US 2003/0144965 A1 · Transaction signature

Abstract

The present invention provides systems and methods for protecting transaction information stored in a database of a gaming network. To accomplish this, a transaction signature is generated each time the user completes a transaction on a gaming machine. The transaction signature is generated using transaction information from a particular transaction. The transaction signature and transaction information are stored together in a network database. Upon subsequent access to the transaction information in the database, the transaction signature for the transaction information is recalculated based on the transaction information at that time. The new transaction signature is then compared to the transaction signature previously stored. Any differences between the two transaction signatures may be used to signal unauthorized alteration in the database transaction information.

Claims57

Dependent claims

A method of protecting transaction information stored in a database associated with gaming machines, the method comprising:

receiving a plurality of transaction information elements for a cashless instrument transaction from a gaming machine;
generating a first transaction signature from at least one of the plurality of transaction information elements;
recording the plurality of transaction information elements and the first transaction signature in the database;
generating a second transaction signature upon a request to access the recorded plurality of transaction information elements, wherein the second transaction signature is generated from at least one of the plurality of transaction information elements recorded in the database as it exists when the request is made;
and
verifying the contents of the database by comparing the first transaction signature with the second transaction signature.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Transaction signature

Life of this patent

Transaction signature

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims57