Circulation tracking and accounting system

Abstract

Devices, systems, and methods are provided to enable amusement park operators to track and account for printed amusement park circulation items. In one example, a circulation item accounting system includes: a circulation item scanning unit; a network communication interface; and a processor. The processor is configured to perform the following operations: receive an identifier of a printed amusement park circulation item from the circulation item scanning unit; send the identifier of the printed amusement park circulation item to a remote circulation item tracker via the network communication interface; receive an identifier of a circulation item receiving location through which the printed amusement park circulation item passes via the network communication interface and in response to the sending of the identifier of the printed amusement park circulation item; and generate a circulation item report using the identifier of the printed amusement park circulation item and the identifier of the circulation item receiving location.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This international application claims priority to U.S. non-provisional application No. 16 / 855,089, filed on April 22, 2020, and entitled “Currency Tracking And Accounting Systems,” which is a non-provisional application and claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 852,013, filed on May 23, 2019, under 35 U.S.C. §119(e), the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference as if fully disclosed herein. Technical Field

[0003] The technology described herein relates to devices, systems and methods for tracking and accounting for printed casino currency. Printed casino currency may include, for example, treasury bills; banknotes; lottery tickets; coupons; ticket-in, ticket-out (TITO) cards; promotional coupons; sports betting slips, etc. Background Art

[0004] The operation of amusement parks, gaming devices, and gaming systems is typically strictly regulated by local, state, and federal authorities. These regulations typically require amusement parks to keep accurate records of every transaction that occurs by, in, or through the amusement park, and to maintain a positive level of control over all transactions of currency. For example, an amusement park typically includes gaming machines (such as slot machines or gaming tables), or other equipment, services, or systems for which regulatory agencies require the amusement park to record and account for every currency provided. An amusement park patron typically provides currency of a specific value to the amusement park or to one or more gaming devices, employees, or other currency receivers of the amusement park in exchange for the opportunity for the patron (or someone else they may designate) to experience one or more games, products, or other services provided directly or indirectly by the amusement park. Summary of the invention

[0005] The present disclosure relates to a circulation item accounting system, which includes: a circulation item scanning unit; a network communication interface; and a processor, which is configured to perform the following operations: receiving an identifier of a printed amusement park circulation item from the circulation item scanning unit; sending the identifier of the printed amusement park circulation item to a remote circulation item tracker via the network communication interface; receiving an identifier of a circulation item receiving and positioning unit through which the printed amusement park circulation item passes via the network communication interface and in response to the sending of the identifier of the printed amusement park circulation item; and generating a circulation item report using the identifier of the printed amusement park circulation item and the identifier of the circulation item receiving and positioning unit. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0006] Features, aspects, advantages, functions, components, devices, systems, and methods provided by various embodiments of the present disclosure are further disclosed herein with respect to at least one of the following description and accompanying drawings.

[0007] Figure 1 An example networked system of a circulating product acceptance location (or device), a circulating product tracking system, and a circulating product accounting system for use in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0008] Figure 2 An operational circulation tracking system (such as that shown in FIG. Figure 1 A first example method of a circulating item tracking system described herein.

[0009] Figure 3 An operational circulation tracking system (such as that shown in FIG. Figure 1 A second example method of the circulating item tracking system described herein.

[0010] Figure 4 The operation of a circulating goods accounting system (such as referring to Figure 1 A first example method of a circulating commodity accounting system described herein.

[0011] Figure 5 The operation of a circulating goods accounting system (such as referring to Figure 1 A second example method of the described circulating commodity accounting system). DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0012] Various embodiments described herein are directed to apparatus, systems, and methods that may be adapted, managed, and administered by a casino operator in accepting and dispensing printed casino circulation (or other tangible casino circulation) for use by patrons.

[0013] Described herein are devices, systems, and methods that can be used to scan and identify serial numbers or other identifiers of various circulate items, particularly printed amusement park circulate items received at a circulate item acceptance location, such as at an electronic gaming machine (EGM), a gaming table, a circulate item validator (e.g., a bill validator), an automated teller machine (ATM), or a circulate item exchange device. Once the identifier of the circulate item is identified, the movement of the circulate item within the amusement park (or even outside the amusement park) can be tracked. For example, upon initial admission to the amusement park, the identifier of the circulate item and the location where the circulate item was accepted can be associated and forwarded to a circulate item tracking system. If the circulate item is later distributed, transferred to other locations, or re-accepted at other locations, the identifier of the circulate item can also be associated with these other locations, and additional associations can be forwarded to the circulate item tracking system. If the circulate item is ultimately forwarded to a circulate item accounting system, the location where the circulate item was accepted or distributed can be retrieved from the circulate item tracking system.

[0014] In some cases, 1) an identifier of a circulation item receiving location associated with the circulation item and retrieved from the circulation item tracking system can be compared with 2) an identifier of a circulation item receiving location associated with a circulation item container (e.g., a box or other container used to transport the circulation item within the amusement park) containing the circulation item. If the identifiers of the circulation item receiving location match, the circulation item can be deemed to have been properly accounted for. If the identifiers do not match, the amusement park system or amusement park staff can be notified of the discrepancy, and tampering or irregular handling of the circulation item can be investigated.

[0015] Compared to previous devices, systems and methods, the technology described herein can automate circulation processing and accounting to a greater extent and can eliminate the need for header / tailer cards in circulation containers. The described technology also provides more sophisticated circulation tracking, for example, by circulation rather than by circulation container.

[0016] These and other technical references Figures 1 to 5 Detailed description of the drawings is provided in the accompanying drawings. However, it will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art that the detailed description of these drawings given herein is for illustrative purposes only and should not be construed as limiting. The use of alternative terms (e.g., "or") is intended to indicate different combinations of alternative elements or operations. For example, A or B is intended to include A, or B, or A and B.

[0017] Figure 1 A networked system 100 is shown of a circulation product receiving location unit 102, a circulation product tracking system 104, and a circulation product accounting system 106. The circulation product receiving location unit 102, the circulation product tracking system 104, and the circulation product accounting system 106 may be located within an amusement park, distributed across multiple amusement parks, or distributed across one or more amusement parks, one or more financial institutions, and one or more data centers or remote servers.

[0018] Each negotiable instrument acceptance location 102 may include one or more negotiable instrument acceptance devices, such as one or more EGMs, gaming tables, negotiable instrument validators (e.g., banknote validators), ATMs, or negotiable instrument exchange devices (e.g., machines that receive one type of negotiable instrument (e.g., Treasury bills such as U.S. dollars or Japanese yen) and output another type of negotiable instrument (e.g., a paper or plastic card that stores an electronic, electromagnetic, or optical indicator of the type and value of negotiable instruments available to the user of the card)).

[0019] The EGM may be constructed to provide any desired customer / user experience. For example, in some embodiments, the EGM may include a slot machine that provides several rotating elements that, when aligned along one or more axes, trigger the distribution of bonuses and / or prizes to casino patrons. In other embodiments, the EGM may involve any other form of chance game, such as a video poker game, a turn-based game (e.g., MONOPOLYTM), or any other game or user experience. In at least one embodiment, the EGM may not involve any aspect of a chance game, but may involve participation in activities desired by customers, such as the opportunity to participate in a singing contest, the opportunity to watch a video activity, etc. The EGM may additionally or alternatively provide any type of interactive experience desired by the user. The EGM may include any desired combination of hardware and software components, the types and capabilities of which are beyond the scope of this disclosure.

[0020] In some cases, the circulation receiving station 102 can also be used as a circulation dispensing station. For example, a device configured to receive printed playground circulation through a slot can also dispense printed playground circulation through the slot or through other slots.

[0021] Each circulation acceptance location 102 may include one or more circulation scanning units 108. Printed casino circulation (and in some cases, other circulation) received at the circulation acceptance location 102 may be scanned by the circulation scanning unit 108, tracked by the circulation tracking system 104, and accounted for by the circulation accounting system 106. Printed casino circulation may include, for example, treasury bills; banknotes; lottery tickets; coupons; TITO cards; promotional coupons; sports betting slips, etc.

[0022] The circulation scanning unit 108 can scan the printed playground circulation and use optical character recognition (OCR) or other algorithms to identify the identifier of the printed playground circulation. In some cases, the identifier of the printed playground circulation can include a serial number (e.g., a string of alphanumeric characters). The identifier of the printed playground circulation can also or alternatively include a pattern or other identifier. The serial number or pattern can be printed on the printed playground circulation, or, for example, the serial number or pattern can be physically, electronically, electromagnetically, optically or holographically stored in or on the printed playground circulation.

[0023] The identifier of the printed playground circulation item scanned at the circulation acceptance location 102 may be associated with an identifier of the circulation acceptance location 102. In some embodiments, the identifier of the circulation acceptance location 102 may include an identifier of a circulation acceptance device or a circulation scanning unit 108 used at the circulation acceptance location 102. The associated identifier may be sent to the network communication interface 112 of the circulation tracking system 104 via the network communication interface 110 of the circulation acceptance location 102. The network communication interfaces 110, 112 may include wired or wireless communication interfaces.

[0024] The circulation tracking system 104 can receive and store an association between an identifier of a printed playground circulation item and an identifier of a circulation receiving location. The association can be received from some or all of the circulation receiving locations 102 via the network communication interface 112. The association can be stored in a data structure stored in the computer readable memory 114 of the circulation tracking system 104.

[0025] The circulation accounting system 106 may include a circulation scanning unit 116 and a network communication interface 118. The printed playground circulation received and scanned at the circulation receiving location 102 can be transported to the location of the circulation accounting system 106 and counted, sorted, or otherwise processed by the circulation accounting system 106. In some cases, the printed playground circulation can be manually input into the circulation accounting system 106. In some cases, the printed playground circulation can be semi-automatically input into the circulation accounting system 106. For example, the circulation accounting system 106 can include a circulation providing unit 120, which removes the printed playground circulation from the circulation container 122 (e.g., a file box) and feeds the printed playground circulation to the circulation scanning unit 116 of the circulation accounting system 106. In some cases, printed casino circulation may be returned to the circulation container 122, or to a different circulation container 122, after being scanned (and potentially sorted or otherwise processed) by the circulation accounting system 106.

[0026] In some embodiments, the circulation accounting system 106 may send an identifier of the printed playground circulation item to the circulation tracking system 104. For example, the identifier may be sent to the network communication interface 112 of the circulation tracking system 104 via the network communication interface 118 of the circulation accounting system 106. The circulation tracking system 104 may use the identifier of the printed playground circulation item to retrieve an identifier of the circulation receiving location 102 through which the printed playground circulation item passed. The identifier of the circulation receiving location may then be sent to the circulation accounting system 106 and may be used, for example, to determine the location where the printed playground circulation item was originally received into the networked system 100. The identifier of the circulation receiving location may also or alternatively be compared with other identifiers of the circulation receiving location that are associated with the circulation container (e.g., the identifier of the circulation receiving location 102 that filled the circulation container 122). In this way, the comparison of the identifiers may be used to determine whether the items received at a particular circulation receiving location 102 were transported to the circulation accounting system 106 using the appropriate transmission channel or protocol.

[0027] In some embodiments, the circulation accounting system 106 may send an identifier of the circulation acceptance location 102 to the circulation tracking system 104. The identifier may be sent to the network communication interface 112 of the circulation tracking system 104 via the network communication interface 118 of the circulation accounting system 106. The circulation tracking system 104 may use the identifier of the circulation acceptance location to retrieve identifiers of a set of printed playground circulation items accepted at the circulation acceptance location 102. The identifier may be sent to the circulation accounting system and may be used, for example, to determine whether the circulation container contains all of the printed playground circulation items that were reported to the circulation tracking system 104 when accepted at the circulation acceptance location 102.

[0028] Optionally, the networked system 100 may include one or more playground management systems 124. The playground management system 124 may perform any number of tasks, and in some cases may perform one or more of the following tasks: 1) enable or disable the circulation receiving location unit 102, the circulation tracking system 104, the circulation accounting system 106, its components, or one or more other systems or devices of the networked system 100; 2) back up data stored in one or more systems or devices of the networked system 100; 3) update one or more systems or devices of the networked system 100; 4) collect or authenticate data obtained from a biometric authentication device (e.g., a fingerprint reader, a facial scanner, etc.); 5) collect data obtained from a security device (e.g., a camera); etc. The playground management system 124 may be connected to other systems or devices (e.g., to the circulation receiving location unit 102, the circulation tracking system 104, or the circulation accounting system 106) via wired and / or wireless communication links.

[0029] The networked system 100 may also optionally include one or more third-party systems 126. The third-party systems 126 may differ from the playground management system 124 in that they may have different access rights to obtain data from or control other systems or devices within the playground. For example, the playground management system 124 may have greater access rights than the third-party systems 126. In other examples, the third-party systems 126 may have greater access rights than some playground management systems 124. In some cases, the playground management system 124 may be implemented in whole or in part as a third-party system 126. Examples of third-party systems 126 include systems for managing security, auditing financial systems, backing up data, and the like. The third-party systems 126 may be connected to other systems or devices (e.g., to the circulation receiving and positioning unit 102, the circulation tracking system 104, or the circulation accounting system 106) via wired and / or wireless communication links.

[0030] In some embodiments, the third-party system 126 (or even the playground management system 124) can be installed or deployed remotely from the playground. In some embodiments, any one or both of the circulation tracking system 104 or the circulation accounting system 106 can be implemented in whole or in part as the playground management system 124 or the third-party system 126.

[0031] Each of the circulation acceptance location 102, the circulation tracking system 104, the circulation accounting system 106, the casino management system 124, and the third-party system 126 may include a processor for controlling its functions. The processor may be a single processor (e.g., a microprocessor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or a microcontroller), or the functions of the processor may be performed by a group of processors or sub-processors that perform the same or different functions. In some embodiments, the circulation acceptance location 102 including the EGM may include a slot machine interface board (SMIB) or other peripheral controller that controls the operation of the circulation scanning unit 108 of the EGM, the network communication interface 110, and / or other components or devices placed in the EGM (e.g., in the game cabinet of the EGM).

[0032] It should be understood that the communication paths and / or links used to connect each of the circulation scanning unit 108, the network communication interface 110, the processor, or other components installed at the circulation receiving and positioning unit 102 in a communicative manner can use any desired medium, such as copper wire, printed circuit board, optical cable, wireless path, physical connector or other. In at least one embodiment, a communication component compatible with RS-232 can be used to connect other components or devices installed at the circulation receiving and positioning unit 102 in a communicative manner. In at least one embodiment, a communication component compatible with Universal Serial Bus (USB) can be used to connect other components or devices installed at the circulation receiving and positioning unit 102 in a communicative manner. In other embodiments, any known or later developed communication component can be used to connect some or all components or devices installed at the circulation receiving and positioning unit 102 in a communicative manner. In addition, in at least one embodiment, the communication component used to connect other components or devices installed at the circulation receiving and positioning unit 102 in a communicative manner can use a single medium, and the data signals communicated between these devices are separated, interleaved, addressed or communicated in other ways. In short, any known or later developed communication technology may be used to connect one or more components or devices installed at the circulation receiving location 102 in a communicative manner. These technologies may also be configured to facilitate the removal and replacement of one or more components installed at the circulation receiving location as needed for any given embodiment, as such a need may arise for maintenance, updating, etc. The same or different types of communication components may be used to connect the computer readable memory 114, the network communication interface 112, the processor, or other components installed in the circulation tracking system 104, or to connect the circulation scanning unit 116, the network communication interface 118, the processor, or other components installed in the circulation accounting system 106.

[0033] The circulation product scanning unit 108 or 116 (e.g., a banknote validator) can be configured to operate according to one or more system protocols. For example, such a protocol can be configured to manage when the circulation product scanning unit 108 or 116 can be used and when it cannot be used. An embodiment of such a system protocol is discussed below. The circulation product scanning unit 108 or 116 can be configured to detect the presence of any desired form of circulation, or other data supply. In at least one embodiment, the circulation product scanning unit 108 or 116 can be configured to receive information printed using known technology. By way of illustration and not limitation, examples of such technology include serial numbers, two-dimensional barcodes, QR codes, data matrices, digital paper codes, visible and invisible watermarks, magnetically encoded information, etc. In at least one embodiment, the circulation product scanning unit 108 or 116 can be configured to receive other forms of information provided on the "ticket", such as a customer's signature, code, or other identifier provided by the customer. The circulation product scanning unit 108 or 116 can be configured to include optical character recognition capabilities, pattern recognition capabilities, and other forms of signal and character processing technology. The circulation scanning unit 108 or 116 can be configured to receive data transmitted by electrical, optical and / or radio frequency signals, such as near field communication (NFC) signals, Wi-Fi signals, and other known technologies. It should be understood that any known device can provide such data. Examples of such devices include RFID tags, smart phone systems, etc. The circulation scanning unit 108 or 116 can be configured to determine where such information will be transmitted based on the source and / or type of information received from a given circulation item or the device providing the circulation item. For example, according to at least one embodiment, inserting the circulation item into the circulation scanning unit 108 or 116 can enable the circulation scanning unit 108 or 116 to verify the authenticity of the circulation item, and when authentic, transmit the issuing agency, quantity, serial number, and any other required information to the EGM or circulation tracking system 104.

[0034] According to at least one embodiment, the circulation scanning unit 108 or 116 can be configured to include one or more advanced features. Such a configuration can be managed using an enhanced service system server, a playground management system with enhanced service system capabilities, or other means. According to at least one embodiment, the advanced features provided by the circulation scanning unit 108 or 116 can include the following capabilities: receiving, verifying and accepting circulation items provided in multiple circulation items, and transmitting the issuing agency and type (e.g., US dollars to British pounds), serial number and / or value of the received circulation items to the playground management system or the circulation tracking system 104. The circulation scanning unit 108 or 116 can be configured alone or in combination with the enhanced service system and / or the playground management system to customize the circulation exchange rate used, the prizes awarded according to the desired circulation items, the circulation exchange with or without a price increase, and / or provide other financial transactions. The circulation scanning unit 108 or 116 and the networked system 100 can also be configured to consider differences in circulation exchange rates, the player's home circulation (i.e., the main circulation used where they live), the amount won with the local circulation of the casino, and other factors when determining the amount to be recorded and / or reported according to one or more tax reporting requirements. It should be understood that the features provided can be standardized or customized for one or more validators, casino systems, types of circulation received, or other methods. The circulation scanning unit 108 or 116 can also be customized to receive and identify one or more bills, such as lottery tickets, coupons, bank drafts, or other. This customization can occur under the guidance and direct or indirect control of an enhanced service system server, a casino management system server, a combination of the above, or other methods. At least one embodiment includes the use of a circulation scanning unit 108 or 116, which has operating software and / or other routines or functions that can be upgraded and / or downloaded from a casino system server (such as an enhanced service system server). The circulation scanning unit 108 or 116 can be identified by a unique identifier (such as a network address, a device hardware identifier, a unique digital sequence), by a group (such as a group of two or more circulation scanning units in a casino system), or by other means. The circulation scanning unit 108 or 116 can be configured to accumulate, monitor, and provide various metrics about the use of the scanning unit, including, for example, usage data, the type of circulation (including tickets) received, device health, status, or other parameters commonly used to monitor validators in casino systems. For at least one embodiment, the circulation scanning unit 108 or 116 can be configured to provide a traceback capability so that a casino operator using, for example, an enhanced service system server and / or a casino management system server can obtain a banknote signature, serial number OCR, and use it to trace the inserted banknote back to a specific player. According to such an embodiment, the casino system can be used to monitor and prevent the use of counterfeit circulation and other illegal circulation instruments.

[0035] According to at least one embodiment, the circulation scanning unit 108 or 116 can be configured to include an image correction and enhancement (ICE) component. The ICE component can be configured to provide advanced character recognition capabilities that can be uniquely associated with unique and / or common brand validators (e.g., iVIZION validators provided by Japan Cash Machine Co., Ltd.).

[0036] It should be understood that data storage and / or communication by or between any components of the networked system 100 may be encrypted. The components of the networked system 100 may use any desired single encryption technique or combination of encryption techniques, including but not limited to the use of secure socket layers, virtual private networks, public / private keys, 256-bit encryption algorithms, or other known or later-emerging encryption algorithms, methods, and techniques.

[0037] It should also be understood that, according to at least one embodiment, any two or more networked system components may be directly communicatively connected, logically, physically, or virtually. Such connections may include the use of one or more software application programming interfaces (APIs) such that API calls between any two given server components may be used to authorize, access, control, or otherwise manage one or more services provided by the system. In some embodiments, the playground management system 124 or the third-party system 126 may be communicatively connected to the circulation tracking system 104 or the circulation accounting system 106 via a wired or hard-wired connection (e.g., a serial, USB, or wired network connection), a wireless connection (e.g., a Wi-Fi, NFC, or Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) connection), or a software API to provide the playground management system 124 or the third-party system 126 with access to data stored, tracked, or exported by the circulation tracking system 104 or the circulation accounting system 106.

[0038] The casino management system 124 or third-party system 126 may access data stored, tracked, or derived by the circulation tracking system 104 or circulation accounting system 106 for a variety of purposes, which may be specified or limited by the casino operator or other personnel. For example, a casino management system 124 or third-party system 126 providing security or surveillance functions may access data stored or derived by the circulation tracking system 104 and / or circulation accounting system 106 for the purpose of monitoring or determining the path followed by circulation items within the casino, or determining or following the circulation items involved in user transactions or game transactions. In some cases, the casino management system 124 or third-party system 126 may operate a positioning system attached to a camera to obtain surveillance video (e.g., real-time video) of a casino patron who recently entered circulation items into the circulation scanning unit 108; or the casino management system 124 or third-party system 126 may retrieve surveillance video (e.g., stored video) obtained at or around the time when the circulation items were entered into the circulation scanning unit 108 (e.g., for investigation of fraud or other criminal behavior).

[0039] The casino management system 124 or third-party system 126 may also (or alternatively) monitor information stored or tracked by the circulation tracking system 104 for the purpose of determining when or where a particular circulation or false circulation is received into the networked system 100 or for the purpose of tracking a particular circulation or false circulation. In some embodiments, the casino management system 124 or third-party system 126 may trigger one or more alarms upon identifying the receipt or dispensing of a particular circulation or false circulation.

[0040] The playground management system 124 or third-party system 126 may also (or alternatively) access information stored, tracked, or exported by the circulating item tracking system 104 or the circulating item accounting system 106 for the purpose of determining the movement of circulating items and helping playground operators, financial institutions, government entities, or authorities determine whether and where crimes such as theft or fraud have occurred within the playground (and, in some cases, by whom). For example, the casino management system 124 or the third-party system 126 can perform logical decisions or use artificial intelligence (AI) or other learning algorithms to determine casino customer behavior or identify transaction patterns, and use the determined behavior or patterns to perform operations such as the following: 1) prohibit the use of equipment that casino customers may attempt to use, such as vending machines, EGMs, ATMs, currency acceptors, banknote validators, point-of-sale (POS) devices, deposit or remittance functions, receipt printers, cash dispensers, etc.; 2) obtain real-time video or biometric information of casino customers who engage in criminal or suspicious behavior; or 3) automatically confiscate (for example, by controlling the operation of the feed mechanism of the currency scanning unit) TITO cards, currency or other items received from casino customers who engage in criminal or suspicious behavior.

[0041] Each of the circulation product receiving and positioning unit 102, the circulation product tracking system 104, and the circulation product accounting system 106 may also or alternatively perform, for example, referring to Figures 2 to 5 Other features as described.

[0042] Figure 2 shows operations such as reference Figure 1 A method 200 of a circulating item tracking system is described. The operations of the method 200 may be performed in whole or in part by a processor of the circulating item tracking system.

[0043] At block 202, method 200 may include receiving, via a network communication interface of a circulation tracking system, an association between a first identifier of a printed playground circulation item and a second identifier of a circulation receiving location. In some cases, the first identifier may include a serial number. The first identifier may also or alternatively include a pattern or other identifier. In some embodiments, the second identifier may include an identifier of a circulation receiving device or a circulation scanning unit used at the circulation receiving location.

[0044] In some cases, the association between the first identifier and the second identifier can be received from a circulation receiving device (or other device associated with a circulation receiving location). The association can be received as a single association, or as part of a batch or stream communication that includes many such associations. For example, the circulation receiving device can send a set of multiple identifiers of printed playground circulation, each of the multiple identifiers being associated with an identifier of the circulation receiving device or its location. The circulation receiving device can also send different associations (or sets of associations) in different communications (e.g., at different times).

[0045] The network communication interface may include any number of physical network connectors, or wired, wireless, or virtual ports. The network communication interface may support one or more wired or wireless communication protocols. In some cases, data may be received or sent in parallel to / from the same or different receivers / transmitters through multiple ports.

[0046] At block 204, method 200 may include storing the received association. The received association may be stored in a data structure that associates an identifier of a printed playground circulation item with an identifier of a circulation item receiving location. The data structure may be an integrated data structure (e.g., a single database or table) or a distributed data structure (e.g., a collection of databases or tables). The data structure may be stored in a computer-readable memory provided, for example, by one or more storage modules, storage devices, etc. In some embodiments, the data structure may also be used to store an association between an identifier of a printed playground circulation item and an identifier of a circulation item dispensing location. The data structure may also store a timestamp or other information associated with the received association.

[0047] At block 206 , method 200 may include receiving, via the network communication interface, a transmission including a first identifier (ie, an identifier of a printed playground circulation item).

[0048] At block 208 , and using the first identifier as an index, the method 200 may include retrieving the second identifier (ie, the identifier of the circulation acceptance location) from the data structure.

[0049] At block 210, method 200 may include sending a second identifier via the network communication interface in response to the received transmission. In some cases, this may include sending the second identifier to the device that sent the first identifier received at block 206 (e.g., the second identifier may be sent as a response to the query received at block 206).

[0050] The operations of method 200 need not be performed simultaneously or approximately simultaneously. For example, the operations performed at blocks 202 and 204 may be performed as part of or in connection with an information recording and tracking function; and the operations performed at blocks 206, 208, and 210 may be performed as part of or in response to a query response function. The information recording and tracking function and the query response function may be performed serially or in parallel in response to information received from one or more circulation tracking locations, and in response to queries received from one or more circulation accounting systems. In some cases, the operations performed at blocks 202 and 204 may be considered to define a partial or complete method separate from a method defined at least in part by the operations performed at blocks 206, 208, and 210.

[0051] The circulation tracking system may receive and store any number of associations between identifiers of printed playground circulation items and identifiers of circulation item receiving locations. For example, the association between the first and second identifiers may be a first association between a first printed playground circulation item identifier and a first circulation item receiving location. The processor executing method 200 may also receive, for example, a second association between a third identifier and the second identifier (where the third identifier is an identifier of a second printed playground circulation item). Thus, the second association may indicate that other printed playground circulation items have been received at the circulation item receiving location identified by the second identifier.

[0052] The processor executing method 200 may also or alternatively receive, for example, a third association between the fourth identifier and the fifth identifier (where the fourth identifier is an identifier of a third printed playground circulation item and the fifth identifier is an identifier of a second circulation item acceptance location). Thus, the first and third associations may indicate that different printed playground circulation items were received at different circulation item acceptance locations.

[0053] The processor executing method 200 may also or alternatively receive a fourth association relationship, such as between the first identifier and the fifth identifier. The timestamps associated with the first and fourth association relationships may indicate that the first printed playground circulation item was received at the first circulation item receiving location and then at the second circulation item receiving location. Further or alternatively, the processor executing method 200 may receive a fifth association relationship, such as between the first identifier and the sixth identifier (where the sixth identifier is an identifier of the circulation item dispensing location). The timestamps associated with the first, fourth, and fifth association relationships may indicate that the first printed playground circulation item was received at the first circulation item receiving location, dispensed from the circulation item dispensing location, and then received at the second circulation item receiving location.

[0054] Any or all of the above types of associations may be stored at (or by) the item tracking system in the same or different data structures.

[0055] When the circulation tracking system performing method 200 receives an identifier of a printed playground circulation item, and the identifier is associated with more than one circulation receiving location or circulation dispensing location, the identifier of the circulation receiving location or circulation dispensing location that last received or dispensed the printed playground circulation item may be sent in response to receiving the identifier of the printed playground circulation item. Alternatively, the history (or recent history) of printed playground circulation items being accepted or dispensed may be sent in response to receiving the identifier of the printed playground circulation item. More generally, at least one of the identifiers of the circulation receiving location or circulation dispensing location associated with the identifier of the printed playground circulation item may be sent in response to receiving the identifier of the printed playground circulation item.

[0056] Figure 3 shows operations such as reference Figure 1 Another method 300 of a movable item tracking system is described. The operations of the method 300 may be performed in whole or in part by a processor of the movable item tracking system.

[0057] At block 302, method 300 may include receiving, via a network communication interface of a circulation tracking system, an association between an identifier of a printed playground circulation item and an identifier of a circulation receiving location that receives the printed playground circulation item. In some cases, the identifier of the printed playground circulation item may include a serial number. The identifier may also or alternatively include a pattern or other identifier. In some embodiments, the identifier of the circulation receiving location may include an identifier of a circulation receiving device or a circulation scanning unit used at the circulation receiving location.

[0058] In some cases, associations between identifiers may be received from a circulation receiving device (or other device associated with a circulation receiving location). The associations may be received as a single association, or as part of a batch or stream communication that includes many such associations. For example, a circulation receiving device may send a set of multiple identifiers for printed playground circulation, each of the multiple identifiers being associated with an identifier of the circulation receiving device or its location. The circulation receiving device may also send different associations (or sets of associations) in different communications (e.g., at different times).

[0059] The network communication interface through which the association of the identifier is received may include any number of physical network connectors, or wired, wireless or virtual ports. The network communication interface may support one or more wired or wireless communication protocols. In some cases, data may be received or sent to / from the same or different receivers / transmitters in parallel through multiple ports.

[0060] At block 304, method 300 may include storing the received association. The received association may be stored in a data structure that associates an identifier of a printed playground circulation item with an identifier of a circulation item receiving location. The data structure may be an integrated data structure (e.g., a single database or table) or a distributed data structure (e.g., a collection of databases or tables). The data structure may be stored in a computer-readable memory provided, for example, by one or more storage modules, storage devices, etc. In some embodiments, the data structure may also be used to store an association between an identifier of a printed playground circulation item and an identifier of a circulation item dispensing location. The data structure may also store a timestamp or other information associated with the received association.

[0061] At block 306, method 300 may include receiving, via the network communication interface, a transmission including an identifier of a circulation acceptance location.

[0062] At block 308, and using the identifier received at block 306 as an index, method 300 may include retrieving a set of identifiers of printed playground circulation materials from the data structure.

[0063] At block 310, method 300 may include sending the group identifier via the network communication interface in response to the received transmission. In some cases, this may include sending the group identifier to the device that sent the identifier received at block 306 (e.g., the group identifier may be sent as a response to the query received at block 306).

[0064] The operations of method 300 need not be performed simultaneously or approximately simultaneously. For example, the operations performed at blocks 302 and 304 may be performed as part of or in connection with an information recording and tracking function; and the operations performed at blocks 306, 308, and 310 may be performed as part of or in response to a query response function. The information recording and tracking function and the query response function may be performed serially or in parallel in response to information received from one or more circulation tracking locations, and in response to queries received from one or more circulation accounting systems. In some cases, the operations performed at blocks 302 and 304 may be considered to define a partial or full method separate from a method defined at least in part by the operations performed at blocks 306, 308, and 310.

[0065] The circulation tracking system can receive and store any number of associations between the identifier of the circulation item printed on the playground and the identifier of the circulation item receiving and locating unit, such as referring to Figure 2 As described.

[0066] Figure 4 shows operations such as reference Figure 1The method 400 of the circulating product accounting system is described. The operations of the method 400 may be executed in whole or in part by a processor of the circulating product accounting system.

[0067] At block 402, method 400 may include receiving an identifier of a printed playground circulation item from a circulation item scanning unit. In some cases, the identifier may include a serial number. The identifier may also or alternatively include a pattern or other identifier.

[0068] At block 404, method 400 may include sending an identifier of the printed playground circulation item to a remote circulation item tracker (e.g., to a reference Figure 1 The network communication interface may include any number of physical network connectors, or wired, wireless, or virtual ports. The network communication interface may support one or more wired or wireless communication protocols. In some cases, data may be received or sent in parallel to / from the same or different receivers / transmitters through multiple ports.

[0069] At block 406, method 400 may include receiving, via the network communication interface and in response to the sending of the identifier of the printed fairground circulation, an identifier of a circulation acceptance location through which the printed fairground circulation passed. In some embodiments, the identifier of the circulation acceptance location may include an identifier of a circulation acceptance device or a circulation scanning unit used at the circulation acceptance location.

[0070] At block 408, method 400 may include generating a circulation report using the identifier of the printed fairground circulation item and the identifier of the circulation item receiving location. In some embodiments, the report may be or include a report identifying the circulation item receiving location that received the printed fairground circulation item. In some embodiments, the report may be or include a reconciliation report that identifies a difference (or lack of difference) between the identifier of the circulation item receiving location received at block 406 (e.g., the first identifier of the circulation item receiving location) and the second identifier of the circulation item receiving location (e.g., the identifier received with the printed fairground circulation item). To generate such a reconciliation report, the operations at optional blocks 410, 412, and 414 may be performed.

[0071] At block 410, method 400 may include receiving an identifier of a circulation receiving location. The identifier may be an identifier associated with a circulation container from which the printed playground circulation was obtained for scanning for the purpose of obtaining the identifier of the printed playground circulation at block 402.

[0072] At block 412 , method 400 may include comparing the identifier of the flowable article accepting location received at block 406 (ie, the first identifier) ​​with the identifier of the flowable article accepting location received at block 410 (ie, the second identifier).

[0073] At block 414, method 400 may include providing an alert to a user when the first identifier is different from the second identifier, which alert may indicate a condition in which the printed playground circulation material has been tampered with or mishandled after being received by the circulation acceptance location. In some embodiments, the alert may be provided in a report generated at block 408. In some embodiments, the alert may additionally or alternatively be provided by an audible alarm, a visual display, or other means.

[0074] In some embodiments of method 400, multiple identifiers of printed fairground circulate items may be received at block 402, and multiple identifiers may be sent at block 404. In these embodiments, identifiers of one or more circulation accepting locations may be received at block 406. For example, a separate identifier of a circulation accepting location may be received for each identifier of a printed fairground circulate item sent at block 404. Alternatively, a single identifier may be received when each identifier of a printed fairground circulate item is determined to be associated with the same circulation accepting location. Alternatively, when a first subset of identifiers of printed fairground circulate items are associated with a first circulation accepting location, and a second subset of identifiers of printed fairground circulate items are associated with a second circulation accepting location, the identifier of each circulation accepting location may be received along with an indication of which identifiers of printed fairground circulate items are associated with which identifiers of the circulation accepting location.

[0075] In the embodiment described in the previous paragraph, the method 400 may also include determining a total value of the plurality of printed playground circulation items. Additionally or alternatively, the method 400 may include sorting the plurality of printed playground circulation items by at least one of: denomination value; printed playground circulation item type; or circulation item receiving location. In some cases, the sorted items may be returned to the circulation item container from which they were removed, or to a different circulation item container.

[0076] Additionally or alternatively, method 400 may include alerting a user when different ones of the plurality of printed playground circulations have passed through different circulation acceptance locations (e.g., when they were expected to have passed through the same circulation acceptance location). Method 400 may also or alternatively include alerting a user when no circulation acceptance location is received for an item in the plurality of printed playground circulations (at block 406). The alert may be provided in a report generated at block 408. The alert may additionally or alternatively be provided by an audible alarm, a visual display, or other means.

[0077] In some embodiments of method 400, method 400 may include, at block 406 and in response to the sending of the identifier of the printed playground circulation item, receiving identifiers of at least two circulation receiving locations and at least one circulation dispensing location through which the printed playground circulation item passes. In these embodiments, the identifiers of the at least two circulation receiving locations and the at least one circulation dispensing location may be used to generate the circulation report generated at block 408. For example, all circulation receiving and dispensing locations may be listed in the circulation report and associated with the identifier of the printed playground circulation item. Alternatively, the timestamps associated with the various circulation receiving and dispensing locations may be checked, and only the most recent circulation receiving location may be included in the circulation report. These locations may also be used or presented in different ways.

[0078] Figure 5 shows operations such as reference Figure 1 Another method 500 of a circulating product accounting system is described. The operations of the method 500 may be executed in whole or in part by a processor of the circulating product accounting system.

[0079] At block 502, method 500 may include receiving a first set of identifiers of printed playground circulation items from a circulation item scanning unit. In some cases, the identifiers may include serial numbers. The identifiers may also or alternatively include patterns or other identifiers.

[0080] At block 504, method 500 may include receiving an identifier of a location through which the printed playground circulation item passes. The identifier may be an identifier associated with a circulation container from which the printed playground circulation item is removed for scanning for the purpose of obtaining the identifier of the printed playground circulation item at block 502. In some embodiments, the identifier of the location or circulation container may include an identifier of a circulation receiving location at which the printed playground circulation item is received (and at which the circulation container is filled).

[0081] At block 506, method 500 may include sending an identifier of a location where the printed playground circulation item passes through the network communication interface. The identifier may be sent to a remote circulation item tracker (e.g., a reference Figure 1 The network communication interface may include any number of physical network connectors, or wired, wireless, or virtual ports. The network communication interface may support one or more wired or wireless communication protocols. In some cases, data may be received or sent in parallel to / from the same or different receivers / transmitters through multiple ports.

[0082] At block 508, method 500 may include receiving, via the network communication interface and in response to the transmission of the identifier of the location through which the printed fairground circulation items passed, a second set of identifiers of printed fairground circulation items. The second set of identifiers of printed fairground circulation items includes an identifier transmitted from the circulation acceptance location to the remote circulation tracker.

[0083] At block 510, method 500 may include comparing the identifier of the first group to the identifier of the second group.

[0084] At block 512, method 500 may include generating a circulation report based on a comparison of the first set of identifiers with the second set of identifiers. The report may identify a mismatch (i.e., a difference) between the first set of identifiers and the second set of identifiers, or alternatively, the absence of a difference, wherein a mismatch may indicate that one or more printed playground circulation items have been tampered with or mishandled after being received by the circulation acceptance location. In some embodiments, the report may include a user alert, or the alert may be provided additionally or alternatively by an audible alarm, a visual display, or other means.

[0085] For the purpose of explanation, the foregoing description uses specific terms to provide a thorough understanding of the described embodiments. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art after reading this specification that specific details are not required in order to practice the described embodiments. Therefore, the foregoing descriptions of the specific embodiments described herein are presented for the purpose of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the embodiments to the precise form disclosed. It will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art after reading this specification that many variations and changes may be made in view of the above teachings.

Claims

1. A circulation goods accounting system, wherein: include: A circulation product scanning unit, which is integrated into the electronic gaming device; Network communication interface; as well as A processor configured to perform the following operations: receiving an identifier of a printed amusement park circulation item from the circulation item scanning unit; sending an identifier of the printed playground merchandise to a remote merchandise tracker via the network communication interface; Receiving, via the network communication interface and in response to the transmission of the identifier of the printed playground circulation item, an identifier of a circulation item receiving location through which the printed playground circulation item passed and an identifier of a circulation item container associated with an electronic gaming device; as well as (i) generating a circulation item report using the identifier of the printed casino circulation item and the identifier of the circulation item receiving location associated with the electronic gaming device; and (ii) comparing the identifier of the circulation product receiving and positioning unit with the identifier of the circulation product container, and alerting the user when the identifier of the circulation product receiving and positioning unit is different from the identifier of the circulation product container.

2. The circulating goods accounting system according to claim 1, wherein: The circulation product accounting system further includes a circulation product providing unit configured to take out the printed amusement park circulation product from a circulation product container and provide the printed amusement park circulation product to the circulation product scanning unit.

3. The circulating goods accounting system according to claim 1, wherein: The processor performs the following operations: sending and receiving, via the network communication interface, identifiers of a plurality of printed playground circulate items; and The identifiers of one or more circulation item receiving locations through which the plurality of printed amusement park circulation items pass are received via the network communication interface.

4. The circulating goods accounting system according to claim 3, wherein: The processor also performs the following operations: A total value of the plurality of printed playground circulates is determined.

5. The circulating goods accounting system according to claim 3, wherein: The processor also performs the following operations: The plurality of printed amusement park circulation items are classified based on at least one of a denomination value, a type of printed amusement park circulation item, and a circulation item receiving and positioning unit.

6. The circulating goods accounting system according to claim 3, wherein: The processor also performs the following operations: When different printed amusement park circulation materials among the plurality of printed amusement park circulation materials pass through different circulation product receiving and positioning parts, an alarm is issued to the user.

7. The circulating goods accounting system according to claim 3, wherein: The processor also performs the following operations: When the circulation item receiving and positioning section cannot be retrieved for an item among the plurality of printed amusement park circulation items, an alarm is issued to the user.

8. The circulating goods accounting system according to claim 1, wherein: The processor performs the following operations: Receiving, via the network communication interface and in response to the transmission of the identifier of the printed playground circulation item, identifiers of at least two circulation item receiving locations and at least one circulation item dispensing location through which the printed playground circulation item passed; as well as A circulation product report is generated using identifiers of the at least two circulation product receiving locations and the at least one circulation product dispensing location.

9. The circulating goods accounting system according to claim 1, wherein: The identifier of the printed playground circulate item includes a serial number.

10. The circulating goods accounting system according to claim 1, wherein: The identifier of the circulation product receiving and positioning unit includes an identifier of a circulation product receiving device or a circulation product scanning unit.

11. A circulation goods accounting system, wherein: include: A circulation product scanning unit, which is integrated into the electronic gaming device; Network communication interface; as well as A processor configured to perform the following operations: receiving a first set of identifiers of printed playground circulation items from the circulation item scanning unit; receiving an identifier of a location associated with the electronic gaming device through which the first set of printed casino circulate passed; transmitting, via the network communication interface, an identifier of the location associated with the electronic gaming device to a remote circulation tracker; receiving, via the network communication interface and in response to the transmission of the identifier of the location associated with the electronic gaming device, a second set of identifiers of printed casino circulatory material; comparing the identifier of the first group with the identifier of the second group; as well as A circulation report is generated based on a comparison of the first set of identifiers and the second set of identifiers.

12. The circulating goods accounting system according to claim 11, wherein: The processor performs the following operations: When the comparison indicates that the identifier of the first group does not match the identifier of the second group, an alert is issued to the user.

13. The circulating goods accounting system according to claim 11, wherein: The first set of identifiers of locations where circulation items pass through the amusement park includes an identifier of a circulation item receiving and positioning portion.

14. The circulating goods accounting system according to claim 11, wherein: The identifier of the location through which the first set of printed playground merchandise passed includes an identifier of the merchandise container from which the first set of printed playground merchandise was removed.

15. A circulation product tracking system, wherein: include: a computer readable memory storing a data structure associating a printed identifier of a printed casino circulation item with an identifier of a circulation item receiving location associated with the electronic gaming device; Network communication interface; as well as A processor configured to perform the following operations: Receiving, via the network communication interface, an association between a first printed identifier of a printed amusement park circulation item and a second identifier of a circulation item receiving and positioning unit; storing the received association relationship in the data structure; receiving, via the network communication interface, a first printed identifier; retrieving the second identifier from the data structure using the first printed identifier as an index; as well as The second identifier is transmitted via the network communication interface and in response to the received first printed identifier.

16. The circulating product tracking system according to claim 15, wherein: The printed identifier of the printed playground circulation item includes a serial number.

17. The circulating product tracking system according to claim 15, wherein: The identifier of the circulation product receiving and positioning unit is used to identify the circulation product receiving device or the circulation product scanning unit.

18. The circulating product tracking system according to claim 15, wherein: the association relationship between the first printed identifier and the second identifier comprises a first association relationship; and The processor also performs the following operations: receiving, via the network communication interface, a second association relationship between the first printed identifier and a third identifier of a circulation product receiving and positioning unit; storing the received second association relationship in the data structure; receiving, via the network communication interface, the first printed identifier; retrieving at least one of the second identifier and the third identifier from the data structure using the first identifier as an index; as well as The at least one of the second identifier and the third identifier is sent via the network communication interface and in response to the received first identifier.

19. The circulating product tracking system according to claim 15, wherein: The association relationship between the first printed identifier and the second identifier includes a first association relationship; The data structure also associates a printed identifier of a printed playground circulation item with an identifier of a circulation item dispensing location; and The processor also performs the following operations: receiving, via the network communication interface, a second association relationship between the first printed identifier and a third identifier of a circulation product distribution and positioning unit; storing the received second association relationship in the data structure; receiving, via the network communication interface, the first printed identifier; retrieving at least one of the second identifier and the third identifier from the data structure using the first printed identifier as an index; as well as The at least one of the second identifier and the third identifier is sent via the network communication interface and in response to the received first identifier.

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