Casino gambling system with biometric access control

• US 7,871,329 B2
• Filed: 10/23/2006
• Issued: 01/18/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Rowe, Richard E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Vo; Peter DungBa
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shah; Milap
• Application Number:
  US11/585,019
• Publication Number:
  US 20070060334A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,548 Days
• Field of Search: 463/25, 463/29, 463 40- 42, 382/115, 382/116, 382/124, 382168-172
• US Class Current: 463/29
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1012 involving biosensors worn by the player, e.g. for measuring heart beat, limb activity
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/37 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voice recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3206 Player sensing means, e.g. presence detection, biometrics
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3244 Payment aspects of a gaming system, e.g. payment schemes, setting payout ratio, bonus or consolation prizes

Abstract

A casino gambling system may comprise a plurality of casino gambling units and at least one computer that may include a biometric input apparatus capable of generating digital data representing a unique physical characteristic of a user and a controller operatively coupled to the biometric input apparatus. The controller may be programmed to control access to the computer based upon digital data generated by the biometric input apparatus. The biometric input apparatus may be a camera for generating an image of a person'"'"'s face, an eye scanner, a fingerprint scanner, or a microphone and a voice digitizer. The gambling units may be programmed to play a game selected from the group of video games consisting of video poker, video blackjack, video slots, video keno and video poker.

Claims

1. A casino gambling system comprising:

a biometric input apparatus capable of generating digital data representing a unique physical characteristic of a person;

a cashier controller operatively coupled to said biometric input apparatus, said cashier controller comprising a microprocessor and a memory, said cashier controller programmed to;

store a first set of digital data derived from the biometric input apparatus in response to a person presenting a unique physical characteristic to the biometric input apparatus at a first time;

store a second set of digital data derived from the biometric input apparatus in response to the person presenting the unique physical characteristic to the biometric input device at a second time;

determine whether the biometric input apparatus has made a predetermined number of scans of the same physical characteristic of the person,

wherein the first and second sets of digital data comprise pixels that correspond to images of the unique physical characteristic; and

generate a set of composite digital data by determining an average pixel intensity on a pixel-by-pixel basis of the pixels in the first set of digital data and the pixels in the second set of digital data when at least the predetermined number of scans has been made.

2. A casino gambling system as defined in claim 1 wherein said biometric input apparatus comprises a fingerprint scanner.

3. A casino gambling system as defined in claim 1 wherein said biometric input apparatus comprises an eye scanner.

4. A casino gambling system as defined in claim 1 wherein said biometric input apparatus comprises a camera.

5. A casino gambling system as defined in claim 1 wherein said biometric input apparatus comprises a microphone.

6. A casino gambling system as defined in claim 1, wherein said cashier controller is programmed to control access to said cashier computer.

7. A casino gambling system as defined in claim 6, wherein said cashier controller is programmed to control access to said cashier computer by verifying the identity of the person based upon the composite digital data.

8. A casino gambling system as defined in claim 1, wherein said cashier controller is programmed to:

cause a first prompt to the person to be generated to cause the person to present a unique physical characteristic of the person to said biometric input apparatus at a first time; and

cause a second prompt to the person to be generated to cause the person to present the same unique physical characteristic of the person.

9. A cashier computer comprising:

a biometric input apparatus capable of generating digital data representing a unique physical characteristic of a person; and

a cashier controller operatively coupled to said biometric input apparatus, said cashier controller comprising a microprocessor and a memory, said cashier controller programmed to;

store a first set of digital data derived from the biometric input apparatus in response to the person presenting a unique physical characteristic to the biometric input apparatus at a first time;

store a second set of digital data derived from the biometric input apparatus in response to the person presenting the unique physical characteristic to the biometric input device at a second time;

determine whether the biometric input apparatus has made a predetermined number of scans of the same physical characteristic of the person,

wherein the first and second sets of digital data comprise pixels that correspond to images of the unique physical characteristic; and

generate a set of composite digital data by determining an average pixel intensity on a pixel-by-pixel basis of the pixels in the first set of digital data and the pixels in the second set of digital data when at least the predetermined number of scans has been made.

10. A cashier computer as defined in claim 9 wherein said biometric input apparatus comprises a fingerprint scanner.

11. A cashier computer as defined in claim 9 wherein said biometric input apparatus comprises an eye scanner.

12. A cashier computer as defined in claim 9 wherein said biometric input apparatus comprises a camera.

13. A cashier computer as defined in claim 9 wherein said biometric input apparatus comprises a microphone.

14. A cashier computer as defined in claim 9, wherein said cashier controller is programmed to control access to said cashier computer based upon said composite digital data.

15. A cashier computer as defined in claim 14, wherein said cashier controller is programmed to control access to said cashier computer by verifying the identity of the person based upon said composite digital data.

16. A cashier computer as defined in claim 9, wherein said cashier controller is programmed to:

cause a first prompt to the person to be generated to cause the person to present a unique physical characteristic of the person to said biometric input apparatus at a first time; and

cause a second prompt to the person to be generated to cause the person to present the same unique physical characteristic of the person.

17. A cashier computer comprising:

a biometric input apparatus capable of generating digital data representing a unique physical characteristic of a person; and

a cashier controller operatively coupled to said biometric input apparatus, said cashier controller comprising a microprocessor and a memory, said cashier controller programmed to;

store a first set of digital data derived from the biometric input apparatus in response to the person presenting a unique physical characteristic to the biometric input apparatus at a first time;

store a second set of digital data derived from the biometric input apparatus in response to the person presenting the unique physical characteristic to the biometric input device at a second time;

determine whether the biometric input apparatus has made a predetermined number of scans of the same physical characteristic of the person,

wherein the first and second sets of digital data comprise pixels that correspond to images of the unique physical characteristic; and

generate a set of composite digital data by determining an average pixel intensity on a pixel-by-pixel basis of the pixels in the first set of digital data and the pixels in the second set of digital data when at least the predetermined number of scans has been made,

wherein said cashier controller is programmed to control access to said cashier computer by verifying the identity of the person based upon the composite digital data.