System and method for assigning a voucher to a player in a player tracking system

• US 7,303,470 B2
• Filed: 09/12/2003
• Issued: 12/04/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Konami Gaming Incorporated (Konami Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Konami Gaming Incorporated (Konami Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Huber, Doug, George, Jeffrey, Huang, Zhiguo, Pochin, John-Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): PEZZUTO, ROBERT ERIC
• Application Number:
  US10/661,390
• Publication Number:
  US 20040132531A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,544 Days
• Field of Search: 463/39, 463/40, 463/41, 463/42, 463/43, 463/25, 463/29
• US Class Current: 463/25
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3227 Configuring a gaming machine, e.g. downloading personal settings, selecting working parameters
• 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 17/3237 about the players, e.g. profiling, responsible gaming, strategy/behavior of players, location of players
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3239 Tracking of individual players

Abstract

A remote system for use with a gaming system implements a player tracking system. The remote system includes a remote device and a remote network interface coupled to the remote device for exchanging data between a host computer and the remote device. The data includes voucher information to issue a voucher to the player in the player tracking system. The voucher includes at least one of an associated product and service.

Claims

1. A remote system for use with a gaming system, the gaming system for implementing a player tracking system, the remote system comprising:

a remote device embodied in a handheld computer which may be carried by a user; and

,

a host computer having a remote network interface coupled to the remote device via a wireless connection for exchanging data between a host computer and the remote device, the data including;

player identification information entered by the user on the remote device and sent to the host computer;

a list of vouchers for which the corresponding player has enough comp or bonus points to purchase to the remote device from the host computer;

a selected voucher sent entered by the user on the remote device and sent to the host computer; and

voucher information to issue the selected voucher to the player in the player tracking system, the selected voucher having at least one of an associated product or service.

2. A remote system, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the selected voucher is:

a paper voucher printed on a remote printer carried by the user, and/or

a pre-printed voucher having a voucher ID number which is assigned to the players, and/or

an electronic voucher embodied in a record stored in a database.

3. A remote system, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the wireless connection uses an IEEE 802.11 standard.

4. A remote system, as set forth in claim 3, wherein the wireless connection is IEEE 802.11b.

5. A remote system, as set forth in claim 3, wherein the wireless connection is IEEE 802.11g.

6. A remote system, as set forth in claim 1, the remote device having a processor and a web client for interaction with a user.

7. A remote system, as set forth in claim 6, the web client for acquiring input from the user and formatting and presenting data to the user.

8. A remote system, as set forth in claim 1, the data including a request form, the remote network interface for sending the request form to the remote device.

9. A remote system, as set forth in claim 8, the data including player information, the request form being fillable with the player information by a user, the remote device for sending the player information to the remote network interface.

10. A remote system, as set forth in claim 9, the remote device having a processor and a web client for interaction with a user, the request form being accessible through the web client.

11. A remote system, as set forth in claim 1, the remote network interface for assigning the voucher to a voucher ID number associated with a printed voucher.

12. A remote system, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the voucher is stored as a record in a database.

13. A remote system, as set forth in claim 1, the host computer including a database for maintaining the player tracking system, the remote network interface coupled to the database for retrieving and storing data therein.

14. A remote system, as set forth in claim 13, the database for storing data in database tables.

15. A remote system, as set forth in claim 14, further comprising a plurality of first data object coupled to the database tables for retrieving and storing data in the database tables.

16. A remote system, as set forth in claim 15, further comprising at least one second data object coupled to the first data objects for assembling multiple first data objects into a third data object.

17. A remote system, as set forth in claim 16, the third data object coupled to the remote network interface for receiving queries from the remote network interface, retrieves responsive data from the database, formatting the responsive data and returning the responsive data to the remote network interface.

18. A remote system, as set forth in claim 17, the remote network interface for receiving the responsive data and transmitting the responsive data to the remote device.

19. A remote system, as set forth in claim 18, the remote device having a processor and a web client for interaction with a user, the remote network interface for formatting the responsive data into a hyper text mark-up language response for display by the web client.

20. A remote system, as set forth in claim 6, the web client including a plurality of servlets for providing functionality to a user.

21. A remote system, as set forth in claim 20, the web client including a login layer for identifying the user.

22. A remote system, as set forth in claim 21, the web client including a menu layer for allowing the user to navigate to and access the servlets.

23. A remote system, as set forth in claim 22, the user having an assigned type, the menu layer for allowing accessing to servlets and restricting access to servlets as a function of the assigned type.

24. A remote system, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the data includes a player ID card number.

25. A remote system, as set forth in claim 24, wherein the data includes a personal identification number.

26. A method for implementing a player tracking system for use with a gaming system, the method including the steps of:

providing a remote device embodied in a handheld computer which may be carried by a user;

providing a host computer coupled to the remote device via a wireless connection;

sending a fillable form to the remote device from the host computer over the wireless connection;

filling out the form with player identification information, by a user, on the remote device and sent to the host computer over the wireless connection;

sending a list of vouchers, for which the corresponding player has enough comp or bonus points to purchase, to the remote device from the host computer over the wireless connection;

sending a selected voucher entered by the user on the remote device and sent to the host computer over the wireless connection; and

issuing the selected voucher to the player, the voucher having at least one of an associated service and product.

27. A method, as set forth in claim 26, wherein the selected voucher is:

a paper voucher printed on a remote printer carried by the user, and/or

a pre-printed voucher having a voucher ID number which is assigned to the players, and/or

an electronic voucher embodied in a record stored in a database.

28. A method, as set forth in claim 26, wherein the wireless connection uses an IEEE 802.11 standard.

29. A method, as set forth in claim 28, wherein the wireless connection is IEEE 802.11b.

30. A method, as set forth in claim 28, wherein the wireless connection is IEEE 802.11g.

31. A method, as set forth in claim 26, the remote device having a processor and a web client for interaction with a user, the method including the steps of:

acquiring input via the web client from the user; and

,

formatting and presenting data to the user.

32. A method, as set forth in claim 26, the data including a request form, the method including the step of sending the request form to the remote device.

33. A method, as set forth in claim 32, the data including player information, the request form being fillable with the player information by the user, the method including the step of sending the player information to a remote network interface located on a host computer.

34. A method, as set forth in claim 33, the request form being accessible through the web client.

35. A method, as set forth in claim 34, the method including the step of the confirming that all required information on the request form was entered and instructing a display on the remote display to display an error message if all required information was not entered.

36. A method, as set forth in claim 26, including the step of assigning the voucher to a voucher ID number associated with a printed voucher.

37. A method, as set forth in claim 26, including the step of storing the voucher as a record in a database.

38. A method, as set forth in claim 26, data related to the player tracking system being stored in a database stored on a host computer, the method including the step of providing a remote network interface coupled to the database for retrieving and storing data therein.

39. A method, as set forth in claim 38, the method including the step of the storing data in the database in database tables.

40. A method, as set forth in claim 39, the method including the step of providing a plurality of first data object coupled to the database tables for retrieving and storing data in the database tables.

41. A method, as set forth in claim 40, the method including the step of providing at least one second data object coupled to the first data objects for assembling multiple first data objects into a third data object.

42. A method, as set forth in claim 41, the third object being coupled to the remote network interface, the method including the steps of receiving, by the third object, queries from the remote network interface, retrieving responsive data from the database, formatting the responsive data and returning the responsive data to the remote network interface.

43. A method, as set forth in claim 38, the method including the step of receiving, by the remote network interface, the responsive data and transmitting the responsive data to the remote device.

44. A method, as set forth in claim 43, the remote device having a processor and a web client for interaction with a user, the method including the steps of formatting, by the remote network interface, the responsive data into a hyper text mark-up language response for display by the web client.

45. A method, as set forth in claim 31, the web client including a plurality of servlets for providing functionality to a user.

46. A method, as set forth in claim 45, the web client including a login layer for identifying the user.

47. A method, as set forth in claim 46, the web client including a menu layer for allowing the user to navigate to and access the servlets.

48. A method, as set forth in claim 47, the user having an assigned type, the menu layer for allowing accessing to servlets and restricting access to servlets as a function of the assigned type.

49. A method, as set forth in claim 26, wherein the data includes a player ID card number.