Associating portable wagering game machines with a stationary wagering game machine

• US 8,323,099 B2
• Filed: 08/20/2008
• Issued: 12/04/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sg Gaming, Inc. (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: WMS Gaming Incorporated (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Inventors: Durham, Timothy J., Gagner, Mark B., Pacey, Larry J., Rasmussen, James M., Sylla, Craig J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hall, Arthur O.
• Application Number:
  US12/674,400
• Publication Number:
  US 20110124401A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,567 Days
• Field of Search: 463 16- 23, 463 25- 33, 463 39- 43, 273/138.1, 273/139, 273/138.2, 273/141.A, 273454-456, 273/460, 705 56- 57, 705/64, 705/67, 705/72, 705 74- 75, 705 78- 79, 709203-207, 709/FOR.113, 713/1, 713/100, 713/150, 713/155, 713/170, 713/176, 713182-184, 713186-189, 713/300, 713/375, 713/400, 713/500, 713/600, 902 2- 3, 902/23, 902/38, 902/40
• US Class Current: 463/25
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3218 wherein at least part of the system is portable
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3225 Data transfer within a gaming system, e.g. data sent between gaming machines and users

Abstract

Embodiments of a portable wagering game machine and a stationary wagering game machine are described herein. In one embodiment, a plurality of portable wagering game machines are associated with a stationary wagering game machine. Group wagering game data is displayed on the stationary wagering game machine. The group wagering game data includes wagering content for viewing by multiple players. At each of the plurality of portable wagering game machines, individual wagering game data is displayed. The individual wagering game data and the group wagering game data relate to a wagering game.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining that a portable wagering game machine has been inactive for a given time period while docked with a stationary wagering game machine via a physical interface, wherein the portable wagering game machine is associated with a user account;

responsive to said determining that the portable wagering game machine has been inactive for a given time period while docked with the stationary wagering game machine via the physical interface, transmitting profile information to a hospitality services system, wherein the profile information is associated with the user account;

receiving hospitality services related information from the hospitality services system, wherein the received hospitality services related information is based on the profile information;

publishing the received hospitality services related information to the portable wagering game machine via the physical interface.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said publishing comprises at least one of emitting audio, displaying text, displaying animation, displaying video, and displaying images.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising communicating to the hospitality services system, after said determining that the portable wagering game machine has been inactive for the given time period, that the portable wagering game machine is available for publishing hospitality services related information.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising determining that the portable wagering game machine was checked out with the user account.

5. A stationary wagering game machine comprising:

a processor;

a network interface;

a docking interface for docking a portable wagering game machine with the stationary wagering game machine;

a non-transitory medium having program instructions stored thereon, the program instructions executable by the processor to cause the processor to,

determine that a portable wagering game machine, which is associated with a user account, has been inactive for a given time period while docked with the stationary wagering game machine via the docking interface;

collect hospitality services information from a hospitality services system based, at least in part, on information associated with the user account responsive to a determination that the portable wagering game machine has been inactive for the given time period; and

publish the collected hospitality services information to the portable wagering game machine via the interface.

6. The system of claim 5 further comprising program instructions executable by the processor to cause the processor to communicate identifying data to the portable wagering game machine, wherein the identifying data identifies the stationary wagering game machine.

7. A non-transitory medium having program instructions stored thereon, the program instructions comprising:

program instructions configured to,

determine that a portable wagering game machine has been inactive for a given time period while docked with a stationary wagering game machine via an interface;

determine profile information associated with a user account used for checking out the portable wagering game machine;

transmit the profile information to a hospitality services system after a determination that the portable wagering game machine has been inactive for the given time period while docked with the stationary wagering game machine;

receive hospitality services related information from the hospitality services system, wherein the received hospitality services related information is based on the profile information; and

publish the received hospitality services related information to the portable wagering game machine while docked with the stationary wagering game machine.

8. The non-transitory medium of claim 7, wherein the program instructions configured to publish the received hospitality services related information to the portable wagering game machine comprises the program instructions configured to, at least one of, emit audio, display text, display animation, display video, and display images.

9. The non-transitory medium of claim 7 further comprising program instructions configured to communicate to the hospitality services system, after the determination that the portable wagering game machine has been inactive for the given time period, that the portable wagering game machine is available for publishing hospitality services related information.

10. The non-transitory medium of claim 7, wherein the program instructions configured to determine the profile information associated with a user account use to check out the portable wagering game machine comprises the program instructions configured to determine that the portable wagering game machine was checked out with the user account.