Managing gaming account augmentation and restriction

• US 9,443,391 B2
• Filed: 07/28/2015
• Issued: 09/13/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LNW Gaming Incorporated (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Bally Gaming Incorporated (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Inventors: Gagner, Mark B., Rathsack, Erhard W., Thomas, Alfred
• Primary Examiner(s): TORIMIRO, ADETOKUNBO OLUSEGUN
• Application Number:
  US14/811,299
• Publication Number:
  US 20150332555A1
• Time in Patent Office: 413 Days
• Field of Search: 463/16, 463/20, 463/25, 463/40, 463/42, 705/39
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 examples, the operations include detecting activation of an account-augmentation mechanism by a single event at a wagering game machine. The account-augmentation mechanism indicates to initiate an electronic transfer of a set amount of funds from at least one account to a gaming account associated with the wagering game machine during a wagering game session. The operations can further include electronically accessing an account setting related to the gaming account and, determining, in response to analysis of the account setting, that the account setting indicates a restriction on use of the at least one account during the wagering game session. The operations can further include automatically applying the restriction to the transfer of the funds.

Claims

1. A method of operating a wagering game machine, said method comprising:

detecting, via an electronic processing unit of the wagering game machine, activation of an account-augmentation mechanism by a single event at the wagering game machine, wherein the account-augmentation mechanism indicates to initiate an electronic transfer of a set amount of funds from at least one account to a gaming account associated with the wagering game machine during a wagering game session;

electronically accessing, via a network communication interface of the wagering game machine, an account setting related to the gaming account in response to detecting the activation of the account-augmentation mechanism;

determining, in response to analysis of the account setting via the electronic processing unit, that the account setting indicates a restriction on use of the at least one account during the wagering game session; and

automatically applying, via the electronic processing unit, the restriction to the transfer of the set amount of funds.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the gaming account is one or more of a wagering game session account of the wagering game machine or a wagering game player account logged-in to the wagering game machine during the wagering game session.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one account is one or more of a credit card account, a bank account, a holding account, a casino debit account, a casino credit account, a checking account, a savings account, an educational savings account, a charity account, or a holiday savings accounts.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the restriction comprises one or more of a restriction on access by a wagering game player account to the at least one account, a restriction on making a credit transaction on play of wagering games, a limit on a single monetary transaction, and a limit to an amount of money the wagering game session is authorized to transact for a specific period.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein before the wagering game session, the account-augmentation mechanism is configured, via the gaming account, with a stored value that indicates the set amount of funds to transfer, and wherein the determining that the account setting indicates the restriction on the use of the at least one account during the wagering game session comprises:

determining that the account setting indicates a limit on an amount of funds that are permitted for electronic transfer;

electronically evaluating the stored value against the limit, and

determining whether the stored value exceeds the limit.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the determining whether the stored value exceeds the limit comprises determining that the stored value exceeds the limit, and wherein the automatically applying the restriction to the transfer of the set amount of funds according to the account setting comprises after determining that the stored value exceeds the limit, electronically transferring an amount of money less than the stored value up to the limit.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining that the account setting indicates the restriction on the use of the at least one account during the wagering game session comprises determining that a total amount of funds transferred during the wagering game session would exceed a session transfer limit for the wagering game session if the set amount of funds were transferred, and wherein the automatically applying the restriction to the transfer of the set amount of funds according to the account setting comprises electronically transferring an amount of money less than the total amount of funds up to the session transfer limit.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the single event comprises one or more of a single activation of a control, a single user input, a single press of a button, a single touch of a graphic, a single click of a mouse, or a single trigger.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one account comprises a first financial account and a second financial account linked to the account-augmentation mechanism, and wherein the automatically applying the restriction to the transfer of the set amount of funds according to the account setting comprises determining that transfer of the set amount of funds from the first financial account would exceed the restriction and, in response, automatically determining whether transfer of the set amount of funds from the second financial account would exceed the restriction.

10. A gaming system comprising:

a processor;

a network communication interface; and

a memory store configured to store instructions, which when executed by the processor, cause the gaming system to perform operations to

detect activation of an account-augmentation control of the gaming system, wherein the account-augmentation control is configured to, when activated by a single event in the wagering game session, initiate an electronic transfer of a set amount of funds from at least one account to a gaming account associated with the gaming system during a wagering game session,

electronically access, via the network communication interface, an account setting related to the gaming account in response to detecting the activation of the account-augmentation control, and

determine, in response to electronic analysis of the account setting, whether to transact the electronic transfer of the set amount of funds based on a restriction, indicated by the account setting, on use of the at least one account during the wagering game session.

11. The gaming system of claim 10, wherein the memory store configured to store the instructions to cause the gaming system to determine whether to transact the electronic transfer is configured to store instructions to cause the gaming system to:

determine that the account setting indicates a limit on an amount of funds that are permitted for electronic transfer;

determine that the set amount of funds does not exceed the limit; and

permit the electronic transfer of the set amount of funds from the at least one account to the gaming account.

12. The gaming system of claim 11, wherein the memory store configured to store the instructions to cause the gaming system to perform the operations to permit the electronic transfer of the set amount of funds from the at least one account to the gaming account is configured to store instructions to cause the gaming system to:

transact an electronic transfer of the set amount of funds to the gaming account; and

automatically increase a credit meter for the wagering game session equivalent to the set amount of funds.

13. The gaming system of claim 10, wherein the memory store configured to store the instructions to cause the gaming system to determine whether to transact the electronic transfer is configured to store instructions to cause the gaming system to:

determine that the account setting indicates a limit on a first amount of funds that are permitted for electronic transfer;

determine that the set amount of funds exceeds the limit; and

electronically transfer a second amount of funds less than the set amount of funds up to the limit.

14. The gaming system of claim 10, wherein the restriction comprises one or more of a spending limit, a session limit, a periodic time limit, a credit limit, or a use limit.

15. The gaming system of claim 10, wherein the account-augmentation control is configured, prior to the wagering game session, to indicate the set amount of funds.

16. The gaming system of claim 10, wherein the single event is a single user input.

17. The gaming system of claim 10, wherein a first player account is logged into the gaming system during the wagering game session, wherein the gaming account is a second player account separate from the first player account, and wherein the restriction comprises a use limit on the at least one account set by the second player account.

18. The gaming system of claim 10, wherein the memory store configured to store the instructions to cause the gaming system to perform the operations to determine whether to transact the electronic transfer of the set amount of funds is configured to store instructions to cause the gaming system to:

transfer the set amount of funds from the at least one account to a wagering game player account; and

transfer the set amount of funds from the wagering game player account to a session balance associated with the wagering game session.

19. One or more non-transitory, machine-readable storage media having instructions stored thereon which, when executed by a set of one or more electronic processing units of a gaming system, cause the gaming system to perform operations comprising:

detecting activation of an single-input, account-augmentation control of the gaming system, wherein the single-input, account-augmentation control is configured to, when activated by a single user input during a wagering game session, initiate an electronic transfer of a set amount of funds from at least one financial account to a gaming account associated with the wagering game session;

electronically accessing, via a network communication interface of the gaming system, an account setting in response to detecting the activation of the single-input, account-augmentation control; and

determining, in response to electronic analysis of the account setting, to transact the electronic transfer of at least a portion of the set amount of funds according to a player-specified limitation indicated by the account setting.

20. The one or more non-transitory, machine-readable storage media of claim 19, wherein the operations for determining to transact the electronic transfer of at least a portion of the set amount of funds according to a player-specified limitation indicated by the account setting includes operations comprising:

accessing a set of player-indicated rules associated with use of the at least one financial account;

electronically evaluating an amount of withdrawals from the at least one financial account for wagering games during a specific period against at least one of the set of player-indicated rules that indicates a limit on the amount of withdrawals;

automatically determining that withdrawal of a full value of the set amount of funds would exceed the limit; and

automatically withdrawing a portion of the set amount of funds less than the full value, wherein the portion of the set amount of funds would not exceed the limit.