Method and apparatus for gaming promotional printer

• US 7,594,855 B2
• Filed: 03/31/2003
• Issued: 09/29/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Futurelogic Incorporated (Japan Cash Machine Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: Futurelogic Incorporated (Japan Cash Machine Company Limited)
• Inventors: Meyerhofer, Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): Haskins; Twyler L
• Assistant Examiner(s): DICKERSON, CHAD S
• Application Number:
  US10/405,112
• Publication Number:
  US 20040095604A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,374 Days
• Field of Search: 358 115- 118, 358/1.1, 463/25, 463/16, 463/1, 463/29, 463/36, 463 39- 43, 705/14, 710/11, 710/17, 235/375, 235/381, 700/231, 700/232, 221/1, 221/2, 221 7- 10
• US Class Current: 463/42
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/342 Cards defining paid or billed services or quantities
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0209 Incentive being awarded or redeemed in connection with the playing of a video game
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0224 based on user history
• 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 17/3239 Tracking of individual players
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/42 for ticket printing or like apparatus , e.g. apparatus for dispensing of printed paper tickets or payment cards
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/025 by means, e.g. cards, providing billing information at the time of purchase, e.g. identification of seller or purchaser, quantity of goods delivered or to be delivered
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality

Abstract

A method and apparatus for a gaming promotional printer for use within a cashless enabled gaming machine are disclosed. A gaming promotional printer includes a coupon database describing a stack of coupons that are specified using a template based couponing printer language. A coupon is selected for creation and issued to the player based on a matrix of event-based triggers involving factors or parameters known to the gaming promotional printer directly or supplied by master promotional controller. Triggers may include the time of day, the date or amount of a cash-out voucher to be issued to a player, the duration of play on a gaming machine, a player classification, the amount of money or credits added to a game, or a random frequency of coupon issuance having satisfied any or all of the aforementioned factors. The gaming promotional printer may further include the ability to store all of the coupons, trigger conditions, and related information resident in the gaming promotional printer in a non-volatile fashion thus enabling a host system to download a promotional environment into the gaming promotional printer which will run promotional campaigns on behalf of the hosting system.

Claims

1. A promotional printer, comprising:

a main communication port for coupling the promotional printer to a machine controller, the main communication port adapted to receive voucher data from the machine controller;

an auxiliary communication port, separate from the main communication port, for coupling the promotional printer to a promotional controller, the auxiliary communication port adapted to receive coupon data directly from the promotional controller separately of the machine controller; and

a processor adapted to;

receive the voucher data from the machine controller via the main communication port and generate a voucher using the voucher data; and

receive the coupon data from the promotional controller via the auxiliary communication port and generate a coupon using the coupon data.

2. The promotional printer of claim 1, wherein the processor is further adapted to conduct couponing activities in serial with vouchering activities.

3. The promotional printer of claim 1, wherein the processor is further adapted to conduct couponing activities in parallel with vouchering activities.

29. The promotional printer of claim 1, wherein the coupon is a promotional coupon for goods.

30. The promotional printer of claim 1, wherein the coupon is a promotional coupon for a service.

31. The promotional printer of claim 1, wherein the voucher is a voucher redeemable in a gaming machine.

32. The promotional printer of claim 1, wherein the voucher is a cash-out voucher for a gaming machine.

35. The promotional printer of claim 1, wherein the processor is further adapted to transmit coupon issuance data to the promotional controller via the auxiliary communication port.

4. The promotional printer of 1, wherein:

the coupon data includes a coupon template; and

the processor is further adapted to generate the coupon using variable data and the coupon template.

5. The promotional printer of claim 4, wherein the processor is further adapted to receive the variable data from the promotional controller via the auxiliary communication port.

6. The promotional printer of claim 4, wherein the processor is further adapted to receive the variable data from the machine controller via the main communication port.

7. The promotional printer of claim 4, wherein the processor is further adapted to generate the coupon in response to a trigger.

8. The promotional printer of claim 7, wherein the processor is further adapted to receive the trigger from the machine controller via the main communication port.

9. The promotional printer of claim 7, wherein the processor is further adapted to receive the trigger from the promotional controller via the auxiliary communication port.

10. The promotional printer of claim 7, wherein:

the coupon data includes trigger control parameters; and

the processor is further adapted to;

receive trigger data; and

generate the trigger using the trigger control parameters and the trigger data.

11. The promotional printer of claim 10, wherein the processor is further adapted to receive the trigger data from the promotional controller via the auxiliary communication port.

12. The promotional printer of claim 10, wherein the processor is further adapted to receive the trigger data from the machine controller via the main communication port.

13. The promotional printer of claim 10, wherein the trigger data includes a date.

14. The promotional printer of claim 10, wherein the trigger data includes a time of day.

15. The promotional printer of claim 10, wherein the trigger data includes a frequency of issuance of the coupon.

16. The promotional printer of claim 10, wherein the trigger data includes a time of play by a player of a gaming machine controlled by the machine controller.

17. The promotional printer of claim 10, wherein the trigger data includes a player identifier of a player of a gaming machine controlled by the machine controller.

18. The promotional printer of claim 10, wherein the trigger data includes an amount of money in play on a gaming machine controlled by the machine controller.

19. The promotional printer of claim 10, wherein the trigger data includes a duration of a current session of play of a gaming machine controlled by the machine controller.

20. The promotional printer of claim 10, wherein the trigger data includes a cash-in of a player of a gaming machine controlled by the machine controller.

21. The promotional printer of claim 10, wherein the trigger data includes a cash-out of a player of a gaming machine controlled by the machine controller.

22. The promotional printer of claim 10, wherein the trigger data includes an expiration date.

23. The promotional printer of claim 4, wherein the variable data includes a player identification of a player of a gaming machine controlled by the machine controller.

24. The promotional printer of claim 4, wherein the variable data includes a gaming machine identification of a gaming machine controlled by the machine controller.

25. The promotional printer of claim 4, wherein the variable data includes an expiration date.

26. The promotional printer of claim 4, wherein the variable data includes a barcode.

27. The promotional printer of claim 4, wherein the variable data includes an image.

28. The promotional printer of claim 4, wherein the variable data includes an image of a coupon.

33. The promotional printer of claim 4, wherein the variable data includes a graphic image.

34. The promotional printer of claim 4, wherein the variable data includes a graphic image of a coupon.

36. A method of printing coupons by a promotional printer having a main communication port for coupling the promotional printer to a machine controller, the main communication port adapted to receive voucher data from the machine controller for printing a voucher, the method comprising:

receiving coupon data from a promotional controller via an auxiliary communication port separate from the main communication port, the auxiliary communication port adapted to receive the coupon data directly from the promotional controller and separately of the machine controller; and

printing a coupon by the promotional machine printer using the coupon data.

37. The method of claim 36, further comprising:

receiving the voucher data by the promotional printer from a gaming machine controlled by the machine controller via the main communication port; and

printing the voucher by the promotional printer using the voucher data in serial with generating the coupon.

38. The method of claim 36, further comprising:

receiving the voucher data by the promotional printer from a gaming machine controlled by the machine controller via the main communication port; and

printing the voucher by the promotional printer using the voucher data in parallel with printing the coupon.

39. The method of claim 36, wherein the coupon data includes a coupon template, the method further comprising printing the coupon using variable data and the coupon template.

40. The method of claim 39, wherein the variable data is received from the promotional controller via the auxiliary communication port.

41. The method of claim 39, wherein the variable data is received from a gaming machine controlled by the machine controller via the main communication port.

42. The method of claim 39, further comprising printing the coupon in response to a trigger.

43. The method of claim 42, further comprising receiving the trigger from a gaming machine controlled by the machine controller via the main communication port.

44. The method of claim 42, further comprising receiving the trigger from the promotional controller via the auxiliary communication port.

45. The method of claim 42, wherein the coupon data includes trigger control parameters, the method further comprising:

receiving trigger data; and

printing the trigger using the trigger control parameters and the trigger data.

46. The method of claim 45, further comprising receiving the trigger data from the promotional controller via the auxiliary communication port.

47. The method of claim 45, further comprising receiving the trigger data from a gaming machine controlled by the machine controller via the main communication port.

48. The method of claim 45, wherein the trigger data includes a date.

49. The method of claim 45, wherein the trigger data includes a time of day.

50. The method of claim 45, wherein the trigger data includes a frequency of issuance of the coupon.

51. The method of claim 45, wherein the trigger data includes a time of play by a player of a gaming machine controlled by the machine controller.

52. The method of claim 45, wherein the trigger data includes a player identifier.

53. The method of claim 45, wherein the trigger data includes an amount of money in play on a gaming machine controlled by the machine controller.

54. The method of claim 45, wherein the trigger data includes a duration of a current session of play of a gaming machine controlled by the machine controller.

55. The method of claim 45, wherein the trigger data includes a cash-in of a player of a gaming machine controlled by the machine controller.

56. The method of claim 45, wherein the trigger data includes a cash-out of a player of a gaming machine controlled by the machine controller.

57. The method of claim 45, wherein the trigger data includes an expiration date.

58. The method of claim 39, wherein the variable data includes a player identification of a player of a gaming machine controlled by the machine controller.

59. The method of claim 39, wherein the variable data includes a gaming machine identification of a gaming machine controlled by the machine controller.

60. The method of claim 39, wherein the variable data includes an expiration date.

61. The method of claim 39, wherein the variable data includes a barcode.

62. The method of claim 39, wherein the variable data includes an image.

63. The method of claim 39, wherein the variable data includes an image of a coupon.

64. The method of claim 36, wherein the coupon is a promotional coupon for goods.

65. The method of claim 36, wherein the coupon is a promotional coupon for a service.

66. The method of claim 36, wherein the voucher is a voucher redeemable in a gaming machine.

67. The method of claim 36, wherein the voucher is a cash-out voucher for a gaming machine.

68. The method of claim 39, wherein the variable data includes a graphic image.

69. The method of claim 39, wherein the variable data includes a graphic image of a coupon.

70. The method of claim 36, further comprising transmitting coupon issuance data to the promotional controller via the auxiliary communication port.

71. A promotional printer, comprising:

voucher data receiving means for receiving voucher data from a machine controller;

coupon data receiving means, separate from the voucher data receiving means, for receiving coupon data directly from a promotional controller and separately of the machine controller;

printing means for printing a coupon using the coupon data and for printing a voucher using the voucher data.

72. The promotional printer of claim 71, wherein the coupon data receiving means is an auxiliary communication port and the voucher data receiving means is a main communication port.

73. The promotional printer of claim 71, further comprising variable data receiving means for receiving variable data for the coupon, wherein the printing means uses the variable data and the coupon data to print the coupon.

74. The promotional printer of claim 73, wherein the variable data receiving means is a main communication port.

75. The promotional printer of claim 73, wherein the variable data receiving means is an auxiliary communication port.

76. The promotional printer of claim 73, wherein the variable data is received from a gaming machine controlled by the machine controller.

77. The promotional printer of claim 73, wherein the variable data is received from the promotional controller.

78. The promotional printer of claim 71, wherein the printing means prints the coupon in response to a trigger, the promotional printer further comprising trigger receiving means for receiving the trigger.

79. The promotional printer of claim 78, wherein the promotional printer receives the trigger from the promotional controller.

80. The promotional printer of claim 78, wherein the promotional printer receives the trigger from a gaming machine controlled by the machine controller.

81. The promotional printer of claim 71, wherein the coupon is a promotional coupon for goods.

82. The promotional printer of claim 71, wherein the coupon is a promotional coupon for a service.

83. The promotional printer of claim 71, wherein the voucher is a voucher redeemable in a gaming machine.

84. The promotional printer of claim 71, wherein the voucher is a cash-out voucher for a gaming machine.