Virtual players card

• US 9,240,100 B2
• Filed: 10/01/2013
• Issued: 01/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: LEAP Forward Gaming
• Inventors: Page, Timothy Allan, Lundy, Christopher T., Wells, William R
• Primary Examiner(s): D'Agostino, Paul A
• Assistant Examiner(s): LARSEN, CARL VICTOR
• Application Number:
  US14/043,724
• Publication Number:
  US 20140087849A1
• Time in Patent Office: 840 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/327 Short range or proximity payments by means of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0226 Incentive systems for frequent usage, e.g. frequent flyer miles programs or point systems
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3202 Hardware aspects of a gaming system, e.g. components, construction, architecture thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3211 Display 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 17/3225 Data transfer within a gaming system, e.g. data sent between gaming machines and users
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/323 wherein the player is informed, e.g. advertisements, odds, instructions
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3239 Tracking of individual players
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3241 Security aspects of a gaming system, e.g. detecting cheating, device integrity, surveillance computer security G06F21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3246 involving coins and/or banknotes
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/001 Interfacing with vending machines using mobile or wearable devices
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/026 for alarm, monitoring and auditing in vending machines or means for indication, e.g. when empty

Abstract

A gaming machine including a secondary processor coupled to a player tracking system for tracking game play of a patron using a virtual player loyalty card is described. A virtual player loyalty card can be created by associating an existing physical player loyalty card with a newly created mobile loyalty card account. The mobile card can be virtually inserted into an electronic gaming machine when a portable electronic device with an associated mobile application is in the vicinity of an electronic gaming machine. Once the mobile card is virtually inserted into the gaming machine, the patron'"'"'s game play at the gaming machine can be tracked.

Claims

1. A gaming system including a remote server and an electronic wager-based gaming machine, comprising:

the electronic wager-based gaming machine comprising;

a main display including a touch screen;

a game controller, coupled to the main display and the touch screen, configured to output a wager-based game to the main display and receive inputs from the touch screen;

a secondary processor, coupled to the main display and the touch screen, configured to;

     1) communicate with the remote server and a spoofing device,

     2) output a QR code to the main display,

     3) output to the main display a touch screen interface configured to receive an input of a code,

     4) receive the code via the touch screen interface,

     5) send the code to the remote server,

     6) receive, from the remote server magnetic striped data, associated with a physical loyalty card,

     7) send the magnetic striped data to the spoofing device;

a card reader configured to receive the physical loyalty card and read the magnetic striped data from the physical loyalty card; and

the spoofing device, under control of the secondary processor, operably connected to the card reader, the secondary processor, and a patron management system external to the gaming machine, wherein the spoofing device is configured to send a signal, using the magnetic striped data received from the secondary processor, to the patron management system indicating that the physical loyalty card is inserted into the card reader without the physical loyalty card being inserted into the card reader; and

the remote server comprising;

a processor and a memory,

the processor configured to;

     1) receive, from a mobile device, first information associated with the QR code output on the main display of the electronic wager-based gaming machine and second information associated with a mobile loyalty card from a mobile device,

     2) send the code to the mobile device,

     3) receive the code from the secondary processor,

     4) using the second information, retrieve magnetic striped data associated with the physical loyalty card and

     5) send to the secondary processor the magnetic striped data.

2. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the spoofing device blocks a signal from the card reader to the patron management system.

3. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the secondary processor is separate from the game controller.

4. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the secondary processor further controls at least one of a printer, bill validator, and card reader.

5. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the card reader can send data stored on a magnetic stripe on the physical loyalty card to the remote server via the secondary processor.

6. The gaming system of claim 5, wherein the data can be stored in a remote database.

7. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the data sent to the remote server after the QR code is scanned includes identification of the gaming machine.