Flexible loyalty points programs

• US 7,997,978 B2
• Filed: 07/30/2007
• Issued: 08/16/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Rowe, Richard E., Kaminkow, Joseph E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Vo; Peter DungBa
• Assistant Examiner(s): Yoo; Jasson H
• Application Number:
  US11/830,739
• Publication Number:
  US 20080051193A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,478 Days
• Field of Search: 463/25, 463/29, 463 42- 43
• US Class Current: 463/25
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3433 the counter having monetary units
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/387 Payment using discounts or coupons relating to marketing G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/257 electronically G07C9/26 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/37 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voice recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3202 Hardware aspects of a gaming system, e.g. components, construction, architecture thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3206 Player sensing means, e.g. presence detection, biometrics
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3239 Tracking of individual players
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3248 involving non-monetary media of fixed value, e.g. casino chips of fixed value
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/02 by keys or other credit registering devices

Abstract

A disclosed a gaming machine includes an input mechanism with a non-physical contact data interface. The non-physical contact data interface may be capable of reading loyalty program data from a loyalty program instrument without contact between the loyalty program instrument and the non-physical contact data interface. The input mechanism with the non-physical contact data interface may be one of a bill validator, a bar-code reader and a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag reader. The loyalty program instrument may be a substrate including at least one of a 1-D bar-code printed on the substrate, a 2-D bar-code printed on the substrate, a symbol printed on the substrate, alpha-numeric character printed on the substrate, a RFID tag embedded in the substrate, a RFID tag printed on the substrate and combinations thereof. The loyalty program instrument may be used to store an index to a record in a database or a portable data file.

Claims

1. A gaming machine for automatically generating loyalty points during periods of anonymous play, comprising:

a master gaming controller configured to i) control a game of chance played on the gaming machine, ii) initiate a first game play session including play of a plurality of instances of the game of chance by an anonymous player, iii) generate, responsive to the anonymous player registering credit on the gaming machine, first loyalty points based upon play during the first game play session, iv) receive loyalty program instrument data from a portable wireless device after initiation of the first game play session, the loyalty program instrument data identifying the anonymous player and associating a loyalty program account with the identified player, v) initiate, responsive to receiving the loyalty program instrument data, a second game play session including play of a plurality of instances of the game of chance, vi) generate second loyalty points based upon play during the second gaming session, and vii) provide information to a remote server that allows the first loyalty points associated with the plurality of instances of the game of chance played prior to receiving the loyalty program instrument data and the second loyalty points associated with the play of the plurality of instances of the game of chance after receiving the loyalty program instrument data to be credited to the loyalty program account;

a wireless interface, coupled to the master gaming controller, for receiving loyalty program instrument data from the portable wireless device;

wherein the gaming machine is operable to a) receive the loyalty program instrument data from a loyalty program instrument b) determine that a terminating event has occurred on the gaming machine, c) terminate the loyalty program session in response to the terminating event wherein the terminating event is one or more of i) an occurrence of zero credits on the gaming machine, ii) an amount of idle time on the gaming machine exceeding a specified limit, iii) a cashout request, iv) a timeout condition, and v) an inability to detect a user at the gaming machine;

an input mechanism operable to receive an indicia of credit or money for a wager on the game of chance; and

an output mechanism operable to output the indicia of credit or the money.

2. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein the game of chance is selected from the group consisting of video slot games, mechanical slot games, video black jack games, video poker games, video keno games, video pachinko games, video card games, video games of chance and combinations thereof.

3. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein loyalty program instrument data is one of 1) loyalty program information, 2) biometric information, 3) player preferences, 4) promotional information, 5) gaming machine configuration settings, 6) prize information, 7) cashless transaction information and 8) and combinations thereof.

4. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein the portable wireless device further comprises one of 1) a logic device, 2) a power source, 3) a non-volatile memory, 4) a read-only memory, 5) a random access memory, or 6) combinations thereof.

8. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein the first game play session is completed prior to receiving the loyalty program instrument data.

5. A gaming machine for automatically generating loyalty points during periods of anonymous play, comprising:

a master gaming controller configured to i) control a game of chance played on the gaming machine, ii) initiate a first game play session including play of a plurality of instances of the game of chance by an anonymous player, iii) generate, responsive to the anonymous player registering credit on the gaming machine, first loyalty points based upon play during the first game play session, iv) receive loyalty program instrument data from a bar-code reader after a initiation of the first game play session, the loyalty program instrument data identifying the anonymous player and associating a loyalty program account with the identified player, v) initiate, responsive to receiving the loyalty program instrument data, a second game play session including play of a plurality of instances of the game of chance, vi) generate second loyalty points based upon play during the second gaming session, and vii) provide information to a remote server that allows the first loyalty points associated with the plurality of instances of the game of chance played prior to receiving the loyalty program instrument data and the second loyalty points associated with the play of the plurality of instances of the game of chance after receiving the loyalty program instrument data to be credited to the loyalty program account;

a bar-code reader configured to read loyalty program instrument data stored on a loyalty point instrument wherein the loyalty program instrument data is formatted as a 1-D bar-code or a 2-D bar-code;

wherein the gaming machine is operable to a) receive the loyalty program instrument data from the loyalty program instrument, b) determine that a terminating event has occurred on the gaming machine, c) terminate the loyalty program session in response to the terminating event wherein the terminating event is one or more of i) an occurrence of zero credits on the gaming machine, ii) an amount of idle time on the gaming machine exceeding a specified limit, iii) a cashout request, iv) a timeout condition, and v) an inability to detect a user at the gaming machine;

an input mechanism operable to receive an indicia of credit or money for a wager on the game of chance; and

an output mechanism operable to output the indicia of credit or the money.

6. The gaming machine of claim 5, wherein said bar-code reader is disposed below an exterior surface of the cabinet and wherein the bar-code reader is designed or configured to read the 1-D bar-code or the 2-D bar-code printed on the loyalty program instrument when the loyalty program instrument is placed in an active volume above the exterior surface of the gaming cabinet.

7. The gaming machine of claim 5, wherein the play of the plurality of instances of the game of chance are completed prior to receiving the loyalty program instrument data.

9. A gaming machine comprising:

a master gaming controller configured to i) control a game of chance played on the gaming machine, ii) initiate a first game play session including play of a plurality of instances of the game of chance by an anonymous player, iii) generate, responsive to the anonymous player registering credit on the gaming machine, first loyalty points based upon play during the first game play session iv) receive loyalty program instrument data from a first input mechanism after initiation of the first game play session, the loyalty program instrument data identifying the anonymous player and associating a loyalty program account with the identified player, v) initiate, responsive to receiving the loyalty program instrument data, a second game play session including play of a plurality of instances of the game of chance, vi) generate second loyalty points based upon play during the second gaming session, and vii) provide information to a remote server that allows the first loyalty points associated with the plurality of instances of the game of chance played prior to receiving the loyalty program instrument data and the second loyalty points associated with the play of the plurality of instances of the game of chance after receiving the loyalty program instrument data to be credited to the loyalty program account;

the first input mechanism configured to read loyalty program instrument data stored on a loyalty point instrument;

wherein the gaming machine is operable to a) receive the loyalty program instrument data from the loyalty program instrument, b) determine that a terminating event has occurred on the gaming machine, c) terminate the loyalty program session in response to the terminating event wherein the second gaming event is one or more of i) an occurrence of zero credits on the gaming machine, ii) an amount of idle time on the gaming machine exceeding a specified limit, iii) a cashout request, iv) a timeout condition, and v) an inability to detect a user at the gaming machine;

a second input mechanism operable to receive an indicia of credit or money for a wager on the game of chance; and

an output mechanism operable to output the indicia of credit or the money.