Managing limitation rules for wagering accounts

• US 8,784,192 B2
• Filed: 04/08/2013
• Issued: 07/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LNW Gaming Incorporated
• Original Assignee: WMS Gaming Incorporated (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Inventors: Gagner, Mark B., Rathsack, Erhard W., Thomas, Alfred
• Primary Examiner(s): Torimiro, Adetokynbo O
• Application Number:
  US13/858,467
• Publication Number:
  US 20130225273A1
• Time in Patent Office: 470 Days
• Field of Search: 463/16, 463/25, 463/42, 463/40, 705/39, 902/23
• US Class Current: 463/25
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/405 Establishing or using transaction specific rules
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3209 Input means, e.g. buttons, touch screen
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3225 Data transfer within a gaming system, e.g. data sent between gaming machines and users
• 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 17/3251 involving media of variable value, e.g. programmable cards, programmable tokens
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3255 Incentive, loyalty and/or promotion schemes, e.g. comps, gaming associated with a purchase, gaming funded by advertisements

Abstract

A wagering game account management system and its operations are described herein. In some embodiments, the operations include assigning one or more money values to a graphical user interface control and linking the graphical user interface control to a credit account. The credit account is a third-party financial account from which a player account is authorized to borrow funds up to a credit limit. In some embodiments, the operations further include providing the graphical user interface control for presentation during a wagering game session associated with the player account.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

assigning one or more money values to a graphical user interface control;

linking the graphical user interface control to a credit account, wherein the credit account is a third-party financial account from which a player account is authorized to borrow funds up to a credit limit; and

providing, via at least one of one or more processors, the graphical user interface control for presentation during a wagering game session associated with the player account.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

detecting an activation of the graphical user interface control via user input during the wagering game session; and

in response to the detecting the activation of the graphical user interface control, requesting a transfer, from the credit account to the player account, of an amount of money equal to at least one of the one or more money values.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the one or more money values are less than an amount of the credit limit.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

detecting an additional activation of the graphical user interface control via additional user input during the wagering game session; and

in response to the detecting the additional activation of the graphical user interface control, requesting a transfer, from the player account to the credit account, of an amount of money equal to at least one of the one or more money values.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising:

detecting that an amount of losses during the wagering game session exceeds a loss limit; and

automatically restricting the transfer, between the credit account and the player account, of the amount of money equal to the at least one of the one or more money values.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the one or more values are assigned to one or more graphics, and further comprising detecting a drag and drop of one of the one or more graphics to a credit meter for the wagering game session.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

transferring, from the player account to the credit account, a percentage of winnings attained from the wagering game session.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

detecting a user input indicating the one or more money values to assign to the graphical user interface control.

9. A system comprising:

one or more processors;

one or more memory units configured to store instructions, which when executed by at least one of the one or more processors, cause the system to perform operations to

assign one or more money values to a graphical user interface control,

link the graphical user interface control to a credit account, wherein the credit account is a third-party financial account from which a player account is authorized to borrow funds up to a credit limit, and

provide the graphical user interface control for presentation during a wagering game session associated with the player account.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the one or more memory units are configured to store instructions, which when executed by at least one of the one or more processors, cause the system to further perform operations to:

detect an activation of the graphical user interface control via user input during the wagering game session; and

in response to the activation of the graphical user interface control, request a transfer, from the credit account to the player account, of an amount of money equal to at least one of the one or more money values.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the one or more memory units are configured to store instructions, which when executed by at least one of the one or more processors, cause the system to further perform operations to:

detect that an amount of losses during the wagering game session exceeds a loss limit; and

automatically restrict the transfer, between the credit account and the player account, of the amount of money equal to the at least one of the one or more money values.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the one or more money values are less than an amount of the credit limit.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the one or more memory units are configured to store instructions, which when executed by at least one of the one or more processors, cause the system to further perform operations to:

detect an activation of the graphical user interface control via user input during the wagering game session; and

in response to the activation of the graphical user interface control, request a transfer, from the player account to the credit account, of an amount of money equal to at least one of the one or more money values.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the one or more memory units are configured to store instructions, which when executed by at least one of the one or more processors, cause the system to further perform operations to:

transfer, from the player account to the credit account, a percentage of winnings attained from the wagering game session.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the one or more memory units are configured to store instructions, which when executed by at least one of the one or more processors, cause the system to further perform operations to:

detect a user input indicating the one or more money values to assign to the graphical user interface control.

16. One or more non-transitory, machine-readable storage media having instructions stored thereon, which when executed by a set of one or more processors cause the set of one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

assigning one or more money values to a graphical user interface control;

linking the graphical user interface control to a credit account, wherein the credit account is a third-party financial account from which a player account is authorized to borrow funds up to a credit limit;

providing the graphical user interface control for presentation during a wagering game session associated with the player account;

detecting an activation of the graphical user interface control via user input during the wagering game session; and

in response to the activation of the graphical user interface control, requesting a transfer, between the credit account and the player account, of an amount of money equal to at least one of the one or more money values.

17. The one or more non-transitory, machine-readable storage media of claim 16, wherein the one or more money values are less than an amount of the credit limit.

18. The one or more non-transitory, machine-readable storage media of claim 16, wherein the operations further include:

transferring, from the player account to the credit account, a percentage of winnings attained from the wagering game session.

19. The one or more non-transitory, machine-readable storage media of claim 16, wherein the operations further include:

detecting a user input indicating the one or more money values to assign to the graphical user interface control.

20. The one or more non-transitory, machine-readable storage media of claim 16, wherein the operations further include:

detecting that an amount of losses during the wagering game session exceeds a loss limit; and

automatically restricting the transfer, between the credit account and the player account, of the amount of money equal to the at least one of the one or more money values.