US 2018/0025580 A1Published application

Marketing Bonus System and Method

AssigneeUmpqua Indian Development Corporation

InventorsRichard Michael Rader, Shawn R. McDaniel

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Abstract

A marketing bonus system and method for use in one or more casino establishments for awarding a prize to a player who is a member of a loyalty program and has a player card in active use at an eligible electronic gaming machine. The marketing bonus system and method randomly selects a player for an award. It may be configured to offer multiple bonuses across the floor of a casino or other gaming establishment at any given time. Players are notified prior to a bonus being awarded so that they may insert their card into an electronic gaming machine on the casino floor in the area where the bonus is active and be eligible to win. Awards are offered to eligible players at electronic gaming machines such as slot machines and video poker machines, but may also be offered on other types of devices that are in active use such as general purpose computing devices connected to the system over a network such as the internet.

Claims21

Dependent claims

A system for awarding a bonus award to a player of an electronic gaming machine (“EGM”) participating in the active play of the EGM indicated by the use of an identifier, comprising:

a network;
a bonusing system connected to the network, comprising:
a controller for controlling system operations in the bonusing system including determining bonus award selections and including receiving input from a plurality of electronic gaming machines (“EGMs”) connected to the network;
a memory for storing software accessible by the controller that provides instructions for operating the bonusing system including a random number generator (“RNG”) for generating random numbers that determine the outcome of a bonus game and that correspond to a predetermined set of game outcomes including winning outcomes for which prizes are awarded;
a bonus system display for displaying information related to bonusing system operations including a pre-notification of an upcoming bonus to be awarded to at least one player wherein the pre-notification is provided in advance of a prize being awarded;
a first database configured to manage prize data for winning outcomes;
and
wherein a winning player is awarded the bonus prize at a winning EGM determined by the controller at random, and not based on an outcome of game activity on the winning EGM, and further wherein the bonusing system transmits a signal to the winning EGM indicating the prize to be awarded.

5 more elements

A method of awarding a bonus to a player of an electronic gaming machine (“EGM”) participating in active play of the EGM among a plurality of EGMs, wherein the EGMs are in communication with a bonusing system on a network, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving data at the EGM data indicating a player is actively playing the particular EGM;
transmitting an identifier from the EGM to the bonusing system indicating that a player is actively playing the particular EGM;
providing a first database accessible by the bonusing system and configured to manage prize data for prizes to be awarded to players of the EGMs;
determining using a bonusing system controller either:
(a) a particular time at which, or
(b) a particular time range within which,
a bonus will be awarded;
selecting a particular prize to be awarded from among the prizes in the first database at the time or within the time range using the bonusing system controller;
receiving a pre-notification signal at a display on the network in communication with the bonusing system in advance of the award of a prize by the bonusing system;
indicating on the display that a prize will be awarded to at least one player at the time or within the time range;
awarding at least one winning player the bonus prize at a winning EGM, wherein the winning EGM is determined by the bonusing system controller at random, and not based on an outcome of game activity on the winning EGM;
receiving from the bonusing system a signal at the winning EGM indicating the prize to be awarded;
and
awarding the prize to the player of the winning EGM.

11 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 15/216,904Filed 22 Jul 2016
Published: 25 Jan 2018
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification8 codes

G07F 17/3246
Payment aspects of a gaming system, e.g. payment schemes, setting payout ratio, bonus or consolation prizes: involving coins and/or banknotes
G07F 17/3209
Player-machine interfaces: input means, e.g. buttons, touch screen
G07F 17/3211
Player-machine interfaces: display means
G07F 17/323
Data transfer within a gaming system, e.g. data sent between gaming machines and users: wherein the player is informed, e.g. advertisements, odds,…

Family

US 10,282,944 B2Related patent
US 2018/0025580 A1This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

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