U.S. patent application number 09/795337 was filed with the patent office on 2004-02-19 for thermal printer with dual head-audit trail.
This patent application is currently assigned to International Game Technology.. Invention is credited to Ikehara, Clyde S., Saffari, Ali M., Sullivan, Gary H..
Application Number | 20040033095 09/795337 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 25165283 |
Filed Date | 2004-02-19 |
United States Patent
Application |
20040033095 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Saffari, Ali M. ; et
al. |
February 19, 2004 |
Thermal printer with dual head-audit trail
Abstract
A disclosed thermal printer provides a dual thermal heads for
duplicate printing of parameter values indicating game play
information obtained from playing a gaming machine. The dual-head
thermal printer, which may be incorporated into a gaming machine
and other gaming devices as well as devices used outside of gaming
applications, simultaneously prints an issued ticket voucher and a
duplicate ticket voucher. The duplicate ticket voucher may be
stored within the gaming machine or a gaming device to provide an
audit trail of the issued ticket voucher. The issued ticket voucher
and the duplicate ticket voucher may be printed from stacks of
two-ply thermal printing media stored in a single tray, sheets of
thermal printing media stored in a single tray or from two stacks
of single-ply thermal printing media stored in separate trays. The
issued ticket vouchers and the duplicate ticket voucher may also be
generated on a thermal printer with only a single thermal print
head where a first issued ticket voucher and its duplicate are
printed consecutively on the thermal printer.
Inventors: |
Saffari, Ali M.; (Reno,
NV) ; Sullivan, Gary H.; (Carson City, NV) ;
Ikehara, Clyde S.; (Reno, NV) |
Correspondence
Address: |
BEYER WEAVER & THOMAS LLP
P.O. BOX 778
BERKELEY
CA
94704-0778
US
|
Assignee: |
International Game
Technology.
|
Family ID: |
25165283 |
Appl. No.: |
09/795337 |
Filed: |
February 27, 2001 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
400/120.01 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G07F 17/32 20130101;
G07F 17/3248 20130101; G07F 17/3202 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
400/120.01 |
International
Class: |
A63F 009/24 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A thermal printer for duplicate printing of parameter values
indicating game play information obtained from playing a gaming
machine, the thermal printer comprising: an interface for
connecting to a master gaming controller of the gaming machine,
said interface adapted to receive said parameter values for
printing onto sheets of media; a first thermal printing head
arranged to receive first sheets of media and print said parameter
values on said first sheets of media; a second thermal printing
head arranged to receive second sheets of media and print said
parameter values on said second sheets of media; and a mechanism
for receiving sheets of media for printing said parameter values
and directing the first and second sheets of media to the first and
second thermal printing heads, respectively, wherein the parameter
values printed on a first sheet of media using said first thermal
printing head are substantially duplicated on a second sheet of
media using said second thermal printing head.
2. The thermal printer of claim 1, wherein said media is two-ply
thermal printing media.
3. The thermal printer of claim 2, further comprising: a mechanism
for separating said two-ply thermal printing media into a first ply
and a second ply, said first ply providing said first sheets of
media and said second ply providing said second sheets of
media.
4. The thermal printer of claim 1, further comprising a tray for
storing said sheets of media.
5. The thermal printer of claim 1, wherein said sheets of media are
single sheets of thermal printing media.
6. The thermal printer of claim 1, wherein a first printed sheet of
media is an issued ticket voucher and a second printed sheet of
media is a duplicate ticket voucher.
7. The thermal printer of claim 6, wherein the issued ticket
voucher and the duplicate ticket voucher are used in a cashless
system.
8. The thermal printer of claim 1, further comprising: a storage
unit for storing said second sheets of media after printing by said
second thermal print head.
9. The thermal printer of claim 8, further comprising: a routing
mechanism for routing said second sheets of media after printing by
said second thermal print head to said storage unit.
10. The thermal printer of claim 8, further comprising: a storage
unit capacity sensor for monitoring a quantity of said second
sheets of media stored in the storage unit.
11. The thermal printer of claim 1, further comprising: a first
tray storing the first sheets of media prior to printing and a
second tray storing the second sheets of media prior to
printing.
12. The thermal printer of claim 1, further comprising: a processor
for generating control signals for controlling the printing on said
first thermal print head and said second thermal print head.
13. The thermal printer of claim 1, further comprising: a
memory.
14. The thermal printer of claim 13, wherein said memory stores
said parameter values and printing templates.
15. The thermal printer of claim 1, wherein the interface
communicates with gaming devices used in a cashless system.
16. The thermal printer of claim 1, wherein the parameter values
include an establishment, a location, a bar code, a ticket type, an
issue date, a validation number, an issue time, a ticket number,
ticket sequence number, a machine number and a ticket value.
17. The thermal printer of claim 1, wherein said second printed
sheet of media is used to provide an audit trail for said first
printed sheet of media.
18. The thermal printer of claim 1, wherein the parameter values
printed on said first sheet of media and said second sheet of media
are in a textual format, a numerical format or a graphical
format.
19. A gaming machine for executing game play that issues ticket
vouchers as part of a cashless system, the gaming machine
comprising: a master gaming controller designed or configured to
present a game on the gaming machine and generate printing
instructions for printing ticket vouchers; a thermal printer for
printing the ticket vouchers, said thermal printer comprising: an
interface for connecting to the master gaming controller of the
gaming machine, said interface adapted to receive parameter values
contained in said printing instructions from the master gaming
controller for printing onto sheets of media; a first thermal
printing head arranged to receive first sheets of media and print
said parameter values on said first sheets of media to generate
issued ticket vouchers; and a second thermal printing head arranged
to receive second sheets of media and print said parameter values
on said second sheets of media to generate duplicate ticket
vouchers; and a mechanism for receiving sheets of media for
printing said parameter values and directing the first and second
sheets of media to the first and second thermal printing heads,
respectively, wherein the parameter values printed on a first sheet
of media using said first thermal printing head are substantially
duplicated on a second sheet of media using said second thermal
printing head.
20. The gaming machine of claim 19, wherein the game is selected
from the group consisting of a video black jack game, a video slot
game, a mechanical slot game, a video poker game, a video keno
game, a video pachinko game, a video lottery game and a video card
game.
21. The gaming machine of claim 19, further comprising: a storage
unit for storing said duplicate ticket vouchers.
22. The gaming machine of claim 19, wherein the parameter values
printed on said issued ticket vouchers and said duplicate printer
vouchers are in a textual format, a numerical format or graphical
format.
23. The gaming machine of claim 19, wherein the parameter values
printed on said issued ticket vouchers and said duplicate printer
vouchers include an establishment, a location, a bar code, a ticket
type, an issue date, a validation number, an issue time, a ticket
number, a ticket sequence number, a machine number, a ticket
value.
24. A thermal printer for duplicate printing of parameter values
indicating game play information obtained from playing a gaming
machine, the thermal printer comprising: an interface for
connecting to a master gaming controller of the gaming machine,
said interface adapted to receive said parameter values for
printing onto sheets of media; a thermal printing head arranged to
receive sheets of media and print consecutively said parameter
values on a first sheet of said media and on a second sheet of said
media wherein the parameter values printed on the first sheet of
media are substantially duplicated on the second sheet of media;
and a routing mechanism for receiving consecutively the first
printed sheet of media and the second printed sheet of media and
directing the first printed sheet of media to an issue slot and the
second printed sheet of media to a storage unit.
25. The thermal printer of claim 24, wherein prior to routing said
printed sheets of media, said routing mechanism detaches said first
printed sheet of media from said second printed sheet of media.
26. The thermal printer of claim 24, further comprising a tray for
storing said sheets of media prior to printing.
27. The thermal printer of claim 24, wherein a first printed sheet
of media is an issued ticket voucher and a second printed sheet of
media is a duplicate ticket voucher.
28. The thermal printer of claim 27, wherein the issued ticket
voucher and the duplicate ticket voucher are used in a cashless
system.
29. The thermal printer of claim 24, further comprising: a
processor for generating control signals for controlling the
printing on said thermal print head.
30. The thermal printer of claim 24, further comprising: a
memory.
31. The thermal printer of claim 30, wherein said memory stores
said parameter values and printing templates.
32. The thermal printer of claim 24, wherein the interface
communicates with gaming devices used in a cashless system.
33. The thermal printer of claim 24, wherein the parameter values
include an establishment, a location, a bar code, a ticket type, an
issue date, a validation number, an issue time, a ticket number,
ticket sequence number, a machine number, a ticket value.
34. The thermal printer of claim 24, wherein said second printed
sheet of media is used to provide an audit trail for said first
printed sheet of media.
35. The thermal printer of claim 24, further comprising: a storage
unit for storing said second sheets of media.
36. The thermal printer of claim 35, further comprising: a storage
unit capacity sensor for monitoring a quantity of said second
sheets of media stored in the storage unit.
37. A gaming machine for executing game play that issues ticket
vouchers as part of a cashless system, the gaming machine
comprising: a master gaming controller designed or configured to
present a game on the gaming machine and generate printing
instructions for printing ticket vouchers; a thermal printer for
printing the ticket vouchers, said thermal printer comprising: an
interface for connecting to the master gaming controller of the
gaming machine, said interface adapted to receive parameter values
contained in said printing instructions from the master gaming
controller for printing onto sheets of media; a thermal printing
head arranged to receive sheets of media and print consecutively
said parameter values on a first sheet of said media and on a
second sheet of said media wherein the parameter values printed on
the first sheet of media are substantially duplicated on the second
sheet of media; and a routing mechanism for receiving consecutively
the first printed sheet of media and the second printed sheet of
media and directing the first printed sheet of media to an issue
slot and the second printed sheet of media to a storage unit.
38. The gaming machine of claim 37, wherein the game is selected
from the group consisting of a video black jack game, a video slot
game, a mechanical slot game, a video poker game, a video keno
game, a video pachinko game, a video lottery game and a video card
game.
39. The gaming machine of claim 37, further comprising: a storage
unit for storing said second sheets of media after printing by said
thermal print head.
40. The gaming machine of claim 37, wherein the parameter values
printed on said first sheet of media and said second sheet of media
are in a textual format, a numerical format or a graphical
format
41. The gaming machine of claim 37, wherein the parameter values
printed on said first sheet of media and said second sheet of media
include an establishment, a location, a bar code, a ticket type, an
issue date, a validation number, an issue time, a ticket number,
ticket sequence number, a machine number, a ticket value.
42. The gaming machine of claim 37, wherein prior to routing the
printed sheets of media, said routing mechanism detaches said first
printed sheet of media from said second printed sheet of media.
43. A thermal printer for duplicate printing of parameter values,
the thermal printer comprising: an interface for connecting to an
external device, said interface adapted to receive said parameter
values for printing onto sheets of media; a first thermal printing
head arranged to receive first sheets of media and print said
parameter values on said first sheets of media; a second thermal
printing head arranged to receive second sheets of media and print
said parameter values on said second sheets of media; and a
mechanism for receiving sheets of media for printing said parameter
values and directing the first and second sheets of media to the
first and second thermal printing heads, respectively, wherein the
parameter values printed on a first sheet of media using said first
thermal printing head are substantially duplicated on a second
sheet of media using said second thermal printing head.
44. The thermal printer of claim 43, wherein said external device
is a gaming device.
45. A thermal printer for duplicate printing of parameter values,
the thermal printer comprising: an interface for connecting to an
external device, said interface adapted to receive said parameter
values for printing onto sheets of media; a thermal printing head
arranged to receive sheets of media and print consecutively said
parameter values on a first sheet of said media and on a second
sheet of said media wherein the parameter values printed on the
first sheet of media are substantially duplicated on the second
sheet of media; and a routing mechanism for receiving consecutively
the first printed sheet of media and the second printed sheet of
media and directing the first printed sheet of media to an issue
slot and the second printed sheet of media to a storage unit.
46. The thermal printer of claim 45, wherein said external device
is a gaming device.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] This invention relates to game playing services for gaming
machines such as slot machines and video poker machines. More
particularly, the present invention relates to mechanisms for
printing ticket vouchers in gaming machines.
[0002] There are a wide variety of associated devices that can be
connected to a gaming machine such as a slot machine or video poker
machine. Some examples of these devices are lights, ticket
printers, card readers, speakers, bill validators, ticket readers,
coin acceptors, display panels, key pads, coin hoppers and button
pads. Many of these devices are built into the gaming machine or
components associated with the gaming machine such as a top box
which usually sits on top of the gaming machine.
[0003] Typically, utilizing a master gaming controller, the gaming
machine controls various combinations of devices that allow a
player to play a game on the gaming machine and also encourage game
play on the gaming machine. For example, a game played on a gaming
machine usually requires a player to input money or indicia of
credit into the gaming machine, indicate a wager amount, and
initiate a game play. These steps require the gaming machine to
control input devices, including bill validators and coin
acceptors, to accept money into the gaming machine and recognize
user inputs from devices, including key pads and button pads, to
determine the wager amount and initiate game play. After game play
has been initiated, the gaming machine determines a game outcome,
presents the game outcome to the player and may dispense an award
of some type depending on the outcome of the game.
[0004] As technology in the gaming industry progresses, the
traditional method of dispensing coins or tokens as awards for
winning game outcomes is being supplemented or replaced by ticket
dispensers which print ticket vouchers that may be exchanged for
cash or accepted indicia of credit in other gaming machines for
additional game play. An award ticket system, which allows award
ticket vouchers to be dispensed and utilized by other gaming
machines, increases the operational efficiency of maintaining a
gaming machine and simplifies the player pay out process. An
example of an award ticket system is the EZ Pay.TM. ticket system
by International Game Technology of Reno, Nev. Award ticket systems
and systems using other cashless mediums are referred to as
cashless systems.
[0005] Cashless systems, such as the EZ Pay.TM. ticket system,
provide advantages to both game players and casino operators. For
example, many players find it more convenient to carry an award
ticket than a large number of coins. For gaming machine operators,
cashless systems tend to reduce gaming machine operating costs. For
example, the infrastructure needed to remove and count indicia of
credit (e.g. coins, tokens, bills) from the gaming machine may be
minimized when it is replaced with a cashless system, which reduces
the gaming machine operating costs and machine down-time. Further,
coin dust, which is potentially damaging to the components of the
gaming machine (e.g. electronic components) may be eliminated or
minimized when the cashless system is added to or replace the coin
acceptor.
[0006] Currently, cashless systems have become very popular and
have been embraced by customers. For example, ticket vouchers that
are generated upon cashout and redeemed for cash or gaming machine
credits within a particular casino are well accepted by game
players. When a ticket voucher is generated in a gaming machine,
the ticket voucher is typically printed on a media of some type
such as paper. Various voucher parameters including a voucher
value, an issue time, a place of issue, an identification number,
graphics, etc., may be printed on the paper ticket. In addition,
the voucher parameters may be stored electronically at some
location for verification and auditing purposes. Once the ticket
voucher is printed, a customer may remove the ticket and may
utilize it for additional game play or may redeem it for cash.
[0007] To employ printed ticket vouchers in a cashless system, the
physical ticket must satisfy a number of requirements. For example,
like paper currency, the media of the ticket and the graphics on
the ticket must be durable because a player may carry a printed
ticket voucher for an extended period of time (e.g. months). While
carrying the ticket, the player may repeatedly handle it in a
manner that causes the ticket to degrade such as folding it or
bending it. As damage accumulates to the ticket, it may eventually
become unusable. Hence, the need for durability. Another
requirement of printed ticket vouchers used in cashless systems is
fast printing of high quality graphics. A quick print time is
desirable because the player does not want to wait a long time to
receive a printed ticket voucher. The high quality graphics are
necessary for using the printed tickets in a ticket reader such as
a bill validator. Yet another requirement of printed ticket
vouchers is a very reliable and simple to operate printing
mechanism to minimize maintenance and operation costs.
[0008] A thermal printer is a widely used mechanism for printing
ticket vouchers as part of a cashless system that meets the
requirements described above. A thermal printer uses a heated plate
to thermally activate ink imbedded in a durable paper-like media.
The thermal printer can quickly print high quality graphics that
may be read by a ticket reader such as a bill validator. In
addition, thermal printers tend to be reliable and easy to
maintain.
[0009] Within the gaming industry, there is a desire for cashless
systems that provide duplicate tickets. The duplicate ticket
provides a paper record of a gaming transaction that may be used
for auditing purposes and may be used to supplement the electronic
records of the cashless system. Furthermore, in some gaming
jurisdictions, such as those that allow lottery games, a duplicate
ticket may be required.
[0010] One method of producing a duplicate transaction record that
is used in the credit card industry is to employ a dot matrix
printer with two-ply carbon paper. The dot matrix printer
mechanically imprints a transaction record on the top sheet, which
is transferred to the bottom sheet via the carbon paper. The bottom
sheet provides a duplicate record of the transaction. For cashless
systems, the process of using two-ply carbon paper with a dot
matrix printer to provide a duplicate record is inadequate because
the graphic quality, print speed, durability of the printed output
and the reliability of the dot matrix printer does not satisfy the
printing requirements described above. Thus, in view of the above,
it would be desirable to provide printing apparatus and methods for
cashless systems that allow durable ticket vouchers with high
quality graphics and duplicate tickets to be quickly printed on a
reliable and easy to operate printing mechanism.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0011] This invention addresses the needs indicated above by
providing a dual-head thermal printer for duplicate printing of
parameter values indicating game play information obtained from
playing a gaming machine. The dual-head thermal printer, which may
be incorporated into a gaming machine and other gaming devices as
well as devices used outside of gaming applications, simultaneously
prints an issued ticket voucher and a duplicate ticket voucher. The
duplicate ticket voucher may be stored within the gaming machine or
another gaming device to provide a paper audit trail of the issued
ticket voucher. The issued ticket voucher and the duplicate ticket
voucher may be printed from stacks of two-ply thermal printing
media stored in a single tray, sheets of thermal printing media
stored in a single tray or from two stacks of single-ply thermal
printing media stored in separate trays. The issued ticket vouchers
and the duplicate ticket voucher may also be generated on a thermal
printer with only a single thermal print head where a first issued
ticket voucher and its duplicate are printed consecutively on the
same thermal printer.
[0012] One aspect of the present invention provides a thermal
printer for duplicate printing of parameter values indicating game
play information obtained from playing a gaming machine. The
thermal printer may be generally characterized as including: 1) an
interface for connecting to a master gaming controller of the
gaming machine where the interface is adapted to receive the
parameter values for printing onto sheets of media where the
interface may also communicate with a clerk validation terminal, a
wireless validation device or a cashier station, 2) a first thermal
printing head arranged to receive first sheets of media and print
the parameter values on the first sheets of media, 3) a second
thermal printing head arranged to receive second sheets of media
and print the parameter values on said second sheets of media; and
4) a mechanism for receiving sheets of media for printing the
parameter values and directing the first and second sheets of media
to the first and second thermal printing heads, respectively, where
the parameter values printed on a first sheet of media using the
first thermal printing head are duplicated on a second sheet of
media using the second thermal printing head. The parameter values
printed on the ticket may include an establishment, a location, a
bar code, a ticket type, an issue date, a validation number, an
issue time, a ticket number, ticket sequence number, a machine
number, a ticket value and other gaming data.
[0013] In particular embodiments, the thermal printer may include:
1) a processor for generating control signals for controlling the
printing on the first thermal print head and the second thermal
print head and 2) a memory storing the parameter values and storing
printing templates. The media may be two-ply thermal printing
media. The thermal printer may include a mechanism for separating
the two-ply thermal printing media into a first ply and a second
ply, where the first ply provides the first sheets of media and the
second ply provides the second sheets of media. The sheets of media
may also be single sheets of thermal printing media. Prior to
thermal printing, the sheets of media may be stored in a single
tray or in a first tray and in a second tray. After printing, a
routing mechanism may route the second sheet of media to a storage
unit for storage.
[0014] Another aspect of the present invention provides a gaming
machine for executing game play that issues ticket vouchers as part
of a cashless system. The gaming machine may be generally
characterized as including: 1) a master gaming controller designed
or configured to present a game on the gaming machine and generate
printing instructions for printing ticket vouchers, 2) a thermal
printer for printing the ticket vouchers where thermal printer
comprises: i) an interface for connecting to the master gaming
controller of the gaming machine adapted to receive parameter
values, which may be contained in the printing instructions from
the master gaming controller, for printing onto sheets of media,
ii) a first thermal printing head arranged to receive first sheets
of media and print the parameter values on the first sheets of
media to generate issued ticket vouchers, iii) a second thermal
printing head arranged to receive second sheets of media and print
said parameter values on the second sheets of media to generate
duplicate ticket vouchers; and iv) a mechanism for receiving sheets
of media for printing the parameter values and directing the first
and second sheets of media to the first and second thermal printing
heads, respectively, where the parameter values printed on a first
sheet of media using the first thermal printing head are duplicated
on a second sheet of media using the second thermal printing head.
In particular embodiments, the game presented on the gaming machine
may be selected from the group consisting of a video black jack
game, a video slot game, a mechanical slot game, a video poker
game, a video keno game, a video pachinko game, a video lottery
game and a video card game.
[0015] Another aspect of the invention provides a thermal printer
for duplicate printing of parameter values indicating game play
information obtained from playing a gaming machine. The thermal
printer may be generally characterized as including: 1) an
interface for connecting to a master gaming controller of the
gaming machine adapted to receive the parameter values for printing
onto sheets of media, 2) a thermal printing head arranged to
receive the sheets of media and print consecutively the parameter
values on a first sheet of the media and on a second sheet of the
media where the parameter values printed on the first sheet of
media are duplicated on the second sheet of media; and 3) a routing
mechanism for receiving consecutively the first printed sheet of
media and the second printed sheet of media and directing the first
printed sheet of media to an issue slot and the second printed
sheet of media to a storage unit. Prior to routing the sheets of
media which may be thermal printing media, the routing mechanism
may also detach the first printed sheet of media from the second
printed sheet of media. The second printed sheet of media may be
used to provide an audit trail for the first printed sheet of
media.
[0016] Another aspect of the present invention provides a gaming
machine for executing game play that issues ticket vouchers as part
of a cashless system. The gaming machine may be characterized as
including: 1) a master gaming controller designed or configured to
present a game on the gaming machine and generate printing
instructions for printing ticket vouchers, 2) a thermal printer for
printing the ticket vouchers where thermal printer comprises: i) an
interface for connecting to the master gaming controller of the
gaming machine adapted to receive parameter values, which may be
contained in the printing instructions from the master gaming
controller, for printing onto sheets of media, ii) a thermal
printing head arranged to receive sheets of media and print
consecutively the parameter values on a first sheet of the media
and on a second sheet of the media where the parameter values
printed on the first sheet of media are duplicated on the second
sheet of media; and 3) a routing mechanism for receiving
consecutively the first printed sheet of media and the second
printed sheet of media and directing the first printed sheet of
media to an issue slot and the second printed sheet of media to a
storage unit.
[0017] These and other features of the present invention will be
presented in more detail in the following detailed description of
the invention and the associated figures.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0018] FIG. 1 is a perspective drawing of a gaming machine having a
top box and other devices.
[0019] FIG. 2 is a side view of thermal printer with dual thermal
print heads.
[0020] FIG. 3 is a side view of thermal printer designed to print
consecutively an issued ticket voucher and a duplicate ticket
voucher.
[0021] FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a gaming machine with a thermal
printer of the present invention.
[0022] FIG. 5 is a block diagram of the components of a cashless
system using the EZ Pay.TM. ticket voucher system including gaming
machines with a thermal printer of the present invention.
[0023] FIG. 6 is a block diagram of the components of a printed
ticket voucher.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0024] Turning first to FIG. 1, a video gaming machine 2 of the
present invention is shown. Machine 2 includes a main cabinet 4,
which generally surrounds the machine interior (not shown) and is
viewable by users. The main cabinet includes a main door 8 on the
front of the machine, which opens to provide access to the interior
of the machine. Attached to the main door are player-input switches
or buttons 32, a coin acceptor 28, and a bill validator 30, a coin
tray 38, and a belly glass 40. Viewable through the main door is a
video display monitor 34 and an information panel 36. The display
monitor 34 will typically be a cathode ray tube, high resolution
flat-panel LCD, or other conventional electronically controlled
video monitor. The information panel 36 may be a back-lit, silk
screened glass panel with lettering to indicate general game
information including, for example, the maximum coin value. The
bill validator 30, player-input switches 32, video display monitor
34, and information panel are devices used to play a game on the
game machine 2. The devices are controlled by circuitry (See FIG.
4) housed inside the main cabinet 4 of the machine 2. Many possible
games, including traditional slot games, video slot games, video
poker, video lottery, video blackjack, video pachinko, video keno,
general video card games and video games of chance may be provided
with gaming machines of this invention.
[0025] The gaming machine 2 includes a top box 6, which sits on top
of the main cabinet 4. The top box 6 houses a number of devices,
which may be used to add features to a game being played on the
gaming machine 2, including speakers 10, 12, 14, a ticket printer
18, such as a thermal printer of the present invention, which may
print bar-coded tickets 20, a key pad 22 for entering player
tracking information, a vacuum florescent display 16 for displaying
player tracking information, a card reader 24 for entering a
magnetic striped card containing player tracking information.
Further, the top box 6 may house different or additional devices
than those shown in FIG. 1. For example, the top box may contain a
bonus wheel or a back-lit silk screened panel which may be used to
add bonus features to the game being played on the gaming machine.
During a game, these devices are controlled and powered, in part,
by circuitry (See FIG. 4) housed within the main cabinet 4 of the
machine 2.
[0026] Understand that gaming machine 2 is but one example from a
wide range of gaming machine designs on which the present invention
may be implemented. For example, not all suitable gaming machines
have top boxes or player tracking features. Further, some gaming
machines have two or more game displays--mechanical and/or video.
And, some gaming machines are designed for bar counters and have
displays that face upwards. Still further, some machines may be
designed entirely for cashless systems. Such machines may not
include such features as bill validators, coin acceptors and coin
trays. Instead, they may have only ticket readers, card readers and
ticket dispensers. Those of skill in the art will understand that
the present invention, as described below, can be deployed on most
any gaming machine now available or hereafter developed.
[0027] Returning to the example of FIG. 1, when a user wishes to
play the gaming machine 2, he or she inserts cash through the coin
acceptor 28 or bill validator 30. In addition, the player may use a
cashless instrument of some type to register credits on the gaming
machine 2. For example, the bill validator 30 may accept a printed
ticket voucher, including 20, as an indicia of credit. As another
example, the card reader 24 may accept a debit card or a smart card
containing cash or credit information that may be used to register
credits on the gaming machine. In yet another example, an
electronic fund transfer may be used to register credits on the
gaming machine. Typically, the information contained on the
cashless instrument, including the ticket voucher, smart card or
debit card, is validated by a cashless system. The cashless
instrument, including the ticket voucher, smart card or debit card,
may have been generated at the same property, for example a first
casino where the gaming machine 2 is located or the ticket voucher
may have been generated at another property for example a second
casino. Details of the components of a cashless system and
validation methods used in a preferred embodiment of a cashless
system are described with reference to FIG. 5.
[0028] The cashless instrument typically contains information used
to register credits on the gaming machine, including gaming machine
2, and validate the registration transaction. For example, when a
ticket voucher is used as a cashless instrument, the printed ticket
voucher may contain information including: 1) a ticket value, 2) a
ticket issue date, 3) a ticket issue time, 4) a ticket validation
number, 5) a machine ID, 6) a ticket issue location (e.g. the
establishment where the ticket was issued), 7) a bar code, 8) a
ticket number, 9) ticket sequence number, 10) graphics and 11) a
ticket type (e.g. EZ Pay.TM.). Additional gaming data may also be
printed on the ticket. Thus, the gaming data is not limited to the
11 items listed in the above example. In addition, when a ticket
voucher is issued, a duplicate ticket voucher, including the
parameters described above may be printed and stored in the gaming
machine and later used for auditing purposes. An example of a
printed ticket voucher is described with reference to FIG. 6.
[0029] Information such as the ticket value, the ticket issue date,
the ticket issue time, the ticket number and the machine ID may be
common to cashless systems that generate and validate tickets
issued at a single property. In addition, information such as the
ticket issue location may be needed to allow multi-site generation
and validation of cashless instruments. Further, other types of
information, besides the information listed above, may be stored on
the cashless instrument. For example, the ticket may contain
information regarding a promotional prize that may be won by the
player when the ticket voucher is utilized in the gaming machine 2.
The promotional prize may involve multiple properties and
particular types of gaming machines.
[0030] The information on the cashless instrument may be recorded
on the cashless instrument when the cashless instrument is
generated. In the case of the ticket voucher, the generation of the
ticket voucher may refer to the actual printing of the ticket
voucher parameters on paper or some other medium. For instance, a
unique bar-code may be printed on the ticket voucher which may be
read with a bar-code scanner to obtain information from the ticket.
The ticket voucher, including 20, may be printed from a printer,
including printer 18 which may be a thermal printer with duplicate
printing capabilities as described with reference to FIGS. 2-4.
[0031] During the course of a game, a player may be required to
make a number of decisions, which affect the outcome of the game.
For example, a player may vary his or her wager on a particular
game, select a prize for a particular game, or make game decisions
which affect the outcome of a particular game. The player may make
these choices using the player-input switches 32, the video display
screen 34 or using some other device which enables a player to
input information into the gaming machine. During certain game
events, the gaming machine 2 may display visual and auditory
effects that can be perceived by the player. These effects add to
the excitement of a game, which makes a player more likely to
continue playing. Auditory effects include various sounds that are
projected by the speakers 10, 12, 14. Visual effects include
flashing lights, strobing lights or other patterns displayed from
lights on the gaming machine 2 or from lights behind the belly
glass 40.
[0032] After the player has completed a game, a cashless instrument
may be generated at the gaming machine 2. The cashless instrument
may be a printed ticket voucher, a smart card, debit card or other
cashless medium. For example, the player may decide to cashout and
may receive the ticket voucher 20 from the printer 18, which may be
used for further games or to redeem a prize. Further, the player
may receive a ticket for food, merchandise, game services or other
promotions from the printer 18 that may be used at the gaming
property where the gaming machine is located or at other gaming
properties. The player may view cashless instrument transaction
information on the video display screen 34 or the vacuum florescent
display 16. For instance, when a player cashes out from the gaming
machine, the value stored on the cashless instrument may be
displayed using the video display 34. As another example, when a
promotion ticket 20 is printed out from the printer 18 that is
valid at a number of other gaming properties, a map may be
displayed on the video display screen indicating where the other
gaming properties are located.
[0033] FIG. 2 is a side view of thermal printer 200 with dual
thermal print heads. The thermal printer 200 may be used to print
ticket vouchers as described with respect to printer 18 in FIG. 1.
In one example, the thermal printer 200 includes two thermal print
heads, 270 and 275, that each print a ticket voucher with a number
of parameters (e.g. a ticket value, a ticket issue date, a ticket
issue time, a ticket validation number, a machine ID, a ticket
issue location, a bar code, a ticket number, ticket sequence number
and a ticket type). The first thermal print head 270 prints a
ticket voucher 260 with some set of parameters that may be issued
to a player via the exit slot 255. The second thermal print head
275 may print a duplicate ticket voucher 265 containing the same
parameter information printed on the issued ticket voucher 260. The
duplicate printed ticket 265 may be used to provide a paper audit
trail of the issued ticket voucher 260.
[0034] The thermal print heads, 270 and 275, allow a graphic
pattern to be printed on each ticket voucher by thermally
activating ink embedded in each unprinted ticket voucher. The ink
embedded in each ticket voucher is activated in sections as the
ticket voucher is advanced by the feeder mechanisms, 289 and 291,
over each thermal print head, 270 and 275. A temperature variation
across each thermal print head, 270 and 275, determines the pattern
to be printed on each section of the ticket voucher. In one
embodiment, the thermal print heads, 270 and 275, as well as other
printer elements, may be manufactured by the Seiko Epson
Corporation (Long Beach, Calif.).
[0035] In one embodiment, a single ticket voucher may be about six
inches long, about 2.5 inches wide and about 0.0045 inches thick.
However, ticket vouchers are not limited to these dimensions. The
thermal print heads, 270 and 275, may print a single line or
multiple lines, each line comprising a series of dots, across a
portion of the 2.5 inch ticket width, as the ticket vouchers
advance across each of the thermal print heads. The print speed may
be about 3 inches per second which allows a single ticket voucher
to be printed as quick as 2 seconds. The total print speed may vary
according to the ink formulation used on the ticket voucher and the
length of the ticket voucher. The width of each line is a function
of the resolution capability of the thermal print heads, 270 and
275, which may vary. For example, each line may include a minimum
of 500 dots with a resolution of 8 dots per millimeter.
[0036] The ink formulation and activation temperature of the ink on
a ticket voucher is variable. As an example, for black and white EZ
Pay.TM. tickets, the ink is initially activated at a temperature of
75.degree. C. and optimally printed at a temperature of 90.degree.
C. These variables may change depending on the application. For
instance, an unprinted ticket voucher for color printing may
include different ink colors with different activation and printing
temperatures. Further, different manufactures of the thermal paper
may utilize ink formulas with different ink activation
temperatures. In one embodiment, the thermally activated paper, for
the ticket vouchers, may be provided by MACtac (Stow, Ohio). Other
manufacturers of thermally activated paper include Mark Sensing
Corporation (Bayswater Victoria, Australia), Nashua Corporation
(Merrimak, N.H.) and Kodak (Rochester, N.Y.). For durability, the
ticket voucher paper is top coated. The top coat, as well as the
ink and paper formulation, may provide resistance to oils,
plasticizers, alcohol, solvents, water immersion for a period of
time (e.g. 15 hours) and may prevent fading with sun exposure. The
durability requirements, which may vary, affect the ink formulation
and thus, the activation temperatures of the ink on the paper.
[0037] Control signals for the thermal print heads, 270 and 275,
that produce heat patterns on the each print head that thermally
activate the ink imbedded in the unprinted ticket vouchers
producing a particular print pattern are supplied by the CPU 230
via the print head power lines 295. The CPU 230 may be a
microcontroller having firmware or a general purpose
microprocessor. The CPU 230 may include a memory that stores one or
more printing templates used to print parameter information in a
particular format as specified by the printing template contained
in printing instructions from a master gaming controller on a
gaming machine or printing instructions from another gaming device
that generates printed ticket vouchers, such as a lottery gaming
device. An example of a printed ticket voucher is described with
reference to FIG. 6.
[0038] When the printer 200 receives parameter information in
printing instructions from an external device such as a master
gaming controller on a gaming machine, the parameter information
may be received by the CPU 230 and may be processed in some manner
that allows the parameter information to be printed by the thermal
print heads on a thermal printing media in a particular format. For
instance, the CPU 230 may receive parameter information such as a
ticket value, a ticket number and a ticket issue location, in
printing instructions from the external device. The CPU 230 may use
a printing template to incorporate parameter information into a
particular printing format that is printed on a ticket. The
printing template may specify the locations on the ticket where
specific parameter values are to be printed. The printing
instructions corresponding to the particular printing format may be
sent to thermal print heads using a thermal control language. In
another example, the CPU 230 may receive printing instructions from
an external device to print information such as a text character at
particular locations on the thermal printing media. The CPU 230 may
convert the printing instructions to a printing format used by the
thermal print heads for printing on the thermal printing media.
[0039] In one embodiment, the thermal control language and firmware
that incorporates the thermal control language is provided by
Future Logic Inc. (Glendale, Calif.). The parameter values for
printing the issued ticket voucher 260 and the duplicate ticket
voucher 265 may be sent to the CPU using a communication protocol
such as Netplex, which is a communication format provided by IGT
(Reno, Nev.), and incorporated into a printing template. The same
parameter values are printed on the issued ticket voucher 260 and
the duplicate ticket voucher 265. However, the duplicate ticket
voucher may include graphics or text to indicate that it is a
duplicate and may not be redeemed for cash or additional game play.
In addition, the parameter values printed on the duplicate ticket
voucher 265 may be printed in a different format than the duplicate
parameter values printed on the issued ticket voucher. The printing
process, e.g. creating an issued ticket voucher 260 and an
duplicate ticket voucher 265, may be repeated many times with
parameter values printed on each issued ticket voucher and
duplicate ticket voucher, such as the ticket validation number and
issue time, varying each time a new set of tickets is printed.
[0040] The CPU 230 may monitor a number of sensors (not shown)
which regulate different status bits for errors and status updates.
The sensors are distributed throughout the thermal printer 200,
such as a thermal head temperature sensor for each thermal print
head, 270 and 275, a paper out sensor, a low paper sensor for the
ticket tray 210, a storage unit capacity sensor for the duplicate
ticket bin 235 for determining when the storage unit is nearly full
and a ticket taken sensor. The CPU 230 may monitor each of these
sensors and generate appropriate responses based upon information
obtained from each sensor. For instance, when the paper is low in
the ticket tray 210, as indicated by the low paper sensor, or when
the duplicate ticket bin 235 is nearly full, the CPU 230 may notify
the gaming machine so that the gaming machine can perform an
appropriate action such as disabling the printing function. As
another example, when the CPU 230 detects the paper is out, the CPU
230 may send this information to the gaming machine so that the
gaming machine can disable the printing function and notify an
attendant.
[0041] The CPU 230 may interface with the master gaming controller
or other gaming devices via the ribbon line cable 220 and the
connector 215. In one embodiment, the connector 215 may be a ten
pin connector. The ribbon line cable 220 via the connector 215 may
supply both power and data signals to the CPU 230 and other devices
on the printer. For instance, the power voltage supply level may be
24 VDC.
[0042] Two ply-tickets may be stored in a fan fold manner in the
ticket tray 210. The ticket tray may store two-ply sheets of ticket
media stacks 205 comprised of quantities of two hundred, four
hundred and six hundred blank ticket media. The blank ticket media
may include pre-printed graphics such as logos and other standard
information. Within the ticket media stack, the sheets of blank
tickets or pre-printed tickets may be secured to one another via
multiple perforations between each blank ticket. The perforations
may aid the folding of the ticket media into stacks and may allow a
first sheet in the ticket media stack to be detached from the
ticket media stack. The burst strength of the perforations maybe
between about 0.9 to 1.7 lbs.
[0043] The two-ply ticket media 205 may be separated by the ply
separator mechanism 245. From the ply separator mechanism, a first
ply of the ticket media may be fed using the feeder mechanism 289
to the thermal print head 270 and guide 287 for printing. After
printing, the issued ticket voucher 260 is guided to the exit slot
255. By a applying a particular amount of force, a player may
detach the issued ticket voucher 260 and remove it from the thermal
printer 200. A second ply of the ticket media may be fed using the
feeder mechanism 291 to the thermal print head 275 and the guide
280 for printing of a duplicate ticket voucher. After printing, the
duplicate ticket voucher 265 may be routed using one or more
guides, including 280, through the exit slot 250 to a storage unit
such as the duplicate ticket bin 235. The duplicate ticket vouchers
may be refolded into a duplicate ticket stack 240 for storage and
later retrieval.
[0044] In one embodiment, blank ticket media may be supplied to
each thermal print head, 270 and 275, using single ply ticket media
stored in two ticket trays (not shown). The ticket trays may be
configured or designed such that each ticket tray stores blank or
pre-printed sheets of ticket media. A first tray provides sheets of
media to the first thermal print head 270 while a second tray
provides sheets of media to the second thermal print head 275. In
this embodiment, a ply separator may not be required. In another
embodiment, the sheets of ticket media may be stored as stacks
sheets not attached to one another. A first sheet may be routed by
a routing mechanism to the first thermal print head 270 while a
second sheet may be routed by the routing mechanism to the second
thermal print head 275.
[0045] FIG. 3 is a side view of thermal printer 300 designed to
print consecutively an issued ticket voucher and a duplicate ticket
voucher. Components that appear in FIG. 2 are identified by common
reference numerals. Stacks of blank or pre-printed sheets of ticket
media 305 may be stored in the ticket tray 210. The sheets of
pre-printed ticket media may be routed to the feeder mechanism 289
for printing at the thermal print head 270. Two sheets of the
ticket media may be printed consecutively where parameter values
are printed on one of the sheets of media to generate an ticket
voucher which is issued to a player. A duplicate set of the
parameter values are printed on the other sheet of media to
generate a duplicate of the issued ticket voucher. In some
embodiments, the parameter information may be rearranged on the
duplicate ticket voucher and additional information may be added to
the duplicate ticket voucher. For instance, "duplicate" may be
printed on a duplicate ticket voucher. The issued ticket voucher or
the duplicate ticket voucher, which are printed consecutively, may
be generated in either order. Thus, the issued ticket voucher may
be generated first followed by the duplicate ticket voucher or the
duplicate ticket voucher may be generated first followed by the
issued ticket voucher.
[0046] The issued ticket voucher 260 and the duplicate ticket
voucher 365 may be directed by a routing mechanism to either the
exit slot 255 or the exit slot 250. The issued ticket vouchers,
including 260, are directed to the exit slot 255 so that the issued
ticket vouchers may be received by the player. The duplicate ticket
vouchers, including 365, are directed to the exit slot 250 for
storage in a storage unit such as the duplicate ticket bin 235.
[0047] The routing mechanism for directing printed ticket voucher
to either of the exit slots, 250 and 255, may include a cutting
mechanism 370, various ticket guides, including 380, and one or
more feed mechanisms, including 391. When the sheets of ticket
media in the ticket stack are attached to one another, the cutting
mechanism 370 may be used to separate a printed sheet of ticket
media from a next sheet of ticket media in the stack. Once a ticket
voucher has been detached from the ticket stack, it may be directed
to either the exit slot 255 or the exit slot 250. The guide 380 and
the feeder mechanism 391 may be used to guide a plurality of
duplicate ticket vouchers to the duplicate ticket voucher bin 235
to form a duplicate ticket stack 340. Tickets in the duplicate
ticket stack may be used for auditing purposes. Additional guides
and feeder mechanisms may be used to direct the issued ticket
vouchers to the exit slot 255 where the issued ticket voucher is
issued. Many configurations of routing mechanisms are possible and
are not limited to a design or a configuration including the
cutting mechanism 370, the feeder mechanism 391 and the guide
380.
[0048] An advantage of the thermal printers described with
reference to FIGS. 2 and 3 is that issued ticket vouchers and
duplicate ticket vouchers may be printed that satisfy the ticket
use requirements of a cashless system. In addition, the duplicate
ticket vouchers add the capability of a paper audit trail, which
may be desirable or may be required for some users of cashless
systems. Further, when the issued ticket vouchers and duplicate
ticket vouchers are printed either serially or in parallel, the
tickets may be printed significantly faster than using a dot matrix
printer. In addition, graphics quality on a thermal printer is
higher than on a dot matrix printer. The higher graphics quality
may be necessary for validation of the ticket vouchers using a
ticket reader of some type, such as a bill validator.
[0049] FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a gaming machine with a thermal
printer 400 of the present invention. The thermal printer 400 may
be of a design or configuration as described with reference to
FIGS. 2 and 3. The gaming machine 2 includes a top box 6 and main
cabinet 4. The gaming machine 2 may receive power from a source
outside the gaming machine 2 such as the AC Power source 420. The
AC power source 420 may be connected to the 2 in 1 power supply
422.
[0050] The 2 in 1 power supply supplies two power sources. An
interruptible power source, which may be interrupted by the power
switch 426 and a continuous power source that may not be
interrupted by the power switch 426. The continuous power source
may be used to power gaming devices such as a fiber optic card on
the main communication board 410. The interruptible power source
may be used to supply power to the thermal printer 400 and other
gaming devices residing within the gaming machine. When providing
maintenance to the thermal printer 400, it is usually necessary to
interrupt the power using the power switch 426. Power to various
gaming devices on the gaming machine may be routed through the
power distribution board 418.
[0051] The mother board 424 includes components such as a master
gaming controller 425 that allow a game to be presented on the
gaming machine 2. The game presentation may be presented on the
display 34. In addition, the master gaming controller 425 may
communicate with the thermal printer 400 via the cable harness 420.
The cable harness may also carry an interruptible power source to
the thermal printer 400.
[0052] To enable printing, the master gaming controller 425 may
send printing instructions to the printer 400 and receive printing
information from the thermal printer 400. The printing instructions
may contain parameters to be printed on a ticket voucher and a
duplicate ticket voucher as part of a cashless system such as the
EZ Pay.TM. ticket voucher system, manufactured by IGT (Reno, Nev.).
These parameters may be printed according to a printing template
accessible to the CPU 402 on the thermal printer 400. An example of
a printed cashless ticket voucher is described with reference to
FIG. 6. Besides parameter values, the printing instructions may
also contain print commands such as "begin printing", "advance
paper", etc.
[0053] EZ Pay.TM. tickets are only one example of ticket vouchers
and duplicate ticket vouchers that may be generated by the thermal
printer 400. For instance, the thermal printer 400 may be used to
generate issued ticket vouchers and duplicate ticket vouchers for
prizes, promotions, hotel services, lottery games and other
applications. Printing templates for these other applications may
also be stored on the printer 400.
[0054] In response to the printing instructions from the master
gaming controller 425, the thermal printer 400 may send printing
information to the master gaming controller 425. For instance, the
thermal printer 400 may send information from sensors monitored by
the CPU 402. The information may include printer status information
such as "low on tickets", "paper jam" and "duplicate ticket storage
bin full" or printing status information such as "initiating
printing" and "printing complete."
[0055] The communication between the thermal printer 400 and the
master gaming controller may be implemented using different
communication standards and connection schemes. For instance, using
a serial Netplex communication protocol, which is an IGT
proprietary communication standard, parameter values may be sent to
the thermal printer 400 in 255 byte data packets. The Netplex
communication protocol allows data to be sent at 19.2K baud rate.
As other examples, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) communication
protocol or an RS-232 communication protocol may be used for
communication between the thermal printer 400 and the master gaming
controller 425. USB and RS-232 each allow different data
transmission rates.
[0056] The cabling and connection schemes allows data to be
transmitted between the thermal printer 400 and the master gaming
controller 425. When a Netplex communication protocol is used, a 10
pin connector 404 may be connected to an 8 pin connector 406 via a
7 line Netplex cable 405. When a USB communication protocol is
used, standard USB connectors and cabling may be employed. When an
RS-232 communication protocol is used, an RS-232 cabling and
connection scheme may be utilized.
[0057] Two or three lines from the connector 404 may be connected
to a status/error LED's (not shown). The status/error LED's may
display printer status information including: 1) unit ready/normal
operation, 2) unit in standby, 3) unit flushed, 4) paper out, 5)
head up, 6) temperature error, 7) voltage error, 8) print head
error, 9) flash memory error, 10) buffer overflow, 11) flash
programming, 12) missing black index mark, 13) paper jam, 14) paper
low, 15) tray full and 16) printing in progress. The status/error
messages may be also sent to the master gaming controller 425. In
response to some of the messages, such as paper jam or paper low,
the gaming machine 2 may send a maintenance request, via the
network interface 414 to an EZ Pay.TM. server 428, to request
service on the gaming machine 2 or an attendant light may be
activated on the gaming machine 2.
[0058] FIG. 5 is a block diagram of the components of a cashless
system using the EZ Pay.TM. ticket voucher system for one
embodiment of the present invention. A cashless system is the
hardware components and software components needed to generate and
validate cashless instruments. Components of a cashless system may
include 1) data acquisition hardware, 2) data storage hardware, 3)
cashless instrument generation and validation hardware (e.g.
printers, card readers, ticket acceptors, validation terminals,
etc.), 3) auditing software, 4) cashless instrument validation
software and 5) database software. Many types of cashless systems
are possible and are not limited to the components listed above or
embodiments such as the EZ Pay.TM. ticket voucher system.
Typically, a cashless system is installed at each property
utilizing cashless instruments. To allow multi-site validations of
cashless instruments, the cashless systems at each property may be
linked to a cashless instrument transaction clearinghouse.
[0059] Returning to FIG. 5, a first group of gaming machines, 565,
566, 567, 568, and 569 is shown connected to a first clerk
validation terminal (CVT) 560 and a second group of gaming
machines, 575, 576, 577, 578 and 579 is shown connected to a second
CVT 570. All of the gaming machines print ticket vouchers which may
be exchanged for cash or accepted as indicia of credit in other
gaming machines located within the property 505. As described
above, a thermal printer mounted in each gaming machine may be used
to print an issued ticket voucher and a duplicate ticket voucher.
Duplicate printed vouchers generated from the printers in each
gaming machine may be stored in a storage unit within the gaming
machine. In this example, the ticket voucher serves as a cashless
instrument. In addition, the gaming machines may accept ticket
vouchers issued at a different property from property 505 where the
different property utilizes the same or a different cashless system
as compared to property 505.
[0060] The CVTs, 560 and 570, store cashless instrument transaction
information corresponding to the outstanding cashless instrument,
including ticket vouchers, smart cards and debit cards, that are
waiting for redemption. In this embodiment, the CVTs are separate
from the gaming machine. However, the cashless instrument
information may also be stored within each gaming machine or one
gaming machine may functionally act as a CVT for a group of gaming
machines eliminating the separate CVT hardware. In addition,
cashless instrument transaction information may be stored in a
cashless server including the EZ Pay.TM. server 510. The cashless
instrument transaction information may be used when the ticket
vouchers are validated and cashed out or redeemed in some other
manner. The CVTs 560 and 570 may store the information for the
ticket vouchers printed by the gaming machines connected to the
CVT. For example, CVT 560 stores ticket voucher information for
ticket vouchers printed by gaming machines 565, 566, 567, 568, and
569. When a ticket is printed out, ticket information is sent to
the CVT using a communication protocol of some type from the gaming
machine. For example, the gaming machine may send transaction
information to the CVT which is part of the cashless system using
the slot acquisition system manufacture by IGT (Reno, Nev.).
[0061] In this embodiment, when a player wishes to cash out a
ticket, the player may redeem vouchers printed from a particular
gaming machine at the CVT associated with the gaming machine or any
other CVT which is part of the cashless system associated with the
CVT. For example, since CVT 560 and CVT 570 are connected as part
of a single cashless system to the EZ Pay.TM. server 510, a player
may redeem vouchers or utilize vouchers at the gaming machines, the
CVT's (560 or 570), the cashier stations (525, 530, 535, and 540).
The CVTs, cashiers, wireless cashiers and gaming machines may be
referred to as "cashless validation sites." To cash out the ticket
voucher, the ticket voucher is validated by comparing information
obtained from the ticket with information stored within the CVT.
After a ticket voucher has been redeemed, the CVT marks the ticket
paid in a database to prevent a ticket voucher with similar
information from being redeemed multiple times.
[0062] When a ticket voucher is cashed out, a receipt and a
duplicate receipt may be generated using a thermal printer of the
present invention. The receipt may be received by the person
cashing out the ticket voucher while the duplicate receipt may be
stored to provide a paper audit trail of the gaming transaction.
Ticket vouchers may be cashed out at a CVT, cashier station or
using a wireless validation device. Thus, the cashier stations 525,
530 and 535, the CVTs, 560 and 570, and a wireless validation
device may use thermal printers with duplicate printing
capabilities. Further, the thermal printers may include
communication interfaces allowing communications with the cashier
stations, CVTs and wireless validation devices.
[0063] In this embodiment using the EZ Pay.TM. system, multiple
groups of gaming machines connected to CVTs are connected together
in a cross validation network 545. The cross validation network is
typically comprised of one or more concentrators 555 which accepts
inputs from two or more CVTs and enables communications to and from
the two or more CVTs using one communication line. The concentrator
is connected to a front end controller 550 which may poll the CVTs
for ticket voucher information. The front end controller is
connected to an EZ Pay.TM. server 510 which may provide a variety
of information services for the award ticket system including
accounting 520 and administration 515.
[0064] The cross validation network allows ticket vouchers
generated by any gaming machine connected to the cross validation
network 545 to be accepted by any other gaming machine in the cross
validation network 545. Additionally, the cross validation network
allows a cashier at a cashier station 525, 530, and 535 to validate
any ticket voucher generated from a gaming machine within the cross
validation network 545. To cash out a ticket voucher, a player may
present a ticket voucher at one of the cashier stations 525, 530,
and 535 or to a game service representative carrying a wireless
gaming device for validating ticket vouchers. Information obtained
from the ticket voucher is used to validate the ticket by comparing
information on the ticket with information stored on one of the
CVTs connected to the cross validation network. In addition, when
the ticket voucher was issued at another property, the information
on the ticket may be stored at the other property. Thus, to
validate the ticket voucher, the EZ Pay.TM. server may have to
communicate with a cashless instrument transaction clearinghouse
via the remote connection 511 to obtain the information necessary
to validate the ticket voucher.
[0065] As tickets are validated, this information may be sent to
audit services computer 540 providing audit services, the
accounting computer 520 providing accounting services or the
administration computer 515 providing administration services. In
another embodiment, all of these services may be provided by the
cashless server including the EZ Pay.TM. server 510. Examples of
auditing services, which may be provided by cashless system
software residing on the auditing computer 540 include 1) session
reconciliation reports, 2) soft count reports, 3) soft count
verification reports, 4) soft count exception reports, 5) machine
ticket status reports and 5) security access report. Examples of
accounting services, which may be provided by cashless system
software residing on the accounting computer 520 include 1) ticket
issuance reports, 2) ticket liability reports, expired ticket
reports, 3) expired ticket paid reports and 4) ticket redemption
reports. Examples of administration services, which may be provided
by cashless system software residing on the administration computer
515 include 1) manual ticket receipt, 2) manual ticket report, 3)
ticket validation report, 4) interim validation report, 5)
validation window closer report, 6) voided ticket receipt and 7)
voided ticket report. The duplicate ticket vouchers generated by
the thermal printers in each gaming machine or duplicate receipts
generated at the CVT's (560 and 570), cashier stations and wireless
validation devices may be used to verify aspects of the auditing
service reports, the accounting services reports and the
administration services reports.
[0066] The thermal printers of the present invention have been
primarily described in the context of providing issued and
duplicate tickets for gaming machines. However, the thermal
printers may also be used with other gaming devices. For instance,
an issued ticket and duplicate ticket may be generated when tickets
are redeemed at a CVT, cashier station or a wireless validation. In
these examples, an external gaming device used at the CVT, cashier
station or wireless validation device may provide parameter
information to the thermal printer for printing on a blank ticket
media. The thermal printers may also be used with devices outside
of gaming applications where issued and duplicate documents printed
on blank thermal media are required. For instance, an issued
receipt and a duplicate receipt may be created with the thermal
printers of this invention.
[0067] FIG. 6 is a block diagram of the components of a printed
ticket voucher 600. The format of the ticket voucher 600 may be
generated from a template stored within the thermal printer. The
printing templates allow parameter values sent from the master
gaming controller on a gaming machine or from another gaming device
such as a CVT (see 560 and 570) or a cashier station (see 525, 530
and 535) to be printed in the format of a ticket voucher 600, a
receipt or some other format. Examples of parameter values that may
be printed on a ticket voucher include: 1) an establishment 602, a
location 604 (e.g. city, state and zip code), 3) a ticket type 606
(e.g. cashout, receipt, duplicate, duplicate receipt, etc.), 4) a
bar code 608, 5) a ticket validation number 610, 6) an issue date
and issue time 612, 7) a ticket number 613, 8) a textual ticket
value 614, 9) a numerical ticket value 616, 10) an expiration date
618 and 11) a machine number 620. In addition, preprinted graphics
or text, including "INSERT THIS SIDE UP" 611, may be printed on
each ticket.
[0068] A duplicate ticket voucher for the issued ticket voucher may
use a similar template for printing the duplicate ticket voucher.
However, the duplicate ticket voucher may include a few additional
pieces of information to identify it as a duplicate. For instance,
the duplicate ticket may say duplicate ticket instead of cashout
ticket in 606. As another example, the duplicate ticket voucher may
contain additional preprinted information such as "void" or "not
valid for redemption" to distinguish it from a cashout ticket.
[0069] Although the foregoing invention has been described in some
detail for purposes of clarity of understanding, it will be
apparent that certain changes and modifications may be practiced
within the scope of the appended claims. For instance, while the
gaming machines of this invention have been depicted as having top
box mounted on top of the main gaming machine cabinet with a
thermal printer, the use of gaming devices in accordance with this
invention is not so limited. For example, gaming machine may be
provided without a top box and the thermal printer may be installed
within the main cabinet of the gaming machine.
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