Casino patron tracking and information use

• US 8,979,646 B2
• Filed: 11/30/2006
• Issued: 03/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Moser, Timothy, Nelson, Dwayne, Williams, Richard, Rowe, Rick
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim, Kevin Y
• Application Number:
  US11/565,424
• Publication Number:
  US 20070087834A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,029 Days
• Field of Search: 463/42
• US Class Current: 463/29
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/322 Casino tables, e.g. tables having integrated screens, chip detection means
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3223 Architectural aspects of a gaming system, e.g. internal configuration, master/slave, wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3227 Configuring a gaming machine, e.g. downloading personal settings, selecting working parameters
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3237 about the players, e.g. profiling, responsible gaming, strategy/behavior of players, location of players
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3239 Tracking of individual players
• 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

Methods and devices are described that allow a casino to dynamically service patrons. The dynamic systems and methods collect data related to the behavior of multiple people in a gaming establishment, and collect data for entertainment resources in the gaming establishment, such as gaming devices and services. The data may be flexibly used. In one embodiment, a person is at least partially identified in the casino. The gaming establishment uses a model that selects tailor offerings for a person, such as advertisements for services that the person may enjoy or games on gaming machines that the person may enjoy. The model selects a tailored offering for the person based on the at least partial identification and the data previously obtained for multiple people and entertainment resources. The identification, selection and offering may be performed in real time. In another embodiment, the gaming establishment uses the data to reconfigure its entertainment resources to better deploy its resources relative to the behavior of people in that specific gaming establishment.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

(A) receiving at a server, said server comprising a database, personal information associated with multiple persons in a gaming establishment;

(B) causing the server to store in the database;

(a) said received personal information;

(b) for each of a plurality of different entertainment resources, one or more resource metadata values that characterize said entertainment resource;

(c) for each of a plurality of different demographic categories, at least one demographic characteristic associated with said demographic category; and

(d) for each demographic category, for each resource metadata value of each entertainment resource, a resource weight representing a relevancy of said resource metadata value to said demographic category;

(C) receiving at the server an identification of at least one personal characteristic of a first one of the persons in the gaming establishment;

(D) receiving at the server a location of the first person within the gaming establishment; and

(E) for the first person, in real-time;

(a) causing the server to compare the identified at least one personal characteristic of the first person with the at least one demographic characteristic of one or more of the demographic categories;

(b) based on said comparison, causing the server to assign the first person to one of the demographic categories;

(c) causing the server to, for each of a plurality of the entertainment resources, determine a desirability ranking for said entertainment resource by;

(i) for each resource metadata value associated with said entertainment resource, multiplying said resource metadata value by the resource weight of the assigned demographic category associated with said resource metadata value; and

(ii) summing the products of said multiplications;

(d) causing the server to select a tailored offer for the first person from the plurality of the entertainment resources based on the determined desirability rankings, wherein the selected tailored offer comprises at least one of the entertainment resources having the highest desirability rankings;

(e) causing the server to select one of a plurality of different devices based on the location of the first person; and

(f) causing the selected device to provide the selected tailored offer to the first person.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of entertainment resources comprise one or more of the following:

games of chance, advertisements, and services.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein each resource metadata value comprises a numeric value that represents characteristics of resource metadata.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein each resource metadata value comprises one or more of the following:

a genre of a game of chance,

an indication of a presence of a bonus game of chance,

an indication of a presence of multiple paylines, and

an indication of a presence of a progressive game of chance.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the identified at least one personal characteristic of the first person comprises one or more of the following:

a number of times the first person has played a particular game of chance,

a genre of games preferred by the first person,

the first person'"'"'s age,

an indication of the first person'"'"'s preference for a particular bonus game, and

an indication of the first person'"'"'s preference for games of chance having multiple paylines.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein for at least one demographic category, one of the at least one demographic characteristic associated with said at least one demographic category is one of a genre of games, a genre of media, age, gender, country of origin, education level, annual income, occupation, and marital status.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein for at least one demographic category, one of the at least one demographic characteristic associated with said at least one demographic category comprises historical game play data, interests data, preferences data for the first person, or a combination thereof.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected tailored offer includes the entertainment resource having the highest desirability ranking.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected device is a gaming machine and the selected tailored offer comprises one or more of:

a game of chance and an advertisement.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the location of the first person is a target location.

11. A non-transitory computer readable medium including a plurality of instructions which, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to:

(A) receive personal information associated with multiple persons in a gaming establishment,

(B) store in a database;

(a) said received personal information;

(b) for each of a plurality of different entertainment resources, one or more resource metadata values that characterize said entertainment resource;

(c) for each of a plurality of different demographic categories, at least one demographic characteristic associated with said demographic category; and

(d) for each demographic category, for each resource metadata value of each entertainment resource, a resource weight representing a relevancy of said resource metadata value to said demographic category;

(C) receive an identification of at least one personal characteristic of a first one of the persons in the gaming establishment;

(D) receive a location of the first person within the gaming establishment; and

(E) for the first person, in real-time;

(a) compare the identified at least one personal characteristic of the first person with the at least one demographic characteristic of one or more of the demographic categories;

(b) based on said comparison, assign the first person to one of the demographic categories;

(c) for each of a plurality of the entertainment resources, determine a desirability ranking for said entertainment resource by;

(i) for each resource metadata value associated with said entertainment resource, multiplying said resource metadata value by the resource weight of the assigned demographic category associated with said resource metadata value; and

(ii) summing the products of said multiplications;

(d) select a tailored offer for the first person from the plurality of the entertainment resources based on the determined desirability rankings, wherein the selected tailored offer comprises at least one of the entertainment resources having the highest desirability rankings;

(e) select one of a plurality of different devices based on the location of the first person; and

(f) cause the selected device to provide the tailored offer to the first person.

12. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the entertainment resources comprise one or more of the following:

games of chance, advertisements, and services.

13. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein each resource metadata value comprises one or more of the following:

a genre of a game of chance,

an indication of a presence of a bonus game of chance,

an indication of a presence of multiple paylines, and

an indication of a presence of a progressive game of chance.

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the identified at least one personal characteristic of the first person comprises one or more of the following:

a number of times the first person has played a particular game of chance,

a genre of games preferred by the first person,

the person'"'"'s age,

an indication of the first person'"'"'s preference for a particular bonus game, and

an indication of the first person'"'"'s preference for games of chance having multiple paylines.

15. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein for at least one demographic category, one of the at least one demographic characteristic associated with said at least one demographic category comprises historical game play data, interests data, preferences data for the first person, or a combination thereof.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the selected device is a gaming device and the selected tailored offer comprises one or more:

a game of chance and an advertisement.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the location of the first person is a target location.

18. A system comprising:

a plurality of display devices;

a communication network; and

a server including at least one processor and at least one memory device that stores a plurality of instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to;

(A) receive personal information associated with multiple persons in a gaming establishment,

(B) store in a database;

(a) said received personal information;

(b) for each of a plurality of different entertainment resources, one or more resource metadata values that characterize said entertainment resource;

(c) for each of a plurality of different demographic categories, at least one demographic characteristic associated with said demographic category; and

(d) for each demographic category, for each resource metadata value of each entertainment resource, a resource weight representing a relevancy of said resource metadata value to said demographic category;

(C) receive an identification of at least one personal characteristic of a first one of the persons in the gaming establishment;

(D) receive a location of the first person within the gaming establishment; and

(E) for the first person, in real-time;

(a) compare the identified at least one personal characteristic of the first person with the at least one demographic characteristic of one or more of the demographic categories;

(b) based on said comparison, assign the first person to one of the demographic categories;

(c) for each of a plurality of the entertainment resources, determine a desirability ranking for said entertainment resource by;

(i) for each resource metadata value associated with said entertainment resource, multiplying said resource metadata value by the resource weight of the assigned demographic category associated with said resource metadata value; and

(ii) summing the products of said multiplications;

(d) select a tailored offer for the first person from the plurality of the entertainment resources based on the determined desirability rankings, wherein the selected tailored offer comprises at least one of the entertainment resources having the highest desirability rankings;

(e) select one of the display devices based on the location of the first person; and

(f) send the selected tailored offer to the selected display device via the communication network and cause the selected display device to display the selected tailored offer.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the entertainment resources comprise one or more of the following:

games of chance, advertisements, and services.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein each resource metadata value comprises comprise one or more of the following:

a genre of a game of chance,

an indication of a presence of a bonus game of chance;

an indication of a presence of multiple paylines, and

an indication of a presence of a progressive game of chance.

21. The system of claim 18, wherein the identified at least one personal characteristic of the first person comprises one or more of the following:

a number of times the first person has played a particular game of chance,

a genre of games preferred by the first person,

the first person'"'"'s age,

an indication of the first person'"'"'s preference for a particular bonus game, and

an indication of the first person'"'"'s preference for games of chance having multiple paylines.

22. The system of claim 18, wherein for at least one demographic category, one of the at least one demographic characteristic associated with said at least one demographic category comprises historical game play data, interests data, preferences data for the first person, or a combination thereof.

23. The system of claim 18, wherein the selected display device is part of a gaming device and the selected tailored offer comprises one or more of:

a game of chance and an advertisement.

24. The system of claim 18, wherein the location of the first person is a target location.

25. A server comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory device that stores a plurality of instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to;

(A) receive personal information associated with multiple persons in a gaming establishment;

(B) store in a database;

(a) said received personal information;

(b) for each of a plurality of different entertainment resources, one or more resource metadata values that characterize said entertainment resource;

(c) for each of a plurality of different demographic categories, at least one demographic characteristic associated with said demographic category; and

(d) for each demographic category, for each resource metadata value of each entertainment resource, a resource weight representing a relevancy of said resource metadata value to said demographic category;

(C) receive an identification of at least one personal characteristic of a first one of the persons in the gaming establishment;

(D) receive a location of the first person within the gaming establishment; and

(E) for the first person, in real-time;

(a) compare the identified at least one personal characteristic of the first person with the at least one demographic characteristic of one or more of the demographic categories;

(b) based on said comparison, assign the first person to one of the demographic categories;

(c) for each of a plurality of the entertainment resources, determine a desirability ranking for said entertainment resource by;

(i) for each resource metadata value associated with said entertainment resource, multiplying said resource metadata value by the resource weight of the assigned demographic category associated with said resource metadata value; and

(ii) summing the products of said multiplications;

(d) select a tailored offer for the first person from the plurality of the entertainment resources based on the determined desirability rankings, wherein the selected tailored offer comprises at least one of the entertainment resources having the highest desirability rankings;

(e) select one of a plurality of different devices based on the location of the first person; and

(f) cause the selected device to provide the selected tailored offer.

26. The server of claim 25, wherein the entertainment resources comprise one or more of the following:

games of chance, advertisements, and services.

27. The server of claim 25, wherein each resource metadata value comprises one or more of the following:

a genre of a game of chance,

an indication of a presence of a bonus game of chance,

an indication of a presence of multiple paylines, and

an indication of a presence of a progressive game of chance.

28. The server of claim 25, wherein the identified at least one personal characteristic of the first person comprises one or more of the following:

a number of times the first person has played a particular game of chance,

a genre of games preferred by the first person,

the first person'"'"'s age,

an indication of the first person'"'"'s preference for a particular bonus game, and

an indication of the first person'"'"'s preference for games of chance having multiple paylines.

29. The server of claim 25, wherein for at least one demographic category, one of the at least one demographic characteristic associated with said at least one demographic category comprises historical game play data, interests data, preferences data for the first person, or a combination thereof.

30. The server of claim 25, wherein the selected device is a gaming machine and the selected tailored offer offering comprises one or more of:

a game of chance and an advertisement.

31. The server of claim 25, wherein the location of the first person is a target location.