Method and apparatus for awarding a mystery promotional ticket

• US 20050282626A1
• Filed: 06/17/2005
• Published: 12/22/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Roper, Jay Martin, Manfredi, Vincent Salvatore
• Granted Patent: US 8,241,111 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/25
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 3/00157 Casino or betting games horse races A63F3/00082
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• 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 17/3248 involving non-monetary media of fixed value, e.g. casino chips of fixed value

Abstract

A gaming machine award system acts over a gaming machine network having a plurality of gaming devices coupled thereto. The award system includes a bonus server coupled to the network and having stored thereon a trigger condition. A game play tracker tracks game play across the network of gaming devices and detects an occurrence of the trigger condition. The bonus server sends out a selection signal over the network to a selected gaming machine responsive to the detected trigger condition. A printer associated with the selected gaming machine is structured to generate a mystery ticket printed output responsive to receipt of said selection signal including machine-readable indicia corresponding to a record of value stored at the bonus server, and human readable indicia that indicates only a range of possible values of the ticket but not a specific value. The printed ticket is a cashless instrument that may be redeemed or played per the nature and characteristics of the award given with the specific value awarded to the player.

Claims

1. An award system, comprising:

a bonus server coupled over a network to a ticket printer and a ticket reader, said bonus server having stored thereon a trigger condition and associated award scheme and adapted to send over the network to the printer a print command responsive to detection of the trigger condition, said printer adapted to issue printed output responsive to the print command including a ticket identification code readable by the ticket printer, said printed output not including printed indicia reflecting a specific value of the printed output but whereby the specific value is only associated with the ticket identification code at the bonus server, said specific value being awarded to a player upon ticket redemption at the ticket reader.

2. The award system of claim 1, said award scheme including an association of the specific value with said ticket identification code upon issuance of said printed output.

3. The award system of claim 1, said award scheme including an association of a specific range of values with said ticket identification code upon issuance of said printed output.

4. The award system of claim 3, further including a randomizer capable of selecting the specific value from the range of values upon detection of ticket redemption at the ticket reader.

5. The award system of claim 3, the bonus scheme including rules for selecting the specific value from within the range of values depending upon criterion selected from the group consisting of time of day, date, player rating, and ticket printer location.

6. The award system of claim 1, said ticket printer and said ticket reader each associated with one or more gaming machines coupled over the network.

7. The award system of claim 1, wherein said specific value is non-redeemable credits playable on a game machine associated with the ticket reader.

8. An award ticket for use in an award system having a bonus server associating a ticket with a ticket value and a ticket reader adapted to receive said award ticket, said ticket including machine-readable identification code where said code is associated with said ticket value at said bonus server, and human-readable printed indicia indicating a range of possible ticket values.

9. The award ticket of claim 8, wherein the machine-readable identification code is a bar code.

10. The award ticket of claim 8, wherein the machine readable identification code is included on a magnetic stripe.

11. A method for redeeming printed indicia for specific value at gaming devices that are interconnected by a gaming network to a host computer, the method comprising:

storing a trigger condition at a host computer;

detecting said trigger condition and sending out a selection signal over the network to a printer location responsive to the detected trigger condition;

generating printed output at said printer location responsive to receipt of said selection signal including machine-readable indicia and human-readable indicia, said machine-readable indicia corresponding to a ticket identification code and said human-readable indicia corresponding to a range of possible values of said ticket with no specific value indicated;

associating the specific value with the ticket identification code at the host computer;

accepting the printed output at a gaming machine and awarding a specific value bonus associated with said printed output.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein generating printed output comprises generating a ticket at a gaming device on the network.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein generating printed output comprises generating a ticket at a ticket printer located in a retail location associated with casino, said trigger condition being a purchase at that retail location.

14. The gaming machine award system of claim 11, where awarding a bonus comprises applying credits to a player account at the selected gaming machine.

15. The gaming machine award system of claim 11, where awarding a bonus comprises applying credits to a playable-only credits meter at the selected gaming machine.

16. The gaming machine award system of claim 11, where awarding a bonus comprises applying credits to a player account only if the printed output was accepted at the gaming machine within a redeemable time period.

17. The gaming machine award system of claim 16, wherein the redeemable time period includes a preestablished start time that occurs after a time at which the printed matter was generated at the selected gaming machine.

18. A method of providing incentive to play gaming devices connected by a network to a host computer comprising:

designating an earning time period and a non-overlapping and non-contiguous redeeming time period, said earning time period and redeeming time period having a time gap therebetween;

tracking the level of gaming-device play during the earning time period and accruing credits according to the level of gaming-device play tracked;

preventing use of the accrued credits on any of the gaming devices until the redeeming time period; and

permitting use of the accrued credits on one of the gaming devices during the redeeming time period.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the step of designating a redeeming time period includes designating an open-ended time period with no expiration date.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the step of designating a redeeming time period includes designating an expiration time period beyond which the accrued credits may not be used on any of the gaming devices.

21. The method of claim 18, further including the steps of:

creating a player account accessible by the host computer;

applying the accrued credits to the player account; and

retrieving the accrued credits from the player account for use at one of the gaming devices during the redeeming time period.

22. The method of claim 18, further including the step of:

generating printed output at a printer location including machine-readable indicia associated with a player account in which the accrued credits is stored; and

accepting the printed output at a gaming machine during the redeeming time period and awarding the accrued credits for play at the gaming machine.

23. The method of claim 18, wherein the time gap between the earning time period and the redeeming time period is less than or equal to four hours.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the time gap between the earning time period and the redeeming time period is less than or equal to two hours.

25. The method of claim 23, further including the step of:

determining whether a player at the gaming device is to attend an event associated with the casino; and

designating the earning time period and redeeming time period in consideration of the event.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the event is a show and the redeeming time period begins as soon as the show ends.

27. A method for redeeming printed indicia for specific value at gaming devices that are interconnected by a gaming network to a host computer, the method comprising:

storing a trigger condition at a host computer;

detecting said trigger condition at a retail location and sending out a selection signal over the network to a printer location responsive to the detected trigger condition;

generating printed output at said printer location responsive to receipt of said selection signal including machine-readable indicia corresponding to a ticket identification code;

accepting the printed output at a gaming machine and awarding a specific value bonus associated with said printed output.

28. The method of claim 27, the step of associating the specific value bonus with the ticket identification code comprising associating a random amount of non-redeemable credits with the ticket identification code.

29. The method of claim 27, the step of associating the specific value bonus with the ticket identification code comprising associating a fixed amount depending upon a player rating associated with the ticket identification code.

30. The method of claim 29, the fixed amount being higher for players having a higher player rating than those players having a lower player rating.

31. The method of claim 27, the step of associating a specific value bonus with the ticket identification code comprising determining a plurality of prizes within a pool of such prizes, and associating a random one of such prizes with the ticket identification code.

32. The method of claim 27, further including:

tracking a level of play at the gaming machine after acceptance of the printed output at the gaming machine; and

increasing the specific value bonus of the ticket in relation to the level of play tracked.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the specific value bonus is increased proportional to the level of play.

34. The method of claim 27, wherein the trigger condition is a purchase made at the retail location.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the retail location is selected from the group consisting of spa, restaurant, retail clothing store, and jewelry store.

36. The method of claim 34, further including tracking multiple purchases by a player and initiating the trigger condition when the tracked amount purchased exceeds a certain amount.

37. A method for awarding bonuses comprising:

associating only a subset of gaming machines from a larger plurality of gaming machines operable over a network with a bonus;

detecting a trigger condition at one of the subset of gaming machines during a pre-determined time period;

awarding the bonus responsive to detection of the trigger condition; and

redeeming the bonus at a second location different from but geographically proximate a location of the subset of gaming machines.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein the second location is a night club associated with a casino in which the larger plurality of gaming machines are located.

39. The method of claim 38, the bonus including a line pass for the night club.

40. The method of claim 37, further including the step of awarding a second bonus responsive to detection of a second trigger condition, said second bonus being cumulative of said original bonus.

41. The method of claim 37, wherein the step of awarding the bonus includes issuing printed indicia at the gaming machine.

42. The method of claim 37 wherein the step of awarding the bonus includes applying the bonus to a player account stored in a player tracking database over the network and redeeming the bonus from the player account at the second location.