Player wagering account and methods thereof

• US 8,393,955 B2
• Filed: 06/28/2007
• Issued: 03/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LNW Gaming Incorporated
• Original Assignee: WMS Gaming Incorporated (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Inventors: Arezina, Vladimir I., Gagner, Mark, Hornik, Jeremy M., Schwartz, Richard T., Thomas, Alfred
• Primary Examiner(s): Deodhar, Omkar
• Assistant Examiner(s): TORIMIRO, ADETOKUNBO OLUSEGUN
• Application Number:
  US12/304,368
• Publication Number:
  US 20100227670A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,084 Days
• Field of Search: 463/20, 463/23, 463/25, 463/40, 463/41, 463/42, 273/143, 273/292
• 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 17/3244 Payment aspects of a gaming system, e.g. payment schemes, setting payout ratio, bonus or consolation prizes
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3248 involving non-monetary media of fixed value, e.g. casino chips of fixed value
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3251 involving media of variable value, e.g. programmable cards, programmable tokens

Abstract

A system for adding funds to a handheld gaming machine. The system includes a portable digital wallet that wirelessly communicates with a handheld gaming machine (“handheld”). The digital wallet stores an amount of funds or funds associated with a remotely stored player account, and is used by the player to add credits to a handheld. The credit meter may be stored remotely, though the player perceives that the funds are actually being transferred via the digital wallet. Other funding techniques include a kiosk that accepts cash or credit/debit cards and dispenses tickets or other media that encodes information representing an amount of funds. The player uses this media to add credits to the handheld. The media may be player-dependent such that the player'"'"'s identity is somehow linked to the media or it may be player-agnostic such that the player'"'"'s identity is not linked to the funds associated with the media.

Claims

1. A method of transferring funds for playing a wagering game, comprising:

receiving an amount of funds;

storing a player account associated with a player;

communicating from a first portable data unit to a second portable data unit a signal representing an authorization of the transfer of the received funds to the player account;

increasing a balance of the player account by the amount of received funds;

crediting a credit meter associated with a wagering game playable on a handheld gaming machine;

debiting the player account by the amount credited on the credit meter; and

displaying the wagering game on the handheld gaming machine.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the storing is carried out on a server remote from the handheld gaming machine, the method further comprising establishing a wireless communication link between the remote server and the handheld gaming machine.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the receiving is carried out at a funding terminal communicatively linked with the remote server and the handheld gaming machine, the funding terminal accepting funds from the player.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising storing data representing the credit meter in a memory of the remote server.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the increasing is carried out without transferring any funds to a handheld gaming machine.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing data representing the credit meter in a memory of the handheld gaming machine.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving is carried out at the handheld gaming machine, the method further comprising scanning, at the handheld gaming machine, a ticket encoded with information representing the amount of funds.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a signal indicative of a wager amount on the wagering game and deducting the amount of the wager from the player account balance.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising deducting the amount of the wager from the credit meter and displaying information indicative of the credit meter on the handheld gaming machine.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the funds include cash.

11. The method of transferring funds of claim 1, wherein the first portable data unit is a player card and the second portable data unit is an attendant card.

12. A method of transferring funds for playing a wagering game, comprising:

storing a player account on a server, the player account comprising a total amount of funds;

communicating a funds transfer signal from a portable data unit to a handheld gaming machine indicating a funding amount from the player account for association with the handheld gaming machine;

causing a first credit meter to be displayed on a display of the handheld gaming machine;

causing the first credit meter on the handheld gaming machine to be credited by the funding amount;

receiving a wager at the handheld gaming machine;

debiting the player account by the amount of the wager;

causing the first credit meter on the handheld gaming machine to be debited by an amount corresponding to the wager;

determining that the amount of funds associated with the handheld gaming machine is below a threshold;

when the amount of funds is determined to be below the threshold, receiving from the handheld gaming machine a request for funds from the player account;

communicating to the handheld gaming machine a signal representing an additional amount of funds; and

causing the first credit meter on the handheld gaming machine to be credited by an amount corresponding to the additional amount of funds.

13. The method of transferring funds of claim 12, further comprising:

comparing the request for funds to the total amount of funds of the player account;

determining that the request for funds exceeds the total amount of funds; and

receiving a request for a lower amount of funds from the handheld gaming machine.

14. The method of transferring funds of claim 12, wherein no funds are stored on the handheld gaming machine.

15. A method of transferring funds for playing a wagering game, comprising:

receiving at a funding terminal an amount of funds;

crediting a player account with the amount of funds;

wirelessly communicating a signal representing the amount of funds to a portable data unit;

wirelessly communicating a signal representing the amount of funds from the portable data unit to a handheld gaming machine, wherein the amount of funds is credited to a credit meter displayed on the handheld gaming machine;

receiving from the handheld gaming machine a wager, wherein the credit meter displayed on the handheld gaming machine is debited to reflect the wager; and

debiting the player account by an amount corresponding to the wager.

16. The method of transferring funds of claim 15, wherein the funding terminal is a kiosk.

17. The method of transferring funds of claim 15, wherein the communicating a signal representing the amount of funds to a portable data unit comprises transmitting the signal over a wireless communication link.

18. The method of transferring funds of claim 15, wherein the player account is maintained on a server associated with the funding terminal and wherein no funds are stored on the handheld gaming machine or the portable data unit.

19. The method of transferring funds of claim 18, wherein the credit meter displayed on the handheld gaming machine is stored on the server.