42, 463/43, 463 16- 19, 463 20- 22, 463/24, 463/44, 377/8, 235375-386, 235/462.01, 235/462.02, 235/462.07, 283/102, 283/73, 283/74, 700 91- 93, 273/269, 273/274
• US Class Current: 463/25
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/0043 using barcodes
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3248 involving non-monetary media of fixed value, e.g. casino chips of fixed value

Abstract

A gaming voucher is printed with first and second machine readable indicia. The first machine readable indicia represents a unique gaming voucher number. The monetary value of the gaming voucher and additional information about the gaming voucher is stored in a database remote from the gaming machine in association with the unique gaming voucher number. The second machine readable indicia represents the asset number of the gaming machine that produced the gaming voucher, the value of the gaming voucher, and a portion of the unique gaming voucher number. The gaming voucher is self-validating during a counting process in a count room, and thus no access to the remote database is required to initially verify the authenticity of the gaming voucher. The information encoded in the first and second machine readable indicia may also be used in conjunction with the data in the remote database during a voucher redemption process to verify the authenticity of the gaming voucher.

Claims

1. A method of verifying the authenticity and value of gaming vouchers output from a gaming machine, the method comprising:

(a) printing a first machine readable indicia on the gaming voucher, the first machine readable indicia representing a unique gaming voucher number and not including data representing the value of the gaming voucher;

(b) storing the value of the gaming voucher in a database remote from the gaming machine in association with the unique gaming voucher number;

(c) printing a second machine readable indicia on the gaming voucher, the second machine readable indicia representing at least;

(i) the value of the gaming voucher; and

(ii) a portion of the unique gaming voucher number;

(d) outputting the gaming voucher containing the first and second machine readable indicia from the gaming machine;

(e) reading the first and second machine readable code during a voucher redemption process; and

(f) comparing the data in the second machine readable indicia to the data in the remote database to verify the authenticity and value of the gaming voucher,

wherein the first and second machine readable indicia are bar code symbols.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the first bar code symbol is a USS-I 2/5 type bar code and the second bar code symbol is a USS Code 128 bar code symbol.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the portion of the unique gaming voucher number is the last two digits of the gaming voucher number.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein step (b) further comprises storing the asset number of the gaming machine that produced the gaming voucher in the database remote from the gaming machine in association with the unique gaming voucher number, and in step (c) the second machine readable indicia further representing (iii) the asset number of the gaming machine that produced the gaming voucher, wherein step (f) further comprises using the gaming machine asset number data in the second machine readable indicia and the remote database to verify the authenticity of the gaming voucher.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the gaming voucher is output when a game is won, the value of the gaming voucher being equal to the value of the won game.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the gaming voucher is output when a player cashes out of the gaming machine, the value of the gaming voucher being equal to a credit balance at the gaming machine upon cash out.

7. A method of printing gaming vouchers output from a gaming machine that can have their authenticity and value verified during a voucher redemption process, the method comprising:

(a) printing a first machine readable indicia on the gaming voucher, the first machine readable indicia representing a unique gaming voucher number and not including data representing the value of the gaming voucher, the value of the gaming voucher being stored in a database remote from the gaming machine in association with the unique gaming voucher number;

(b) printing a second machine readable indicia on the gaming voucher, the second machine readable indicia representing at least;

(i) the value of the gaming voucher; and

(ii) a portion of the unique gaming voucher number; and

(c) outputting the gaming voucher containing the first and second machine readable indicia from the gaming machine, wherein during a voucher redemption process, the first and second machine readable code may be read and the data in the second machine readable indicia may be compared to the data in the remote database to verify the authenticity and value of the gaming voucher,

wherein the first and second machine readable indicia are bar code symbols.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the first bar code symbol is a USS-I 2/5 type bar code and the second bar code symbol is a USS Code 128 bar code symbol.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein the portion of the unique gaming voucher number is the last two digits of the gaming voucher number.

10. The method of claim 7 wherein the asset number of the gaming machine that produced the gaming voucher is stored in the database remote from the gaming machine in association with the unique gaming voucher number, and in step (b) the second machine readable indicia further representing (iii) the asset number of the gaming machine that produced the gaming voucher, wherein during the voucher redemption process, the gaming machine asset number data in the second machine readable indicia and the remote database may be compared to verify the authenticity of the gaming voucher.

11. The method of claim 7 wherein the gaming voucher is output when a game is won, the value of the gaming voucher being equal to the value of the won game.

12. The method of claim 7 wherein the gaming voucher is output when a player cashes out of the gaming machine, the value of the gaming voucher being equal to a credit balance at the gaming machine upon cash out.