Casino gambling system with biometric access control
First Claim
1. A casino gambling system in which a credit item may be utilized as a medium of value, said casino gambling system comprising:
- a server computer;
a plurality of casino gambling units operatively coupled to said server computer, one of said casino gambling units comprising;
a display unit;
an input device that allows a player to make an input selection;
a value-input device adapted to receive the credit item; and
a controller operatively coupled to said display unit, said input device, and said value-input device, said controller comprising a processor and a memory operatively coupled to said processor,said controller being programmed to allow the player to make a wager,said controller being programmed to cause a game display to be generated on said display unit, said game display representing a game selected from the following games;
video poker, video blackjack, slots, video keno and video bingo,said game display comprising an image of at least five playing cards if said game is video poker.said game display comprising an image of a plurality of slot machine reels if said game is slots,said game display comprising an image of a plurality of playing cards if said game is video blackjack,said game display comprising an image of a plurality of keno numbers if said game is video keno,said game display comprising an image of a bingo grid if said game is video bingo, andsaid controller being programmed to determine a value payout associated with an outcome of said game; and
a cashier computer operatively coupled to said server computer, said cashier computer comprising;
a cashier credit-input device adapted to receive the credit item;
a cashier dispenser that is capable of dispensing an item representing a medium of value;
a biometric input apparatus capable of generating digital data representing a unique physical characteristic of a cashier, said biometric input apparatus being selected from the group of biometric input apparatuses consisting of a fingerprint scanner, an eye scanner, a camera, and a microphone/voice digitizer apparatus; and
a cashier controller operatively coupled to said cashier credit-input device, said cashier dispenser, and said biometric input apparatus, said cashier controller comprising a microprocessor and a memory,said cashier controller being programmed to control access to said cashier computer based upon digital data generated by said biometric input apparatus,said cashier controller being programmed to store digital data representing a fingerprint if said biometric input apparatus comprises a fingerprint scanner,said cashier controller being programmed to store digital data representing a portion of a person'"'"'s eye if said biometric input apparatus comprises an eye scanner,said cashier controller being programmed to store digital data representing a portion of a person'"'"'s face if said biometric input apparatus comprises a camera,said cashier controller being programmed to store digital data representing a person'"'"'s voice if said biometric input apparatus comprises a microphone,said cashier controller being programmed to determine whether the credit item accepted by said cashier credit-input device is valid,said cashier controller being programmed to cause a first prompt to a person w be generated to cause the person to present a unique physical characteristic of the person to said biometric input apparatus at a first time,said cashier controller being programmed to store a first set of digital data derived from said biometric input apparatus in response to the person presenting the unique physical characteristic to said biometric input apparatus at the first time.said cashier controller being programmed to cause a second prompt to the person to be generated to cause the person to present the same unique physical characteristic of the person to said biometric input apparatus at a second time,said cashier controller being programmed to store a second set of digital data derived from said biometric input apparatus in response to the person presenting the same unique physical characteristic to said biometric input apparatus at the second time,said cashier controller being programmed to determine whether said biometric input apparatus has made a predetermined number of scans of the same unique physical characteristic of the person, andsaid cashier controller being programmed to generate a set of composite digital data by determining an average of said first and second sets of digital data.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A casino gambling system may comprise a plurality of casino gambling units and at least one computer that may include a biometric input apparatus capable of generating digital data representing a unique physical characteristic of a user and a controller operatively coupled to the biometric input apparatus. The controller may be programmed to control access to the computer based upon digital data generated by the biometric input apparatus. The biometric input apparatus may be a camera for generating an image of a person'"'"'s face, an eye scanner, a fingerprint scanner, or a microphone and a voice digitizer. The gambling units may be programmed to play a game selected from the group of video games consisting of video poker, video blackjack, video slots, video keno and video poker.
63 Citations
24 Claims
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1. A casino gambling system in which a credit item may be utilized as a medium of value, said casino gambling system comprising:
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a server computer; a plurality of casino gambling units operatively coupled to said server computer, one of said casino gambling units comprising; a display unit; an input device that allows a player to make an input selection; a value-input device adapted to receive the credit item; and a controller operatively coupled to said display unit, said input device, and said value-input device, said controller comprising a processor and a memory operatively coupled to said processor, said controller being programmed to allow the player to make a wager, said controller being programmed to cause a game display to be generated on said display unit, said game display representing a game selected from the following games;
video poker, video blackjack, slots, video keno and video bingo,said game display comprising an image of at least five playing cards if said game is video poker. said game display comprising an image of a plurality of slot machine reels if said game is slots, said game display comprising an image of a plurality of playing cards if said game is video blackjack, said game display comprising an image of a plurality of keno numbers if said game is video keno, said game display comprising an image of a bingo grid if said game is video bingo, and said controller being programmed to determine a value payout associated with an outcome of said game; and a cashier computer operatively coupled to said server computer, said cashier computer comprising; a cashier credit-input device adapted to receive the credit item; a cashier dispenser that is capable of dispensing an item representing a medium of value; a biometric input apparatus capable of generating digital data representing a unique physical characteristic of a cashier, said biometric input apparatus being selected from the group of biometric input apparatuses consisting of a fingerprint scanner, an eye scanner, a camera, and a microphone/voice digitizer apparatus; and a cashier controller operatively coupled to said cashier credit-input device, said cashier dispenser, and said biometric input apparatus, said cashier controller comprising a microprocessor and a memory, said cashier controller being programmed to control access to said cashier computer based upon digital data generated by said biometric input apparatus, said cashier controller being programmed to store digital data representing a fingerprint if said biometric input apparatus comprises a fingerprint scanner, said cashier controller being programmed to store digital data representing a portion of a person'"'"'s eye if said biometric input apparatus comprises an eye scanner, said cashier controller being programmed to store digital data representing a portion of a person'"'"'s face if said biometric input apparatus comprises a camera, said cashier controller being programmed to store digital data representing a person'"'"'s voice if said biometric input apparatus comprises a microphone, said cashier controller being programmed to determine whether the credit item accepted by said cashier credit-input device is valid, said cashier controller being programmed to cause a first prompt to a person w be generated to cause the person to present a unique physical characteristic of the person to said biometric input apparatus at a first time, said cashier controller being programmed to store a first set of digital data derived from said biometric input apparatus in response to the person presenting the unique physical characteristic to said biometric input apparatus at the first time. said cashier controller being programmed to cause a second prompt to the person to be generated to cause the person to present the same unique physical characteristic of the person to said biometric input apparatus at a second time, said cashier controller being programmed to store a second set of digital data derived from said biometric input apparatus in response to the person presenting the same unique physical characteristic to said biometric input apparatus at the second time, said cashier controller being programmed to determine whether said biometric input apparatus has made a predetermined number of scans of the same unique physical characteristic of the person, and said cashier controller being programmed to generate a set of composite digital data by determining an average of said first and second sets of digital data. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A casino gambling system, comprising:
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a first computer; a plurality of casino gambling units operatively coupled to said first computer, one of said casino gambling units comprising; a display unit; an input device that allows a player to make an input selection; a value-input device adapted to receive a credit item as a medium of value; and a controller operatively coupled to said display unit, said input device, and said value-input device, said controller comprising a processor and a memory operatively coupled to said processor, said controller being program med to allow the player to make a wager, said controller being programmed to cause a game display relating to a game to be generated on said display unit, and said controller being programmed to determine a value payout associated with an outcome of said video gambling game; and a second computer operatively coupled to said first computer, said second computer comprising; a credit-input device adapted to receive the credit item as a medium of value; a biometric input apparatus capable of generating digital data representing a unique physical characteristic of a person; and a controller operatively coupled to said credit-input device, said biometric input apparatus, said controller of said second computer comprising a microprocessor and a memory, said controller of said second computer being programmed to cause a first prompt to the person to be generated to cause the person to present a unique physical characteristic of the person to said biometric input apparatus at a first time, said controller of said second computer being programmed to store a first set of digital data derived from said biometric input apparatus in response to the person presenting the unique physical characteristic to said biometric input apparatus at the first time, said controller of said second computer being programmed to cause a second prompt to the person to be generated to cause the person to present the same unique physical characteristic of the person to said biometric input apparatus at a second time, said controller of said second computer being programmed to store a second set of digital data derived from said biometric input apparatus in response to the person presenting the same unique physical characteristic to said biometric input apparatus at the second time, said controller of said second computer being programmed to determine whether said biometric input apparatus has made a predetermined number of scans of the same unique physical characteristic of the person, said controller of said second computer being programmed to generate a set of composite digital data by determining an average of said first and second sets of digital data, said controller of said second computer being programmed to control access to said second computer based upon said composite digital data, and said controller being programmed to determine whether the credit item accepted by said credit-input device is valid. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A casino gambling system, comprising:
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a plurality of casino gambling units, one of said casino gambling units comprising; a display unit; an input device that allows a player to make an input selection; a value-input device adapted to receive a credit item as a medium of value; and a controller operatively coupled to said display unit, said input device, and said value-input device, said controller comprising a processor arid a memory operatively coupled to said processor, said controller being programmed to allow the player to make a wager, said controller being programmed to cause a game display to be generated on said display unit, said game display representing a game selected from one of the following games;
video poker, video blackjack, slots, video keno and video bingo,said game display comprising an image of at least five playing cards if said game is video poker, said game display comprising a plurality of slot machine reels if said game is slots, said game display comprising an image of a plurality of playing cards if said game is video blackjack, said game display comprising an image of a plurality of keno numbers if said game is video keno, said game display comprising an image of a bingo grid if said game is video bingo, and said controller being programmed to determine a value payout associated with an outcome of said game; a computer operatively coupled to one of said casino gambling units, said computer comprising a credit-input device adapted to receive the credit item as a medium of value and a controller that comprises a processor and a memory; and a biometric input apparatus capable of generating digital data representing a unique physical characteristic of a person, said biometric input apparatus being operatively coupled to one of said controllers, one of said controllers being programmed to cause a first prompt to the person to be generated to cause the person to present a unique physical characteristic of the person to said biometric input apparatus at a first time, said one controller being programmed to store a first set of digital data derived from said biometric input apparatus in response to the person presenting the unique physical characteristic to said biometric input apparatus at the first time, said one controller being programmed to cause a second prompt to the person to be generated to cause the person to present the same unique physical characteristic of the person to said biometric input apparatus at a second time, said one controller being programmed to store a second set of digital data derived from said biometric input apparatus in response to the person presenting the same unique physical characteristic to said biometric input apparatus at the second time, said one controller being programmed to generate a set of composite digital data by determining an average of said first and second sets of digital data, said one controller being programmed to control access based upon said composite digital data, and said one controller being programmed to determine whether the credit item accepted by said credit-input device is valid. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A casino gambling system, comprising:
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a plurality of casino gambling units, one of said casino gambling units comprising; a display unit; an input device that allows a player to make an input selection; a value-input device adapted to receive a credit item as a medium of value; and a controller operatively coupled to said display unit, said input device, and said value-input device, said controller comprising a processor and a memory operatively coupled to said processor, said controller being programmed to allow the player to make a wager, said controller being programmed to cause a game display to be generated on said display unit, said game display representing a game selected from one of the following games;
video poker, video blackjack, slots, video keno and video bingo,said game display comprising an image of at least five playing cards if said game is video poker, said game display comprising a plurality of slot machine reels if said game is slots, said game display comprising an image of a plurality of playing cards if said game is video blackjack, said game display comprising an image of a plurality of keno numbers if said game is video keno, said game display comprising an image of a bingo grid if said game is video bingo, and said controller being programmed to determine a value payout associated with an outcome of said game; a computer operatively coupled to one of said casino gambling units, said computer comprising a credit-input device adapted to receive the credit item as a medium of value a controller that comprises a processor and a memory; and a biometric input apparatus capable of generating digital data in response to scanning a unique physical characteristic of a person, said biometric input apparatus being operatively coupled to one of said controllers, one of said controllers being programmed to store a first set of digital data derived from said biometric input apparatus in response to the person presenting the unique physical characteristic to be scanned by said biometric input apparatus at a first time, said one controller being programmed to store a second set of digital data derived from said biometric input apparatus in response to the person presenting the same unique physical characteristic to be scanned by said biometric input apparatus at a second time, said one controller being programmed to determine whether said biometric input apparatus has made a predetermined number of scans of the same unique physical characteristic of the person, said one controller being programmed to generate composite digital data based on said first and second sets of digital data, said one controller being programmed to control access based upon said composite digital data, and said one controller being programed to determine whether the credit item accepted by said credit-input device is valid. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. A casino gambling system, comprising:
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a first computer; a plurality of casino gambling units operatively coupled to said first computer, one of said casino gambling units comprising; a display unit; an input device that allows a player to make an input selection; a value-input device adapted to receive a credit item as a medium of value; and a controller operatively coupled to said display unit, said input device, and said value-input device, said controller comprising a processor and a memory operatively coupled to said processor, said controller being programmed to allow the player to make a wager, said controller being programmed to cause a game display relating to a game to be generated on said display unit, and said controller being programmed to determine a value payout associated with an outcome of said video gambling game; and a second computer operatively coupled to said first computer, said second computer comprising; a credit-input device adapted to receive the credit item as a medium of value; a biometric input apparatus capable of generating digital data representing a unique physical characteristic of at least a first and a second person; and a controller operatively coupled to said credit-input device, said biometric input apparatus, said controller of said second computer comprising a microprocessor and a memory, said controller of said second computer being programmed to cause a first prompt to the first person to be generated to cause the first person to present a unique physical characteristic of the first person to said biometric input apparatus at a first time, said controller of said second computer being programmed to store a first set of digital data deprived from said biometric input apparatus in response to the first person presenting the unique physical characteristic to said biometric input apparatus at the first time, said controller of said second computer being programmed to cause a second prompt to the first person to be generated to cause the first person to present the same unique physical characteristic of the first person to said biometric input apparatus at a second time, said controller of said second computer being programmed to store a second set of digital data deprived from said biometric input apparatus in response to the first person presenting the same unique physical characteristic to said biometric input apparatus at the second time, said controller of said second computer being programmed to cause a first prompt to the second person to be generated to cause the second person to present a unique physical characteristic of the second person to said biometric input apparatus at a first time, said controller of said second computer being programmed to store a first set of digital data derived from said biometric input apparatus in response to the second person presenting the unique physical characteristic to said biometric, input apparatus at the first time, said controller of said second computer being programmed to cause a second prompt to the second person to be generated to cause the second person to present the same unique physical characteristic of the second person to said biometric input apparatus at a second time, said controller of said second computer being programmed to store a second set of digital data derived from said biometric input apparatus in response to the second person presenting the same unique physical characteristic to said biometric input apparatus at the second time, said controller of said second computer being programmed to determine whether said biometric input apparatus has made a predetermined number of scans of the same unique physical characteristic of the first person and the second person, said controller of said second computer being programmed to generate a first set of composite digital data by determining an average of said first and second sets of digital data for the first person, said controller of said second computer being programmed to generate a second set of composite digital data by determining an average of said first and second sets of digital data for the second person, said controller of said second computer being programmed to control access to said second computer by, verifying the identity of the first person based on the first set of composite digital data, determining whether authorization from the second person is required, and verifying the identity of the second person based on the second set of composite digital data, and said controller of said second computer being programmed to determine whether the credit item accepted by said credit-input device is valid. - View Dependent Claims (24)
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Specification