Player Tracking Apparatus with IC Card Management and Light Indication
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional slot machines using paper tickets for payments face issues with contamination and breakage, and IC cards offer a solution but lack player-specific identification capabilities, necessitating a system that can authenticate and provide personalized information to players efficiently.
Innovation Solution
A player tracking apparatus integrated with a gaming machine, featuring a display panel, camera for image pickup, and card slot, allowing players to insert and remove IC cards without changing posture, along with a controller for managing card storage and light emission modes to track card availability, ensuring reliable player authentication and information provision.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If IC cards are used instead of paper tickets, then card contamination and breakage are eliminated, but player-specific identification capability is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the IC card storage function with the player tracking system by integrating a card reader/writer and controller that links card operations to player identification data stored in the system's memory, allowing the generic IC card to become player-specific through system association rather than embedded storage
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a controller and card management system as an intermediary between the IC card and player identification, where the controller reads/writes card numbers and associates them with player data in memory, enabling identification without requiring player-specific information to be stored on the card itself
2Adaptability or versatility
If camera and card slot are added for player identification, then player-specific information can be provided, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The camera serves multiple functions: capturing player images for identification, monitoring card insertion/removal events, and providing security surveillance, thereby justifying its inclusion despite increasing component count. The card slot similarly handles both credit card transactions and player tracking card operations
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the player identification function with the existing card transaction system by using the same card slot and controller for both credit processing and player tracking, eliminating the need for separate identification hardware and reducing overall system complexity
3Ease of operation
If card slot is positioned laterally to display panel, then card insertion/removal is convenient for players, but camera pickup of player face becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent positions the camera above the display panel rather than to the side, using the vertical dimension to capture player faces while the lateral card slot remains accessible to players. This spatial arrangement in multiple dimensions resolves the conflict between card accessibility and face detection capability
Data Source
AI summary
A configuration is provided to execute the processing of: causing a light emitting portion to emit light in a first mode in a case where the number of cards stored in a memory is a preset first reference number or less; and causing the light emitting portion to emit light in a second mode in a case where the number of cards stored in the memory is a preset second reference number or more. In this manner, a gaming machine is provided in such a manner that a variety of information can be provided to a player and replenishment of IC cards or removal of redundant IC cards can be performed timely.