Retrofitting Gaming Machines with Multi-Functional Ticket Readers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing gaming machines lack efficient methods for user activity tracking, requiring cumbersome and expensive hardware upgrades to implement user tracking features, which is economically inefficient and difficult to extend existing systems.
Innovation Solution
Equipping gaming machines with a ticket printer and reader capable of printing and reading both cash and tracking tickets, utilizing a software program to connect with a server for user tracking, allowing for software updates without adding hardware components, and enabling account-based tracking with optional encryption and expiration dates.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If existing gaming machines are upgraded with bonus card or chip reading devices to enable user tracking, then user activity tracking capability is improved, but device complexity and cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the existing ticket printer and reader multi-functional by enabling them to handle both cash tickets and tracking tickets. The ticket printer can print both cash tickets and tracking tickets, while the ticket reader can read both types of tickets, eliminating the need for separate hardware devices for different ticket types.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines the functions of cash ticket handling and user tracking into a single integrated system. The same ticket printer and reader that handle cash tickets are also used for tracking tickets, merging what would traditionally require separate hardware components into one unified system.
2Loss of information
If existing gaming machines are modified to add user tracking features, then user experience improvement is achieved, but ease of manufacture and implementation deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the need for physical hardware modifications with a software-based solution. Instead of adding hardware components to existing gaming machines, the invention uses software to enable the existing ticket printer and reader to handle tracking tickets, making implementation easier and more cost-effective.
3Measurement precision
If separate hardware devices are added for tracking tickets and cash tickets, then tracking precision is improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The ticket reader is designed to universally read both cash tickets and tracking tickets using the same hardware device. This multi-functional approach maintains reading accuracy for both ticket types while eliminating the need for separate specialized readers.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the reading function for cash tickets and tracking tickets into a single ticket reader device, and similarly combines the printing function for both ticket types into one ticket printer, reducing the total number of devices required.
Data Source
AI summary
A gaming machine system and method for retrofitting the gaming machines to track activity of users. The gaming machine system includes gaming machines in communication with a server with a database. The gaming machines each include a cash ticket reader and a cash ticket printer. The gaming machines retrofitted with software that adapts the cash ticket reader and the cash ticket printer to additionally read and print tracking tickets. The cash tickets include a cash value and the tracking tickets include a code representative of a user.