Linked communications for gaming systems using acoustic signatures

A method of operating a gaming system, the gaming system including logic circuitry and a gaming machine with an acoustic input component and an acoustic output component, the method comprising:

• receiving, by the logic circuitry via the acoustic input component, an acoustic capture signal from a mobile device, the acoustic capture signal representative of a player account identifier corresponding to a player account, the acoustic capture signal having distinctive capture characteristics;
• determining, via the logic circuitry, the player account identifier represented by the acoustic capture signal and associating, via the logic circuitry, a gaming session on the gaming machine with the corresponding player account;
• generating, via the logic circuitry, an acoustic maintain-session signal associated with the gaming session, the acoustic maintain-session signal having distinctive maintain-session characteristics;
• emitting, via the acoustic output component, the acoustic maintain-session signal for a mobile device associated with the player account;
• in response to the mobile device indicating the acoustic maintain-session signal was received by the mobile device in a prescribed manner, maintaining, by the logic circuitry, the association between the gaming session and the player account for a period of time;
• and
• in response to the mobile device indicating that the mobile device failed to receive the acoustic maintain-session signal in a prescribed manner, terminating, by the logic circuitry, the association between the gaming session and the player account.

A gaming system comprising:

• a gaming machine configured to conduct a casino wagering game, the gaming machine including an acoustic input component and an acoustic output component;
• and
• logic circuitry configured to:
• cause the acoustic output component to emit an acoustic capture signal to be received by a mobile device of a player, the acoustic capture signal having distinctive capture characteristics associated with the gaming machine;
• receive indication that the acoustic capture signal was received by the mobile device;
• in response to receiving the indication, identify a player account associated with the player of the mobile device and associate the player account with a gaming session of the casino wagering game;
• in response to receiving, in a prescribed manner via the acoustic input component, an acoustic maintain-session signal from the mobile device, the acoustic maintain-session signal having distinctive maintain-session characteristics, maintain the association between the gaming session on the gaming machine and the player account for a period of time;
• and
• in response to failing to receive the acoustic maintain-session signal in the prescribed manner, terminate the association between the gaming session on the gaming machine and the player account.

A method of operating a gaming system including logic circuitry and a gaming machine having an acoustic input component and an acoustic output component, the method comprising:

• emitting, via the acoustic output component, an acoustic capture signal generated by the logic circuitry to be received by a mobile device of a player, the acoustic capture signal having distinctive capture characteristics associated with the gaming machine;
• receiving, by the logic circuitry, indication that the acoustic capture signal was received by the mobile device;
• identifying, by the logic circuitry, a player account identifier associated with the player of the mobile device and associating the player account corresponding to the player account identifier with a gaming session of the casino wagering game;
• in response to receiving, in a prescribed manner via the acoustic input component, an acoustic maintain-session signal from a mobile device, the acoustic maintain-session signal having distinctive maintain-session characteristics, maintaining, via the logic circuitry, the association between the gaming session on the gaming machine and the player account for a period of time;
• and
• in response to failing to receive the acoustic maintain-session signal in the prescribed manner, terminating, via the logic circuitry, the association between the gaming session on the gaming machine and the player account.