System and method for communicating a gaming machine notification to a mobile device

• US 9,245,409 B1
• Filed: 05/23/2015
• Issued: 01/26/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NRT Technology Corp.
• Original Assignee: Joingo, LLC (NRT Technology Corp.)
• Inventors: Finney, John D., Kanwetz, Alex
• Primary Examiner(s): Torimiro, Adetokunbo O
• Application Number:
  US14/720,750
• Time in Patent Office: 248 Days
• Field of Search: 463/20, 463/22, 463/25, 463/39, 463/42
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0212 Chance discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0226 Incentive systems for frequent usage, e.g. frequent flyer miles programs or point systems
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3225 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 17/3293 Card games, e.g. poker, canasta, black jack
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

A system and method for communicating gaming machine information to a player is disclosed herein. The system includes a mobile communication device for the player, a server and a gaming machine at a venue. The gaming machine comprises a transceiver for receiving and transmitting short-range communication transmissions, and a maximum payoff event. The communication informs the player that the maximum payoff event for the gaming machine has not occurred and invites the player to visit the venue during the interval between visits.

Claims

1. A method for communicating gaming machine information to a player, the method comprising:

associating a gaming machine at a venue with a player, wherein the player is a member of a loyalty program of the venue and the player has played the gaming machine in excess of a predetermined threshold of times;

determining a venue visit pattern for the player wherein the venue visit pattern comprises venue visit time and an interval between visits;

determining that a maximum payoff event for the gaming machine has not occurred during the interval between visits;

transmitting a communication to the player that the maximum payoff event for the gaming machine has not occurred and inviting the player to visit the venue during the interval between visits.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein the gaming machine is one of a slot machine, video poker machine, video blackjack machine or pai gow machine.

3. The method according to claim 1 wherein transmitting a communication to the player comprises transmitting a SMS text to a mobile communication device of the player.

4. The method according to claim 1 wherein transmitting a communication to the player comprises transmitting an email to the player.

5. The method according to claim 1 wherein transmitting a communication to the player comprises transmitting an alert to a native application on a mobile communication device of the player.

6. The method according to claim 1 wherein associating a gaming machine at a venue with a player comprises recording a plurality of activations for a loyalty card of the player at the gaming machine.

7. The method according to claim 1 wherein associating a gaming machine at a venue with a player comprises receiving and transmitting near field communications between a native application on a mobile communication device of the player and the gaming machine.

8. A system communicating gaming machine information to a player, the system comprising:

a mobile communication device for a player, the mobile communication device comprising a resident mobile application for a venue, the mobile resident application configured to transmit a communication utilizing a short range communication format;

a gaming machine at the venue, the gaming machine comprising a transceiver for receiving and transmitting short range communication transmissions, wherein the gaming machine comprises a maximum payoff event;

a server in communication with the gaming machine over a WLAN;

wherein the server associates the gaming machine at the venue with a player, wherein the player is a member of a loyalty program of the venue and the player has played the gaming machine in excess of a predetermined threshold of times;

wherein the server determines a venue visit pattern for the player wherein the venue visit pattern comprises venue visit time and an interval between visits;

wherein the server determines that the maximum payoff event for the gaming machine has not occurred during the interval between visits;

wherein the server transmits a communication to the player that the maximum payoff event for the gaming machine has not occurred and invites the player to visit the venue during the interval between visits.

9. The system according to claim 8 wherein the gaming machine is one of a slot machine, video poker machine, video blackjack machine or pai gow machine.

10. The system according to claim 8 wherein the server transmits a SMS text to a mobile communication device of the player.

11. The system according to claim 8 wherein the server transmits an email to the player.

12. The system according to claim 8 wherein the server transmits an alert to a native application on a mobile communication device of the player.

13. The system according to claim 8 wherein the server records a plurality of activations for a loyalty card of the player at the gaming machine.

14. The system according to claim 8 wherein the server records near field communications between a native application on a mobile communication device of the player and the gaming machine.