Slot machine group tournament management and scoring system

Abstract

It is a software system to manage the registration and scoring process for running casino-based slot machine tournaments (FIG. 1).

Description

We are claiming priority on this application from filing a provisional patent previously, under application No. 61/058,628 on Jun. 4, 2008.

The present invention relates to a slot machine group tournament management and scoring system.

The device is comprised of the following components:

• • Software—the main system software runs on a computer server connected to a computer network, and allows users (casino employees) to access the system via a computer internet browser program.
  • Database—all data entered in to the system is stored in a computer based database.
  • Touch screen computer—is used to enter scores, player signatures, and other data.
  • Video Display Units—are used to display scores (leader board) to the tournament players.
  • Computer Kiosk—are used to allow tournament players to sign up (register) for future tournaments without the aid of a casino employee.
  • Computer based-printer—is used to print registration tickets, receipts, prize certificates, scoring sheets, and other information on paper.

System Steps:

• • 1. Using the browser-based access to the software system, a casino employee “signs in” to the system using a user identification string and password combination. This functionality allows the system to identify who is accessing the system, and only provide the limited functionality pre-assigned to the user.
  • 2. Using the browser-based access to the software system, a casino employee “sets up” a new tournament configuration (by choosing dates of play, number of sessions, number of phases, number of slot machines, how scoring is determined, how prizes are awarded, and any other rules of play), or chooses a “saved” preconfigured tournament or tournament template.
  • 3. Using the browser-based access to the software system, a casino employee then takes player “registrations”, whereby a casino customer (player) reserves a place in the tournament, and receives a “ticket” indicating all the particular information relevant to his slot tournament “session(s)”. A tournament may be free to enter, or may have an entry fee (determined in step 2) (FIG. 2).
  • 4. Using a computer-based kiosk, a customer may register for a tournament himself by “swiping” his player card through the kiosk's magnetic card stripe reader, and then choosing options presented to him on a touch screen display on the kiosk (FIG. 2).
  • 5. Once a slot tournament session has been played, the scores from all available tournament slot machines are entered into the software system in one of two ways: (i) by manually being entered via the browser based access to the software system through a network connected computer or touch screen, or (ii) by being automatically collected via computer network connection directly to the slot machines (FIG. 3).
  • 6. Once all sessions and phases have been played, the software system determines prizes and rankings according the tournament rules identified in step 2 (FIG. 4 and FIG. 5).
  • 7. Once any scores have been entered into the software system, the scores may be displayed on a video display terminal. The system may be structured to use a kiosk-computer for player self-registration. The system may be used with our without a touch screen computer for the inputting of scores, player signatures, and other data. The system may or may not be connected to secondary video display units to show leader boards and other tournament information.

The system may also be used for different kinds of casino gaming tournaments, including blackjack and video poker.

Claims

1. Software system allows user (a casino) to set up a slot machine tournament (where ‘x’ number of players compete in a “session” to see who scores the highest number of credits, or who gets to a fixed number of credits in the shortest time), of ‘y’ number of sessions. The system organizes the sessions based on user input describing the number of sessions per ‘phase’ of the tournament, how many slot machines will be used for each session, and how the rankings are to be determined.

2. The system handles the awarding of prizing based on scoring automatically.

3. The system allows the scores from each session to be inputted manually, or collected automatically via computer network connection to the slot machines.

4. The system allows for the collection of a digitized signature from each competitor via a touch screen computer to validate his/her score at the end of each session, and stores the digitized signature in a computer database.

5. The system allows for the casino to send email to the competitors before, during, and after the tournament for the purposes of marketing and information dissemination.