Gaming device having two card readers

• US 8,641,532 B2
• Filed: 04/30/2008
• Issued: 02/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sg Gaming, Inc. (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Bally Gaming Incorporated (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Inventors: Morrow, James W., DiMichele, Carmen, Perry, Lars A., LeStrange, Michael M., Luciano, Robert, McAllister, Lawrence
• Primary Examiner(s): TORIMIRO, ADETOKUNBO OLUSEGUN
• Application Number:
  US12/112,231
• Publication Number:
  US 20090005176A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,106 Days
• Field of Search: 463/20, 463/21, 463/25, 463/40, 463/43, 463/42
• US Class Current: 463/43
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3239 Tracking of individual players
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3251 involving media of variable value, e.g. programmable cards, programmable tokens

Abstract

A gaming device includes a housing and a game display carried by the housing for displaying one or more games. The gaming device further includes two card readers carried by the housing: a first card reader to read information indicative of a player identity from a player club card issued by a casino, and a second card reader to read information indicative of a financial account from a financial card issued by a financial institution.

Claims

1. A gaming device, comprising:

a housing;

a game display carried by the housing for displaying one or more games;

a first card reader carried by the housing and configured to read information from card media including player club card media issued by a casino and indicative of a player identity of a respective player to whom a respective one of the player club card media was issued by the casino, financial card media issued by a financial institution and indicative of a financial account of the respective player, and technician card media indicative of a technician identity of a respective technician authorized to service the gaming device;

a second card reader carried by the housing and configured to read information from card media including the player club card media, the financial card media, and the technician card media;

a controller housed by the housing and communicatively coupled to at least one of the first or the second card readers, the controller responsive to selectively provide diagnostic access to the gaming device based at least in part on information read from the technician card media by at least one of the first or the second card readers, the information read from the technician card media which identifies the respective technician; and

a visual display carried by the housing, the visual display adjacent at least one of the first card reader and the second card reader, the visual display communicatively coupled to the controller, the visual display operable to display information identifying a type of card media to be inserted into a respective one of the first card reader and the second card reader, the displayed information based on a respective card media insertion status.

2. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein

the controller is communicatively coupled to both the first card reader and the second card reader and configured to receive the player identity information from one of the first card reader and the second card reader and the financial account information from the other of the first card reader and the second card reader.

3. The gaming device of claim 2, wherein the first card reader includes a first sensor and a first interface printed circuit board (PCB) configured to process a signal from the first sensor, and the second card reader includes a second sensor and a second interface printed circuit board (PCB) configured to process a signal from the second sensor.

4. The gaming device of claim 3, wherein the controller is coupled to the first interface PCB and the second interface PCB.

5. The gaming device of claim 3, wherein the first sensor comprises a first magnetic pickup, and the second sensor comprises a second magnetic pickup.

6. The gaming device of claim 2, wherein

the visual display displays information associated with the player club card media and the financial card media.

7. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein the first card reader includes a first sensor, and the second card reader includes a second sensor, further comprising:

a shared interface printed circuit board coupled to the first card reader and the second card reader and configured to process signals from the first sensor and from the second sensor.

8. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein the first card reader comprises an insertion-type card reader, and the second card reader comprises a swipe-type card reader.

9. The gaming device of claim 8, wherein the swipe-type card reader is oriented such that the card media may be swiped horizontally.

10. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein the first card reader comprises a first insertion-type card reader, and the second card reader comprises a second insertion-type card reader.

11. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein the first card reader comprises a first swipe-type card reader, and the second card reader comprises a second swipe-type card reader.

12. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein the first card reader includes at least one indicator light.

13. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein the first card reader is positioned adjacent the second card reader, and a dimension of the visual display is similar to a respective dimension of a slot of at least one of the first card reader and the second card reader.

14. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein the respective card media insertion status includes an insertion status of card media inserted into the other of the respective one of the first card reader and the second card reader and an insertion status of the type of the card media inserted into the other of the respective one of the first card reader and the second card reader.

15. The gaming device of claim 1, further comprising:

at least one touch sensitive input device carried by the housing, the at least one touch sensitive input device adjacent the visual display, the at least one touch sensitive input device communicatively coupled to the controller, the at least one touch sensitive input device operable to receive input from a user and provide signals to the controller in response thereto.

16. The gaming device of claim 15, wherein the at least one touch sensitive input device comprises at least one touch-activated bar, the input is a user touch that includes taps, drags and double taps, and in response to the input the controller causes at least one of a scroll of a page presented on the visual display, selection based upon information presented on the visual display or activation of a function presented on the visual display.

17. The gaming device of claim 15, wherein the at least one touch sensitive input device comprises at least one soft key, the at least one soft key corresponds to at least one function, the at least one function of the at least one soft key identified on the visual display.

18. The gaming device of claim 15, wherein the at least one touch sensitive input device comprises a touchpad, and in response to the input the controller causes at least one of a navigation of a pointer displayed on the visual display, a scroll of a menu displayed on the visual display or a selection based upon information provided on the visual display.

19. The gaming device of claim 18, wherein the at least one touch sensitive input device further comprises at least one touchpad button.

20. A method of operating a gaming device, comprising:

receiving a first card within a first card reader carried by the gaming device;

reading information from the first card indicative of at least one of a player identity of a respective player to whom the first card was issued by a casino, a financial account of the respective player, or a technician identity of a technician authorized to service the gaming device;

receiving a second card within a second card reader carried by the gaming device;

reading information from the second card indicative of at least one of the player identity, the financial account, or the technician identity;

selectively providing diagnostic access to the gaming device based at least in part on information read which identifies the technician authorized to service the gaming device; and

displaying information identifying a type of card media to be inserted into a respective one of the first card reader and the second card reader, the displayed information based on a respective card insertion status.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

determining that one of the first card and the second card is a player club card issued by the casino;

processing the player identity information based at least in part on the determination that the one of the first card and the second card is the player club card;

determining that the other of the first card and the second card is a technician identity card issued by the casino; and

processing the technician identity information based at least in part on the determination that the other of the first card and the second card is the technician identity card.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein receiving the second card includes receiving the second card within a swipe-type card reader.

23. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

receiving the player identity information and the financial account information at a controller.

24. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

determining whether the player identity information read from one of the first card and the second card matches an identity associated with the financial account information read from the other of the first card and the second card.

25. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

transferring money from the financial account to a player account at a casino associated with the first card.

26. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

determining that one of the first card and the second card is a technician identity card issued by the casino;

processing the technician identity information based at least in part on the determination that the one of the first card and the second card is the technician identity card;

determining that the other of the first card and the second card is a financial card issued by a financial institution; and

processing the financial account information based at least in part on the determination that the other of the first card and the second card is the financial card.

27. A gaming device, comprising:

a housing;

a game display carried by the housing for displaying one or more games;

a first reading means carried by the housing for reading information indicative of at least one of a player identity from a player club card issued by a casino, a financial account from a financial card issued by a financial institution, and a technician identity from a technician identity card issued by the casino;

a second reading means carried by the housing for reading information indicative of at least one of the player identity, the financial account, and the technician identity means for selectively providing diagnostic access to the gaming device based at least in part on information read which identifies the technician authorized to service the gaming device; and

a displaying means carried by the housing for displaying information identifying a type of card media to be inserted into a respective one of the first reading means and the second reading means, the displayed information based on a respective card media insertion status.