Patents by Inventor Kevin M. Higgins

Kevin M. Higgins has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 9245415
    Abstract: When the player identifies herself to a gaming machine at a casino, for example by inserting a player tracking card into the card reader, she is, at generally the same time, logging onto a game provider's backend system (the game provider being different from the casino operator). This concurrent sign-on to the game provider's system is done in a non-intrusive, transparent, and passive manner. The player is not distracted from the normal steps leading to game play on the machine until she is ready to redeem points with the game provider or for some reason additional authentication is needed from the player. By virtue of this single sign-on to the game provider network, in addition to continuing game play across different casinos, the player can publish events to the Internet, such as on social networking sites, take advantage of offers targeted specifically for her, or facilitate responsible gaming programs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2016
    Assignee: IGT
    Inventors: Erik B. Petersen, Kevin M. Higgins, Steven G. LeMay, William C. Little
  • Publication number: 20150326639
    Abstract: Managing a plurality of electronic gaming machines includes receiving a designation at a first electronic gaming machine (EGM) that the first EGM is a service gateway, broadcasting to other EGMs of the plurality of EGMs that the first EGM is the service gateway, and performing at least one of: discovering the other EGMs, identifying the other EGMs as client EGMs, and obtaining data from all of the client EGMs and retrieving crash data from all of the client EGMs, and communicating with a server to request performance of the at least one of the operations on selected ones of the plurality of EGMs.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 8, 2014
    Publication date: November 12, 2015
    Applicant: IGT
    Inventors: Dwayne R. NELSON, Erik B. PETERSEN, Kevin M. HIGGINS
  • Publication number: 20150206391
    Abstract: When the player identifies herself to a gaming machine at a casino, for example by inserting a player tracking card into the card reader, she is, at generally the same time, logging onto a game provider's backend system (the game provider being different from the casino operator). This concurrent sign-on to the game provider's system is done in a non-intrusive, transparent, and passive manner. The player is not distracted from the normal steps leading to game play on the machine until she is ready to redeem points with the game provider or for some reason additional authentication is needed from the player. By virtue of this single sign-on to the game provider network, in addition to continuing game play across different casinos, the player can publish events to the Internet, such as on social networking sites, take advantage of offers targeted specifically for her, or facilitate responsible gaming programs.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 1, 2015
    Publication date: July 23, 2015
    Inventors: Erik B. Petersen, Kevin M. Higgins, Steven G. LeMay, William C. Little
  • Patent number: 9039518
    Abstract: When the player identifies herself to a gaming machine at a casino, for example by inserting a player tracking card into the card reader, she is, at generally the same time, logging onto a game provider's backend system (the game provider being different from the casino operator). This concurrent sign-on to the game provider's system is done in a non-intrusive, transparent, and passive manner. The player is not distracted from the normal steps leading to game play on the machine until she is ready to redeem points with the game provider or for some reason additional authentication is needed from the player. By virtue of this single sign-on to the game provider network, in addition to continuing game play across different casinos, the player can publish events to the Internet, such as on social networking sites, take advantage of offers targeted specifically for her, or facilitate responsible gaming programs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2015
    Assignee: IGT
    Inventors: Erik B. Petersen, Kevin M. Higgins, Steven G. LeMay, William C. Little
  • Patent number: 8672750
    Abstract: The gaming system disclosed herein enables a player to simultaneously or concurrently play a plurality of games at a gaming device regardless or independent of if the gaming device accounting system in communication with the gaming device is configured to support such simultaneous or concurrent game play. The gaming system disclosed herein additionally or alternatively enables a player to simultaneously play a plurality of games wherein certain of the games are eligible to operate with a remote host and certain of the games are ineligible to operate with the remote host.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2014
    Assignee: IGT
    Inventors: Dwayne R. Nelson, William R. Brosnan, Kevin M. Higgins, William Chad Little, Larry R. Hollibaugh, Erik B. Petersen, Adrian R. Marcu
  • Publication number: 20140018154
    Abstract: When the player identifies herself to a gaming machine at a casino, for example by inserting a player tracking card into the card reader, she is, at generally the same time, logging onto a game provider's backend system (the game provider being different from the casino operator). This concurrent sign-on to the game provider's system is done in a non-intrusive, transparent, and passive manner. The player is not distracted from the normal steps leading to game play on the machine until she is ready to redeem points with the game provider or for some reason additional authentication is needed from the player. By virtue of this single sign-on to the game provider network, in addition to continuing game play across different casinos, the player can publish events to the Internet, such as on social networking sites, take advantage of offers targeted specifically for her, or facilitate responsible gaming programs.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 11, 2012
    Publication date: January 16, 2014
    Applicant: IGT
    Inventors: Erik B. PETERSEN, Kevin M. HIGGINS, Steven G. LeMAY, William C. LITTLE
  • Publication number: 20130310166
    Abstract: An online gaming registration system allows online gaming patrons to register once and use this registration to create online gaming accounts with gaming Web sites, thereby avoiding having to show proof of residency, age and other requirements set by regulatory entities multiple times. Residency rules and other requirements vary from one jurisdiction to another and the present invention addresses some of the issues that arise from this. An online gaming Web site receives a login from an online player over the Internet. The site determines that the player has an account with the online gaming site and that the account is linked to an online gaming registration system account. The online gaming site receives claims-based data relating to the online player and accepts the player as verified for online gaming at the gaming Web site.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 18, 2012
    Publication date: November 21, 2013
    Applicant: IGT
    Inventors: Kevin M. HIGGINS, Erik B. PETERSEN, Steven G. LeMAY
  • Patent number: 8540567
    Abstract: The gaming system disclosed herein enables a player to simultaneously or concurrently play a plurality of games at a gaming device regardless or independent of if the gaming device accounting system in communication with the gaming device is configured to support such simultaneous or concurrent game play. The gaming system disclosed herein additionally or alternatively enables a player to simultaneously play a plurality of games wherein certain of the games are eligible to operate with a remote host and certain of the games are ineligible to operate with the remote host.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2013
    Assignee: IGT
    Inventors: Dwayne R. Nelson, William R. Brosnan, Kevin M. Higgins, William Chad Little, Larry R. Hollibaugh, Erik B. Petersen, Adrian R. Marcu
  • Publication number: 20130079115
    Abstract: The gaming system disclosed herein enables a player to simultaneously or concurrently play a plurality of games at a gaming device regardless or independent of if the gaming device accounting system in communication with the gaming device is configured to support such simultaneous or concurrent game play. The gaming system disclosed herein additionally or alternatively enables a player to simultaneously play a plurality of games wherein certain of the games are eligible to operate with a remote host and certain of the games are ineligible to operate with the remote host.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 28, 2011
    Publication date: March 28, 2013
    Applicant: IGT
    Inventors: Dwayne R. Nelson, William R. Brosnan, Kevin M. Higgins, William Chad Little, Larry R. Hollibaugh, Erik B. Petersen, Adrian R. Marcu
  • Publication number: 20130079124
    Abstract: The gaming system disclosed herein enables a player to simultaneously or concurrently play a plurality of games at a gaming device regardless or independent of if the gaming device accounting system in communication with the gaming device is configured to support such simultaneous or concurrent game play. The gaming system disclosed herein additionally or alternatively enables a player to simultaneously play a plurality of games wherein certain of the games are eligible to operate with a remote host and certain of the games are ineligible to operate with the remote host.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 28, 2011
    Publication date: March 28, 2013
    Applicant: IGT
    Inventors: Dwayne R. Nelson, William R. Brosnan, Kevin M. Higgins, William Chad Little, Larry R. Hollibaugh, Erik B. Petersen, Adrian R. Marcu
  • Publication number: 20130079116
    Abstract: The gaming system disclosed herein enables a player to simultaneously or concurrently play a plurality of games at a gaming device regardless or independent of if the gaming device accounting system in communication with the gaming device is configured to support such simultaneous or concurrent game play. The gaming system disclosed herein additionally or alternatively enables a player to simultaneously play a plurality of games wherein certain of the games are eligible to operate with a remote host and certain of the games are ineligible to operate with the remote host.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 28, 2011
    Publication date: March 28, 2013
    Applicant: IGT
    Inventors: Dwayne R. Nelson, William R. Brosnan, Kevin M. Higgins, William Chad Little, Larry R. Hollibaugh, Erik B. Petersen, Adrian R. Marcu