Back to results
US 8,419,532 B2Granted
Distributed promotional coupon system for a gaming environment
AssigneeFuturelogic, Inc.
InventorEric Meyerhofer
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Methods and apparatuses for a distributed promotional coupon system for use within a casino which has cash-less gaming machines involving a plurality of game installed cash-out Voucher Printers networked to a central server. A central coupon server harnesses the processing power of the plurality of printers, tasking each one to analyze the player activity of the game into which it is installed. Handshaking and signaling between the server and the plurality of printers ensure that the server was system master, approving the issuance of all coupons. One advantage of the system is the simplification of the server whose real-time processing requirements become more of data routing than analysis.
Claims36
A gaming environment promotional system, comprising:
- a central data processing unit that is a Promotional Coupon System (PCS);
- and
- at least one gaming machine installed Gaming Voucher Printer (GVP), the GVP coupled through a primary communication port to a controller of a respective gaming machine into which the GVP is installed, with each GVP further coupled to the PCS through a second auxiliary port,
- wherein the GVP receives signaling for cash-out vouchers through the primary communication port and signaling for coupons through the second auxiliary port,
- wherein the GVP is coupled to the PCS by a promotional network dedicated to the PCS to GVP connection, the network coupling a plurality of GVPs to the PCS, and
- the GVP is individually signaled by the PCS by using a unique address, and
- wherein the GVP stores an identification of the gaming machine into which the GVP is installed into a memory coupled to a processor of the GVP.
4 more elements
A gaming environment promotional system, comprising:
- a central data processing unit that is a Promotional Coupon System (PCS);
- and
- at least one gaming machine installed Gaming Voucher Printer (GVP), the GVP coupled through a primary communication port to a controller of a respective gaming machine into which the GVP is installed, with each GVP further coupled to the PCS through a second auxiliary port,
- wherein the GVP receives signaling for cash-out vouchers through the primary communication port and signaling for coupons through the second auxiliary port,
- wherein the PCS is coupled to a plurality of GVPs through a dedicated PCS to GVP network, creating a logical link between the GVP's unique network address and the GVP's respective gaming machine for the purposes of correlating the GVP's gaming machine identifier,
- wherein the GVP sends signals to the PCS using a link created from the GVP's unique address and gaming machine information from the GVP's respective gaming machine,
- wherein the PCS stores the link in a memory, and
- wherein the link is created using the game machine identifier address as signaled to the GVP by an operator controlled external device temporarily coupled to the GVP at the time the GVP is installed in the GVP's respective gaming machine.
5 more elements
A gaming environment promotional system, comprising:
- a central data processing unit that is a Promotional Coupon System (PCS);
- and
- at least one gaming machine installed Gaming Voucher Printer (GVP), the GVP coupled through a primary communication port to a controller of a respective gaming machine into which the GVP is installed, with each GVP further coupled to the PCS through a second auxiliary port, wherein the GVP receives signaling for cash-out vouchers through the primary communication port and signaling for coupons through the second auxiliary port,
- wherein each GVP signals the PCS as to a game machine identifier address in which the GVP is installed upon boot-up or when requested by the PCS.
1 more element
A gaming environment promotional system, comprising:
- a central data processing unit that is a Promotional Coupon System (PCS);
- at least one gaming machine installed Gaming Voucher Printer (GVP), the GVP coupled through a primary communication port to a controller of a respective gaming machine into which the GVP is installed, with each GVP further coupled to the PCS through a second auxiliary port, wherein the GVP receives signaling for cash-out vouchers through the primary communication port and signaling for coupons through the second auxiliary port;
- and
- a cash-out voucher system coupled to the GVP and the PCS, wherein the cash-out voucher system sends a data packet to the GVP via a link to the gaming machine,
- wherein the GVP forwards information from the data packet along with a unique network address to the PCS,
- wherein the cash-out voucher system sends information from the data packet to the PCS,
- wherein the PCS creates a logical link between the GVP's unique network address and the gaming machine into which the GVP is installed for the purposes of correlating the GVP's gaming machine identifier, and
- wherein the PCS stores the link in a memory.
5 more elements
A gaming environment promotional system, comprising:
- a central data processing unit that is a Promotional Coupon System (PCS);
- at least one gaming machine installed Gaming Voucher Printer (GVP), the GVP coupled through a primary communication port to a controller of a respective gaming machine into which the GVP is installed, with each GVP further coupled to the PCS through a second auxiliary port, wherein the GVP receives signaling for cash-out vouchers through the primary communication port and signaling for coupons through the second auxiliary port;
- and wherein the GVP, after boot-up, receives cash-out voucher signals from the gaming machine over the GVP's primary port, and the GVP verifies that a first gaming machine identifier in the cash-out signals is the same as a second gaming machine identifier previously recorded in the GVP's memory as to which gaming machine the GVP is installed.
A gaming environment promotional system, comprising:
- a central data processing unit that is a Promotional Coupon System (PCS);
- at least one gaming machine installed Gaming Voucher Printer (GVP), the GVP coupled through a primary communication port to a controller of a respective gaming machine into which the GVP is installed, with each GVP further coupled to the PCS through a second auxiliary port, wherein the GVP receives signaling for cash-out vouchers through the primary communication port and signaling for coupons through the second auxiliary port;
- and
- a Player Tracking System (PTS) coupled to the PCS, the PCS receiving gaming machine activity data from the PTS which is monitoring a gaming machine,
- wherein the PCS utilizes a link table to determine a unique network address of the GVP installed in the gaming machine, and the PCS sends information extracted from the activity data to the GVP installed in the gaming machine.
2 more elements
A gaming environment promotional system, comprising:
- a central data processing unit that is a Promotional Coupon System (PCS);
- and
- at least one gaming machine installed Gaming Voucher Printer (GVP), the GVP coupled through a primary communication port to a controller of a respective gaming machine into which the GVP is installed, with each GVP further coupled to the PCS through a second auxiliary port, wherein the GVP receives signaling for cash-out vouchers through the primary communication port and signaling for coupons through the second auxiliary port;
- wherein
- the GVP receives player activity data of the gaming machine in which the GVP is installed from the PCS,
- the GVP processes the player activity data to determine if a promotional award has been triggered by the player activity data and a type of the promotional award,
- the GVP signals the PCS as to the metrics of the triggered promotional award, the PCS processes the metrics of the promotional award to create a validation identifier for the award coupon,
- the PCS signals the GVP with data including the validation identifier and authorization to print a promotional award coupon,
- the GVP prints the promotional award coupon, and
- the GVP signals the PCS as to the completion or failure of the printing of the promotional award coupon.
7 more elements
A gaming environment promotional system, comprising:
- a central data processing unit that is a Promotional Coupon System (PCS);
- at least one gaming machine installed Gaming Voucher Printer (GVP), the GVP coupled through a primary communication port to a controller of a respective gaming machine into which the GVP is installed, with each GVP further coupled to the PCS through a second auxiliary port, wherein the GVP receives signaling for cash-out vouchers through the primary communication port and signaling for coupons through the second auxiliary port;
- and
- a Player Tracking System (PTS) coupled to the PCS,
- wherein the PCS receives gaming machine activity data from the PTS which is monitoring the gaming machine,
- wherein the PCS processes the gaming machine activity data to determine if a promotional award has been triggered by the gaming machine activity data,
- wherein the PCS determines the type of award from a database,
- wherein the PCS creates a validation identifier for a promotional award coupon for the award,
- wherein the PCS signals the GVP with data including the validation identifier and authorization to print the promotional award coupon,
- wherein the GVP prints the promotional award coupon, and
- wherein the GVP signals the PCS as to the completion or failure of the printing of the promotional award coupon.
8 more elements
A gaming environment promotional system, comprising:
- a central data processing unit that is a Promotional Coupon System (PCS);
- and
- at least one gaming machine installed Gaming Voucher Printer (GVP), the GVP coupled through a primary communication port to a controller of a respective gaming machine into which the GVP is installed, with each GVP further coupled to the PCS through a second auxiliary port, wherein
- the GVP receives signaling for cash-out vouchers through the primary communication port and signaling for coupons through the second auxiliary port,
- the GVP receives signaling from the PCS on the GVP's secondary auxiliary port to print a coupon, the GVP holds the coupon data in memory,
- the GVP receives signaling from the gaming machine to which the GVP is coupled on the GVP's primary port to print a cash-out voucher,
- the GVP prints the cash-out voucher, and
- when the cash-out voucher is successfully printed, the GVP prints the coupon from the coupon data held in memory.
5 more elements
A gaming environment promotional system, comprising:
- a central data processing unit that is a Promotional Coupon System (PCS);
- and
- at least one gaming machine installed Gaming Voucher Printer (GVP), the GVP coupled through a primary communication port to a controller of a respective gaming machine into which the GVP is installed, with each GVP further coupled to the PCS through a second auxiliary port,
- wherein the GVP receives signaling for cash-out vouchers through the primary communication port and signaling for coupons through the second auxiliary port, and
- wherein the PCS includes a coupon trigger database including play metrics that will cause the PCS to request the GVP to produce a coupon when the play metrics are satisfied.
2 more elements
A gaming environment promotional system, comprising:
- a central data processing unit that is a Promotional Coupon System (PCS);
- and
- at least one gaming machine installed Gaming Voucher Printer (GVP), the GVP coupled through a primary communication port to a controller of a respective gaming machine into which the GVP is installed, with each GVP further coupled to the PCS through a second auxiliary port, wherein the GVP receives signaling for cash-out vouchers through the primary communication port and signaling for coupons through the second auxiliary port;
- and a database storing a set of control parameters which selects a type and quantity of coupons to issue related to play metrics used to trigger issuance of coupons, the control parameters operating separately or in combination with each coupon.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.