Wireless identification and tracking in gaming systems

• US 20050277471A1
• Filed: 06/14/2004
• Published: 12/15/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Russell, Glen Keith, Jordan, R. Jeffrey
• Granted Patent: US 7,951,003 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/40
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/12 involving interaction between a plurality of game devices, e.g. transmisison or distribution systems protocols for networked virtual reality, networked games H04L29/06034
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/30 Interconnection arrangements between game servers and game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5573 player location
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0294 Trajectory determination or predictive filtering, e.g. target tracking or Kalman filtering
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3223 Architectural aspects of a gaming system, e.g. internal configuration, master/slave, wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3234 about the performance of a gaming system, e.g. revenue, diagnosis of the gaming system
• 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

Abstract

A gaming system has at least two gaming components. Each gaming component has controller, a communications interface, a communication link to allow the controllers of the gaming components to communicate with internal components in either a wired or wireless fashion, a communication link providing for a wireless communications to external systems and/or components, a wireless identification mechanism used to uniquely and automatically identify the gaming device to appropriate sensors, and a positioning system that can relay precise positional data to host systems.

Claims

1. A gaming system, comprising:

at least two gaming components, each gaming component comprising;

a controller; and

a communications interface; and

a communication link to allow the controllers of the gaming components to communicate with internal components in either a wired or wireless fashion; and

a communication link providing for a wireless communications to external systems and/or components; and

a wireless identification mechanism used to uniquely and automatically identify the gaming device to appropriate sensors; and

a positioning system that can relay precise positional data to host systems.

2. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein one of the at least two gaming components comprises a game processing unit.

3. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein at least two gaming components are selected from the group comprised of:

a game processing unit, a camera, a printer, a storage device, a coin hopper, a light display, button panels, a ticket reader, a bill validator, a speaker, a microphone, and a card reader.

4. The gaming system of claim 1, the gaming system further comprising a second communications link, wherein one link is used by gaming components arranged in a cabinet and one link is used for communications between components arranged in the cabinet and components located outside of the cabinet.

5. The gaming system of claim 1, the communications link further to allow gaming systems positional data to be accurately determined and relayed to host systems.

6. The gaming system of claim 1, the communications link further comprising a link compliant with IEEE 802.11b/g.

7. The gaming system of claim 1, the communications link further comprising a link compliant with IEEE 802.15.1.

8. The gaming system of claim 1, the identification protocol further comprising a protocol compliant with standard RFID protocols.

9. The gaming system of claim 1, the identification protocol further comprising a protocol compliant with standard GPS protocols.

10. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the wireless identification mechanism is tamper resistant.

11. A gaming system, comprising

at least two gaming components arranged in a cabinet, each gaming component comprising:

a controller; and

a communications interface;

at least one gaming component located outside the cabinet;

an interior communications link to allow the gaming components to communicate with the master game controller via the I/O concentrator in either a wired or wireless fashion;

an exterior wireless communications link to allow the gaming components arranged in the cabinet to communicate with external systems.

12. The gaming system of claim 11, wherein one of at least two gaming components arranged in a cabinet comprises a game-processing unit.

13. The gaming system of claim 11, wherein at least two gaming components comprises at least two gaming components operable to communicate wireless to the I/O concentrator or the main game controller.

14. The gaming system of claim 11, wherein the interior communication link utilizes an 802.11.15.1 interface.

15. The gaming system of claim 11, wherein the exterior communications link consists of an IEEE 802.11b/g wireless communications link.

16. The gaming system of claim 11, wherein the exterior identification communications link consists of an RFID tag interface.

17. The gaming system of claim 11, wherein the exterior communications link consists of a GPS link.

18. The gaming system of claim 11, wherein the exterior communications link consists of an encrypted link.