Player specific game system

• US 20030078101A1
• Filed: 09/18/2002
• Published: 04/24/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: Acres Gaming Incorporated (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Glisson, Floyd W., Schneider, Richard J., Jordan, R. Jeffrey
• Application Number:
  US10/247,786
• Publication Number:
  US 20030078101A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/42
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/323 wherein the player is informed, e.g. advertisements, odds, instructions
• 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 17/3244 Payment aspects of a gaming system, e.g. payment schemes, setting payout ratio, bonus or consolation prizes
• 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

Embodiments of the invention provide a game tailoring system that allows a gaming experience to be tailored to an individual player. Player data is tracked as an identified player plays at a gaming device. Additionally, other types of data, such as retail purchases, preferences, and experience are stored. The data is analyzed and triggering levels set which, when satisfied, cause the game tailoring system to modify the gaming experience. The triggering levels can be different for different players. Additionally, data about groups of players or groups of gaming devices can be tracked, stored, and used as reward triggers. Further, depending on the identified player or a group of selected machine, embodiments of the invention can cause messages, graphics,, or animations to appear on the game screen.

Claims

1. A game tailoring system for a gaming terminal playable by a user identifiable to the system, the system comprising:

a player tracking system coupleable to the gaming terminal and structured to record data of a play history of an identified game user playing the gaming terminal; and

a player management system structured to provide, based on identical gameplay of two different identified players, different rewards to the two players based on the respective recorded data of the two players.

2. The game tailoring system of claim 1, wherein the player tracking system is further structured to record non game-play data about the identified game user.

3. The game tailoring system of claim 2 wherein the non gameplay data comprises purchase data.

4. The game tailoring system of claim 1 wherein the player management system is structured to cause the gaming terminal to change gameplay.

5. The game tailoring system of claim 4 wherein the player management system is structured to change game content.

6. The game tailoring system of claim 4 wherein the player management system is structured to change rules of a game on the gaming terminal.

7. The game tailoring system of claim 1 wherein the player management system is structured to make direct payments.

8. The game tailoring system of claim 7 wherein the direct payments are made to a player account.

9. The game tailoring system of claim 7 wherein the direct payments are made to a credit meter of the gaming terminal.

10. The game tailoring system of claim 7 wherein the direct payments are made to a bonus meter of the gaming terminal.

11. The game tailoring system of claim 7 wherein the direct payments are free games.

12. The game tailoring system of claim 1 wherein the player management system is structured to classify groups of identified players.

13. The game tailoring system of claim 1 wherein the player management system is structured to generate an award based on a condition meeting a triggering event.

14. The game tailoring system of claim 13 wherein different players can have different triggering events.

15. The game tailoring system of claim 13 wherein the player management system is structured to send player preferences to the gaming terminal when a player is identified.

16. The game tailoring system of claim 1 wherein the player tracking system is structured to track specific events of the play history of a particular user.

17. The game tailoring system of claim 16, wherein the tracked portion of the play history comprises only significant events.

18. The game tailoring system of claim 17 wherein a significant event comprises large wins.

19. The game tailoring system of claim 17 wherein a significant event comprises a particular win that occurs less often than one in three overall wins.

20. The game tailoring system of claim 17 wherein a significant event comprises a cashout.

21. The game tailoring system of claim 17 wherein a significant event comprises a buy-in.

22. The game tailoring system of claim 1 wherein the player tracking system is structured to track all game outcomes.

23. The game tailoring system of claim 1 wherein the player tracking system is structured to store data about a player over an accumulated number of gaming sessions.

24. The game tailoring system of claim 16 wherein the player tracking system is structured to store data of rewards only greater than a threshold amount.

25. The game tailoring system of claim 24 wherein the player tracking system is structured to store data of a plurality of different awards.

26. A game tailoring system for a gaming device playable by a user identifiable to the system, the system comprising:

a player tracking system coupleable to the gaming device and structured to record data of a personal preference of an identified game user; and

a player management system structured to cause the personal preference to be effected at the gaming device.

27. The game tailoring system of claim 26 wherein the player management system is structured to load the personal preference to the gaming device when the user identifies himself of herself.

28. The game tailoring system of claim 26 wherein the personal preference is language selection.

29. The game tailoring system of claim 26, wherein the gaming device includes a display screen controllable to show users a set of potential preferences.

30. On a player tracking network coupled to a gaming terminal having a gaming display, a method for displaying content on the gaming display, comprising:

generating the content to be displayed on the gaming display;

pre-storing the generated content on the player tracking network; and

when a triggering event occurs,

retrieving the pre-stored content, and

transmitting the pre-stored content to the gaming terminal.

31. The method of claim 30 wherein the playing tracking network is coupled to a plurality of gaming terminals, each having a respective display, the method further comprising:

selecting one or more of the plurality of displays; and

transmitting the pre-stored content only to the selected one or more displays.

32. The method of claim 31 wherein selecting one or more of the selected plurality of displays is based on a location of its respective gaming terminal.

33. The method of claim 31 wherein selecting one or more of the plurality of displays is based on identity of a player playing at the gaming terminal.

34. The method of claim 30 wherein the playing tracking network is coupled to a plurality of gaming terminals, the method further comprising:

selecting a first and a second group of the plurality of terminals;

transmitting a first set of pre-stored content to the first group; and

transmitting a second set of pre-stored content to the second group.

35. The method of claim 34 wherein selecting a first and a second group of the plurality of terminals is based on a group of players.

36. The method of claim 30 wherein the content comprises text.

37. The method of claim 30 wherein the content comprises graphics.

38. The method of claim 30 wherein the content is animated.

39. The method of claim 30 wherein the triggering event is a bonus event.

40. The method of claim 30 wherein the triggering event is a player activity.

41. The method of claim 30 wherein the triggering event is caused by the gaming terminal.

42. The method of claim 30 wherein the triggering event is different for different players.

43. The method of claim 42 wherein the triggering event is based on data stored in the player tracking system.

44. The method of claim 30 wherein the gaming terminal has two gaming displays, and wherein the content can be displayed on either or both of the gaming displays.

45. A player tracking system structured to be coupled to a plurality of gaming terminals, the player tracking system comprising:

a first selector structured to select a group of gaming terminals from the plurality of gaming terminals;

a second selector structured to select a group of players identified to the player tracking system; and

a rewarder structured to provide a reward to a selected of the group of players if the selected player is playing at a gaming terminal within the selected group of gaming terminals.

46. The player tracking system of claim 45 wherein the selected of the group of players is a first in the group of players to qualify for a reward.

47. The player tracking system of claim 45 wherein the rewarder is structured to provide a first reward to a first player in the group of players to qualify for the first reward, and structured to provide a second reward to a second player in the group of players to qualify for the second award.

48. The player tracking system of claim 47 wherein the first and second awards are the different awards.

49. The player tracking system of claim 48, further comprising a data tracker structured to track gameplay data from the selected group of terminals.

50. The player tracking system of claim 45, further comprising a data tracker structured to track gameplay data about the selected group of players.

51. The player tracking system of claim 50 wherein the tracked gameplay data is stored in the player tracker system.