Player tracking assembly for complete patron tracking for both gaming and non-gaming casino activity

• US 7,311,605 B2
• Filed: 06/12/2002
• Issued: 12/25/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Moser, Timothy W.
• Primary Examiner(s): SAGER, MARK ALAN
• Application Number:
  US10/170,278
• Publication Number:
  US 20030232647A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,022 Days
• Field of Search: 463 12- 13, 463 16- 22, 463 25- 29, 463 40- 42, 463/39, 235375-382, 3405721-5724, 340/323.R, 342 27- 28, 342 42- 44, 700 91- 93, 273/143.R, 273/309, 273292-293, 273236-237, 273459-460
• US Class Current: 463/25
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3223 Architectural aspects of a gaming system, e.g. internal configuration, master/slave, wireless communication
• 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 player tracking system for tracking customer activity for a casino establishment having gaming sections and non-gaming sections. The player tracking system includes a plurality of player tracking cards for distribution to respective participating customers that incorporate respective customer accounts associated with respective customer IDs. The system further includes a plurality of gaming activity player tracking units positioned in the gaming section of the casino establishment proximate the gaming activity which cooperates with the player tracking cards to monitor the gaming activity data of the respective customer, and a plurality of non-gaming activity player tracking units positioned in the non-gaming section of the casino establishment proximate the non-gaming activity which cooperates with the player tracking cards to monitor the non-gaming activity data of the respective customer. A computer system includes a database of the respective customer accounts associated with respective customer Ids, and each gaming activity player tracking unit and each non-gaming activity player tracking unit coupled to the computer system to process the respective gaming activity data and non-gaming activity data for each respective customer.

Claims

1. A system for tracking customer activity, using player tracking media issued to respective customers that include respective customer IDs which are associated with respective customer accounts, at a casino establishment having gaming sections and non-gaming sections, said system comprising:

at least one gaming activity player tracking unit in the gaming section of the casino establishment which cooperates with the player tracking media to monitor the gaming activity data of the respective customer; and

at least one passive non-gaming activity player tracking unit in selected non-gaming sections of the casino establishment which cooperates with the player tracking media to passively monitor an entrance time and exit time of the respective customers into and from respective non-gaming sections when moving about the casino establishment, free of any active recognition event thereof by the respective customers, the entrance time and exit time of which are applied to monitor the respective customers'"'"' tendencies to shop and/or visit the selected non-gaming sections so that promotional awards can be customized for the respective customer based upon their past attendance at the respective non-gaming sections, said non-gaming activity player tracking unit including a wireless interface capable of non-biometric passive detection, from a relatively distant range, the presence of a respective player tracking media in the local vicinity of the respective non-gaming section of the casino establishment.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein

said non-gaming activity player tracking unit is configured for placement proximate an opening into the respective non-gaming section to detect at least one of an entrance and an exit of the respective customer into and out of the respective non-gaming section.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein

said wireless interface is a Radio Frequency (RF) receiver.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein

said non-gaming activity includes the tracking of patron movement in said casino establishment.

5. The system of claim 1, further including:

a computer system having a database of the respective customer accounts associated with respective customer Ids, and each said at least one gaming activity player tracking unit and the at least one non-gaming activity player tracking unit coupled to the computer system to generate the respective promotional award for each respective customer.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein

said relatively distant range is determined by a wireless communication protocol selected from one of the group consisting of IEEE 802.11a, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11x, hiperlan/2, HomeRF, and Bluetooth.

7. A player tracking system for tracking customer activities at a casino establishment having gaming sections and non-gaming sections, said system comprising:

at least one processor;

memory;

at least one interface for communicating with at least one other device in the casino establishment;

a first player tracking media for distribution to a participating first customer, the first player tracking media having associated therewith a first customer ID, the first customer ID being associated with a first account relating to the first customer;

a first gaming activity player tracking unit positioned in a first gaming section of the casino establishment and operable to cooperate with the first player tracking media to monitor the gaming activity data associated with the first customer; and

a first passive non-gaming activity player tracking unit positioned in a first non-gaming section of the casino establishment and operable to cooperate with the first player tracking media to passively track information relating to at least one event associated with the first customer, wherein the at least one event includes at least one event selected from a group consisting of;

an entrance time of the first customer into the first non-gaming section, and an exit time of the first customer from the first non-gaming section;

wherein the passive tracking of information relating to the first customer is based upon at least one event relating to an activity of the first customer which does not include the first customer actively providing input to an electronic device located within the first non-gaming section when moving about the casino establishment;

wherein the first non-gaming activity player tracking unit includes a first wireless interface operable to perform non-biometric passive detection of a presence of the first player tracking media within a specified vicinity of the first non-gaming section; and

wherein the player tracking system is operable to generate first customer tracking information using at least a portion of the passively tracked information relating to the first customer;

wherein the first customer tracking information includes at least a portion of information selected from information consisting of;

information relating to shopping activity associated with the first customer, and information relating to visitation of the first non-gaming section by the first customer; and

wherein the player tracking system is operable to generate at least one customized promotional award for the first customer based on at least a portion of the first customer tracking information.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein

said non-gaming activity player tracking unit is configured for placement proximate the entrances and exits of selected, respective non-gaming sections of the casino establishment to detect at least one of an entrance exit of the respective customer into and out of the respective non-gaming section.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein

said non-gaming sections include one or more of the following:

a casino restaurant, a casino shop, a casino theater, a casino bar and a casino showroom.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein

said database includes a management program to update the patron movement of the respective customers in said casino establishment over a time period.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein

said respective player tracking media is a Radio Frequency (RF) enabled smart card configured to generate an RF signal, and

said wireless interface is a Radio Frequency (RF) receiver responsive to said RF signal.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein

said relatively distant range is determined by a wireless communication protocol selected from one of the group consisting of IEEE 802.11a, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11x, hiperlan/2, HomeRF, and Bluetooth.

13. A method for tracking customer activity, using player tracking media for distribution to a participating first customer, the first player tracking media having associated therewith a first customer TD that, in turn, is associated with a first account relating to the first customer, at a casino establishment having gaming sections and non-gaming sections , said method comprising:

monitoring the gaming activity data associated with the first customer through their player tracking media by a first gaming activity player tracking unit positioned in the gaming section of the casino establishment;

passively tracking information relating to at least one non-gaming event associated with the first customer through their player tracking media by a first non- gaming activity player tracking unit positioned in the non-gaming section of the casino establishment;

said at least one event includes at least one event selected from a group consisting of;

an entrance time of the first customer into the first non-gaming section, and an exit time of the first customer from the first non-gaming section, said passively tracking information associated with the first customer is based upon an activity of the first customer which does not include the first customer actively providing input to an electronic device located within the first non-gaming section when moving about the casino establishment, said first non-gaming activity player tracking unit further includes a first wireless interface operable to perform non- biometric passive detection of a presence of the first player tracking media within a specified vicinity of the first non-gaming section;

generating first customer tracking information using at least a portion of the passively tracked information relating to the first customer, said first customer tracking information includes at least a portion of information selected from information consisting of;

information relating to shopping activity associated with the first customer, and information relating to visitation of the first non-gaming section by the first customer; and

customizing at least one promotional award for the first customer based on at least a portion of the first customer tracking information.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said respective player tracking media is a Radio Frequency (RF) enabled smart card configured to generate an RF signal, and

said wireless interface is a Radio Frequency (RF) receiver responsive to said RF signal.

15. The method of claim 13, further including:

placing the non-gaming activity player tracking unit proximate one of an entrance and an exit of a selected, respective non-gaming section of the casino establishment to detect one of the entrance time and the exit time of the respective customer into and out of the respective non-gaming section.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein

said non-gaming section includes one of the following:

a casino restaurant, a casino shop, a casino theater, a casino bar and a casino showroom.

17. The method of claim 15, further including:

tracking patron movement of the respective customers in the non-gaming sections of the casino establishment through the non-gaming activity data.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein

periodically updating the patron movement of the respective customers in said casino establishment over a time period.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein

said monitoring of the gaming activity data includes reading the customer identity information from the respective player tracking media through a reader device.

20. The method of claim 13, wherein

said relatively distant range is determined by a wireless communication protocol selected from one of the group consisting of IEEE 802.11a, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11x, hiperlan/2, HomeRF, and Bluetooth.