Prize redemption kiosk

• US 8,308,554 B2
• Filed: 06/22/2007
• Issued: 11/13/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Rowe, Richard E., Pennington, Richard, Oberberger, Michael M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Elisca, Pierre Eddy
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kamal, Shahid
• Application Number:
  US11/821,145
• Publication Number:
  US 20080318671A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,971 Days
• Field of Search: 463/25, 463/26, 463/42, 463/24, 463/40
• US Class Current: 463/25
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3253 involving articles, e.g. paying in bottles, paying out toys
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3262 Player actions which determine the course of the game, e.g. selecting a prize to be won, outcome to be achieved, game to be played

Abstract

Some preferred implementations of the invention provide a kiosk that can read a cashless instrument, determine one or more corresponding items of merchandise for which the cashless instrument may be redeemed and provide the corresponding item(s) of merchandise. The cashless instrument may be, for example, an ordinary “cash out” ticket, a ticket formed according to the invention, a player loyalty instrument, etc. Some implementations of the invention provide EGMs configured to issue cashless instruments that may be exchanged for various types of merchandise. The cashless instruments may be, for example, encoded tickets. Some implementations provide EGMs configured for encoding a prize code that indicates a corresponding item of merchandise for which the cashless instrument may be redeemed. However, a cashless instrument may or may not indicate a prize code. If a cashless instrument includes a prize code, the prize code may or may not be indicated in human-readable form.

Claims

1. A kiosk, comprising:

a cashless instrument reader configured to determine cashless instrument information from a cashless instrument issued by a wager gaming machine;

an indicator for indicating a plurality of non-cash physical merchandise prizes to a player;

a mechanism configured to provide a non-cash physical merchandise prize in the plurality of non-cash physical merchandise prizes; and

a logic system configured to;

determine that the cashless instrument is redeemable at the kiosk for one or more of the non-cash physical merchandise prizes in the plurality of non-cash physical merchandise prizes based on the cashless instrument information;

determine a cashless instrument monetary value from the cashless instrument information;

determine a non-cash physical merchandise prize monetary value that is greater than the cashless instrument monetary value;

calculate a monetary difference between the non-cash physical merchandise prize monetary value and the cashless instrument monetary value; and

control the indicator to indicate the one or more non-cash physical merchandise prizes.

2. The kiosk of claim 1, wherein the logic system comprises at least one processor.

3. The kiosk of claim 1, wherein cashless instrument reader comprises a ticket reader.

4. The kiosk of claim 1, wherein the cashless instrument information comprises a monetary value of the cashless instrument.

5. The kiosk of claim 1, wherein the cashless instrument information comprises a code that corresponds with the one or more non-cash physical merchandise prizes.

6. The kiosk of claim 1, further comprising a memory having a data structure stored therein, the data structure including information identifying each non-cash physical merchandise prize in the plurality of non-cash physical merchandise prizes and corresponding redemption requirements information, wherein the redemption requirements information for each non-cash physical merchandise prize indicates requirements that the cashless instrument information of the cashless instrument must meet to establish that the cashless instrument is redeemable for the corresponding non-cash physical merchandise prize.

7. The kiosk of claim 6, wherein the redemption requirements information comprises a monetary amount.

8. The kiosk of claim 1, wherein the mechanism comprises a system for dispensing the non-cash physical merchandise prizes.

9. The kiosk of claim 1, further comprising a display of the plurality of the non-cash physical merchandise prizes.

10. The kiosk of claim 1, further comprising an input device configured to receive an input indicating a selection of a non-cash physical merchandise prize.

11. The kiosk of claim 1, further comprising a cashless instrument validator.

12. The kiosk of claim 1, further comprising a cashless instrument voider.

13. The kiosk of claim 1, wherein the indicator comprises at least one of a display device and an audio device.

14. The kiosk of claim 1, further comprising a player loyalty account interface configured to receive player loyalty account information, wherein the logic system is further configured to determine that the cashless instrument is redeemable at the kiosk for one or more of the non-cash physical merchandise prizes in the plurality of non-cash physical merchandise prizes based on the combination of the cashless instrument information with the player loyalty account information.

15. The kiosk of claim 6, wherein the redemption requirements information comprises a range of monetary amounts.

16. The kiosk of claim 7, wherein the logic system is further configured to:

determine a cashless instrument monetary value from the cashless instrument information;

select a non-cash physical merchandise prize with corresponding redemption requirements information indicating a monetary value that is less than or equal to the cashless instrument monetary value;

calculate a monetary difference between the cashless instrument monetary value and the monetary value indicated by the corresponding redemption requirements information; and

provide at least one indicium of value corresponding to the monetary difference.

17. The kiosk of claim 1, further comprising a messaging device configured to provide a message, wherein the logic system is further configured to do the following:

select a non-cash physical merchandise prize with corresponding redemption requirements indicating a monetary amount corresponding with the non-cash physical merchandise prize monetary value;

and

cause the messaging device to provide a message indicating that the non-cash physical merchandise prize with corresponding redemption requirements indicating a monetary amount corresponding with the non-cash physical merchandise prize monetary value may be obtained for the monetary difference.

18. The kiosk of claim 10, wherein the input device comprises at least one of a button panel, a graphical user interface provided on a display device, a microphone and a dial.

19. The kiosk of claim 1, wherein the logic system is further configured to do the following:

determine a monetary value of the cashless instrument from the cashless instrument information; and

determine a range of monetary values including the monetary value of the cashless instrument,

wherein the determining that the cashless instrument is redeemable at the kiosk for the one or more of the non-cash physical merchandise prizes in the plurality of non-cash physical merchandise prizes is based on monetary values of the one or more non-cash physical merchandise prizes being within the range of monetary values.

20. The kiosk of claim 19, wherein the logic system is further configured to control at least one of a speaker or a display device to offer at least one of the one or more non-cash physical merchandise prizes.

21. A kiosk, comprising:

player loyalty account interface configured to receive player loyalty account information from a player loyalty instrument issued by a wager gaming machine;

an indicator for indicating a plurality of non-cash physical merchandise prizes to a player;

a mechanism configured to provide a physical merchandise prize in the plurality of non-cash physical merchandise prizes; and

a logic system configured to;

determine a player loyalty point amount that corresponds with the player loyalty account information;

determine a non-cash physical merchandise prize player loyalty point value that is greater than the player loyalty point amount;

calculate a monetary amount corresponding to the difference between the non-cash physical merchandise player loyalty point value and the player loyalty point amount;

determine that one or more player loyalty points in the player loyalty point amount is redeemable at the kiosk for one or more of the non-cash physical merchandise prizes in the plurality of non-cash physical merchandise prizes based on the player loyalty point amount; and

control the indicator to indicate the one or more non-cash physical merchandise prizes.

22. The kiosk of claim 21, wherein the indicator comprises at least one of a display device and an audio device.

23. The kiosk of claim 21, further comprising a cashless instrument reader configured to determine cashless instrument information from a cashless instrument issued by a wager gaming machine, wherein the logic system is further configured to determine that the one or more player loyalty points in combination with the cashless instrument information is redeemable at the kiosk for at least one of the one or more of the non-cash physical merchandise prizes in the plurality of non-cash physical merchandise prizes.

24. The kiosk of claim 21, wherein the indicator comprises a plurality of windows for displaying non-cash physical merchandise prizes or representations of non-cash physical merchandise prizes.

25. The kiosk of claim 21, wherein the logic system comprises at least one processor.

26. The kiosk of claim 21, wherein the player loyalty account interface comprises a player loyalty card reader.

27. The kiosk of claim 21, further comprising a memory having a data structure stored therein, the data structure including information identifying each non-cash physical merchandise prize in the plurality of non-cash physical merchandise prizes and corresponding redemption requirements information, wherein the redemption requirements information for each non-cash physical merchandise prize indicates requirements˜

that the one or more player loyalty points must meet to establish that the one or more player loyalty points are redeemable for the corresponding non-cash physical merchandise prize.

28. The kiosk of claim 21, further comprising a memory having a data structure stored therein, the data structure indicating non-cash physical merchandise prizes and corresponding non-cash physical merchandise prize monetary values.

29. The kiosk of claim 21, further comprising an input device configured to receive an input indicating a selection of a non-cash physical merchandise prize.

30. The kiosk of claim 23, wherein the cashless instrument information comprises a monetary value of the cashless instrument.

31. The kiosk of claim 23, wherein the cashless instrument information comprises a code that corresponds with a non-cash physical merchandise prize.

32. The kiosk of claim 23, further comprising a memory having a data structure stored therein, the data structure indicating non-cash physical merchandise prizes and corresponding non-cash physical merchandise prize monetary values.

33. The kiosk of claim 23, further comprising a memory having a data structure stored therein, the data structure indicating non-cash physical merchandise prizes and corresponding cashless instrument information.

34. The kiosk of claim 29, wherein the receiving input device comprises at least one of a button panel, a graphical user interface provided on a display device, a microphone and a dial.

35. The kiosk of claim 32, wherein the logic system is further configured to do the following:

determine a combination value based on the combination of the player loyalty account information and the cashless instrument information,

determine whether there is a non-cash physical merchandise prize with a non-cash physical merchandise prize value that is less than or equal to the combination value;

determine, when there is a non-cash physical merchandise prize value that is less than or equal to the cashless instrument value, a second non-cash physical merchandise prize corresponding with the non-cash physical merchandise prize value;

calculate a value difference between the cashless instrument value and the non-cash physical merchandise prize value; and

provide at least one indicium of value corresponding to the value difference.

36. The kiosk of claim 32, wherein the logic system is further configured to do the following:

determine a combination value based on the combination of the player loyalty account information and the cashless instrument information;

determine whether there is a non-cash physical merchandise prize with a non-cash physical merchandise prize value that is greater than the combination value;

determine a second non-cash physical merchandise prize corresponding with the non-cash physical merchandise prize value;

calculate a value difference between the non-cash physical merchandise prize value and the combination value; and

cause the indicator to provide a message indicating that the second non-cash physical merchandise prize could be obtained for the value difference.

37. The kiosk of claim 35, wherein the non-cash physical merchandise prize value is at least one of a monetary value and a player loyalty point value.

38. The kiosk of claim 36, wherein the non-cash physical merchandise prize value is at least one of a monetary value and a player loyalty point value.

39. The kiosk of claim 21, wherein the logic system is further configured to cause the indicator to provide a message indicating that a non-cash physical merchandise prize with a player loyalty point value that is greater than the player loyalty point amount may be obtained in exchange for the player loyalty point amount and the monetary amount corresponding to the difference between the non-cash physical merchandise prize player loyalty point value and the player loyalty point amount.