Hybrid Ticket Currency Game Machine Payment Validation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current game-entertainment systems are limited in allowing purchases only through tickets, preventing players from using units of currency or financial media like credit cards, debit cards, or gift cards for game play.
Innovation Solution
A game system communicatively coupled to a game-session authorizer that validates and processes both tickets and currency-based items of value, generating pseudo ticket codes for currency transactions to facilitate game play access based on available entertainment credits.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the game machine is configured to accept only tickets for purchase, then the system maintains simplicity and reliability in transaction validation, but the adaptability and versatility of payment options are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The system separates the validation logic into distinct modules: ticket validation, currency validation, and pseudo-ticket code generation. Each module handles specific payment types independently, allowing the system to accept multiple payment forms without increasing overall complexity. The validator component is segmented to process different item types through specialized sub-routines.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces pseudo-ticket codes as an intermediary mechanism that translates currency-based purchases into the ticket-based system's native format. This mediator allows the existing ticket validation infrastructure to process currency transactions without direct modification, bridging between different payment paradigms while maintaining system integrity.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the system validates and processes multiple types of items of value (tickets and currency), then the versatility of payment options is improved, but the device complexity and validation process become more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The validator component is designed with multi-functionality to handle both ticket validation and currency validation through a unified interface. The same validation hardware/software architecture processes different item types by routing them to appropriate validation sub-routines, eliminating the need for separate validation systems for each payment type.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the format parameter of currency values by converting them into pseudo-ticket codes that match the expected ticket code format. This parameter transformation allows currency transactions to be processed through the existing ticket validation pathway without requiring separate validation logic, thereby managing complexity while maintaining versatility.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the game machine generates pseudo ticket codes for currency transactions, then the compatibility with existing ticket-based systems is maintained, but the manufacturing precision and formatting requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system creates pseudo-ticket codes that are copies of the actual ticket code format, replicating the structure and appearance of valid ticket identifiers. These copied formats allow currency transactions to be indistinguishable from ticket-based transactions at the processing level, ensuring full compatibility with existing ticket validation infrastructure without requiring format modification.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems, methods, and devices may be capable of allowing a player to purchase an instance of game play at a game system with a pre-paid ticket or with another item of value. The game system may determine a denomination of a unit of a currency and generate a session request indicative of the denomination. The game system may also determine a ticket code of a ticket and generate a session request indicative of the ticket code. A remote authorizer may provide the game system with game authorization indicative of a number of entertainment credits in response to receiving a session request.