U.S. patent application number 15/407096 was filed with the patent office on 2017-06-29 for method and system for dispatching casino personnel and tracking interactions with players.
The applicant listed for this patent is Patent Investment & Licensing Company. Invention is credited to JOHN F. ACRES.
Application Number | 20170186270 15/407096 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 59087933 |
Filed Date | 2017-06-29 |
United States Patent
Application |
20170186270 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
ACRES; JOHN F. |
June 29, 2017 |
METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR DISPATCHING CASINO PERSONNEL AND TRACKING
INTERACTIONS WITH PLAYERS
Abstract
The present embodiment includes a dispatch system and method in
which a casino agent is equipped with mobile computing devices that
receive a dispatch notification. The notification includes the
identity of an electronic gaming device at which an identified
player has started a gaming session and the identity of the player.
The player's record is displayed on the mobile computing device and
includes the number of times the casino agent has been dispatched
to a gaming device at which the player is identified as well as
descriptions of prior calls.
Inventors: |
ACRES; JOHN F.; (LAS VEGAS,
NV) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Patent Investment & Licensing Company |
Las Vegas |
NV |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
59087933 |
Appl. No.: |
15/407096 |
Filed: |
January 16, 2017 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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14263577 |
Apr 28, 2014 |
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15407096 |
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15177969 |
Jun 9, 2016 |
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14263577 |
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14755268 |
Jun 30, 2015 |
9367991 |
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15177969 |
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14451133 |
Aug 4, 2014 |
9087431 |
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14755268 |
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61891684 |
Oct 16, 2013 |
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61862697 |
Aug 6, 2013 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G07F 17/3234 20130101;
G06Q 10/20 20130101; G07F 17/3269 20130101; G06Q 10/063116
20130101; G07F 17/3272 20130101; G07F 17/3288 20130101; G07F
17/3239 20130101; G07F 17/3223 20130101 |
International
Class: |
G07F 17/32 20060101
G07F017/32; G06Q 10/06 20060101 G06Q010/06 |
Claims
1. A method for dispatching a casino agent to an identified player
of an electronic gaming device on a network of electronic gaming
devices in a casino, the method comprising: enrolling players in a
player-tracking club; associating each player with a physical
object that is used by the player to associate him or herself with
an identified gaming device selected by the player for tracking the
player's play on the gaming device; creating a list of casino
agents; providing at least some of the casino agents with a mobile
computing device that is in communication with a wireless network
operatively connected to the network of electronic gaming devices;
storing the list in a memory connected to the network; receiving
the physical object at a gaming device selected by one of the
players; detecting a communication on the network indicating
receipt of the physical object at an identified electronic gaming
device; establishing a new gaming session for the player in
response to the communication; determining when the last gaming
session for the one player was established; if the time between the
two gaming sessions is greater than a predefined duration,
generating a call to dispatch one of the casino agents to the
gaming device selected by the one player; automatically sending a
call signal via the wireless network to the mobile computing device
carried by the one casino agent, the signal including data
indicating the identified electronic gaming device selected by the
one player; receiving a call-acceptance signal responsive to an
input on the mobile computing device carried by the casino agent
indicating that he or she has accepted the call; receiving a
call-arrival signal responsive to an input on the mobile computing
device carried by the casino agent indicating that he or she has
arrived at the identified gaming device; providing information from
the player-tracking record for the one player on the mobile
computing device; logging each call that the casino agent has
completed in which the one player was associated with the gaming
device to which the casino agent was dispatched; displaying
information about the prior calls on the mobile computing device;
and receiving a call-completion signal responsive to an input on
the mobile computing device carried by the casino agent indicating
that he or she has interacted with the one player and finished the
call.
2. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving a description
of the call from the one casino agent via the mobile computing
device and storing the description in a memory operatively
connected to the network of gaming devices.
3. The method of claim 2 further comprising retrieving at least one
description of a prior call for the one player and displaying it on
the mobile computing device during a later call.
4. The method of claim 3 further comprising displaying the same
description on a plurality of mobile computing devices each of
which is carried by a different casino agent.
5. The method of claim 1 further comprising determining a call
acceptance time comprising the time between the call signal and the
call-acceptance signal, storing each call acceptance time for the
one casino agent, and calculating an average call acceptance time
using at least some of the stored call acceptance times.
6. A method for dispatching a casino agent on a call to an
electronic gaming device on a network and to log information
regarding the call, the method comprising: storing a list in of
casino agents in a memory connected to the network; storing records
for each of a plurality of players in a memory connected to the
network, each record including information about one of the
players; monitoring the network of electronic gaming devices via a
network computing device; detecting at the network computing device
a communication on the network indicating that a player has
actuated a circuit at one of the electronic gaming devices that
associates the player's record with the one electronic gaming
device; generating a call to dispatch one of the casino agents to
the one electronic gaming device; transmitting a call signal to a
mobile computing device carried by one of the casino agents via a
wireless network that is operatively connected to the network
computing device; receiving an arrival signal at the network
computing device in response to action taken by the one casino
agent via the mobile computing device indicating that the one
casino agent has arrived at the identified electronic gaming
device; tracking the time between receipt of the arrival signal and
receive of a finish signal in response to action taken by the one
casino agent via the mobile computing device indicating that the
one casino agent has finished the call; tracking the number of
times the casino agent is dispatched on a call to the player;
storing the number of times in the memory operatively connected to
the network computing device; and displaying the number of times on
the casino agent's mobile computing device.
7. The method of claim 6 further comprising automatically sending a
signal via the wireless network to the mobile computing device
carried by the casino agent, the signal including data that
identifies the one electronic gaming device.
8. The method of claim 6 wherein receiving a signal at the network
computing device in response to action taken by the one casino
agent indicating that the one casino agent has arrived at the
identified electronic gaming device is in response to a signal
generated on the wireless network as a result of an input received
at a user interface of the mobile computing device.
9. The method of claim 6 further comprising receiving a description
of the call from the one casino agent via the mobile computing
device and storing the description in a memory operatively
connected to the network of gaming devices.
10. The method of claim 9 further comprising retrieving at least
one description of a prior call to one of the gaming devices having
the player's record associated with it and displaying it on the
mobile computing device during a later call.
11. The method of claim 10 further comprising displaying the same
description of a prior call on a plurality of mobile computing
devices each of which is carried by a different casino agent.
12. The method of claim 6 further comprising determining a call
time comprising the time between the call-arrival signal and the
call-finish signal, storing each call time for the one casino
agent, and calculating an average call time using at least some of
the stored call times.
13. A method for dispatching a casino agent on a call to an
electronic gaming device on a network and to log information
regarding the call, the method comprising: storing a plurality of
player records in a memory operatively connected to the network;
populating each record with information related to a different one
of a plurality of players; storing a unique code in a physical
object associated with each player; associating one of the
electronic gaming devices with a player whose code is detected on
the network at a selected one of the gaming devices at which the
physical object is presented by the player; tracking the player's
play at the one gaming device and storing information about the
tracked play in the player's record; monitoring the network of
electronic gaming devices via a network computing device;
generating a call to dispatch one of the casino agents to the one
gaming device when the code is detected on the network;
transmitting a call signal via a wireless network to a mobile
computing device carried by one of the casino agents; tracking the
time between the call signal and a call acceptance signal that is
generated in response to an action taken by the casino agent at a
user interface on the mobile computing device; tracking the time
between the call acceptance signal and a call arrival signal that
is generated in response to an action taken by the casino agent at
the user interface on the mobile computing device when the agent
arrives at the one gaming device; tracking the time between the
call arrival signal and a call finish signal that is generated in
response to an action taken by the casino agent at the user
interface on the mobile computing device; storing the tracked times
in a memory operatively connected to the network computing device;
tracking the number of times a call signal has been generated for
the one casino agent in response to detecting the unique code for
the player; and displaying the number on the mobile computing
device.
14. The method of claim 13 wherein the call signal includes data
that identifies the one electronic gaming device.
15. The method of claim 13 further comprising receiving data at the
network computing device via the wireless network that includes a
comment generated on the mobile computing device related to an
interaction with the one player.
16. The method of claim 15 further comprising storing the comment
in an electronic log.
17. The method of claim 13 further comprising receiving a
description of the call from the one casino agent via the mobile
computing device and storing the description in a memory
operatively connected to the network of gaming devices.
18. The method of claim 17 further comprising retrieving at least
one description of a prior call for the one player and displaying
it on the mobile computing device during a later call.
19. The method of claim 18 further comprising displaying the same
description on a plurality of mobile computing devices each of
which is carried by a different casino agent.
20. The method of claim 13 further comprising determining a
call-arrival time comprising the time between the call-acceptance
signal and the call-arrival signal, storing each call-arrival time
for the one casino agent, and calculating an average call time
using at least some of the stored call acceptance times.
Description
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a Continuation-in-Part of U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 14/263,577 for Dispatch System Having Control
Shared with Dispatched Service Providers, which was filed on Apr.
28, 2014, and a Continuation-in-Part of U.S. patent application
Ser. No. 15/177,969 for Automated Method for Servicing Electronic
Gaming Machines, which was filed Jun. 9, 2016, which is a
Continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/755,268 for
Method for Retrieving an Identity Card Associated with an
Electronic Gaming Machine, which was filed on Jun. 30, 2015, now
U.S. Pat. No. 9,367,991, issued on Jun. 14, 2016, which is a
Continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/451,133 for
Method for Creating an Electronic Log for Documenting Entries into
Gaming Machines, which was filed on Aug. 4, 2014, now U.S. Pat. No.
9,087,431, issued on Jul. 21, 2015, which claims priority to U.S.
Provisional Application No. 61/891,684, filed Oct. 16, 2013, and
U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/862,697, filed Aug. 6, 2013,
all of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
[0002] This application is related to applicant's Application No.
13/445,438 for Method and Apparatus for Monitoring a Network of
Gaming Machines and Dispatching Service Providers, which was filed
on Apr. 12, 2012, and is hereby incorporated by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0003] This disclosure relates generally to dispatch systems in
which a service provider is dispatched to interact with a customer
or a gaming device at which a customer is located.
BACKGROUND
[0004] Gambling games may be implemented on gaming devices in
casinos as well as being provided over the Internet--at least in
some jurisdictions. As a result, casinos compete against online
gaming for customers and also compete against each other. A casino
offers a substantial draw over gaming in isolation at home, namely
the opportunity for social interaction with other people, including
the staff at the casino and other gamblers.
[0005] Even so, at some casinos, it is possible for a player to
come to the casino, spend several hours playing a variety of gaming
devices, and leave without interacting with another person in any
meaningful way. Other casinos, however, have recognized that
loyalty may be earned by providing each player with a welcoming and
friendly reception each time he or she visits the casino.
[0006] The casinos that recognize the value in forming a strong
social bond with players train their employees to engage in a
variety of behaviors to create and strengthen the relationship
between the casino and the player. In other words, they focus on
providing a very high level of customer attention. For example,
casino groundskeepers are encouraged to smile and wave at players
entering the casino. Floor employees engage customers in friendly,
patient conversation. Beverage carts roam the floor and stop to
serve any player who wishes a drink of their choosing. New
enrollees in the player-tracking club wear a badge that identifies
their status to casino employees who greet and welcome the new
player to the casino and to the club.
[0007] The casinos that focus on cementing a strong relationship
with players are more profitable than those that take a more hands
off approach.
[0008] But even small casinos may have hundreds of customers pass
through in an evening. Some customers will be new, some come
infrequently, and some are regulars. As a result, even a
high-performing employee can be hard pressed to remember player
names, prior interactions, information about the player, any
incidents related to the player, player preferences, etc. Employees
can be reluctant to greet customers because they are unable to
remember whether they have previously introduced themselves. And
they may be unsure of what to say to a customer.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] FIG. 1A is a functional block diagram that illustrates a
gaming device according to embodiments of the invention.
[0010] FIG. 1B is an isometric view of the gaming device
illustrated in FIG. 1A.
[0011] FIGS. 2A, 2B, and 2C are detail diagrams of exemplary types
of gaming devices according to embodiments of the invention.
[0012] FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of networked gaming
devices according to embodiments of the invention.
[0013] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating an embodiment
that incorporates the present invention.
[0014] FIG. 5 is a highly schematic diagram illustrating a plan
view of how a casino floor is divided into sections in accordance
with an implementation of the present invention.
[0015] FIGS. 6-13 are images of iPod touch screens upon which an
embodiment is implemented.
[0016] FIGS. 14-22 are images of iPad computer screens upon which
an embodiment is implemented.
[0017] FIG. 23 is a schematic diagram similar to FIG. 4
illustrating another embodiment.
[0018] FIGS. 40, 54, 55, 57, 58, 60, and 61 are images of iPod
touch screens upon which an embodiment is implemented.
[0019] FIGS. 24-39, 41-53, 56, 59, and 62 are images of iPad touch
screens upon which an embodiment is implemented.
[0020] FIG. 63 is a view of an embodiment in use.
[0021] FIGS. 64-84 are images of iPod touch screens depicting
features relating to machine access.
[0022] FIGS. 85-86 are images of iPad screens depicting machine
entry statistics.
[0023] FIGS. 87A, 87 B, 88A, 88B, and FIG. 89 are flow charts
depicting operation.
[0024] FIGS. 90-134 are images of the screens of a mobile computing
device upon which an embodiment is implemented.
[0025] FIGS. 135-143 are images of the screens of a mobile
computing device upon which other embodiments are implemented.
[0026] FIGS. 144A and 144B together comprise a flow chart that
describes some of the operation of the embodiments shown in FIGS.
135-143.
[0027] FIG. 145 is a ticket having a code thereon for applying
credits to and removing credits from a gaming device.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0028] FIGS. 1A and 1B illustrate example gaming devices according
to embodiments of the invention.
[0029] Referring to FIGS. 1A and 1B, a gaming device 10 is an
electronic gaming machine. Although an electronic gaming machine or
"slot" machine is illustrated, various other types of devices may
be used to wager monetarily based credits on a game of chance in
accordance with principles of the invention. The term "electronic
gaming device" is meant to include various devices such as
electro-mechanical spinning-reel type slot machines, video slot
machines, and video poker machines, for instance. Other gaming
devices may include computer-based gaming machines, wireless gaming
devices, multi-player gaming stations, modified personal electronic
gaming devices (such as cell phones), personal computers,
server-based gaming terminals, and other similar devices. Although
embodiments of the invention will work with all of the gaming types
mentioned, for ease of illustration the present embodiments will be
described in reference to the electronic gaming machine 10 shown in
FIGS. 1A and 1B.
[0030] The gaming device 10 includes a cabinet 15 housing
components to operate the gaming device 10. The cabinet 15 may
include a gaming display 20, a base portion 13, a top box 18, and a
player interface panel 30. The gaming display 20 may include
mechanical spinning reels (FIG. 2A), a video display (FIGS. 2B and
2C), or a combination of both spinning reels and a video display
(not shown). The gaming cabinet 15 may also include a credit meter
27 and a coin-in or bet meter 28. The credit meter 27 may indicate
the total number of credits remaining on the gaming device 10 that
are eligible to be wagered. In some embodiments, the credit meter
27 may reflect a monetary unit, such as dollars. However, it is
often preferable to have the credit meter 27 reflect a number of
`credits,` rather than a monetary unit. The bet meter 28 may
indicate the amount of credits to be wagered on a particular game.
Thus, for each game, the player transfers the amount that he or she
wants to wager from the credit meter 27 to the bet meter 28. In
some embodiments, various other meters may be present, such as
meters reflecting amounts won, amounts paid, or the like. In
embodiments where the gaming display 20 is a video monitor, the
information indicated on the credit meters may be shown on the
gaming display itself 20 (FIG. 2B).
[0031] The base portion 13 may include a lighted panel 14, a coin
return (not shown), and a gaming handle 12 operable on a partially
rotating pivot joint 11. The game handle 12 is traditionally
included on mechanical spinning-reel games, where the handle may be
pulled toward a player to initiate the spinning of reels 22 after
placement of a wager. The top box 18 may include a lighted panel
17, a video display (such as an LCD monitor), a mechanical bonus
device (not shown), and a candle light indicator 19. The player
interface panel 30 may include various devices so that a player can
interact with the gaming device 10.
[0032] The player interface panel 30 may include one or more game
buttons 32 that can be actuated by the player to cause the gaming
device 10 to perform a specific action. For example, some of the
game buttons 32 may cause the gaming device 10 to bet a credit to
be wagered during the next game, change the number of lines being
played on a multi-line game, cash out the credits remaining on the
gaming device (as indicated on the credit meter 27), or request
service from casino personnel, such as by lighting the candle 19.
In addition, the player interface panel 30 may include one or more
game actuating buttons 33. The game actuating buttons 33 may
initiate a game with a pre-specified amount of credits. On some
gaming devices 10 a "Max Bet" game actuating button 33 may be
included that places the maximum credit wager on a game and
initiates the game. The player interface panel 30 may further
include a bill acceptor 37 and a ticket printer 38. The bill
acceptor 37 may accept and validate paper money or previously
printed tickets with a credit balance. The ticket printer 38 may
print out tickets reflecting the balance of the credits that remain
on the gaming device 10 when a player cashes out by pressing one of
the game buttons 32 programmed to cause a `cashout.` These tickets
may be inserted into other gaming machines or redeemed at a cashier
station or kiosk for cash.
[0033] The gaming device 10 may also include one or more speakers
26 to transmit auditory information or sounds to the player. The
auditory information may include specific sounds associated with
particular events that occur during game play on the gaming device
10. For example, a particularly festive sound may be played during
a large win or when a bonus is triggered. The speakers 26 may also
transmit "attract" sounds to entice nearby players when the game is
not currently being played.
[0034] The gaming device 10 may further include a secondary display
25. This secondary display 25 may be a vacuum fluorescent display
(VFD), a liquid crystal display (LCD), a cathode ray tube (CRT), a
plasma screen, or the like. The secondary display 25 may show any
combination of primary game information and ancillary information
to the player. For example, the secondary display 25 may show
player tracking information, secondary bonus information,
advertisements, or player selectable game options.
[0035] The gaming device 10 may include a separate information
window (not shown) dedicated to supplying any combination of
information related to primary game play, secondary bonus
information, player tracking information, secondary bonus
information, advertisements or player selectable game options. This
window may be fixed in size and location or may have its size and
location vary temporally as communication needs change. One example
of such a resizable window is International Game Technology's
"service window". Another example is Las Vegas Gaming
Incorporated's retrofit technology which allows information to be
placed over areas of the game or the secondary display screen at
various times and in various situations.
[0036] The gaming device 10 includes a microprocessor 40 that
controls operation of the gaming device 10. If the gaming device 10
is a standalone gaming device, the microprocessor 40 may control
virtually all of the operations of the gaming devices and attached
equipment, such as operating game logic stored in memory (not
shown) as firmware, controlling the display 20 to represent the
outcome of a game, communicating with the other peripheral devices
(such as the bill acceptor 37), and orchestrating the lighting and
sound emanating from the gaming device 10. In other embodiments
where the gaming device 10 is coupled to a network 50, as described
below, the microprocessor 40 may have different tasks depending on
the setup and function of the gaming device. For example, the
microprocessor 40 may be responsible for running the base game of
the gaming device and executing instructions received over the
network 50 from a bonus server or player tracking server. In a
server-based gaming setup, the microprocessor 40 may act as a
terminal to execute instructions from a remote server that is
running game play on the gaming device.
[0037] The microprocessor 40 may be coupled to a machine
communication interface (MCI) 42 that connects the gaming device 10
to a gaming network 50. The MCI 42 may be coupled to the
microprocessor 40 through a serial connection, a parallel
connection, an optical connection, or in some cases a wireless
connection. The gaming device 10 may include memory 41 (MEM), such
as a random access memory (RAM), coupled to the microprocessor 40
and which can be used to store gaming information, such as storing
total coin-in statistics about a present or past gaming session,
which can be communicated to a remote server or database through
the MCI 42. The MCI 42 may also facilitate communication between
the network 50 and the secondary display 25 or a player tracking
unit 45 housed in the gaming cabinet 15.
[0038] The player tracking unit 45 may include an identification
device 46 and one or more buttons 47 associated with the player
tracking unit 45. The identification device 46 serves to identify a
player, by, for example, reading a player-tracking device, such as
a player tracking card that is issued by the casino to individual
players who choose to have such a card. The identification device
46 may instead, or additionally, identify players through other
methods. Player tracking systems using player tracking cards and
card readers 46 are known in the art. Briefly summarizing such a
system, a player registers with the casino prior to commencing
gaming. The casino issues a unique player-tracking card to the
player and opens a corresponding player account that is stored on a
server or host computer, described below with reference to FIG. 3.
The player account may include the player's name and mailing
address and other information of interest to the casino in
connection with marketing efforts. Prior to playing one of the
gaming devices in the casino, the player inserts the player
tracking card into the identification device 46 thus permitting the
casino to track player activity, such as amounts wagered, credits
won, and rate of play.
[0039] To induce the player to use the card and be an identified
player, the casino may award each player points proportional to the
money or credits wagered by the player. Players typically accrue
points at a rate related to the amount wagered, although other
factors may cause the casino to award the player various amounts.
The points may be displayed on the secondary display 25 or using
other methods. In conventional player tracking systems, the player
may take his or her card to a special desk in the casino where a
casino employee scans the card to determine how many accrued points
are in the player's account. The player may redeem points for
selected merchandise, meals in casino restaurants, or the like,
which each have assigned point values. In some player tracking
systems, the player may use the secondary display 25 to access
their player tracking account, such as to check a total number of
points, redeem points for various services, make changes to their
account, or download promotional credits to the gaming device 10.
In other embodiments, the identification device 46 may read other
identifying cards (such as driver licenses, credit cards, etc.) to
identify a player and match them to a corresponding player tracking
account. Although FIG. 1A shows the player tracking unit 45 with a
card reader as the identification device 46, other embodiments may
include a player tracking unit 45 with a biometric scanner, PIN
code acceptor, or other methods of identifying a player to pair the
player with their player tracking account.
[0040] During typical play on a gaming device 10, a player plays a
game by placing a wager and then initiating a gaming session. The
player may initially insert monetary bills or previously printed
tickets with a credit value into the bill acceptor 37. The player
may also put coins into a coin acceptor (not shown) or a credit,
debit or casino account card into a card reader/authorizer (not
shown). In other embodiments, stored player points or special
`bonus points` awarded to the player or accumulated and/or stored
in a player account may be able to be substituted at or transferred
to the gaming device 10 for credits or other value. For example, a
player may convert stored loyalty points to credits or transfer
funds from his bank account, credit card, casino account or other
source of funding. The selected source of funding may be selected
by the player at time of transfer, determined by the casino at the
time of transfer or occur automatically according to a predefined
selection process. One of skill in the art will readily see that
this invention is useful with all gambling devices, regardless of
the manner in which wager value-input is accomplished.
[0041] The credit meter 27 displays the numeric credit value of the
money or other value inserted, transferred, or stored dependent on
the denomination of the gaming device 10. That is, if the gaming
device 10 is a nickel slot machine and a $20 bill inserted into the
bill acceptor 37, the credit meter will reflect 400 credits or one
credit for each nickel of the inserted twenty dollars. For gaming
devices 10 that support multiple denominations, the credit meter 27
will reflect the amount of credits relative to the denomination
selected. Thus, in the above example, if a penny denomination is
selected after the $20 is inserted the credit meter will change
from 400 credits to 2000 credits.
[0042] A wager may be placed by pushing one or more of the game
buttons 32, which may be reflected on the bet meter 28. That is,
the player can generally depress a "bet one" button (one of the
buttons on the player interface panel 30, such as 32), which
transfers one credit from the credit meter 27 to the bet meter 28.
Each time the button 32 is depressed an additional single credit
transfers to the bet meter 28 up to a maximum bet that can be
placed on a single play of the electronic gaming device 10. The
gaming session may be initiated by pulling the gaming handle 12 or
depressing the spin button 33. On some gaming devices 10, a "max
bet" button (another one of the buttons 32 on the player interface
panel 30) may be depressed to wager the maximum number of credits
supported by the gaming device 10 and initiate a gaming
session.
[0043] If the gaming session does not result in any winning
combination, the process of placing a wager may be repeated by the
player. Alternatively, the player may cash out any remaining
credits on the credit meter 27 by depressing the "cash-out" button
(another button 32 on the player interface panel 30), which causes
the credits on the credit meter 27 to be paid out in the form of a
ticket through the ticket printer 38, or may be paid out in the
form of returning coins from a coin hopper (not shown) to a coin
return tray.
[0044] If instead a winning combination (win) appears on the
display 20, the award corresponding to the winning combination is
immediately applied to the credit meter 27. For example, if the
gaming device 10 is a slot machine, a winning combination of
symbols 23 may land on a played payline on reels 22. If any bonus
games are initiated, the gaming device 10 may enter into a bonus
mode or simply award the player with a bonus amount of credits that
are applied to the credit meter 27.
[0045] FIGS. 2A to 2C illustrate exemplary types of gaming devices
according to embodiments of the invention. FIG. 2A illustrates an
example spinning-reel gaming machine 10A, FIG. 2B illustrates an
example video slot machine 10B, and FIG. 2C illustrates an example
video poker machine 10C.
[0046] Referring to FIG. 2A, a spinning-reel gaming machine 10A
includes a gaming display 20A having a plurality of mechanical
spinning reels 22A. Typically, spinning-reel gaming machines 10A
have three to five spinning reels 22A. Each of the spinning reels
22A has multiple symbols 23A that may be separated by blank areas
on the spinning reels 22A, although the presence of blank areas
typically depends on the number of reels 22A present in the gaming
device 10A and the number of different symbols 23A that may appear
on the spinning reels 22A. Each of the symbols 22A or blank areas
makes up a "stop" on the spinning reel 22A where the reel 22A comes
to rest after a spin. Although the spinning reels 22A of various
games 10A may have various numbers of stops, many conventional
spinning-reel gaming devices 10A have reels 22A with twenty two
stops.
[0047] During game play, the spinning reels 22A may be controlled
by stepper motors (not shown) under the direction of the
microprocessor 40 (FIG. 1A). Thus, although the spinning-reel
gaming device 10A has mechanical based spinning reels 22A, the
movement of the reels themselves is electronically controlled to
spin and stop. This electronic control is advantageous because it
allows a virtual reel strip to be stored in the memory 41 of the
gaming device 10A, where various "virtual stops" are mapped to each
physical stop on the physical reel 22A. This mapping allows the
gaming device 10A to establish greater awards and bonuses available
to the player because of the increased number of possible
combinations afforded by the virtual reel strips.
[0048] A gaming session on a spinning reel slot machine 10A
typically includes the player pressing the "bet-one" button (one of
the game buttons 32A) to wager a desired number of credits followed
by pulling the gaming handle 12 (FIGS. 1A, 1B) or pressing the spin
button 33A to spin the reels 22A. Alternatively, the player may
simply press the "max-bet" button (another one of the game buttons
32A) to both wager the maximum number of credits permitted and
initiate the spinning of the reels 22A. The spinning reels 22A may
all stop at the same time or may individually stop one after
another (typically from left to right) to build player
anticipation. Because the display 20A usually cannot be physically
modified, some spinning reel slot machines 10A include an
electronic display screen in the top box 18 (FIG. 1B), a mechanical
bonus mechanism in the top box 18, or a secondary display 25 (FIG.
1A) to execute a bonus.
[0049] Referring to FIG. 2B, a video gaming machine 10B may include
a video display 20B to display virtual spinning reels 22B and
various other gaming information 21B. The video display 20B may be
a CRT, LCD, plasma screen, or the like. It is usually preferable
that the video display 20B be a touchscreen to accept player input.
A number of symbols 23A appear on each of the virtual spinning
reels 22B. Although FIG. 2B shows five virtual spinning reels 22B,
the flexibility of the video display 20B allows for various reel
22B and game configurations. For example, some video slot games 10B
spin reels for each individual symbol position (or stop) that
appears on the video display 20B. That is, each symbol position on
the screen is independent of every other position during the gaming
sessions. In these types of games, very large numbers of pay lines
or multiple super scatter pays can be utilized since similar
symbols could appear at every symbol position on the video display
20B. On the other hand, other video slot games 10B more closely
resemble the mechanical spinning reel games where symbols that are
vertically adjacent to each other are part of the same continuous
virtual spinning reel 22B.
[0050] Because the virtual spinning reels 22B, by virtue of being
computer implemented, can have almost any number of stops on a reel
strip, it is much easier to have a greater variety of displayed
outcomes as compared to spinning-reel slot machines 10A (FIG. 2A)
that have a fixed number of physical stops on each spinning reel
22A.
[0051] With the possible increases in reel 22B numbers and
configurations over the mechanical gaming device 10A, video gaming
devices 10B often have multiple paylines 24 that may be played. By
having more paylines 24 available to play, the player may be more
likely to have a winning combination when the reels 22B stop and
the gaming session ends. However, since the player typically must
wager at least a minimum number of credits to enable each payline
24 to be eligible for winning, the overall odds of winning are not
much different, if at all, than if the player is wagering only on a
single payline. For example, in a five line game, the player may
bet one credit per payline 24 and be eligible for winning symbol
combinations that appear on any of the five played paylines 24.
This gives a total of five credits wagered and five possible
winning paylines 24. If, on the other hand, the player only wagers
one credit on one payline 24, but plays five gaming sessions, the
odds of winning would be identical as above: five credits wagered
and five possible winning paylines 24.
[0052] Because the video display 20B can easily modify the image
output by the video display 20B, bonuses, such as second screen
bonuses are relatively easy to award on the video slot game 10B.
That is, if a bonus is triggered during game play, the video
display 20B may simply store the resulting screen shot in memory
and display a bonus sequence on the video display 20B. After the
bonus sequence is completed, the video display 20B may then
retrieve the previous screen shot and information from memory, and
re-display that image.
[0053] Also, as mentioned above, the video display 20B may allow
various other game information 21B to be displayed. For example, as
shown in FIG. 2B, banner information may be displayed above the
spinning reels 22B to inform the player, perhaps, which symbol
combination is needed to trigger a bonus. Also, instead of
providing a separate credit meter 27 (FIG. 1A) and bet meter 28,
the same information can instead be displayed on the video display
20B. In addition, "soft buttons" 29B such as a "spin" button or
"help/see pays" button may be built using the touch screen video
display 20B. Such customization and ease of changing the image
shown on the display 20B adds to the flexibility of the game
10B.
[0054] Even with the improved flexibility afforded by the video
display 20B, several physical buttons 32B and 33B are usually
provided on video slot machines 10B. These buttons may include game
buttons 32B that allow a player to choose the number of paylines 24
he or she would like to play and the number of credits wagered on
each payline 24. In addition, a max bet button (one of the game
buttons 32B) allows a player to place a maximum credit wager on the
maximum number of available paylines 24 and initiate a gaming
session. A repeat bet or spin button 33B may also be used to
initiate each gaming session when the max bet button is not
used.
[0055] Referring to FIG. 2C, a video poker gaming device 10C may
include a video display 20C that is physically similar to the video
display 20B shown in FIG. 2B. The video display 20C may show a
poker hand of five cards 23C and various other player information
21C including a paytable for various winning hands, as well as a
plurality of player selectable soft buttons 29C. The video display
20C may present a poker hand of five cards 23C and various other
player information 21C including a number of player selectable soft
(touch-screen) buttons 29C and a paytable for various winning
hands. Although the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3C shows only
one hand of poker on the video display 20C, various other video
poker machines 10C may show several poker hands (multi-hand poker).
Typically, video poker machines 10C play "draw" poker in which a
player is dealt a hand of five cards, has the opportunity to hold
any combination of those five cards, and then draws new cards to
replace the discarded ones. All pays are usually given for winning
combinations resulting from the final hand, although some video
poker games 10C may give bonus credits for certain combinations
received on the first hand before the draw. In the example shown in
FIG. 2C a player has been dealt two aces, a three, a six, and a
nine. The video poker game 10C may provide a bonus or payout for
the player having been dealt the pair of aces, even before the
player decides what to discard in the draw. Since pairs, three of a
kind, etc. are typically needed for wins, a player would likely
hold the two aces that have been dealt and draw three cards to
replace the three, six, and nine in the hope of receiving
additional aces or other cards leading to a winning combination
with a higher award amount. After the draw and revealing of the
final hand, the video poker game 10C typically awards any credits
won to the credit meter.
[0056] The player selectable soft buttons 29C appearing on the
screen respectively correspond to each card on the video display
20C. These soft buttons 29C allow players to select specific cards
on the video display 20C such that the card corresponding to the
selected soft button is "held" before the draw. Typically, video
poker machines 10C also include physical game buttons 32C that
correspond to the cards in the hand and may be selected to hold a
corresponding card. A deal/draw button 33C may also be included to
initiate a gaming session after credits have been wagered (with a
bet button 32C, for example) and to draw any cards not held after
the first hand is displayed.
[0057] Although examples of a spinning reel slot machine 10A, a
video slot machine 10B, and a video poker machine 10C have been
illustrated in FIGS. 2A-2C, gaming machines and various other types
of gaming devices known in the art are contemplated and are within
the scope of the invention.
[0058] FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating networked gaming
devices according to embodiments of the invention. Referring to
FIG. 3, multiple electronic gaming devices (EGMs) 70, 71, 72, 73,
74, and 75 may be coupled to one another and coupled to a remote
server 80 through a network 50. For ease of understanding, gaming
devices or EGMs 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, and 75 are generically referred
to as EGMs 70-75. The term EGMs 70-75, however, may refer to any
combination of one or more of EGMs 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, and 75.
Additionally, the gaming server 80 may be coupled to one or more
gaming databases 90. These gaming network 50 connections may allow
multiple gaming devices 70-75 to remain in communication with one
another during particular gaming modes such as tournament play or
remote head-to-head play. Although some of the gaming devices 70-75
coupled on the gaming network 50 may resemble the gaming devices
10, 10A, 10B, and 10C shown in FIGS. 1A-1B and 2A-2C, other coupled
gaming devices 70-75 may include differently configured gaming
devices. For example, the gaming devices 70-75 may include
traditional slot machines 75 directly coupled to the network 50,
banks of gaming devices 70 coupled to the network 50, banks of
gaming devices 70 coupled to the network through a bank controller
60, wireless handheld gaming machines 72 and cell phones 73 coupled
to the gaming network 50 through one or more wireless routers or
antennas 61, personal computers 74 coupled to the network 50
through the Internet 62, and banks of gaming devices 71 coupled to
the network through one or more optical connection lines 64.
Additionally, some of the traditional gaming devices 70, 71, and 75
may include electronic gaming tables, multi-station gaming devices,
or electronic components operating in conjunction with non-gaming
components, such as automatic card readers, chip readers, and chip
counters, for example.
[0059] Gaming devices 71 coupled over an optical line 64 may be
remote gaming devices in a different location or casino. The
optical line 64 may be coupled to the gaming network 50 through an
electronic to optical signal converter 63 and may be coupled to the
gaming devices 71 through an optical to electronic signal converter
65. The banks of gaming devices 70 coupled to the network 50 may be
coupled through a bank controller 60 for compatibility purposes,
for local organization and control, or for signal buffering
purposes. The network 50 may include serial or parallel signal
transmission lines and carry data in accordance with data transfer
protocols such as Ethernet transmission lines, Rs-232 lines,
firewire lines, USB lines, or other communication protocols.
Although not shown in FIG. 3, substantially the entire network 50
may be made of fiber optic lines or may be a wireless network
utilizing a wireless protocol such as IEEE 802.11 a, b, g, or n,
Zigbee, RF protocols, optical transmission, near-field
transmission, or the like.
[0060] As mentioned above, each gaming device 70-75 may have an
individual processor 40 (FIG. 1A) and memory 41 to run and control
game play on the gaming device 70-75, or some of the gaming devices
70-75 may be terminals that are run by a remote server 80 in a
server based gaming environment. Server based gaming environments
may be advantageous to casinos by allowing fast downloading of
particular game types or themes based on casino preference or
player selection. Additionally, tournament based games, linked
games, and certain game types, such as BINGO or keno may benefit
from at least some server 80 based control.
[0061] Thus, in some embodiments, the network 50, server 80, and
database 90 may be dedicated to communications regarding specific
game or tournament play. In other embodiments, however, the network
50, server 80, and database 90 may be part of a player tracking
network. For player tracking capabilities, when a player inserts a
player tracking card in the card reader 46 (FIG. 1A), the player
tracking unit 45 sends player identification information obtained
on the card reader 46 through the MCI 42 over the network 50 to the
player tracking server 80, where the player identification
information is compared to player information records in the player
database 90 to provide the player with information regarding their
player account or other features at the gaming device 10 where the
player is wagering. Additionally, multiple databases 90 and/or
servers 80 may be present and coupled to one or more networks 50 to
provide a variety of gaming services, such as both game/tournament
data and player tracking data.
[0062] The various systems described with reference to FIGS. 1-3
can be used in a number of ways. For instance, the systems can be
used to track data about various players. The tracked data can be
used by the casino to provide additional benefits to players, such
as extra bonuses or extra benefits such as bonus games and other
benefits as described above. These added benefits further entice
the players to play at the casino that provides the benefits.
[0063] Turning now to FIG. 4, indicated generally at 92 is a system
constructed according to the present invention. In the present
implementation, the system is distributed among several locations,
primarily a casino--indicated generally at 94--and an offsite
location--indicated generally at 96. Among other things, system 92
collects data, processes it, and creates communications at the
offsite location that are directed to casino agents located at
casino 94, typically employees such as slot attendants and
technicians, security personnel, beverage servers, and the managers
and supervisors of the foregoing. Because the present
implementation of system 92 is deployed on several networks, it
will be appreciated that the entire system could be located in one
place or distributed along and among various networks. The solid
lines connecting components in FIG. 4 indicate hard-wired
connections, but these connections may readily be made via wireless
connections.
[0064] As an alternative, the present invention may be readily
implemented with all of the components in system 92 being located
at casino 94, as shown in FIG. 4, or distributed via one or more
networks. In the present implementation, offsite location 96 is
built, operated, and maintained by a third party vendor to casino
94. The functionality described below may be provided to a number
of different casinos, like casino 94, all responsive to software
operating at location 96 via multiple, reliable Internet
connections to each of the various casinos. Such casinos could have
the same or different ownership.
[0065] Considering first offsite location 96, a Database Server 98
collects data from the casino and stores it in a manner that will
be later described in connection with the operation of system 92.
An Application Server 100 provides support for software
applications, to be shortly described, that are installed on
various computing devices included in system 92. The application
server provides the software applications with services such as
security, data services, transaction support, and load
balancing.
[0066] In the present implementation, many communications between
offsite location 96 and casino 94 are conducted through the
Internet 62 via a reliable, high-speed connection. In the casino, a
wireless router 61 provides a wireless network for various
computing devices as will be shortly described. In the present
implementation, the wireless network is implemented using the IEEE
802.11 standard.
[0067] Included on the wireless network implemented via router 61
are mobile computing devices, in the present implementation tablet
computers 102, 104, made by Apple Inc. and sold under the iPad.TM.
brand. There may be many other such iPad computers that are omitted
here to simplify the drawing. The iPad computers may be used, as
will be described, to monitor the status of service calls on the
casino floor, either within an area or department or casino wide.
These are typically carried by a casino agent who has
responsibility for supervising others in the process of making such
service calls, but the iPad computer also receives notifications
for service calls that may require a supervisor, i.e., the carrier
of the iPad computer. The types of notifications and responses that
may be received and made, respectively, on the iPad computer is
described in more detail in connection with the operation of system
92.
[0068] In addition to iPad computers 102, 104, a plurality of
mobile wireless computing devices 106, 108, 110, 112 are also
connected to the network implemented via wireless router 61. In the
present implementation computing devices 106, 108, 110, 112, are
also made by Apple Inc. and sold under the iPod touch.TM. brand.
There may be many other such iPod touch devices that are omitted
here to simplify the drawing. The iPod touch devices are typically
carried by a casino employee, such as a floor attendant or slot
technician, to communicate regarding service calls on the casino
floor, either within an area or department or both. The types of
notifications and responses that may be received and made,
respectively, on the iPod touch devices is also described in more
detail in connection with the operation of system 92.
[0069] A Server 114, also located at casino 94 in the present
implementation, is connected to the Internet 62 and to network 50,
which is shown in FIG. 3 and described above. In many casinos, a
management system, such as IGT Advantage.TM. made and sold by IGT,
resides on network 50. It collects data from each gaming machine on
network 50 and stores the collected data, e.g., in database 90
(FIG. 3). Such data includes, among other things, an event list
that detects many different types of activity at each of the slot
machines on the network. The detected activity for our purposes
relates to significant jackpots; the press of a service button by a
player; and any malfunction, such as a bill jam, empty ticket
paper, etc. This data containing this information is transmitted
from server 114 via Internet 62 to offsite location 96. In the
present implementation, server 114 accesses information on database
90 via network 50. Server 114 collects, among other things, call
codes, which are listed under the Call Code heading in the first
column of Table 1 below. Each call code corresponds to a general
category of service requirement, shown under the Call Type column,
and a particular service issue within that category, shown under
the Call Name column. Three categories of responders appear in the
remaining columns of Table 1. These are the job positions that may
respond to this type of call under certain conditions, which are
discussed further below. The information in this table is stored on
database server 98 in FIG. 4. The data can either be stored there
by using a computer connected to the database or to network 50 and
storing there or it can be entered via a suitable computing device
such as a desktop or laptop computer. In the present embodiment it
may also be stored or altered via one or more of iPad computers,
like iPad computers 102, 104, by a user having sufficient
permissions to enter and alter this information.
[0070] In an alternative embodiment, dedicated devices are
installed within each gaming machine to communicate with the
machine's data ports, or the lamp illumination signal, and transfer
that information, through wired or wireless networks, to a central
event list maintained on the network, such as database server
98.
[0071] In still another embodiment, casino agents manually enter
information about incident occurrence that is stored on the
network, e.g., on database server 98. This information may be
gathered from the machine signal light, from manual inspection of
the machine, or both.
[0072] Regardless of the embodiment, all detectable events on
network 50 may be collected and used to generate a call as
described herein. For example, some player tracking systems permit
player help requests to which responses could be made according to
the present system. Many gaming machines include Help, Change, and
Drink Request buttons, which may also generate a detected
event.
TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 CALL PRIMARY SUBSTITUTE ESCALATION CODE CALL
TYPE CALL NAME RESPONDER RESPONDER RESPONDERS 13280700 General
Tilts Bill Acceptor Slot Technician Slot Tech Slot Technician Full
Supervisor Slot Supervisor Slot Manager Slot Technician Supervisor
Security Security Manager Security Supervisor Supervisor Slot
Manager Security Manager 13280900 General Tilts Bill Acceptor Slot
Technician Slot Tech Slot Technician Hardware Supervisor Failure
Slot Technician Supervisor Slot Manager 13285100 General Tilts
Progressive Slot Technician Slot Tech Slot Technician Link Failure
Supervisor Slot Technician Supervisor Slot Manager 13328001
Jackpots Jackpot See JP Levels See JP Levels Slot Technician
Pending W2G Security Officer Players Club Beverage Server Slot
Supervisor 20001303 Hand/Short FJP Hand Pay Floor Attendant Slot
Supervisor Slot Technician Pays Ticket 20001305 Hand/Short FJP
Short Pay Floor Attendant Slot Supervisor Slot Supervisor Pays
Ticket Slot Manager Security Officer Player Services Beverage Serve
13328100 Hand/Short Cancel Credits Floor Attendant Slot Supervisor
Slot Technician Pays Slot Supervisor Slot Manager Security Officer
Player Service Beverage Server 10819703 Hand/Short Unknown Hand
Floor Attendant Slot Supervisor Slot Technician Pays Pay Slot
Supervisor Slot Manager Security Officer Player Services Beverage
Server 13282700 General Tilts Low Battery Slot Technician Slot Tech
Slot Technician Supervisor Floor Attendant Slot Technician
Supervisor Slot Supervisor 13288100 Manual Change Light Floor
Attendant Slot Technician Slot Technician Slot Supervisor Security
Officer Player Services Beverage Server 13283800 General Tilts Reel
Slot Technician Slot Tech Slot Technician Disconnected Supervisor
Floor Attendant Slot Technician Supervisor Slot Supervisor 20000202
General Tilts BE2 Offline Slot Technician Slot Tech Slot Technician
Supervisor Floor Attendant Slot Technician Supervisor Slot
Supervisor Slot Manager 13288400 Printer/Paper Printer Paper Floor
Attendant Slot Technician Slot Technician Low 13286500
Printer/Paper Printer Paper Floor Attendant Slot Technician
Beverage Server Out 13288800 Printer/Paper Printer Carriage Floor
Attendant Slot Technician Slot Technician Jam Supervisor 13288500
Printer/Paper Printer Off Floor Attendant Slot Technician Slot
Manager Slot Supervisor 13280000 General Tilts General Tilt Floor
Attendant Slot Technician Slot Technician Beverage Server Slot
Technician Supervisor Slot Manager Slot Supervisor 13283200 General
Tilts Reel Tilt Floor Attendant Slot Technician Slot Technician
13283300 General Tilts Reel Tilt 1 Floor Attendant Slot Technician
Beverage Server 13283400 General Tilts Reel Tilt 2 Floor Attendant
Slot Technician Slot Technician Supervisor 13283500 General Tilts
Reel Tilt 3 Floor Attendant Slot Technician Slot Manager 13283600
General Tilts Reel Tilt 4 Floor Attendant Slot Technician Slot
Supervisor 13283700 General Tilts Reel Tilt 5 Floor Attendant Slot
Technician 13280800 General Tilts Bill Acceptor Floor Attendant
Slot Technician Slot Technician Jam Beverage Server Slot Technician
Supervisor Slot Manager Slot Supervisor
[0073] Turning now to FIG. 5, indicated generally at 116 is a
highly schematic diagram depicting electronic gaming machines that
are included on network 50 in FIG. 3. Also included are rectangles
shown in dashed lines indicating different floor areas where
subsets of the gaming machines are located. In the upper left hand
corner of each rectangle is a unique identifier for that particular
floor area and the subset of machines contained therein. Although
each area is depicted as having the same number of machines, the
areas could be designated to have any number, and the numbers from
one area to another could also be different. FIG. 5, however, is
sufficient to illustrate the general concept.
[0074] Another table, not shown herein, is stored on database
server 98 along with Table 1. The additional table includes a list
of each of the floor areas, A1, A2, A3, A4, B1, . . . etc.
Associated with each floor area is a unique machine number that
identifies each machine within each area. As will be seen, this
enables system 92 to dispatch assistance to the location and
machine that requires service.
[0075] Table 2, shown below shows adjoining areas that are
associated with each of sections, like section A, which includes
A1, A2, A3, and A4. Each of the other sections is listed with its
respective associated adjoining areas. As will be seen, when a
service provider is not available or one is but requires assistance
in his or her section, service providers may be drawn from
adjoining areas. This table defines the areas from which sections
may draw support if needed. As with other data stored on the
network implemented via router 61, it may be entered via an iPad
computer by a user who has sufficient permissions to do so.
TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 Section Assignment Section Association A B1,
B3, E1, D1, D2 B A2, A4, D2, E1, E2, F1, C1, C3 C B2, B4, E2, F1,
F2 D A3, A4, B3, E1, E3 E D4, D2, A4, B3, B4, C3, F1, F3 F E4, E2,
B4, C3, C4
[0076] The following Table 3 is a list of job positions and
associated departments. Persons holding these jobs are qualified
and eligible to respond to defined service requests, as will be
further described. This table is also entered in database 98 and
may be entered and altered in the same fashion as described
above.
TABLE-US-00003 TABLE 3 Position Department Floor Attendant Slots
Slot Manager Slots Slot Supervisor Slots Slot Technician Slots Slot
Technician Supervisor Slots Security Officer Security Security
Manager Security Security Supervisor Security Beverage Server
Beverage Beverage Manager Beverage Beverage Supervisor Beverage
Host Marketing Executive Host Marketing Club Manager Marketing Club
Supervisor Marketing
[0077] The casino may set goal times within which it is desirable
to resolve different kinds of service needs. Table 4 depicts some
exemplary goal times, which may be varied by casino personnel, via
one of the iPad computers, with sufficient permissions to do so.
Also included is a commute goal time, which is the time necessary
for a service provider to travel to the gaming machine in need of
service after accepting a call. This too may be set or changed by
the casino.
TABLE-US-00004 TABLE 4 Call Type Timer Goal Time Commute Commute 2
minutes Completion Completion 10 minutes Jackpots Completion 12
minutes Manual Completion 5 minutes General Tilts Completion 10
minutes Printer/Paper Completion 10 minutes Hand/Short Pay
Completion 12 minutes
[0078] Some types of responses require further categorization of
employees who may respond, even for the same type of event. For
example, some jackpots are so large that the machine does not pay
them out. Different casinos may have different policies regarding
what jackpot amounts must be hand paid, how many people need to be
present, and the job position(s) of the person or persons who are
required to be present, depending on the jackpot size. The
following Table 5 provides an example of one casino's requirements.
The information in this table is also stored on database 98. As is
known in the art when a call code for a jackpot appears on the
event list, the amount of the jackpot and the machine number are
both associated therewith. This call code is the fourth row in
Table 1.
TABLE-US-00005 TABLE 5 Jackpot Primary Substitute Levels Amounts
Responders Responder 1 $.01-$2,499.99 Floor Attendant Slot
Supervisor Floor Attendant Slot Supervisor 2 $2,500.00-$9,999.99
Floor Attendant Slot Supervisor Slot Supervisor Slot Manager 3
$10,000.00-$24,999.99 Floor Attendant Slot Supervisor Slot
Supervisor Slot Manager Security Security Manager Supervisor 4
$25,000 and Up Floor Attendant Slot Supervisor Slot Supervisor Slot
Manager Security Security Manager Supervisor
[0079] Additional consideration will now be given to the manner in
which system 92 operates. When an employee arrives for a shift, he
or she logs in. As mentioned above, supervisors and managers
typically use an iPad computer, which provides additional
functionality over the iPod touch, device which the front line
employees, such as floor attendant, slot technician, or beverage
server typically use. Any employee, however, could use either
device.
[0080] When a user arrives for work and logs in, he or she is first
brought to an assignment screen where they indicate whether they
are reporting to work under the primary or secondary positions.
Each employee has a record that may entered via a supervisor iPad
computer as described above. Employees are often trained and
capable of performing more than one role.
[0081] For example, a Floor Attendant might also be qualified to
serve as a Slot Supervisor. In any event, employees whose record
indicates both a primary and secondary position are required to
indicate in which of those capacities they are reporting at the
start of a shift. An employee with only one role is automatically
assigned to that role.
[0082] Next, the employee indicates in which section, e.g., A, B,
C. etc. of the casino floor they are assigned to work. Their screen
then shows their position, the section, and the supervisor to whom
they will be reporting for the shift. Turning now to FIG. 6,
indicated generally at 118 is a screen of an iPod touch mobile
computing device. The iPod touch device is wirelessly connected to
router 61 and forms a part of that network. The date, time, and
employee's name appear in the top bar. At the bottom of screen 118,
a slider switch appears for the employee to indicate whether he or
she is on break. The switch is turned on at the beginning of a
break, which initiates a break timer, and turned off at the end,
which stops the timer. Table 6 below is a list of permissible break
times by job position. A break touch-screen slider button 120
enables the system--and the employee's supervisor--to see when he
or she is on break. The Table 6 break times permit the supervisor
to receive a notification if the time is exceeded.
TABLE-US-00006 Breaks Break Time in Department Position Minutes
Slots Floor Attendant 15 Slots Slot Manager 15 Slots Slot
Supervisor 15 Slots Slot Technician 15 Slots Slot Technician
Supervisor 15 Security Security Officer 30 Security Security
Manager 30 Security Security Supervisor 30 Beverage Beverage Server
20 Beverage Beverage Manager 20 Beverage Beverage Supervisor 20
Marketing Host 25 Marketing Executive Host 25
[0083] Because the number of workers logged in is known to the
system, the system can review historical data and make
determinations about the number of employees and their
qualifications that should be logged in and on duty for a
particular shift. For example, the numbers and qualifications can
vary significantly from a Sunday morning, to Monday evening, to
Saturday night, etc. As a result, the system can automatically
create and publish via the Internet or otherwise, work schedules,
showing total employees, by area, by job type, by supervisor, etc.
And it can notify each individual about the times for which they
have been scheduled to work. Of course, each employee will be
associated with historical data showing hours and times worked as
well as shifts or times that the employee is not eligible to work.
As a result, the system will not overschedule or schedule during
times when the employee has not agreed to work.
[0084] There are 5 call status screens that may be presented to a
user who is logged in on one of the iPod touch device. First, is a
No Call screen (not shown). This screen indicates that there are no
calls waiting, and presents a "Give me a Task" button to the user.
Tasks are different types of service, such as routine maintenance,
that can be performed at any time. The manner of accepting,
performing and completing a Task is described in more detail
below.
[0085] When a call is received by a person who is logged in to his
or her iPod touch device, the Pending Call screen is presented as
shown in FIG. 6. Before discussing the various ways in which the
employee can respond to a pending call, consideration will first be
given to how the pending call comes to be presented on the iPod
touch screen as shown in FIG. 6.
[0086] First, it will be recalled that a table showing the area (as
shown in FIG. 5) in which each uniquely numbered machine resides is
stored on the network. When a call of the type shown in Table 1 is
generated by the event list for an identified gaming machine, the
stored table is used to identify the FIG. 5 designated area where
the problem arises, e.g., bill acceptor full on machine 782 in area
A3. System 92 next consults the information regarding the
individuals who are logged in, their job assignment, and the FIG. 5
area section in which they are working.
[0087] If a person qualified to take the task is logged in,
assigned to the section in question, and not on break, that call is
automatically directed via the wireless network to his or her iPod
touch device thus generating the Pending Call screen in FIG. 6. If
there is no such person, system 92 begins searching for qualified
people who are logged in, not on break, and in an area associated
with the section in which the call arose, as shown in Table 2. If
no such person exists there, the system automatically returns its
search again to the section in which the call arose and looks for a
substitute responder, as shown in Table 1. In the present example,
there are several primary responders for a full bill acceptor. If
none are available in section A, persons with those job titles are
searched for in the areas associated with section A in Table 2. If
those aren't available, the search returns to section A for a
substitute responder, as shown in Table 1. Finally, if none of
those are available, the search again returns to the areas
associated with section A, as shown in Table 2, and available
substitute responders are looked for there. System 92 thus
initiates a potentially four-part process: primary responder in
section, primary responder in associated section, substitute
responder in section, and substitute responder in associated
section. As this process proceeds, whoever is first encountered who
is available to take the call will be presented with an audible
notification and the Pending Call screen shown in FIG. 6. In this
manner, the most person most qualified and closest to the machine
requiring service will be notified via the Pending Call screen.
[0088] Once that person receives the audible notification and is
presented with the FIG. 6 screen, he or she can accept or defer the
call by sliding a touch-screen switch 122 on bar 124.
Alternatively, this notification might comprise a vibration of the
communication device, a visual indication, or any other type of
indication sufficient to alert the person that a call is pending.
When moved to the uppermost position, the user can depress a
touch-screen accept button 125, thus indicating to the system that
he or she has accepted the call and is on the way to the machine
number displayed in field 126. Depressing button 125 initiates two
timers, a commute timer, which tracks the time from acceptance
until arrival the machine indicated on the iPod touch device, and a
completion timer, which tracks the total time it takes to commute
to the machine and complete the required service.
[0089] Also appearing on the screen is a description of the service
that will be provided, in this case hand pay of a jackpot in the
amount of $2000, shown in field 128. In this case, because multiple
employees have been notified about this service requirement, the
names of the other employees who have accepted the call appear in
field 130.
[0090] Although not visible in the drawings, a bar 132 on which
break touch-screen slider button 120 is located, can appear as one
of three colors: green, yellow, or red, which provides an
indication of the call level. The colors are based on a calculation
made by system 92. Every 15 minutes the system looks for the number
of dispatched users, i.e., those who have accepted a call. It will
then compare the total number of users logged in, for each
department shown in FIG. 3, with those who are currently on calls
in progress. If, e.g., only 40% are on calls, bar 132 will appear
as green, if 41-65% are on calls, the bar is yellow and if over
65%, red. In addition, the audible tone that notifies a user of a
call changes from a peaceful slow tone when green, to a more
forceful patterned tone when yellow, and to an urgent,
high-intensity tone when red.
[0091] Doing so informs the employee of the speed at which
commuting and service work should be conducted and the level of
attention the employee can give to a player who may be at the
machine where service is requested. If the floor is relatively
slow, it is desirable for the employee to talk with the player and
interact as much as the player might want. If more busy, such
interaction needs to be more limited and if in the red zone, such
interaction might need to be minimal to keep up with the service
calls.
[0092] When button 122 is moved up and Accept button 125 is
depressed, the next screen appears as shown in FIG. 7, namely the
Call screen. This is an indication that the employee has accepted
the call and is traveling to the machine needing service. For this
screen, the buttons at the top and bottom of slider switch 122
change from Accept and Defer to Arrive button 134 and Quit button
136, respectively. When the employee arrives at the machine
identified on the screen, he or she can move slider 122 to its
upper position and press Arrive button 134. This notifies the
system that the employee is at the machine and ready to begin the
requested service. It also stops the commute timer and stores that
time with the employee's record on the network.
[0093] Alternatively, at any time prior to pressing Arrive button
134, the employee can move switch 122 down and press Quit button
136. This removes the employee from the job, and the system
initiates the process for locating and dispatching another employee
as described above.
[0094] But if the employee presses Arrive button 134, the screen
shown in FIG. 8 is presented with new buttons at the top and bottom
of slider switch 122 appearing. These are Complete button 138,
which replaces Arrive button 134, and Escalate button 140, which
replaces Quit button 136. Once at the machine, if the employee
successfully completes the job, he or she slides switch 122 to the
top and presses Complete button 138. This stops the completion
timer with that time being stored with the employee's record.
[0095] But if Escalate button 140 is depressed, the screen in FIG.
9 appears. This permits the employee to notify, via system 92, that
the problem cannot be resolved without further assistance from
someone who has a different job description or higher authority
than the employee who escalated the call. In the FIG. 9 screen, the
employee can check the box by one or more of the identified job
types. Alternatively, an employee to whom the call is escalated may
be selected automatically based on qualifications, experience,
rating (by players or the casino), etc. Once so selected, the
system notifies the employee to whom the call is escalated in a
manner similar to notification for a pending call. In the present
embodiment, calls are escalated to those with the job types shown
in Table 1 under Escalation Responders. In other words, each type
of call in Table 1 has predefined job categories who respond to
requests to escalate a call. FIG. 9 lists each of the job
categories listed under Escalation Responders in Table 1. An
escalate slider button 141 is swept to the right to effect the
call.
[0096] Once the employee selects one or more of the service
providers in FIG. 9 and swipes button 141, a final screen appears
(not shown). The Escalate button 140 appears again, though this
time at the top of bar 124, as well as a Reassignment button 142 at
the bottom of bar 124. Thus, the employee can escalate yet again by
summoning further service providers (as a result of sliding button
122 upwardly), or can reassign (by sliding button 122 down), i.e.,
bow out of further service on this call, leaving it to those who
appeared with him, or those who responded to the escalation call or
calls.
[0097] FIGS. 10-12 detail screens that are available for an
employee carrying the iPod touch device to summon help when he or
she comes upon a situation that requires skills or a job
qualification that the employee does not have. In FIG. 10 slider
switch 122 on bar 124 may be moved to one of two positions--up to
911 or down to 311.After so moving, as with the other switch
options, the button to which switch 122 is moved must be depressed
to call up the next screen. When the switch is moved to its
uppermost position and the 911 button is pressed, the screen in
FIG. 11 appears. When the switch is moved to its lowermost position
and the 311 button is pressed, the screen in FIG. 12 appears.
[0098] Considering first the 911 screen in FIG. 11, the employee is
presented with a plurality of possible life-threatening
emergencies. In FIG. 11, the employee has touched a box 146, which
appears by the term Medical. The box is selected and so indicates
by displaying a check mark therein. Next, the employee uses the
iPod touch text feature to write a location in a text box 148. This
is implemented using a touchscreen keypad that operates in a
fashion similar to those found on smartphones. After so entering
the location in text box 148, the employee hits a send button 150,
which transmits the nature of the 911 emergency and the location
via wireless network implemented by router 61 to offsite location
96. There it is processed and sent, also via the wireless network,
to the person best able to respond depending on the nature of the
emergency and its location.
[0099] If in FIG. 10, slider switch 122 is moved down to the 311
button, and that button is then depressed, the screen in FIG. 12
appears. This screen also permits the user to select the nature of
emergency by touching one of three buttons 152, 154, 156. Unlike
the 911 panel in FIG. 11, the user may also select responders, such
as those listed in touch panels beneath buttons 152, 154, 156.
Here, the user has selected button 152 and checked the box adjacent
the Slot Supervisor to indicate the appropriate responder. As with
FIG. 11, the user can specify the location of the concern in text
box 148 and then press send button 150. As a result, the system
notifies the best position and most qualified person to
respond.
[0100] Of course, there are times in a casino that are slow or
where there may be more employees than required to handle calls as
described above. During these times, an employee who does not have
any pending calls, as in FIG. 6, can request to be assigned to a
task. A task is a job that can be done in a relatively large
window, such as preventative maintenance of a game or replacement
of a monitor. As previously mentioned, the "No Call" screen (not
shown) appears when the employee is not being called to one of
service jobs set forth in Table 1. As also discussed, the "No Call"
screen includes a "Give me a Task" button, which, when pressed,
displays a screen like that shown in FIG. 13. The employee may
check one of the boxes shown opposite the listed tasks such as
tasks 158, 160, etc. Here the employee has checked the box by
"Upgrade Validator 02-05-06," the 6-digit number being a machine
number that identifies the gaming machine where the work is to be
done. Once selected, a screen similar to FIG. 7 appears which
permits the employee to indicate his or her arrival at the machine
or to quit the job, as described above in connection with
responding to calls. Thereafter, a screen similar to FIG. 8
appears, allowing the employee to indicate the task is complete or
to escalate it, also as described in connection with calls
above.
[0101] Tasks can be scheduled automatically by examining the
frequency with which calls are generated on specific machines or
for specific issues on a machine. Because the system stores and
analyzes data from all calls and other communications, it can be
reviewed to spot a particular issue. For example, if bills jam
frequently on the same machine, that bill acceptor can
automatically be scheduled for preventative maintenance to
determine if it needs servicing beyond clearing the jam.
[0102] Turning now to FIG. 14, indicated generally at 162 is an
image of an iPad screen on one of iPad computers 102, 194 in FIG.
4. Like the iPod touch screens, the iPad screen is a touch screen
that permits a user to actuate buttons and make selections by
touching the screen. Like the iPod touch devices, a user may log in
to an iPad computer using his or her user identification and
password. When logged in, the Casino Dashboard screen in FIG. 14 is
first presented. As mentioned above, the iPad computers are
typically used by an employee to whom other employees on the floor
report to. As will be seen, the functionality provided by the iPad
computer permits the user to monitor status of employees, calls,
and tasks, and to change assignments when necessary or
desirable.
[0103] A navigation bar 164 appears along the lower portion of
screen 162. The icons in the bar permit the user to select
different screens as labeled beneath each icon. A rectangle 165
indicates that the Dashboard screen is currently selected.
[0104] As with the iPod touches, a bar 166 changes between green,
yellow, and red to indicate how busy the floor is by department. In
other words, bar 166 reflects how busy the user's area of
responsibility is. If logged in as a floor attendant, the bar will
reflect the volume in the slot department; if logged in as a
beverage, server, it will reflect the volume there.
[0105] A plurality of gages, like gages 168, 170, 172 are each
color coded green, yellow, and red. For example, gage 168 has a
green arc 174, a yellow arc 176, and a red arc 178. Gage 168
indicates the average commute time to a call, and gage 172
indicates the average completion time for a call. The gages in
between gages 168, 172 indicate the average time to complete each
of the 5 categories of calls in Table 1. The casino can set goal
completion times within the system, e.g., jackpots in 15 minutes.
If the average is, e.g., 11 minutes, the needle is in the green
zone; if 12-15 minutes, in the yellow zone; and above 15 minutes in
the red zone. At a glance, the supervisor can tell how well the
staff is responding to calls by type relative to the casino
goals.
[0106] An alerts section 180 displays notices including supervised
staff who have exceeded break times, calls dispatched where no one
has accepted the call after a predefined time, and changes in a
staff status screen 182.
[0107] Staff status screen 182 can show only the supervisor's
staff, in response to touching the "My Staff" tab on screen 182 or
all staff logged in at the casino, in response to touching the
"Active Users" tab on screen 182. The supervisor can touch a name
on the "My Staff" page, which causes a dialog box to appear that
permits the user to edit the employee profile, send a text message
to the employee, or force a logout (which would be desired if the
employee lost his or her iPod touch device). When an employee name
is selected under the "Active Users" tab, the user of screen 162
may send text messages to that employee.
[0108] FIG. 15 indicates the "User Profile" selection in navigation
bar 164. Using this screen, the supervisor can add a new user to
his or her department, including the information indicated on the
screen. The person so added is then available to appear on the "My
Staff" list when logged in.
[0109] FIG. 16 is an example of the data that is associated with
each user supervised. When a name is selected from the list on the
left, the average times appear on the right along with the number
of calls deferred, quit, and completed.
[0110] In FIG. 17, the Sections button is selected in navigation
bar 164. This is the page on which section associations are entered
as described in connection with Table 2. FIG. 17 depicts a
different floor from that described in Table 2 above. This permits
a supervisor with the required permissions to associate different
sections of the casino with one another to permit staff to be drawn
from adjacent sections to answer a call. In FIG. 17, staff can be
drawn from the sections listed in the "Drawing from" list to
respond to calls in section B08 when there is no responder in B08
as described above. Sections can be dragged between the "Drawing
from" and "Not drawing from" list to reconfigure the associated
sections from which staff may be drawn. The sections to which
responders in B08 may be called are listed under "Sections drawing
from B08."
[0111] In FIG. 18, the Status box is selected in navigation bar
164. It breaks down all users by section and permits the iPad user
to perform a variety of functions. For example, employees may ask
to be on an Early Out List 183, shown on the screen in FIG. 18. If
the floor is adequately staffed the status screen can be used to
select an individual's name on the list and drag it to the logout
box below. This sends a notice via the wireless network to his or
her iPod touch indicating that the employee may log out and leave.
If, on the other hand, one section is quite busy, the user can
touch an employee's name and drag it to another section. A push
notification is sent to the employee notifying him or her of the
reassignment. When an employee is on break, his or her name is
grayed out indicating they are unavailable. The supervisor may also
call the employee while on break to return to work when, e.g., the
floor becomes busy. When an employee logs out, his or her name
disappears from the Status screen. A user of the Status screen can
also send notices to each employee instructing him or her to go on
break.
[0112] In FIG. 19, the Service Calls icon is selected in navigation
bar 164. In the left hand column, the "My Calls" panel can be
selected (but is not in FIG. 19) to provide the iPad user with his
or her current calls. This has the same functionality as described
in connection with the iPad touch devices above. Supervisors may
need to respond to calls, such as for large jackpots or when a call
that is normally handled by someone with a lower qualification is
escalated. The supervisor monitors calls and accepts, arrives,
defers, completes, and escalates in a manner similar to that
described above.
[0113] Next down in the left hand column is "Tasks." The supervisor
may accept tasks that are appropriate for his or her level and deal
with them in the same manner as described above for tasks on the
iPod touch device. The Give Me a Task panel is not selected in FIG.
19.
[0114] The next section in the left hand column displays "All
Calls." In this section, a user can view all calls within the
system in one of these categories: Unserviced Calls, All Calls, and
Calls by Type. In FIG. 19, Calls by Type is selected. This lists
all open calls by one of the five categories of call types in Table
1. In FIG. 19, there are 4 calls in the General Tilt category, one
in the Hand/Short Pays category, and one in the Printer/Paper
category. Each call is displayed with an indicator, like indicators
184, 186, which is colored green, yellow, or red according to the
color scheme described above to indicate how long the call has been
pending.
[0115] In FIG. 20, the last call in the second column, Printer Off,
is selected. This provides detail in the third column about the
call including who is responding and what the current status of the
call is, e.g., accepted, arrived, escalated, etc.
[0116] In FIG. 21, the Unserviced Calls panel is selected in the
first column. This displays a list of all pending calls that have
not been accepted in the second column. As with each of the
categories under the All Calls heading, selecting one of the calls
in the second column displays call details and status in the third
column, as shown in FIG. 21 where the Low Battery call is selected
in the second column.
[0117] In FIG. 22, the Text Message icon is selected in navigation
bar 164. This screen works much like the text messaging on most
smartphones. Any user logged in, whether on an iPad computer or an
iPod touch device can send messages to and receive messages from
one another. The arrival of new messages triggers an audible tone.
A number indicator (not appearing) on the Text Message icon
displays the number of unread messages. To send a text, the name of
any of the logged in users, which appear in the first column, is
touched. This creates a text balloon as shown with the recipient's
name on the to field at the top. The user then touches the balloon,
a keyboard appears on the touch screen, and the message is typed
and sent by depressing a send button, which also appears on the
keyboard. Such texting utilizes essentially the same features and
has similar functionality to SMS or MMS messaging in mobile
phones.
[0118] Turning now to FIG. 23, indicated generally at 188 is
another embodiment of the system of the present invention.
Structure that generally corresponds to that previously identified
in system 92 in FIG. 4 retains the same numeral. As will be seen,
system 188 includes additional functionality that for the most part
may be implemented via software accessible by the system.
[0119] In addition to the structure described in FIG. 4, system 188
includes a plurality of gaming devices 190, 192, 194 connected to
the Internet 62. Such devices may also include, e.g., a video
gaming device like the Xbox.TM. device made by Microsoft. They may
be connected from homes, commercial establishments, or any place
that the computing devices could operate. These gaming devices can
comprise many different kinds of computing devices. For example,
gaming device 190 is a personal computer, gaming device 192 is a
tablet computer, and gaming device 194 is a smartphone. Smartphone
194 could be connected to Internet 62 via a wireless or cellular
connection.
[0120] Games may be implemented on any of these devices via a
dedicated application. Alternatively, game software may be provided
on server 100, which executes and runs the software thereon. In
such cases, the software generates a game interface on the
computing devices with which a player interacts, typically via a
web browser. Wagering may be effected via deposit accounts opened
using the computing device and interacting with application server
100.
[0121] Obviously many of the events in Table 1 would not require or
trigger a response from a casino agent for computing devices 190,
129, 194. But some kinds of gaming activity on these gaming devices
could trigger a response from the operator of system 188. For
example, deviations in wagering patterns on the gaming device might
trigger a text message, automated or otherwise, from system 188
that could appear in a dialog box on the computing device or be
provided to the player's cell phone if that number is known.
[0122] The duration of play or deviations from duration of play
could trigger such a communication. Awards won or a sequence of
losses could be used to initiate a message. Essentially any event
or series of events on computing devices 190, 129, 194 that can be
tracked by system 188 could be used to trigger messages from the
operator of system 188.
[0123] As another alternative embodiment, system 188 could be
implemented without that portion in casino 94, i.e., it could be
operating only computing devices connected via Internet 62 from
wherever they might be.
[0124] Another aspect that can be incorporated into either system
92 or system 188 relates to assimilating personal data for the
players. As mentioned above, network 50 may include a player
tracking system. Such systems often maintain a modest set of
demographic information about each player. This information may be
used directly to personalize a message (for example, to identify
the player's name for use in conversation during the event
resolution). Player tracking information may also contain a photo
of the player, which is useful for identification. When an
identified player is playing at a machine that triggers a call as a
result of an event, such as one of those in Table 1 or a beverage
order, any such demographic data may be routed via the system to
the responder's iPod computer or iTouch device, thus enabling the
responder to quickly identify the patron who may be affected by the
event that produced the call and to address him or her by name.
[0125] In addition, the player can be directly notified that help
is on the way when he or she has summoned assistance or when a call
is generated as a result of an issue with the player's gaming
device. This message could be sent immediately after a problem is
detected using information in the player's player-tracking record
(or another source), such as a mobile phone number, for text or
voice communication, instant message, an email address, an address
on a social media network, etc. This communication might read or be
heard as follows: "Hi Diane. We've detected a bill jam on your game
and apologize for the interruption in your play. A slot technician,
Dan Stevens, has been dispatched to resolve the problem and should
arrive within the next 3 minutes." As a result, the dispatched
employee may know the name of the patron, among other information,
and the patron knows the name of the person who is on their way to
help or otherwise provide service.
[0126] The message could be displayed on the player tracking
screen, on the game screen, or both. This could be instead of or in
addition to communication to the player's cell phone or other
mobile device.
[0127] The demographic information is also useful as a key with
which to obtain additional information about the player. For
example, if the player's address is within her player tracking
record, that address could be compared to property records to
determine whether the property is owned or rented and its
approximate value, which is then useful in gauging the player's
potential worth as a customer. By accessing other external
databases, such as those for credit cards, shopping habits,
magazine subscriptions, automobile records, etc., a player's likely
personality, affinities, likes and dislikes can be discerned.
[0128] This information may be gathered during the response to the
call or when the player first signs up for a player tracking
membership. In a preferred embodiment, the information is gathered
at time of signup and updated regularly thereafter.
[0129] The player tracking system also holds records on the
player's historical activities within the casino, including game
preferences, wagering habits, whether the player is winning or
losing, how long they have been visiting the casino, how long they
have been at the casino on this visit, and a wide range of other
data.
[0130] In another embodiment, the player is asked to respond to a
survey indicating the level of satisfaction with respect to how the
call was resolved. This could be as basic as asking a short yes/no
question inquiring whether they would want the responder to provide
the same service another time if it was again required. The survey
could be delivered via the player tracking system, the player's
cell phone--via text, email, or call--or manually.
[0131] In a preferred embodiment, an additional database is created
to store every event involving each player, how the event was
resolved, who the agents were that handled the event and the survey
results of the player after each event to determine
satisfaction.
[0132] It is important to strive to provide every customer with a
satisfying experience but casino resources are finite and, in busy
times, it is impossible to provide the maximum level of service to
all consumers.
[0133] When more events occur than a casino's resources can handle,
it is commercially important to satisfy the most important
customers first. Players who frequently visit the casino and wager
in high volumes, of course, are important. These players are
identifiable through the player tracking database.
[0134] Also important are consumers who do not currently wager at
high volume but who have the capacity to do so in the future. The
likelihood of a given consumer to become a valuable player is
predictable to an important degree. Predictions of potential worth
may be made by agent evaluations, recommendations by other players
or by application or commitment of the consumer.
[0135] Another important means of predicting importance is by
comparing personal attributes of the unknown consumer against
attributes of known valuable players. For example, a consumer
without a history of wagering at a casino provides personal data
showing he is a 48-year-old male living at zip code 89135.
[0136] Through the personal data assimilation described earlier, it
is learned the consumer also belongs to a private country club,
drives a luxury car and is a frequent flier. From its database on
known players, the casino determines many high-value players share
these characteristics. Therefore, this new player is accorded a
high level of importance.
[0137] Alternatively, any player newly signed to the player's club
may be considered of extra importance, regardless of whether any
information about him or her is known. Studies have shown that a
player's initial experience in a casino will weigh heavily on
whether that player returns and the extent to which the player
gambles there. As a result, any new player may be granted a higher
priority.
[0138] Furthermore, even a player that is not enrolled in a player
tracking system may warrant higher priority attention. For example,
an uncarded player who has been wagering $4 per game for 4 hours
would warrant a higher level of attention than a player who had
been playing penny games for 10 minutes. The system can note the
frequency of play and amounts of wagers and infer that the same,
albeit unidentified, player is playing a game.
[0139] Another embodiment of this invention utilizes standard
geo-location services, such as GPS, cellular triangulation, and
WiFi access point mapping to determine location of casino agents.
Interior location services based upon WiFi and other methods are
available from a variety of vendors, such as Google's "Google Maps
6.0," Apple's mobile location service, or products from Meridian,
http://www.meridianapps.com/, of Portland Oreg. Any of these could
be used to locate casino agents. In such a case, the section
associations shown in Table 2 and described above may not be
necessary, i.e., dispatch of employees is based on location (and of
course qualification to do the job) as determined by the
geo-location service instead of Table 2.
[0140] While agent selection based upon the agent's technical
qualifications and physical location is technically efficient, it
does not significantly improve the likelihood of consumer
satisfaction or even the long-term efficiency of casino operations.
As discussed above, when an agent arrives to work, she logs into
the system through her iPod device, iPad computer or other
equivalent communication device, which tells the system that she is
available to handle events. At the end of the shift, the agent logs
off, telling the system she is no longer available.
[0141] From login until logoff, when not on break, the system
monitors and records the Agent's movements and actions. Many
casinos are so large, multiple supervisors control a single agent,
each overseeing an area of the casino. In such cases, the system is
configured with each supervisor's identity, areas of responsibility
and agents assigned to the supervisor.
[0142] When the agent logs in, the communicator informs her of
which supervisor she reports to, her area of assignment and other
details the supervisor wishes her to know. As also discussed above,
she is also given an indication of how busy the casino is at any
given time. All such information is constantly updated throughout
the shift.
[0143] At this point, the system has a list of events within the
casino that require service and a list of all available agents and
their qualifications. It also possesses knowledge of priorities and
the area and tasks to which each agent is assigned.
[0144] When a new event occurs, the system prioritizes it based
upon player identity and how busy agents currently are at serving
other events. The first priority is consumer satisfaction. If there
are multiple agents qualified to handle the event and the player
has had favorable interactions with one of the available agents in
the past, that agent is assigned the task. The system includes a
database of all casino employees, their qualifications, training,
and history of performance in resolving prior events. This database
can be consulted to determine priority by seeing how well the
employee has resolved such calls in general, whether the employee
has resolved a call for this player in the past, and, if so, how
well he or she resolved the call and what, if any, survey response
was made.
[0145] The communication device informs the agent of where the
problem is and, optionally, the player's identity. The agent may
also be reminded of the date and circumstances of her last
interaction with the player and be given information about that
player's preferences and desires.
[0146] If the player's importance is very high, an agent favored by
the player may be called off of a current assignment to serve the
new event. In that case, the system will dispatch a substitute
agent to finish the task the diverted agent was working on.
[0147] If the event involves a lower-priority player, or if the
player has no prior relationship with another agent, and if the
casino is not busy with too many other events, the new event may be
assigned to the agent with the least experience at that particular
kind of event, in order to improve the agent's competence.
[0148] For example, Mary is a new agent, with little experience
clearing bill acceptor jams. A bill jam event comes in from the EGM
at location B-47, which is in Mary's area of responsibility. The
system determines the player at that EGM has no need or desire for
service from a specific agent and so assigns the event to Mary, so
she can become more proficient. If the supervisor desires and
personnel are available, an additional agent, or supervisor, might
be dispatched to the same location in order to provide additional
training for Mary or to evaluate her performance.
[0149] If the casino is busy, or the player is sensitive to delays
but has no preferred agent, the task is assigned to the most
experienced available agent.
[0150] Every agent's activities are monitored, recorded and
evaluated. For example, Tim is a moderately experienced agent
assigned to a technical malfunction event that is historically
tricky to remedy. The customer at the involved EGM is a very
high-value player, who is known to be demanding.
[0151] The system initiates a timer when the event occurs, as
described above. In this example, presume the system is configured
to allow a maximum of five minutes to resolve the problem within
the player's expectations. The event is assigned to Tim, and
accepted by him 30 seconds after event occurrence. Tim's supervisor
is informed that a critical event service is in progress. From
Tim's current location, it should take a maximum of two minutes to
reach the location.
[0152] If Tim does not reach the location within two minutes, his
supervisor is alerted, so that another agent may be sent to help.
In this case though, Tim does arrive within the allowed time. The
system knows that Tim has arrived when either (a) Tim so informs
system through his communication device and/or (b) the door to the
game is opened (most systems report EGM door openings and the door
must be opened to fix the problem).
[0153] Tim should be able to fix the problem within three minutes
after opening the door. If Tim does not declare the job finished
within the allotted time, and/or the door is not properly closed
within that time, the supervisor is again so informed.
[0154] In this way, the system evaluates agent performance in
comparison to player worth, demands, and expectations in light of
how busy the casino is at that time. The system works to
preemptively inform supervisors of problems so additional resources
can be dispatched. Alternatively, the system can dispatch
additional agents automatically, instead of simply informing the
supervisor.
[0155] These are simply two examples of event situations and not an
exhaustive description of the system's full capabilities. One of
skill in the art of casino management will recognize there are many
ways to improve customer satisfaction within a finite budget by
comparing agent qualifications, experience and availability,
against customer importance, personality, history, and desires,
while factoring in the nature of the event and the business of the
casino to the time of the new event.
[0156] While the above examples describe the dispatch of a single
agent to handle an event, it is anticipated that multiple agents
may be dispatched simultaneously while other services are also
provided. For example, when a player wins a jackpot of $1,200 or
more the player is required to complete tax forms before payment is
issued. For security reasons, witnesses are required to verify the
player was given the money, security is needed to transport the
money safely cross the casino floor, and paperwork is required for
the cage to provide the cash.
[0157] The system can simultaneously, or in staged timing, issue
notifications to the cage that cash is required, alert security to
transport the funds, cause a casino host to greet the player,
explain the process and get tax form signatures, and send witnesses
to verify the transaction.
[0158] As set forth in applicant's co-pending '355 application, any
of the messages described herein may be delivered by a virtual
persona, as can any other communication that may occur on this
system. The virtual persona messages may be via phone calls, text
messages, e-mails, dialog boxes generated on screens, or any via
any other telecommunications method. Further, such messages may be
automatically generated or otherwise.
[0159] Illustrated in FIG. 24 is a portion of another embodiment.
As with the previously described embodiments, the FIG. 24
embodiment is implemented on an iPad.TM. device, and FIG. 24 is a
view of one of the displayed screens on the device, which is
indicated generally at 200. As with the first embodiment, there is
a navigation bar at the bottom from which different screens can be
selected. In FIG. 24, the Calls screen is selected and displayed.
It includes three sections, a calls summary panel 202, a call list
panel 204, and a call detail panel 206. As can be seen in panel
202, the number of active calls is listed by category: All,
Unserviced, By Section, and By Type. Panel 202 includes a section
listing Completed calls, also categorized: All, By Section, and By
Type. There is also a Join selection, which permits a user of
device 200 to join a call in progress as will be explained shortly.
Device 200 is referred to as a supervisor device, although any user
can log into any device. The permitted user role, however, may
limit the action that a logged in employee may take. And the system
will not permit an employee to log in under a role that is not
associated with the employee in the system and therefore not a
permitted role.
[0160] Each call listed in panel 204 includes at least one icon of
a human figure, each of which correspond to a user who has been
offered or accepted a call generated by the system--or to a role in
the system for which there is currently no user. The color of each
icon indicates whether the user has completed the call; whether the
user has been offered or accepted the call, or has arrived at the
location specified in the call; and whether there is no user
associated with the role needed on the call.
[0161] The supervisor device 200 can view any category of the calls
by touching the name in panel 202. For example, All calls is
selected in panel 202 of FIG. 24 and listed in panel 204.
Unserviced calls, which is not selected in FIG. 24, lists all the
calls that have not been accepted by a user. By Section lists all
of the calls but sorted into subheadings by section on the floor.
And By Type lists all of the calls but sorted into subheadings by
type of call, e.g., Change Light On, General Tilt, Bill Acceptor
jam, etc. (FIG. 28 depicts calls sorted into subheadings.)
Completed calls may be similarly displayed except there is no
Unserviced category because all completed calls have been
serviced.
[0162] As can be seen in FIG. 24, when one of the calls in panel
204 is selected, the detail for that call appears in panel 206. It
is possible for supervisor device 200 to assign a user to the call
by touching the Assign User button, which will soon be described in
more detail. The detail panel 206, includes the type of call, in
this case Bill Acceptor jam, The floor section, D03, and the
machine number 0201. Because the player of this particular machine
is logged in to his player tracking account, his name, John Smith,
also appears along with his status, Silver, in the player tracking
system. In addition, the type of Responder, Floor Attendant, is
listed as is status, Waiting for responder. Finally, Remove Call
button in the lower right hand corner permits supervisor device 200
to cancel the call but only if it has not yet been accepted by the
user to whom the call was offered.
[0163] Before describing further functionality, it should be noted
that the drawings are populated with simulated data, including
calls, machine locations, users, comments, etc., which depict how
the system actually works on a gaming floor. There may be
inconsistencies in the data from one drawing to another.
Regardless, the drawings illustrate the views, panels, buttons,
various user inputs, and device responses that produce the
decreased call times, increased user satisfaction, report
generation, and other benefits associated with these systems and
methods.
[0164] Turning now to FIG. 25, the Join button is selected in panel
202 thus generating a pop-up panel 208. Panel 208 included a
scrollable list of all active calls, only one of which is viewable
in FIG. 25. As can be seen in panel 206, there is a call to a floor
attendant who has not yet responded by accepting or deferring the
call. A user of device 200 may scroll the list in panel 208 and
touch a call, e.g., General Tilt call. Thereafter if the Join Call
button on the panel 208 is pressed, the user of device 200 is added
to the call and may respond in the same fashion as if the call were
automatically generated by the system.
[0165] In FIG. 26, the user of device 200 has selected the Drink
Request call in panel 204. As a result, the detail for that call is
displayed in panel 206 (although partially obscured in this view).
There is an Assign User button that appears in panel 206. When the
Assign User button is touched, a pop-up panel 210 appears, which
includes a scrollable list of all employees who are logged in. As
can be seen in panel 210, each line includes an employee name, the
role in which the employee is currently registered in the system,
and the section or section where he or she is serving. The
employees are sorted by work area, e.g., Slots, Security, and
Beverage. Touching on one of those headers conceals the list under
the other headers and displays only the employees for the selected
area, as show for slots in FIG. 26.
[0166] The Assign User button might be used when a user of device
200 selects the Unserviced Calls in panel 202 and sees a
particularly old unserviced call. Alternatively, the Assign User
button may be used to assign a user to any active call, even if
another user has accepted it. The Unserviced calls include a
color-coded stripe, like stripes 212, 214 at the left side of each
call in panel 204. Each color provides the supervisor device 200
with a quick indication of how long the call has been open. For
example, a green stripe would indicate a recently opened call,
e.g., less than 3 minutes, a yellow stripe 3-5 minutes, and a red
stripe, over 6 minutes. For unserviced calls, yellow and red
stripes might inform the user of device 200 that the call needs to
be assigned using the Assign User button as described. Different
types of calls might require different times for their respective
stripe colors to appear. And these could be different at different
casinos, depending upon the targets for responding to calls.
[0167] In each call detail of panel 206, which can be better seen
in FIGS. 24-26, there is an indication at the bottom of the panel
of when the call was created, either by the system or manually,
when a user accepted the call, and when it was completed. Current
status and elapsed time is also displayed. As a result, a user of
device 200 may quickly be informed about which calls may need to
have a user or another user assigned via panel 210.
[0168] FIG. 27 illustrates how device 200 is notified that the
system has offered him or her a call. An audible alert occurs and a
pop-up panel 215 notifies the user of the call type, and the
location, including the section number and machine number. In
addition, if the player at the machine requiring service is a
carded player, i.e., logged into the player tracking system, his or
her name and status appears on panel 215. Also appearing is the
player's status, i.e., typically an indication of how much tracked
wagering the player does. As a result, the user of device 200 can
provide service commensurate with the level of significance
associated with the player in the player tracking system.
[0169] If the user of device 200 presses the defer button, the call
is offered to another person on his or her device, panel 215
disappears, and the screen reverts back to its condition before
panel 215 appeared. If the Accept button is depressed, panel 215
also disappears, and the call becomes the user's call on device
200. Because device 200 lists many calls in panel 204, including
the call to which the user is assigned, an exclamation point
appears over the Calls button in the navigation bar to remind the
user that he or she is on a call that has been offered, accepted,
or not yet complete.
[0170] FIG. 28 depicts a pop-up panel 217 that appears on the
screen if the user tries to log out before completing an active
call. The user depresses the OK button on panel 214, completes the
call and can then log out.
[0171] FIG. 29 depicts a feature in which a finger swipe across the
name of a responder in panel 206 brings up a delete button as
shown. When depressed, this role is deleted from the call. This
feature may only be exercised before a responder has accepted the
call; after that it does not work. But alternative embodiments
permit deletion at any time.
[0172] FIG. 30 shows an assignment pop-up menu 216, which may be
accessed on any screen that is presented on device 200. In the
upper left corner of the screen, the name of the employee logged in
on device 200, John Smith, appears next to a downwardly directed
arrow. Anytime the name is touched, menu 216 appears. When the
entries on menu 216 are touched, additional screens (not shown)
display. These additional screens permit the employee to identify
which role or roles of his or her permissible roles the employee
will be associated with during the current work period. The
employee also designates the section or sections to which he or she
will be assigned.
[0173] Each employee has a Machine Access Card that must be
inserted into a slot in a card reader associated with each machine
to obtain access to the machine. This is the same type of card and
is inserted into the same slot as a player-tracking card. When the
employee touches the Link Employee Card item on menu 216, he or she
can insert the card into any card reader. The system then presents
on a pop-up screen (not shown) the machine number associated with
the card reader into which the card was inserted. When the employee
touches the machine number the Machine Access Card and employee
user profile are linked in the system. As will be seen, this
facilitates automatic creation of a machine entry log and enables
rapid supervisor response to an illegal entry.
[0174] The next menu item is Create Self Speed Call, which produces
a scrollable pop-up panel 218 as shown in FIG. 31, which is
described shortly. The final menu item is Start Break, which
produces a panel asking whether the employee wants to start his or
her break. Two different buttons appear, one for 15 minutes and one
for 30 minutes, which can vary depending on the employee's status
or job. But of course any break time could be implemented. When one
of the buttons is touched, break timers begin, and the employee's
status in the system is indicated as being on break. As will be
seen, a supervisor can be notified via one of the devices that an
employee has exceeded the allocated break time.
[0175] Panel 218 permits the user of device 200 to manually
generate a call that he or she is assigned to. Various reasons for
such a call appear on panel 218 but different reasons could be
used, or reasons that are entered manually via a keypad. This is
the same panel that appears if the Create a New Call button is
pressed on panel 208 in FIG. 25. In other words, there are
different ways to access panel 218. In FIG. 31, the user has
selected Counterfeit, although this selection is not shown.
Although not visible in FIG. 31 when the list on panel 218 is
scrolled the following additional types of creatable calls appear:
Guest Dispute, Machine Entry, Medical, Restroom.
[0176] In FIG. 32 after selecting the type of call from the list on
panel 218 (counterfeit in this instance), the user is prompted to
enter a location. The user touches one of the listed section
locations and then enters, via a touch-screen keypad that appears
when user touches the text entry box beneath "Location
Description," a location. In this case it is a machine number, but
it could be anything, such as the name of a restaurant, a cashier's
cage, etc.
[0177] As can be seen in FIG. 33, the newly created call appears on
the user's call detail panel, and an exclamation point appears over
the Calls button in the navigation bar to indicate that the user is
on an active call. The type of call just created by the user,
Counterfeit, and the call location, also just created by the user,
both appear in panel 206. This call, now being created in the
system, also appears to other users who use devices like device 200
and have the appropriate permissions to view calls.
[0178] In FIG. 34, the user has pressed the escalate button in FIG.
33, perhaps after dealing with the situation for a while and
determining that more assistance is required. This brings up a
pop-up panel 218, which permits the user to specify the role of an
additional responder who will receive an offer to join this call.
In addition, the user of device 200 can press one of two buttons on
panel 218: Remain on Call or Leave the Call. Thus he or she may be
calling in reinforcement or turning the call over to another
responder depending upon which button is pressed. The call detail
panel 206 will either disappear, if the user is leaving the call,
or will indicate status of offer to additional responder(s) if the
user is staying on the call.
[0179] In FIG. 35, the user of device 200 has selected Slot
Technician by touching that entry. A check mark appears to indicate
it has been selected. Because in FIG. 35, the user selected the
Remain on the Call button on panel 35, after selecting the Slot
Technician, the screen assumes the condition of FIG. 36, indicating
who was offered the call and the status of the offer.
[0180] After the screen in FIG. 36 appears, the user of device 200,
although initially selecting the Remain on Call button in FIG. 35
has determined that he or she has either done all that can be done,
the role in which the user is serving cannot help, or there is
another reason why the user should not remain on the call. So in
FIG. 36, the user of device 200 depresses the Complete button, and
the screen of FIG. 37 appears, indicating the call is still on
offer to the Slot Technician, but that the user, Tom Smith, is no
longer on the call.
[0181] FIG. 38 illustrates further development of the Counterfeit
call described in the previous figures and also indicates a
modified view for the screen, which will now be described.
Returning first briefly to FIG. 37, a left-facing arrow 220 when
touched actuates a slide-out menu 222 to the position shown in FIG.
38. As can be seen, panel 202 disappears, panels 204, 206 shift to
the left, and menu 222 appears in the former location of panel 206.
In FIG. 38, left-facing arrow 220 is replaced with a right-facing
arrow 224. When arrow 224 in FIG. 38 is touched, menu 222
disappears, and panels 202, 204, 206 return to the position shown
in FIG. 37.
[0182] Menu 222 includes two portions, an upper Alerts panel 226
and a lower Radio panel 228. Radio panel may operate independently
of menu 222. When panels 202, 204, 206 are in the position shown in
FIG. 37 and the Radio icon at the right end of the navigation bar
is touched, menu 222 moves to the position shown in FIG. 38. Each
time the Radio icon is touched when the screen is as shown in FIG.
38, Radio panel 228 alternately appears and disappears. When it is
not displayed, there is better visibility for the scrollable list
on the Alerts panel 226, which will be described in more
detail.
[0183] The controls in Radio panel 228 facilitate voice
communication among all the current system users via their
respective iPad or iPod touch devices. The Radio panel includes a
Scan Mode switch 230, which is toggled on and off when it is
touched. When on, a scrollable list of channels may be viewed, only
three of which, Security, Beverage, and Marketing are visible in
FIG. 38. When a user swipes the list vertically, the list scrolls
to reveal three additional channels: Emergency, Auxiliary, and
Security. When a user first logs in, the system automatically
assigns him or her to the channel that corresponds to the role
associated with the user. Each user is always assigned to one
channel over which all users on the channel can both broadcast and
hear voice messages. By selecting the Scan Mode, a user can scroll
the channel list, touch a different channel, and switch to
broadcasting and receiving over the new channel.
[0184] When a user of device 200 wishes to send a message over
their current channel, he or she presses the Start Recording
switch. After a short audible signal, the device begins recording a
message spoken by the user, which can be a maximum of 12 seconds.
The message is sent in one of two ways. First, the user can hit the
send button as soon as the message is complete. Second, if the user
has not hit the send button within 12 seconds after the message
begins recording, the message is automatically sent. In addition,
the message may be canceled at any time before sending by hitting
the Cancel button. A recording bar 232 provides a visible
indication of the 12-second maximum message recording time. It
starts filling from left to right beginning with the start of
message recording and ending at the end on the right just as the
12-second recording time elapses. The bar is part way between the
beginning and ending of a message that is being recorded in FIG.
38. It indicates about 5 seconds of recording time has elapsed.
[0185] Each of the devices includes audio compression software that
is helpful in two respects. First, the audio signal is digitized
and compressed, thus reducing system bandwidth on the wireless
network. Second, noise suppression is applied to remove the ambient
casino noise that may be picked up by the device microphone when a
voice message is recorded. Because the calls are recorded, they can
be stored, either on the device or retrieved from the server, and
then replayed on the device.
[0186] The microphone to used to record a user's verbal message is
that built in to the device. And the speaker for replaying may be
that built into the device--or the device may be paired with a
Bluetooth earpiece and microphone, to enable hands-free use of the
device.
[0187] When a message is sent, it goes first to the system server,
which determines the current users on the channel to which the
message should be sent. The server then sends the messages to all
users on that channel. Next, an audible alert occurs at each device
that is set to the channel of the message sender. Thereafter, the
message plays. But if another message is currently being
transmitted to or played on the channel, an audible alert informs
the sender that the message was not sent and that he or she must
create and send the message again. Alternatively, because the
message is recorded at the device, it may be stored, either at the
device or on the server, and thereafter sent in response to the
user again touching the Send button. In a still further version,
the server can stack all incoming messages in the order received
and send them in sequence. In the present embodiment, each
channel's message traffic is independent of the others. Put
differently, messages may be sent and received on each channel as
described without regard to traffic on other channels.
[0188] In FIG. 39, device 200 is shown while a message is playing.
As can be seen, the sender's name, Charles X-Ray, and the time of
the message are shown on the channel on which the message was sent
in the channel list. In this case, the sender is also the user of
device 200. The same notice of user name and time of message
appears on all devices currently set on the channel on which the
message is sent.
[0189] FIG. 39 also illustrates one of the screens that appears
when the User Profile icon in the navigation is selected. It
displays information fields that the system generates and displays
to the user of device 200. By selecting the Edit Profile button,
the user can change the information presented. The upper portion is
primarily information that identifies the employee and includes a
system-generated indication of whether he or she has linked a
machine access card. The performance stats display the average
times it takes the employee to complete different types of calls
for this shift or for another time frame selected by the user.
There are also totals for completed, deferred, and quit calls,
which are also for the shift or for a different time frame.
[0190] Concluding now the description of the Radio feature, FIG. 40
is a view of a screen 232 of a device, indicated generally at 234,
which is another embodiment of the invention. Device 234 is
implemented on an iPod touch and operates with device 200 in a
fashion similar to how the devices that display screens 118, 162
interact with the server and with one another. Like device 200, it
includes a navigation bar, and also includes Status, Call, Text,
Radio, and About icons in a navigation bar at the bottom of screen
232. When the Radio icon is touched, as shown in FIG. 40, the Radio
screen appears. It includes the same controls as the Radio feature
on device 200 and operates in essentially the same manner. It
should be noted that in the views of FIGS. 39 and 40, Scan Mode is
set to off. In FIG. 38, however, it is set to on. As discussed
above, when it is on, the channel list is scrollable, which enables
a user to change channels. In the views of FIGS. 39 and 40 each
device is set to hear and receive messages on the slot channel.
Changing the channel can be accomplished by using turning Scan Mode
on or by touching the Change Channel entry, which presents a list
of the channels from which the desired channel may be chosen.
[0191] One of the channels is the Emergency channel. Unlike the
other channels, when a user broadcasts on this channel, all users
who are logged in receive the message. The Auxiliary channel is
available by subscription only. Users who are not subscribed on the
system do not see the Auxiliary channel on the list of channels
presented on their device screen. This provides a private channel
for authorized users, typically higher-level supervisors, on which
to communicate.
[0192] Implementing the radio feature in this manner provides
several advantages. First, the messages may be stored, either on
the devices or on the server, for later replay--by either the users
or a supervisor of a user. In addition, because the messages are
stored, a supervisor can create a message to one employee or to a
group of employees in advance of its delivery. For example, a
supervisor can create a message at the evening before a shift
begins, and store it--either on the server or on is or her device.
When the employee or employees to whom the message is directed logs
in the next day, the radio message is delivered and heard by the
employee.
[0193] Before moving on, a brief description will be provided of
the functions served by the other icons on the navigation bar of
device 234. The status screen (not shown) presents information to
the user of device 234 indicating the section and role that is
currently associated with the user, typically those selected when
the user logged in. In addition, there is a break switch that
presents the same 15-minute/30-minute option described above. This
switch starts a break clock running for the user of the device.
Finally, there is a logout button and an edit button, the latter
permitting the device user to change his or her section or role.
The Calls icon presents the screen on which service calls are
offered to the user and which also indicates the current status of
a call the user has been offered or is on. This feature will be
described more fully with reference to additional drawings that
detail call functionality. The Text icon presents a screen (not
shown for this embodiment) of text conversations and is the screen
from which a user sends and receives texts and reviews stored
texts, essentially as previously described. Finally, the About icon
can be used to present a screen (not shown) that presents system or
device information, such as the version of the software operating
the device, the site where the device is authorized to operate,
etc. There are also buttons to Re-Link the Employee Card, in case
the linking process described above needs to be repeated and a
button to change the employee's PIN, which is used to log on.
[0194] In FIG. 41, the Stats icon is selected on the navigation
bar. The view in FIG. 41 shows the statistics for all users since
the beginning of a current casino day, the time for which can be
set in the system. They are categorized by event type because each
type of event typically has a different expectation and goal for
how much time is needed to resolve that event. The system
automatically calculates average times by discarding outlying
times, e.g., those under one minute and those over one hour, and
then calculating an average event time for a predefined period,
e.g. monthly, quarterly, annually, etc. These averages are
automatically updated.
[0195] These averages may be used to set a goal time. For example a
current goal time for an event could be set to be 80% of the most
recently calculated average for that event. Each event displayed in
FIG. 41 shows, for each event, the average time to resolve the
event for the current casino day thus far, the number of seconds
over/under the most recently calculated average for that event, and
the percentage over/under.
[0196] The average event time can also be used to expand the pool
of responders. As will be recalled, if a primary responder does not
accept a call within a first predefined time, the pool of
responders is expanded to include secondary responders. If there is
no response from the expanded pool within a second predefined time,
the pool can again be expanded to include tertiary responders, and
so forth. The time elapsed from the start of the event (and without
acceptance) until the call is offered to a secondary responder
could be 80% of goal time, and if the call is still not accepted,
by one of the primary or secondary responders, within 100% of goal
time, the call is now also offered to the tertiary responders.
[0197] These averages and goal times may also be used for the color
coding, previously described, which visually indicates whether a
call is currently being handled within time (green), approaching
its goal time (yellow), or overtime (red).
[0198] In the view of FIG. 41, a drop-down menu at the top is used
to select which statistics are shown. It is currently on all users,
but the employees are also listed by name in the drop-down menu. As
a result, the statistics by employee can also be displayed in the
same manner.
[0199] In FIG. 42, the user has touched the screen in FIG. 41 on
the General Tilts statistics. This creates a pop-up screen shown in
FIG. 42 of all of the General Tilt calls thus far in the current
day. The user can again touch one of the calls to see all of the
detail (not illustrated) associated with the call. Hitting the
print button in the upper right corner prints the currently active
screen.
[0200] FIG. 43 illustrates another way to access statistics by
employee. FIG. 43 shows a view of a screen when the User Profile
icon is depressed, which was described in connection with FIG. 39.
When one of the categories of calls is touched on screen 39, an
expanded list of all of the calls for that category appears. In
FIG. 43, the user has touched the Printer/Paper label, thereby
producing the pop-up panel in FIG. 43 listing all of the
Printer/Paper Gaming Day Call History events for John Snow. Each of
the three events in the list on the left of the pop-up panel may be
touched to produce the detail on the right of the panel. As a
result of using the features on the User Profile screen or the
Stats screen, rapid analysis and display of detail for any event or
employee may be quickly located and determined.
[0201] In FIG. 44, slide-out menu 222 is displayed. It includes 5
icons at the top, the first being a system alert icon 236. When it
is selected as shown, a scrollable alerts list appears on the menu.
It includes several categories, two of which are visible, namely
Max Call Time Exceeded and Unsupervised sections. An additional
category (not visible) is Illegal Machine Entry. The number on the
left side of each label is the number of alerts currently in that
category. When each category label is touched, the category
expands, as shown in FIG. 44, to list each item that makes up the
category. When the label is touched again, only the category label
is shown along with the number of events.
[0202] When a maximum call time is exceeded, the alert appears in
the Alerts list, and the supervisor may choose to act by texting or
otherwise contacting the responder, by assigning another responder
(as described above), or by taking some other action. The
supervisor may also choose to assign or shift users to an
unsupervised section. And of course an illegal machine entry
requires immediate attention. Machine entry is addressed in detail
later on. Briefly, an illegal machine entry alert is generated by
the system when a machine door sensor, each of which is monitored
on the network and by the system, indicates a door opened, and one
of the following is true: a) no current user is linked to machine
access card that is inserted into the card slot; b) there is no
call at the machine; c) no entry reason was generated (by the
system) or provided (by the responder); or d) the employee is on a
call but at a different machine.
[0203] In FIG. 45, an Unserviced Calls icon 238 is selected, which
lists all of the unserviced calls in the slide-out menu. As with
other lists, touching one of the calls reveals the call detail in a
panel positioned like panel 206 in FIG. 38. Thus a supervisor may
quickly see how many calls there are, determine a rough status for
each, via the colored stripe to the left of each call, and quickly
review the detail on any of the calls.
[0204] In FIG. 46, a Card Utilization icon 240 is selected. Doing
so lists all of the categories of players in the player tracking
system and indicates of all those currently carded in and playing,
the percentage of each category. When one of the categories is
touched a pop-up panel 242 in FIG. 47 creates a scrollable list of
each player in that category and the machine at which he or she is
playing. This facilitates marketing efforts, including providing
appropriate complementary amenities, such as beverages, to an
identified player.
[0205] Although exemplary lists are not shown for either, icon 244
generates a scrollable early out list, i.e., those employees who
would like to leave early, if possible, and icon 246 displays a
scrollable list of all current users who are associated with more
than one section on the gaming floor.
[0206] Next, FIGS. 48-52 illustrate use of the system to locate
machines or players to assist with players' club and other
marketing functions. Most casinos want to make personal connections
with players, especially those who wager large amounts as well as
regulars. It is desirable to be able to greet, locate, and advise
such players about game and machine locations and to do so in a way
that results in the player experiencing a personal connection with
casino personnel.
[0207] FIGS. 48 and 49 illustrate screens that can be used to a)
identify the name associated with a card inserted at a particular
machine orb) use the player's name to locate a particular machine
into which the card associated with the player is inserted. In the
embodiment of FIG. 48, a Tools panel 248 includes a Players button
and a Machines button. In FIG. 48, the Players button is depressed,
which brings up the Enter Machine ID message above a text entry
field 250. A players' club representative, or any other person
equipped with one of the devices, can see a player at one of the
machines, enter the machine number (using the touch screen
keyboard, not shown), and have the player's name and player's club
status returned in Tools panel 248 in the space beneath text field
250 when the user hits Enter on the keyboard. If the player is not
carded in, a message so indicating appears on panel 248. If there
is no player or an un-carded player, the message so indicates.
[0208] Conversely, looking now at FIG. 49, when the Machines button
on panel 248 is depressed, the phrase "Enter Name" appears above
text field 250. As the user begins typing a player's name, a search
program suggests names by displaying them in a list that drops down
from text field 250 (not shown). Each of the suggested names is
from the list of current carded players. A user can at any time
select one of the suggested names or simply continue typing using
the touch screen keyboard (not shown) until the name appears in
full in field 250. When the user hits Enter on the keyboard, the
identity of the machine (Machine ID) having that player's card in
the associated card reader appears beneath text field 250, as shown
in FIG. 49. This enables a user to locate the gaming device at
which the carded player is playing. If there is no player carded in
with that name, the system returns a message to that effect on
panel 248. And if two carded players happen to have the same name,
both names are presented along with each player's birthday, which
is stored in the player tracking record. Knowing the ages of both
players may help a user confirm which player is at the machine.
[0209] FIG. 50, in another embodiment, depicts a Locate Game
feature in Tools panel 248. Game names can be entered into a text
field 252 via the keyboard (not shown). As the name is spelled
possible matches appear in a list below the text field. Once the
name is fully entered, or selected from the list of possible
matches, game information is displayed as shown in FIG. 51. This
enables any user on the floor to respond to a player's query
concerning the location of a certain game title or to direct a
player to a game that the device user thinks will be one that the
player will appreciate.
[0210] Note that in in FIG. 51, the Game Information panel beneath
text field 252 lists the games in two categories: Hot Games and
Ready Games. As is known in the art, gaming machines can be set to
average a set percent of all wagers to be returned to players in
the form of awards. Of course, each play of the game generates a
random outcome, but if the game is designed and functioning
properly, over time the average return will approach the set
payback. A payback of 92% is fairly typical. But because each play
is random, games can have short streaks in which they pay back more
or less than the set payback. A game that is paying back more over
a short time is referred to as a hot game; a game paying back less
is referred to as a ready game. Some players are superstitious and
have a preference for one game or the other--a hot one under the
belief that it will continue to pay or a ready one because the
player believes it is due to pay. This feature is described more
fully in applicant's '355 application.
[0211] FIG. 52 discloses a screen in still another embodiment that
simply lists hot games and ready games. This permits a user to
quickly provide a player on the floor with information about hot or
ready games and the location of each.
[0212] Next, FIGS. 53-63 illustrate further use of the system to
assist device users in establishing personal connections with
players or to otherwise enhance the level of service that is
offered. First, considering FIGS. 53-55, a Welcome alert is
generated by the system and included in the list of calls displayed
on the screen of device 200 as shown in FIG. 53. This alert is
generated when a pre-identified member (or member of a
pre-identified group of players) of the players' club inserts his
or her card into a card reader for the first time on the current
day. For example, all members of a particular tier in the player's
club could be set to generate such an alert. In FIG. 53, player
Bill James, who is in the Elite tier of the player's club, carded
in for the first time on Jun. 4, 2013. Like all other events, the
time--and lapsed time from event start--that the event was created,
accepted, and completed, along with the arrival time of the
responder are displayed on this screen (and on the associated user
profile and statistics screens) and stored in the system.
[0213] FIG. 54 shows the screen of an iPod touch to which the
Welcome Alert in FIG. 53 has been offered. Like other events, a
pop-up panel indicates offers the call by displaying the type of
call, machine location, and player name and status, with an
invitation to accept or defer the call. A Pending Call screen
appears behind the pop-up panel, also identifying the nature of the
call along with the pertinent information.
[0214] FIG. 55 depicts the screen after the device user hits the
Accept button in FIG. 54. From there, the call proceeds in the
usual fashion with the user being able to quit, arrive, escalate,
etc. the call as previously described for other types of calls.
This feature permits a responder to locate and greet the identified
player when he or she first begins playing for the day--an
important way to make a valued player feel valued and welcome.
[0215] Turning now to FIGS. 56-58, a Hot Player event is displayed
on the screen of device 200 in the usual fashion. This event was
generated in response to any player, whether or not the player is
enrolled in the player's club and whether or not a card is
inserted, who wagers a predefined amount as detected and collected
by the slot-machine network, which monitors the meters on each slot
machine, including the bet and jackpot meters. The wagering could
be above a certain level within a predefined period of time (e.g.,
over $2500 within 10 minutes), it could be a single wager above a
predefined amount, or both. This can be set and changed in the
system. When the Hot Player event is generated, the player's
machine location, which is known in the system, is displayed in
panel 206. In this case, the hot player is a carded player so his
name appears as well. If the player were un-carded, only the
machine location would appear.
[0216] FIG. 57 shows the panel that permits the user to whom the
Hot Player event was offered to accept or defer. Like previously
described calls, the Pending Call information appears behind the
pop-up panel that offers the call. When the accept button is
pressed in FIG. 57, the screen then appears as in FIG. 58. The
responder then goes to the location of the hot machine, presses the
arrive button in FIG. 58, greets the player, and in general makes
him or her feel appreciated, with or without complementary
amenities. And if the player is not carded, the responder can
assist with enrolling the player into the player's club. At the end
of the interaction, the user depresses the complete button (not
shown in these views) to conclude the call.
[0217] FIG. 59 illustrates an Abandoned Card event. This can be an
employee card or a player's card. When a player's card is left in a
card slot and a predefined length of time passes with no activity
detected by the network on the machine associated with the card
reader, the system generates an Abandoned Card event as shown in
FIG. 59. When an employee's card is left in, and a current call is
not completed after a predefined length of time, the Abandoned Card
event is generated and offered to a user, as shown in FIG. 60. When
the call is accepted in FIG. 60, the screen of FIG. 61 appears, the
user heads for the machine having the card and retrieves it, if
indeed it is abandoned, or determines what other course of action
might be appropriate if there is a player or casino employee there.
Like all other events, the usual user commands may be utilized, and
the usual goal times and average completion times may be stored and
displayed.
[0218] FIG. 62 provides an example of a setting screen for jackpot
notifications. In brief, this feature permits a user to enter a
mobile phone number or email address to which a notification can be
sent upon the initial alert for a jackpot over a predefined amount,
when the jackpot event is complete, or both. As can be seen in FIG.
62, multiple events can trigger an email, illustrated in FIG. 62,
or text, not shown but implemented in a similar fashion. For
example the four jackpot events, which could each be selected from
one of the drop-down menus in FIG. 62, could be set in the system
in ranges: $0-$2499; $2500-$9,999; $10,000-$24,999; and $25,000 and
up. Email addresses are entered in the text box associated with
each event. In the case of text notification, the text field would
contain the number of a mobile phone. And both text and email can
be generated for carded players, un-carded players, or both. The
notification will include the player's name and player's club
status, if known, the amount of the jackpot, and the machine
location. These notifications are in addition to the usual jackpot
events generated by the system to which users must respond, e.g.,
to hand pay a jackpot. The notifications generated by the feature
illustrated in FIG. 62 are more for marketing and player relations,
permitting anyone who signs up for such notifications to quickly
know about machine locations and players--or in the case of
un-carded events, machine locations only--where jackpots of a
predetermined size are won.
[0219] In FIG. 63, an arm of a user, indicated generally at 254,
has device 234 attached to the user's arm via a strap 256, which
can be repeatedly secured to and removed from the user's arm via a
hook and loop material, such as Velcro.TM. material. The view of
FIG. 63 shows device 234 as the user may use it on his or her
shift. This leaves the user's hands free to perform work on the
machine or otherwise carry out his or her duties while being able
to refer to the screen responsive to an audible alert or to send a
radio or text message. The alert may indicate that a radio or text
message is on the way or that the user has received a call, which
may come via the device's speaker or via a wireless headphone. As a
result, the user typically refers to the device only when necessary
as opposed to having to continually refer to it to check the status
of communications and calls.
[0220] Turning now to FIG. 64, consideration will be give to the
manner in which the MEAL log is generated. A user's screen 260 on
an iPod device as described above shows that the user does not have
a pending or active call, i.e., he or she is available to receive
call offers.
[0221] In FIG. 65, screen 260 shows that a Call has been offered,
in this case a General Tilt at slot machine number 04 located in
bank 31 of section B08, where the user is assigned or associated.
As is known in the industry, General Tilt is a generic term for a
variety of different problems, like those listed in Table 1, all of
which require entry into the machine to address. When the user
touches the Accept button in FIG. 65, the display of FIG. 66
appears on screen 260.
[0222] After the user arrives at the machine, he or she can either
depress the Arrive button on the screen or insert his or her user
card into the card reader associated with the machine. Either way
notifies the system that the user is at the machine, after which
the display of FIG. 67 appears, but without--at least
initially--the Call update failed panel, which is shortly
explained. As with other calls, the user can escalate as described
above, if he or she needs assistance to complete the call. In
addition, a comment button 262, appears when the system detects a
signal from the door sensor indicating the door for this machine
was opened. When button 262 is touched, a panel (not shown) labeled
"Add a Comment" along with a touch screen keyboard (also not shown)
appears, which enables a user to associate a comment with the MEAL
entry. This could provide more detail about the work performed
beyond the system-generated call name, e.g., "Reset bill
acceptor."
[0223] Once the call is complete, whether the user elects to add a
comment or not, the user withdraws his or her card from the card
reader, and touches the Complete button. The screen thereafter
presents the display shown in FIG. 64, which appears when the user
is available to receive call offers. If the user fails to withdraw
his or her card before touching the complete button, a panel 264 in
FIG. 67 appears to prompt the user to remove their card.
[0224] Sometimes the door sensor on a gaming device has failed or
otherwise does not provide a signal to the system to indicate that
a door has been opened. As a result, the comment button does not
appear on screen 260, even when the door is opened. If this happens
on a call, such as a General Tilt, that requires a door open event,
when the user touches the complete button in FIG. 67, a panel 266
and associated keyboard appears (FIG. 68) to enable the user to
enter a comment with they keyboard and touching the yes button on
panel 266. (This is similar to the panel and keyboard that appears
when the Comment button is touched, as discusses above.) In other
words, the system assumes the sensor is not working when it does
not receive a door-open sensor for a call that requires machine
entry. In some cases, the user may arrive at the machine and be
able to resolve the issue without opening the door, or otherwise
has not opened the door when the call is completed. In this case,
the user touches the no button on panel 266. After either the yes
or no button on panel 266 is touched, the screen returns to the
display shown in FIG. 64, and the user is again available to
receive offered calls.
[0225] Before recording this call in the MEAL log, the system first
checks to confirm: a) the request from the user's device must give
a call identifier, b) the call so identified must exist and be
found by the system, c) the call is one that requires machine
entry, and d) the call must be associated with a gaming machine
that stored by the system.
[0226] The present implementation also permits a user to enter a
machine and create a corresponding MEAL entry on his or her
initiative. In other words, this can happen even when the system
has not generated any call at all. To do so, the user touches the
Create a Call button in FIG. 64, which causes a scrollable list of
call types to appear in FIGS. 69 and 70. In the view of FIG. 70 the
list has been scrolled so that more call types can be displayed.
When the call to be created requires entering a machine, the user
touches Machine Entry in FIG. 70, which displays a scrollable
submenu listing typical reasons for entering a machine, as shown in
FIG. 71. When the Other panel is touched in FIG. 71, a comment box
appears, which when touched displays the touch-screen keyboard to
permit the user to create a reason for entry, which will be
included in the MEAL log.
[0227] In FIG. 72, the user has reconsidered the reason for
entering the machine and has changed the selection from Other to
Tilt by touching the Tilt panel. When the user hits the Next button
in FIG. 72, a further submenu shown in FIG. 73 appears, which
permits further specification of the reason for entry. Here the
Button Panel reason is selected. When the Select a Reason button is
touched, the screen displays as shown in FIG. 74. The sections
stored in the system appear, with B08 being selected in response to
a touch from the user. The bank and seat text fields must each be
touched and the corresponding number for each entered using the
keyboard. When the Apply button is touched the information is sent
to the server, which first checks to confirm that a slot machine
numbered 04 in bank 31 of section B08 is listed in the stored
machines. If so, the Active Call screen of FIG. 75 is
presented.
[0228] When the door is opened, the sensor causes the system to
present the screen depicted in FIG. 76 in which a Comment button is
added. From there the call proceeds like any other, i.e., as if it
had been generated in response to a system signal.
[0229] Consideration will now be given to how a user is presented
with a system-generated call that normally does not require entry
into a machine, but during the course of the call, the door is
opened. In FIG. 77, a user is offered a call in response to a
change light turned on by a player at the displayed slot machine
location. The user accepts the call, and the screen then appears as
shown in FIG. 78. After arrival, the user touches the Arrive button
or inserts their card into the card reader, and the screen assumes
the view of FIG. 79.
[0230] During the course of the call, the user determines that he
or she must enter the machine. This may happen, for instance, when
the customer asks the user to check the game history. When the door
is opened, the sensor signals the system, which presents a
scrollable menu as shown in FIG. 80, which is the same as that
shown in FIGS. 69-70. Here, the new call is a Machine Entry, which
the user touches. This brings up the same scrollable submenu
functionality shown in FIGS. 71-73. Because the list shown in FIGS.
69-70 is generated by touching the Create a Call button, it is
headed Speed Call Type. The list in FIG. 80 is created in response
to the door opening on a call not normally requiring machine entry.
As a result, it is captioned Create a new call?
[0231] After the call is created, it proceeds as any other call.
For the system to create the MEAL log entry, several conditions
must be satisfied: a) the user must be carded in to the machine, b)
there must be a call at the machine, c) the card in at the machine
is associated with the user who accepted the call, and d) the user
has selected a MEAL reason via their device.
[0232] There is also a call that can be created when, for whatever
reason, the user's iOS device is not communicating with the server.
Such a condition may occur when, e.g., the wireless network is down
or the server is not functioning properly. It is of course
desirable to continue service to machines and to log data regarding
such service--especially machine entry events, which are closely
monitored by casino operators and regulators.
[0233] FIG. 81 depicts the display on screen 260 when a user cannot
log in. The Connect button sends a wireless signal to initiate
communication with the server but if it cannot be made, the user
can touch the Offline Meal Entry button, which produces the screen
shown in FIG. 82. This screen provides for entry of various data
that is stored locally on the user's iOS device until the
connection to the server is restored when it is then uploaded to
the server and stored with the other call and MEAL records. The
user enters his or her Login and PIN and may also enter a reason
for entry in the Comments box using the touch screen keyboard, not
visible in FIG. 82. Next, the user touches an arrow 268, which
calls up the screen of FIG. 83. This screen enables the user to
enter information identifying the machine that he or she is
preparing to enter and functions similarly to the manner described
in connection with FIG. 74. When the Apply button is touched, the
screen again reverts to the display of FIG. 82, and the user
touches a second arrow 270, which produces the display in FIG. 84.
This permits the user to enter a reason in a fashion similar to
that described in connection with FIGS. 71-73. Once the reason is
selected, the screen of FIG. 82 appears again, and the user may
touch the Save button, which stores it locally.
[0234] When the connection to the server is restored, the entry is
automatically transmitted to be stored as a system record. Once
transmitted, the entry is first checked for validity. The location
entered must correspond to a valid machine, the record for which is
stored in the system. And the employee identified in the login name
must exist and be in the Slots department.
[0235] In FIG. 85, the supervisor Stats page is displayed with one
of the categories being Total MEAL entries 272. When category 272
is touched, details by call appear in the format shown in FIG.
86.
[0236] Each of the types of MEAL entries discussed above include
the following data: date, time, Reason for entry/Duties performed,
Comments (if any), User's name, and Badge number. In addition, each
entry is associated with data related to the machine that the entry
documents. Information about each machine is stored on or
accessible by the system and includes: Machine number, Serial
number, Location, Program name, Program number, Certification
number, Purchase date, On floor date, Off floor date, Sale date,
and Model type. As a result, reports may be generated in a variety
of ways to review information related to machine entries, e.g., by
machine, by employee, by section, etc.
[0237] The system creates a potential MEAL record each time a call
is dispatched because, as described above, a machine may be entered
during any call--even one that was not initiated as a call that
requires machine entry. The potential record, which includes the
employee identification and call data is not stored in a MEAL entry
unless and until either the sensor indicates an open door on the
machine that is associated with the call (whether system or user
initiated), or when the user responds with Yes when presented with
a panel asking if the machine was opened, like that shown in FIG.
68.
[0238] It can therefore be seen that this system constrains users
by requiring MEAL entries under certain conditions, and by
automatically collecting and entering the required information.
Finishing now the MEAL description with reference to the flow
charts in FIGS. 87-89, indicated generally at 274 in FIGS. 87A and
87B is a flow chart that summarizes an operation when a user
receives a call that typically requires machine entry, such as
printer, validator, or general tilt malfunctions. FIGS. 87A and 87B
are self-explanatory, and portray mostly previously described
functionality. One feature bears further discussion, namely the
ability of a non-dispatched user to intercept a call. In step 276,
a dispatched user, i.e., one who has accepted a call has not
arrived within a reasonable period of time. Another user could
happen to be in the area of the machine or could be assigned to the
call by a supervisor. The non-dispatched user can take over a call
in one of two ways--either by inserting his or her card in the card
reader of the machine to which the call is dispatched in step 278
or by using their iOS device to join or create a call in step 280.
Either way, the system recognizes that another user is assigned to
the call, referred to as a carded-in user in step 278, although the
user might have been recognized in step 280 without actually
inserting a card. From there the call proceeds with the
non-dispatched user in the same manner as if the dispatched user
had arrived and begun work.
[0239] FIGS. 88A and 88B summarize an operation when a user is
dispatched on a call that typically does not require a MEAL entry.
In step 282 in FIG. 88B, if the user does not open the machine
door, the call proceeds like any other. If, however, the door is
opened, a MEAL entry is created and stored.
[0240] FIG. 89 depicts an operation in which a user provides
non-dispatched service to a machine beginning at step 284. This
call can be user initiated either by inserting the user's card at
branch 286 or by creating a call on his or her iOS device at branch
288. If the service selected by the user does not require machine
entry, the call proceeds as a non-MEAL call in step 290. If a
reason for entry is selected in step 292, and the door is opened in
step 294, the MEAL entry is created in step 296.
[0241] Finally, one aspect of machine entry relates to
system-defined illegal entries. If no user is linked to the server,
either via employee card or by a successfully completed call
creation or joined call, and a door opens, an illegal alert is
generated on a supervisor's iOS device. If there is no call at the
machine or if there is a call but no MEAL reason is provided and a
door opens, an alert is also generated. An alert is also generated
if the user is on a call but it is a different machine from where
the machine entry occurred.
[0242] Another feature of the present system relates to fair
distribution of offers to accept jackpot calls. Some casinos pool
their tips and split the pooled tips based on the amount of hours
worked. Others permit employees to keep all of their tips. In the
latter operations, it is important to give everyone equal
opportunity to be dispatched on calls to complete jackpots, which
is where the majority of tips is earned.
[0243] The present implementation maintains a sequential jackpot
eligibility list for each section in FIG. 5. Before any jackpots
area awarded, everyone is on an equal basis. The list includes each
user assigned to a particular section and each user in a section
that is associated with the particular section. Initially all users
are ranked in order from the user logged in the longest time to the
one logged in the shortest time.
[0244] When the first jackpot hits, the system starts at the top of
the list and works down until an available user is located.
Available here means not on a pending or active call and not on
break. When the available user is located, the jackpot call is
offered to the user. Regardless of whether the user accepts,
defers, quits, or completes the call, that user is moved to the
bottom of the list as a result of having been offered the jackpot
call. If the user defers or otherwise does not complete the call,
the system again starts at the top of the list and moves down in
sequence to offer the call to the next available user, and so
on.
[0245] When the next jackpot hits, the system again starts at the
top of the list and works down until an available user is located,
who is offered the call and moved to the bottom of the list. If the
user defers or otherwise does not complete the call, the system
again starts at the top of the list and moves down in sequence to
offer the call to the next available user, and so on.
[0246] There is another routing feature that a casino will likely
use when implementing the present system, namely giving priority to
certain types of calls. First, on a floor that is adequately
staffed during a time when slot machines are not particularly busy,
all calls may be offered as soon as the system receives them. In
other words, there are available users who are neither on a pending
or active call nor on break. But often, especially when the floor
gets busy, the calls are coming in faster than they can be
serviced. As a result, a queue of calls is formed. In the past,
because it is desirable to quickly respond to jackpot calls, those
calls were always placed at the top of the queue rather than at the
bottom. But the remaining non-jackpot calls were all serviced in
first-in-first-out time order.
[0247] The present implementation permits calls to be prioritized
based on a variety of factors. Each call is assigned a priority
level ranging from 1 to 9, with 9 being the lowest priority call
and 1, the highest. In addition to assigning a priority level when
the call first enters the queue, the priority may change after the
call is initially queued as a result of events that occur after the
call first enters the queue. The following Table 7 illustrates one
way in which calls are initially ordered in the queue.
TABLE-US-00007 TABLE 7 Ranking Regular Call Jackpot Call Uncarded
Player 9 7 Silver 8 7 Gold 7 5 Platinum 6 4 Elite 5 3
[0248] When an event from a machine comes in, it is tentatively
assigned either a 9, if a regular call, or a 7, if a jackpot call.
If there is a carded player playing the machine that generated the
event, the player ID is attached to the event message. This permits
the system to look up the player and determine the player ranking,
with one example of ranking being shown in Table 7. The priorities
are then assigned according to Table 7 and the call is placed in
the queue in chronological order of the time it came in with each
call having an assigned priority value. This queue may be displayed
on a supervisor's device as Unserviced Calls, as shown in FIG. 21.
This queue is always maintained in the chronological order in which
the call was received. In the present implementation the priority
value does not appear on a display, although it easily could.
[0249] Several different parameters can escalate any call to a
higher priority value. For every 30 seconds that passes between
initial generation of the call and before the call is accepted, the
priority level increases by one, e.g., a 9 goes to an 8, a 6 to a
5, and so forth. As a result, older calls steadily increase in
priority.
[0250] As responders complete calls, go of break, log in, or
otherwise become available to take a call, the system offers calls
based on priority value, i.e., all with 1 values are first offered,
all with 2 values are next offered, etc. And within each rank,
e.g., all with 1 values, calls are offered in first-in-first-out
order.
[0251] In addition, calls may be manually deferred by a user,
automatically deferred by the system if the user does not respond
to the offer in a timely fashion, and reassigned by a supervisor.
Any one of these events also results in an increase (toward higher
priority) of one in priority value. As a result, when the call is
returned to the queue after deferral or reassignment, it is
assigned to a higher priority group and is more likely to be
serviced sooner.
[0252] With this system, highly ranked players may receive more
prompt service, which is consistent with the operator's goal of
paying special attention to the top players. But even an uncarded
player who has had to wait for a long time for service may
ultimately receive service before a highly ranked player as a
result of the priority assignment. These priority values and
adjustments to them, may be modified to satisfy a casino's service
goals. For example, the 30-second time to increase priority value
could be modified. Or newly carded players could be granted a
higher priority. Or the highest rank could always go to the top
priority.
[0253] The various embodiments of the system described above,
improve the experience of a consumer within a commercial
environment. As is obvious, customer satisfaction is essential to
gaining repeat business.
[0254] Although this discussion describes consumers in the role of
gamblers or potential gamblers within a casino, this system is
equally beneficial in any gambling environment including within a
traditional casino, via mobile communication device, such as a
phone, pad or laptop computer and when the consumer is at home via
the same devices along with a more traditional fixed personal
computer or game device such a Microsoft's Xbox.
[0255] The system is also applicable to non-gambling businesses
where consumer gratification--leaving the consumer with a positive
memory of an experience--is important. In sum, this system may be
equally well implemented in any commercial enterprise, both
gambling and non-gambling and with physical or virtual
presence.
[0256] In casino operations, consumer satisfaction is presumed to
exist when services are delivered within defined parameters. For
example, if a consumer experiences a problem and an agent provides
assistance within a prescribed time, it is presumed the consumer is
satisfied.
[0257] In practice, satisfaction is determined more by the respect,
consideration, recognition, empathy, and kindness with which the
service is delivered rather than with than the actual service
itself or the speed with which it is delivered.
[0258] Modern casinos lack the tools with which to personalize
services for individual consumers, motivate user agents to deliver
satisfying experiences or to measure the performance of users or
actual satisfaction of consumers.
[0259] The systems described above make it possible to personalize
services for consumers, motivate user agents to deliver respectful
and gratifying services, and measure the level of consumer
satisfaction with each service delivered.
[0260] The present development relates to dispatch systems and more
particularly to such systems that are implemented via computer
networks.
[0261] It is known in connection with such systems to include a
feature that prevents an employee from being dispatched in response
to a service light button at a gaming device that was inadvertently
depressed. In the normal course of business, a player presses the
button, which lights a light on the gaming device. Before
computer-implemented dispatch systems, attendants walked the floor
looking for lights that were on to see what service the player
might need, e.g., to order a beverage or get some change. Once the
attendant arrives, the light is switched off and the service is
provided. In this system if a player, housecleaner, or attendant
accidentally pressed the button, which happens on a regular basis,
he or she simply switches the light off.
[0262] When computerized dispatch systems came into use, the
systems detected a light-on network packet, also referred to as a
light-on event, which was generated in response to actuating a
service-light button at an identified slot machine. As a result,
simply turning the light off--even if done immediately--in and of
itself would not prevent the original event from generating a call.
The prior art did, however, also detect light-off packets (events)
that are generated whenever a service-light button was turned off.
The light-off events also carried information that identified the
machine where the light was turned off. To prevent at least some
unnecessary calls from being generated, each light-on event is
stored in a queue for a predetermined length of time, e.g., 15
seconds. In addition, every light-off event that comes in is
checked against each event in the queue to see if they are
associated with the same machine. If so, the light-on event is
removed from the queue and the call is never generated. But if the
light-on event remains in the queue for the full 15 seconds, a call
for that machine is generated.
[0263] In this prior art system, once a call is generated it is not
cleared, i.e., canceled, even if the light is turned off after the
15-second delay.
[0264] The present development provides for clearing calls that no
longer require a response as a result of a detected network signal.
It also addresses calls that should not be generated or should be
cleared after generation in response to an earlier-received network
signal (as opposed to a later-received network signal as is the
case with the service light) that indicates the call is not
necessary. And it facilitates use of several different events to
suppress or cancel a call, use of one event to suppress or cancel
several different calls, and use of several different events that
would each suppress or cancel several different calls.
[0265] The present system can deal with virtually any type of event
or call that is generated. One example, discussed above, is the
change light, which is the only event that the prior art dealt
with. And once a call was generated, there was no clearing it. In
this system, however, a change light call can be cleared at any
time when the change light is turned off, which generates a
corresponding light-off event, so long as the attendant has not
arrived at the machine, i.e., swiped the arrived slider on his or
her device. This is an example of a subsequent event clearing a
prior event.
[0266] Another example relates to a proprietary slot management
system that generates both a machine-paid jackpot packet/event and
a jackpot packet/event for the same player award. These events are
used by the system for accounting purposes. The jackpot event is
used by the dispatch system to dispatch attendants to hand pay and
verify jackpots over a certain amount. But if the jackpot has been
machine paid, there is no need to dispatch attendants for a hand
pay. Put differently, if there is a jackpot event that is not
preceded by a hand-pay event, the attendants should be dispatched
for a hand pay.
[0267] Still another example relates to bill-acceptor jams. Such
jams generate a jam event on the network that is used to create a
call. Each time a bill acceptor accepts a different denomination of
currency, a different event is generated, e.g., $10 accepted, $20
accepted, etc. If a jam event is followed by an event of any bill
being accepted it is desirable to clear the call, assuming it has
not been accepted. This scenario, a jam followed by an accepted
bill, could occur if an attendant cleared the jam because he or she
was nearby and cleared the jam without being on a system generated
call.
[0268] The table in the co-pending application refers only to
calls, but each of these calls was triggered by a corresponding
event. Any of these events could be used to clear any other event,
multiple events could be used to clear one event, multiple events
could be cleared by one event, and each of multiple events could be
cleared by each of other multiple events.
[0269] At the network level, a database table is created that
incorporates the rules. An exemplary format, and including a single
exemplary entry, for such a table is below. The actual table has
many rows, each of which comprises a separate rule.
TABLE-US-00008 RULE TABLE Event Event Event Hold Time Code A Code B
Type Time On/Off Stamp 200 190 2 30 True 2013-07-12 10:48:46
[0270] The first two columns are event codes, some of which are
used to trigger calls in the table in the co-pending application.
Because different manufactures of slot systems each use proprietary
codes to designate an event, it is necessary to map each of those
into a corresponding code in the present system. For example, the
above table depicts code 200 in the first column, which corresponds
to a service-light on event regardless of which slot management
system the slot machines are connected to. And Event Code B in the
second column corresponds to a service-light off event.
[0271] The Event Type column is an entry that indicates which of
two ways the rule will be applied. One way is: If event A occurs
before event B within the configured duration (Hold Time=30
seconds), ignore event B. This is the example given above relating
to a machine-paid jackpot event and a jackpot event, which is hand
paid. The other way is: If event B occurs after event A, ignore
event A. This corresponds to the service light and bill acceptor
examples. In this nomenclature, event A always occurs before event
B, but depending upon which of two types of processing is applied
either event A will be ignored or event B will. The service light
rule shown in the first row is the second event type, i.e., if
event A occurs before event B within the configured duration (Hold
Time=30 seconds), ignore event B.
[0272] The on/off column indicates whether the rule is currently in
effect. The last column is a time stamp indicating when the rule
was last updated. In the present embodiment the only columns that
can be updated are Hold Time and On/Off, and casino personnel can
configure each of these as desired.
[0273] In operation, all of the events collected from the network
stream into the system. Each event comprises a packet that
identifies the nature of the event (the event code) and the machine
from which it originated. Each event is checked against the table
to see if it has a code that corresponds to one in the table,
either event A or B. If so, it is stored in a memory location that
corresponds to the particular machine associated with that
event.
[0274] And as each new event is stored in memory, it is compared
with each of the events previously stored to see if one of the
rules in the table above applies. Put differently, each stored item
is checked against each new item to see if the stored item includes
an Event Code A from one of the rows and the new event includes an
Event Code B from the same row. For example, if a stored event
associated with a particular machine includes Event Code 200
(service light on) each event is checked to see if it includes an
Event Code 190 (service light off). If so the rule in the first row
shown above is applied, i.e., the stored event having Event Code
200 is cleared from memory. As a result, a service light call is
not created.
[0275] The Hold Time is the amount of time each event is stored in
memory before it is cleared. If the event sits in memory for the
entire hold time without the rule being applied, it is consequently
removed from memory and used to create a call. In the case of an
event coded 200, which is in the rule in the first row, a service
light call is created.
[0276] Once any call is created, it is also stored in memory at the
location associated with the machine that generated the event from
which the call was produced up until the time the attendant swipes
the arrived slider on his or her device, which clears the call from
memory. Each stored call in memory is checked against the rule
table and each incoming event, just like each of the stored events
are checked. If the event code that was used to create the stored
call corresponds to an Event Code A from one of the rules and the
incoming event comprise an Event Code B from the same rule (row),
the rule is applied.
[0277] For example, one sequence could be that an event having code
200 (light on) for a particular machine arrives and is stored in
memory at the location associated with the machine where the light
was turned on. Additional arriving events are checked against the
stored light-on event, but the hold time lapses without a code 190
event (light off) arriving for that machine. As a result, the rule
in the first row is not applied to this light-on event and it is
cleared from memory and used to generate a light-on call, which
sends the call to an attendant's device. As this call is generated
it is stored in the memory location associated with the machine,
i.e., the same location from which the event that was used to
create the call was just cleared.
[0278] Each new incoming event and call is checked against each
stored event and call to see if one of the rules applies. In the
present case if an event code 190 comes in before the attendant
swipes the arrived slider on his or her device in response to the
call based on event code 200, the call is cleared from the memory.
If the employee has accepted the call but not yet arrived, the call
is cleared and the employee is notified via the device that the
call is no longer active.
[0279] A prior event may clear a subsequent call and a call may be
cleared by a subsequent event. In other words, the two event type
rules apply equally well when Event Codes A and B are both events
or when one is a call and the other is an event. In addition, as
when rules are applied only to events, a single call may be cleared
by multiple events.
[0280] It should be noted that when multiple events clear a single
event or call, or vice versa, or when each of multiple events
clears each of different multiple events or calls, each possible
combination of events and calls require a separate rule (row) in
the table.
[0281] Here is an exemplary list of events and corresponding events
(labeled anti-events) that could be used to cancel the event:
TABLE-US-00009 Event Anti-event Change light on Change light off
Machine paid JP before 1150 event JP hopper paid Bill validator
hardware error Bills in, ticket in (one to many) Bill acceptor jam
Bills in, ticket in (one to many) Printer jam Printer reset BE2
offline BE2 online Illegal drop door open Drop door closed Bill
acceptor removed Bill acceptor inserted Ticket printer off Ticket
printer on Hopper low Hopper full Game disabled Game enabled
Attendant was requested Attendant request canceled Drink service
requested Drink service canceled Account pin locked Account pin
unlocked Paper low Paper full
[0282] One to many in the list above refers to a plurality of
anti-events, in this case any denomination of bill or any value of
ticket, which could be used to cancel a single corresponding
event.
[0283] Turning now to FIG. 90, a status screen 300 is on another
mobile computing device (not visible). User Gracie D., whose name
appears in the upper left corner of screen 300, has logged into the
device. Users are also referred to herein as service agents. As
with other embodiments, screen 300 displays the user's supervisor,
sections to which she is assigned, and her role, namely Floor
Attendant. A break switch 302 is activated by touch to indicate
when the user is on a break as previously described.
[0284] In FIG. 91, a call has been automatically offered by the
system to Gracie based on her qualifications and location, as
previously described. Here a panel 304 appears until Gracie hits
the Accept or Defer buttons on the panel. The panel indicates that
identified player Sam Jones, who is a highly ranked player
(Platinum) based on his play, has hit a $1200 jackpot at machine
B098501, which is in Gracie's section. Gracie hits the Accept
button on panel 304, and screen 307 appears as shown in FIG.
92.
[0285] In FIG. 92, the Calls icon in the navigation bar includes a
circular badge indicating that the user is working on a single
call. Gracie heads towards machine B098501. When she arrives at the
machine, she touches the Arrive button, and screen 307 appears as
shown in FIG. 93. Now Gracie needs complete the call by doing her
part to hand pay the $1200 jackpot. If she encounters a problem
that she cannot resolve, she can hit the Escalate button to bring
in a co-worker as described above. If not, once her role in hand
paying the jackpot is complete, she hits the Complete button in
FIG. 93, and awaits another call.
[0286] Before moving on, consideration will be given to the
logistics of hand paying jackpots in a casino. Taxing authorities,
such as the IRS, require tax forms, e.g., a W2-G, for gambling
winnings over a set amount. This necessitates that jackpots above
that amount be hand paid so that the necessary player
identification and social security number may be obtained to
satisfy these requirements. Although policy can vary from casino to
casino, at most places hand paid jackpots need to be witnessed. As
a result, hand pays always involve at least two employees, and
usually several more. For example, when jackpots are above a
certain level, at least one person with security will accompany a
cashier or the attendant after he or she retrieves the money to
take to the winning player. Further the attendant must get
identification, including a social security number, from the player
to generate the appropriate tax paperwork. The larger the jackpot,
the more people will be required. At a certain level, the
supervisor usually must witness the hand pay, and at even higher
jackpot levels the slot manager and/or casino manager may also be
included. During this process, the attendant must prepare the tax
forms, act as a witness, and often take a picture of the winner
that the casino uses for publicity. As a result, hand paying a
jackpot requires coordination among a number of people doing
different things at different times. This can leave the attendant,
while still on the call, with idle time while others are doing
their part.
[0287] In high limit games, hand paid jackpots may be hit quite
frequently. As a result, there are multiple jackpots being hand
paid in these areas. What is more, it is not uncommon for a
high-limit player to have multiple hand-pay jackpots in process
simultaneously. This can happen in at least two ways. First, gaming
machines typically lock up after a jackpot that must be hand paid.
This prevents further play so that the win can be verified and the
jackpot paid. After the jackpot is processed at least in part, the
attendant uses his or her key to reactivate the slot machine. In
some casinos, the player may resume play on the machine before the
forms are completed and the jackpot paid. While a first jackpot is
being hand paid, as described above, a second one, and possibly
even a third, may be hit on the same machine and the hand-pay
process started for each.
[0288] Second, the player may have multiple hand-pay jackpots in
process simultaneously because he or she is playing several
machines, typically adjacent to each other. Such a player will
often have multiple player-tracking cards, one in each machine, so
that the player can receive appropriate recognition from the casino
for all of his or her play. Having simultaneous hand-paid jackpots
in process for a single player may result from a combination of the
two, namely having multiple jackpots on a one machine while having
multiple jackpots on different machines.
[0289] In prior art dispatch systems, each hand-paid jackpot is a
different call and may produce a different attendant to process
each jackpot, even when the jackpots are payable to a single player
at a single machine or closely adjacent machines. This is both
inefficient and potentially problematic for the player. Sometimes a
first attendant takes the player's identification and social
security number to process a first jackpot. A second attendant may
then receive the same identification and social security number
from the first attendant while the second attendant is processing
the first jackpot. Then the first attendant returns and pays the
jackpot without the identification because the second attendant has
it. And then the second attendant returns the identification. This
can leave the player wondering how many people are passing around
his or her identification and social security number. It is better
for a number of reasons if a single attendant can process all
jackpots that are currently in process for a single player.
[0290] Returning again to the drawings, it will be recalled that
the attendant, Gracie, was on a call to hand pay a $1200 jackpot,
in FIG. 93. While on the call, she receives an indication that the
same player, Sam Jones, has hit a jackpot via a panel 306 in FIG.
94. Note that panel 306 does not give Gracie the opportunity to
accept or defer; it merely notifies her that she is assigned to
hand pay a second jackpot to the player for which she is already
paying a first jackpot. Gracie hits OK on panel 306, and the screen
in FIG. 95 appears.
[0291] FIG. 95 is a list of all current calls that Gracie has
either accepted--and as will later be seen, created, joined, or
intercepted--or been assigned to as with the case of the jackpot in
FIG. 94. The badge in the Calls status icon now shows the numeral 2
indicating that Gracie has two current calls. Because the call list
in FIG. 95 includes machine numbers, it can be seen that Sam has
hit hand-payable jackpots on adjacent machine numbers, B098502 and
B098501. This typically indicates that the machines are adjacent
one another.
[0292] In FIG. 95, Gracie touches the top call, namely that $5000
jackpot, which is On Hold, and the screen in FIG. 96 appears.
Shortly after doing so, yet another panel 308 appears informing
Gracie that she is assigned to a third jackpot hit by Sam Jones. It
should be noted that the $5000 jackpot call remains On Hold until
Gracie hits the Arrive button, which is visible in FIG. 96. Doing
so would make the $5000 call active and place the other current
calls On Hold. The system permits only one active call at a time;
the others are on hold. After panel 308 appears, Gracie hits the OK
button on the panel and the call list with all three calls appears
in FIG. 97. It can be seen that the three jackpots on are on three
consecutive machine numbers, which typically indicates three
adjacent machines. Also, the badge on the Calls icon now indicates
three current calls, only one of which is active at a time. Here
the $1200 jackpot remains active. In FIG. 97, Gracie touches the
$1200 call to return to its call screen, and the screen of FIG. 98
appears. Gracie processes this jackpot call as described above, and
hits the Complete button, which again returns her to the call list
in FIG. 99, now having only two calls because the $1200 call is
completed.
[0293] In FIG. 99, Gracie has a choice of which call to touch and
thereby bring up its call screen. She choses the $5000 jackpot,
which brings up the screen of FIG. 100. She quickly hits the Arrive
button in FIG. 100--because the machine is adjacent the machine on
which she just processed the $1200 hand-pay for Mr. Jones. Doing so
brings up the screen shown in FIG. 101. She finishes processing the
$5000 jackpot, hits the Complete button in FIG. 101, and the call
screen for the only remaining call, shown in FIG. 102, appears.
This happens because there is no reason to go to a call list to
permit the attendant to select which call he or she wants to
process next as happened in the transition from FIG. 98 to FIG.
99.
[0294] Now Gracie is working on the only other call, namely the
$1750 jackpot. She hits the Arrive button in FIG. 102, the screen
of FIG. 103 appears, Gracie finishes processing this jackpot, hits
the Compete button, and her Calls screen is empty as shown in FIG.
104.
[0295] Although in the above scenario, Gracie processed each
jackpot sequentially, she could have switched back and forth among
them at her option. For example, in FIG. 98, Gracie might have
completed part of the processing of the $1200 jackpot, e.g.,
obtaining the player's identification and social security number,
but is waiting for the cashier to issue the cash. By touching the
<Calls list button 310 in FIG. 98, the screen returns to the
call list showing all current calls and their status as in FIGS. 97
and 99. She can then select any other call, which brings that call
to her Calls screen as shown, e.g., in FIGS. 98 and 100. If she has
not yet arrived at the call, by touching the Arrive button, she can
do so thus making the call Active. This makes that call active and
puts all the others on hold. For any call already arrived at,
returning to its call screen automatically activates the selected
call and places the others On Hold. In this manner an attendant may
work towards processing multiple jackpots for the same player when
she has become idle on one of the calls.
[0296] This is implemented by the system, which checks every
hand-pay jackpot call to determine whether the same player has an
active hand-pay jackpot. If so, the system assigns the new jackpot
call to the same attendant.
[0297] In another example, after a quite period with no calls,
Gracie receives a Change Light On call at B098502 as shown in FIG.
105. She touches the Accept button on a panel 312, and the call
screen in FIG. 106 appears with the badge on the Calls icon showing
one current call. After arriving at B098502, Gracie hits the Arrive
button in FIG. 106, and FIG. 107 appears showing the Active screen
for the Change Light Call and that Gracie can now either Escalate
or Complete the call. But before doing either, Sam Jones hits a
$2000 jackpot as indicated in a panel 314, which appears as a
system-generated call over the Change Light Call screen in FIG.
107. Because the Jackpot call is for the same identified player as
the Active Change Light Call, the jackpot call is automatically
assigned by the system to the attendant who is handling the Change
Light Call, namely Gracie. After being so notified by panel 314,
Gracie touches the OK button on the panel. In response, Gracie is
shown the call list (not shown in the drawings) and can select
either of the calls to work as described in the first example. In
alternative embodiment, panel 314 disappears after the OK button is
touched and the Change Light Call, upon which Gracie was working
when the jackpot was assigned, remains on the screen as in FIG.
108. Either way, Gracie may always revert to the call list by
touching <Calls list button 310. When she does so in FIG. 108,
the calls list in FIG. 109 appears showing the location of each
call and the status, either Active or On Hold. In FIG. 109, Gracie
decides to work on the jackpot so she touches that call on the
screen and the jackpot call screen appears as shown in FIG.
110.
[0298] After beginning work on the jackpot call, another jackpot to
the same player is assigned to Gracie in FIG. 111 via a panel 316.
Gracie hits the OK button on panel 316 and is presented with the
list of all her current calls in FIG. 112. Note that all of the
calls are to a single player who is carded in to two adjacent
machines. Machine B098502 has a Change Light On call and machine
B098501 has two jackpots, which can happen when one hand-pay
jackpot is partially processed, the machine is reactivated, and
another hand-pay jackpot is soon hit. As before, Gracie may switch
among the calls based on her senses of the importance, e.g., size
of jackpot, the length of time the call has been outstanding, and
her availability as a result of idle time on one of the calls. In
FIG. 112, Gracie touches the second call, the Jackpot for $1800,
and its call screen appears in FIG. 113. Once Gracie is at machine
B098501 and ready to process the $1800 Jackpot, she may touch the
Arrive button in FIG. 113 and begin processing the call. Rather
than following this example through the processing of all the
calls, attention will now be given to another example.
[0299] In FIG. 114, another attendant, Charlie J. has just received
a call for a Bill Acceptor Full at machine B098501. A panel 318
appears, Charlie choses to accept the call, and does so by touching
the Accept button on the panel. This brings the call screen up in
FIG. 115. Like hand pay jackpots, Bill Acceptor Full calls take
some time, require the efforts of multiple employees to complete
and typically leave the attendant with some idle time. This results
from having to involve personnel who deal with large amounts of
cash, e.g., security and the cashier, to empty the bill acceptor at
the machine with accompanying accounting entries. The attendant
consequently has some idle time while the call is still active
during which he or she is waiting for others to arrive and/or to
complete work that does not involve the attendant.
[0300] Once Charlie has accepted the call and arrived at the
machine, he hits the Arrive button (the resulting screen not shown
in the drawings) in FIG. 115 and begins his work. After completing
his initial work, Charlie touches the Status button in the
navigation bar to produce the screen of FIG. 116. He then touches
the Busy switch, changing it from its Busy mode to its Not Busy
mode. This indicates that, while still handling a current call, he
is available to respond to an escalation of another call. It should
be noted that the Busy switch automatically appears and replaces
the Break switch (like Gracie D.'s Break switch 302 in FIG. 90)
when a user is on a call. Users cannot go on a break when they are
on a call so a Break switch is not needed during a call. The Busy
switch has two modes: Busy and Not Busy. When a user goes from not
being on a call to being on a call the Busy switch automatically
replaces the Break switch and automatically appears in its Busy
mode. But a user may manually switch modes from Busy to Not Busy
and back again. Charlie is reminded that changing to the Not Busy
mode will change his status as shown in FIG. 117 where a panel 320
appears indicating that, if he touches the OK button, he will be
available for escalated calls. Charlie does so and soon receives an
escalated call as indicated by a panel 322 in FIG. 118. Charlie
touches the Accept button on panel 322, and the screen in FIG. 119
appears listing his current calls, namely the call to which he was
just escalated and the Bill Acceptor Full call, which is now on
hold as a result of acceptance of the escalated call.
[0301] When Charlie arrives at section B09, he determines that
there is a communications problem with machine B09: 503, and
creates a call at that machine by inserting his employee card into
the card reader. This newly created all appears on the calls list
in FIG. 120. From there Charlie touches that call on the list to
bring up its all screen in FIG. 121. Charlie then works through his
current calls as described above.
[0302] Turning now to another example, in FIG. 122, the screen on
attendant Gracie D.'s device is again depicted. A panel 324 offers
a General Tilt call to Gracie, which she accepts by touching the
Accept button on panel 324, thus producing the call screen in FIG.
123. Before arriving at the General Tilt call, Gracie touches
<Calls list button 310, which returns her to the call list in
FIG. 124. It now has only the one call on it, but this panel also
gives Gracie access to the Join a Call and Create a Call buttons.
Gracie touches the Join a Call button in FIG. 124, which produces a
list of all calls that Gracie is qualified to join in FIG. 125.
There is only one such call, namely Printer Paper Out at machine
B094104. Gracie touches the call thereby highlighting it as shown
in FIG. 126. She then touches the Join Call button, her calls list
again appears in FIG. 127 including the call just joined, which is
now Active.
[0303] As Gracie is moving about on the floor to complete her
calls, she passes a machine with a change light on and decides to
respond to that and does so by creating a call. This is
accomplished first by touching the Create a Call button in FIG.
127, which produces a panel 326 on the screen in FIG. 128. This
reminds Gracie that her current active call will be held if she
takes one of three actions: creating, joining, or stealing a call.
(Stealing a call is also referred to herein as intercepting a
call.) Gracie touches the OK button and is presented with the Speed
Call screen in FIG. 129. As previously described, the Speed Call
feature may be used to implement the Create a Call function.
[0304] On the screen in FIG. 129, Gracie touches Change under
Change light and hits the Next button. This displays her current
calls in FIG. 130 on the calls list, including the just created
Change Light call. Alternatively, Gracie could have created the
Change Light call simply by inserting her employee card into the
card reader associated with the machine with the illuminated change
light.
[0305] In FIG. 130, Gracie decides to work on the Change call and
touches it thus bringing up the Change call screen in FIG. 131. She
makes change and touches the Complete button in FIG. 131 thus
returning her to the calls list (not shown in the drawings). This
time she touches the Printer Paper Out call on the calls list,
which generates the Printer Paper Out call screen in FIG. 132.
After arriving at machine B094104, Gracie touches the Arrive button
in FIG. 132, and the screen of FIG. 133 appears. Because Gracie had
to open the machine to replace the printer paper, a MEAL entry
panel 328 appears in FIG. 134, in which Gracie has entered: "Added
more paper."
[0306] It can be seen that these features add a lot of flexibility
and efficiency. An attendant may make himself or herself available
to receive escalated calls even while on another call.
[0307] In addition, he or she may create, join, or intercept
another call while on a call. This enables an employee who may be
covering a lot of territory on the floor to efficiently route calls
by location and the order in which they are initiated and worked.
For example, if the attendant is on the way to one call at a
relatively remote location, he or she can create, join, or
intercept one or more calls while in the way to the remote
call.
[0308] Also, the same attendant handles jackpots and other
simultaneous calls to the same player, whether on the same machine,
adjacent machines, or both.
[0309] In any of these scenarios, the attendant may switch among
the calls, i.e., by making different ones of the calls active while
the others are On Hold, as needed or desired under the
circumstances.
[0310] A programmer with ordinary skill in the art may create
computer code that implements the above functions as described.
[0311] Turning now to FIG. 135, indicated generally at 330 is a
mobile computing device that is included in another embodiment.
Mobile computing device 330 is interconnected with the system shown
in FIG. 4 in a similar manner to other embodiments, but includes
additional features as will be described. Device 330 includes a
display screen having a Welcome screen image 332 displayed on the
screen. Screen image 332 includes a color bar 334 at the top
thereof. The color bar is green when activity on the casino floor
is slow relative to the number of employees to service customer
needs. Bar 334 is yellow to indicate an intermediate level of
activity and red when the activity is high and employees must
quickly execute each task to prevent delays. As will be seen, this
embodiment facilitates in-person communication between a player and
the employee who carries mobile device 330. The color bar can guide
the employee in determining how much time and attention to give
each player.
[0312] When the user of device 330, in this case Emily who has
logged in on the device as previously described, swipes to the
right on the screen, image 336 in FIG. 136 appears. This screen
permits the employee to select a floor zone and to be removed from
receiving calls, temporarily in the case of a break, or to indicate
the end of her shift.
[0313] When Emily swipes image 332 in FIG. 135 in the other
direction, screen image 338 in FIG. 137 appears. When Emily touches
one of the 4 categories displayed on the screen, she can enter a
note using a conventional screen keyboard (not shown), which
appears after one of the categories is touched. Emily enters a note
related to the subject matter of the category and the note is
tagged with the associated category and stored in a database on the
system. This enables searching using the category as a key word to
locate notes within a category. The searching can be accomplished
from any computing device operatively connected to either the
wireless network, the Internet, or to one of the servers in FIG.
4.
[0314] The Welcome screen image in FIG. 135 is displayed unless
Emily has swiped to pull up screen 336 or screen 338 or device 330
receives a call for Emily. When a call is received, screen image
340 in FIG. 138 appears. This call was automatically generated as a
result of an identified player, Nicole, inserting her
player-tracking card into a reader associated with an electronic
gaming device for the first time today. Because Nicole's player
tracking record includes her photo, it appears on image 340. As
will be described in more detail, this embodiment generates a call
for an employee to greet a player in response to any one of a
number of detected events--such as in the present case, the first
card-in of the day.
[0315] Screen image 340 includes the name of the call, Greet, at
the top left. This is the name for a call that is responsive to the
first card-in of the day. As can be seen there is a number, in this
case the numeral 7, in parentheses next to Greet. This is the total
number of previous interactions Emily has had with Nicole.
Immediately to the right is the device number, in this case #231.
This informs Emily at which gaming device Nicole has carded in so
that Emily knows where to go. Beneath Greet is the player's full
name, Nicole Kidman, and beneath her name is the player's club
tier, in this case the highest tier, Platinum Elite. Under the tier
is the player's favorite drink, a Long Black coffee. And beneath
that is a date. This is the date that Nicole last inserted a card
into an associated gaming device at the casino. The date is black
if she had an interaction with an employee that was logged in the
system and red if there was no such interaction. This provides
additional information that the employee can use to create an
appropriate greeting for Nicole. Alternatively, this information
may be provided in the form of an elapsed time, stated, e.g., in
hour or days, which indicates the time lapsed since the last card
in was detected.
[0316] When a player's birthday is within a defined number of days
of the current date, the Birthday field appears. In this case the
birthday is indicated as being 2 days away by displaying +2 days.
One day away is designated +1. If the birthday is one or two days
before, there is a -1 or -2 indicator, respectively. This gives the
employee the opportunity to mention the birthday as being the
recent or shortly upcoming. Similarly, if the player has an
anniversary or other meaningful date within the aforementioned
defined number of days, the name of that event and the days until
or since that occurrence are similarly displayed.
[0317] As described later, there is also a separate birthday call
that is generated to create a birthday celebration. A birthday call
may go out to multiple employees simultaneously, instructing them
to individually or collectively wish Nicole a happy birthday,
independent of the Greeting call. Birthday calls may occur on the
first card-in, a period of time after the first card-in, after a
first win on a gaming device, after a win of at least a minimum
size on a gaming device, a period of time after a Greeting call is
completed or other parameters.
[0318] Similarly, a specific call can be generated for an
Anniversary or other special occurrence. The call name, such as
Greet, Birthday, Anniversary, etc., appears in the upper left
portion of the screen as shown in FIGS. 138-139 and 140-142.
[0319] Referring again to FIG. 138, beneath the birthday
information are 4 rectangular fields 342, 344, 346, 348. Field 342
informs Emily of the date of the last interaction that she had with
Nicole. Fields 344 and 346 contain previous notes that were made
regarding Nicole with field 344 containing public notes, which are
notes made by any employee and that every other employee using a
device, like device 332, may see in the corresponding field on
their device. Field 346, on the other hand, contains Emily's
private notes about Nicole, which only she can normally see.
Authorized managers, however, may view the private notes via a
separate reporting interface.
[0320] The present system can produce close personal relationships
between an employee and a customer. The customer may share
information with the employee that the employee would like to
remember but would not like to become generally known, e.g.,
information about the health of the player. The manner in which
these notes are entered will be shortly described.
[0321] Each of fields 344, 346 show the last note entered with
filed 344 showing a preference for a sport team, and field 346
showing the name of Nicole's dog. When either of these fields is
touched, a popup window (not shown) appears, expanding over a
larger area of the screen. The window lists earlier notes made and
includes scroll bars that allow viewing of any number of prior
notes. In a similar manner, when field 342 is touched, a popup
window appears that displays prior interactions between Emily and
Nicole. This is a list of dates and times in reverse chronological
order. Field 348 contains the name of the employee having the most
logged interactions with Nicole followed by the number of
interactions in parentheses. When field 348 is touched, a window
appears with a list of all other employees who have interacted with
Nicole, including the total number of interactions and the date and
time of the most recent interaction with each employee.
[0322] In one embodiment, Emily may make additional notes about
Nicole on this screen simply by activating an edit function for the
area in which the new note is to be made. The edit function can be
triggered by double tapping the note area, by touching an edit
button for the field (not shown) or other method. When the edit
function is activated, a keyboard or other entry method appears on
the screen. Alternatively, a voice to text function is activated to
allow Emily to dictate the note. Although the keyboard and speech
to text functions are not illustrated, they are well known in the
art. For example Apple Inc. provides such functionality in its iOS
operating system for mobile platforms and Google Inc. provides
comparable data entry functionality on its Android platform. Any
method of data entry may be used, in accordance with the particular
mobile platform used.
[0323] In another embodiment, the ability to make notes is
suspended until the call is completed and Emily can then make notes
about information gained from her interaction with Nicole.
[0324] As can be seen in FIG. 138 a Yes button appears at the
bottom of the image, and a countdown counter appears the right of
the button. In the present embodiment, the countdown counter begins
counting down from 30 seconds when the call is presented to Emily
along with an alert, as described above, to notify Emily of the
call. Each of the counters herein is configurable and may be set to
any time. If Emily is able to and decides to accept the call, she
presses the Yes button at which point screen image 350 in FIG. 139
appears. Unlike other embodiments, there is no opportunity for
Emily to decline a call. If she cannot take the call, she simply
does not touch the Yes button, and the call is automatically
offered to another employee after the 30-second countdown is
complete. There is not the same urgency to greet a player as there
is to fix a machine problem that may prevent the player from
playing. Even if the call is offered to several employees in
succession who do not press the Yes button, when one employee does,
it is likely to be very early in the player's gaming session.
[0325] In another embodiment, an additional touch button is
provided so Emily may immediately decline the call.
[0326] Assuming Emily has pressed the Yes button in FIG. 138, she
is presented with image 350 in FIG. 139. The system logs the time
it took Emily from the call alert to pressing the Yes button. In
addition, pressing the Yes button starts a count-up counter,
displayed in the lower right corner, which tracks the time Emily
spends on the call. When Emily arrives at machine #231, which is
where Nicole has carded in, Emily hits the Arrive button in FIG.
139. The arrival time or count is logged, and the count-up counter
continues counting up while Emily greets Nicole, perhaps asking her
if she can bring a Long Black coffee, her favorite drink, or even
picking it up on the way to machine #231 and offering it, or a
substitute, to Nicole when Emily arrives. Emily can then greet and
interact with Nicole using information in Nicole's record such as
birthday, likes, personal information, last time in the casino,
etc.
[0327] In one embodiment, shown in FIG. 140, a game for play by
Nicole is presented on device 330, which Emily can offers to Nicole
to swipe the wheel to spin it. Although the game at 330 is a simple
wheel spin, other games, including slot machines, card games,
guessing games, board games, dice games are contemplated. Any game
with at least two possible outcomes is potentially suitable. The
game may be played free of charge or require compensation, such as
loyalty points, cash, a qualifying coupon or other credential.
Varying amounts of player points, free-play credit, money prizes,
etc., may be awarded to Nicole. In the case of free-play credits
and points, these can be delivered automatically to Nicole's
player-tracking account or the credits may be applied directly to
the credit meter of machine #231 where Nicole is playing. These
credits typically may only be played and not cashed out. The amount
of each prize on the wheel and the likelihood of winning each prize
may be based on Nicole's value or potential value to the casino. In
other words, the system may present prizes of varying values and
varying odds of winning to different players.
[0328] After the game is played and Emily concludes her interaction
with Nicole, she hits the Finish button in FIG. 141. This logs the
time when the Finish button is hit. Hitting the Finish button
presents screen image 352 in FIG. 142, which includes a Rate button
at the bottom. As can be seen immediately beneath Nicole's picture
is a first touch-screen slider 354, including a circular button
that Emily can touch and drag to a position on the sliding scale to
rate the player's personality between shy and bold. Similarly,
there is a second touch-screen slider 356 to the right of Nicole's
picture that can be used to rate the current mode of the player
between elated and angry. The rectangular box on each slider is an
average of all past ratings by all employees.
[0329] In one embodiment, Emily may only make notes about her
interaction with Nicole after the Rate screen in FIG. 142 appears.
The advantage is that Emily must initially focus on interacting
with Nicole without worrying about making notes. Another advantage
is that the best time to make notes is immediately after the
interaction with Nicole concludes.
[0330] Once each slider button is positioned according to Emily's
rating on each scale, and any desired notes are made, Emily presses
the Rate button. The entered ratings and notes will then be
displayed the next time a call to Nicole is assigned to an
employee. In some embodiments the words, shy-bold and elated-angry,
disappear when the Arrive button is pressed so that the player
won't glimpse the screen and realize the employee is evaluating
them. As can be seen in FIG. 142, fields 342, 344, 346, and 348 are
blank when the Rate button appears. When the employee touches any
of the fields in this mode, a touch-screen keyboard appears to
enable entry of data. Field 342 receives notes related to the
ratings made using sliders 354, 356. Field 344 is used to add a
private note, which later appears as described above. Field 346
receives a public note, also later displayed as described above.
Finally, field 348 is used to change the player's favorite
drink.
[0331] When the Rate button is touched, the ratings and notes are
logged, the call is complete, and Emily is presented with a
statistics summary screen shown in FIG. 143. At the top are Emily's
statistics for the call to greet Nicole. She accepted the call in
3.6 seconds and arrived in 22 seconds. So far on Emily's shift, she
has not accepted, i.e., let the 30-second countdown counter run
out, a total of 3 calls, which are shown as deferred at the top.
The box includes average times for other employees on this shift
for the Accept and Arrive times as well as the number of calls each
has deferred. This allows each employee to determine how he or she
is performing relative to other employees during the current shift.
In some embodiments, other ratings information may be presented on
this screen.
[0332] In FIGS. 144A and 144B, a flow chart, indicated generally at
358, depicts the sequence of operation of the greeting call
described in connection with FIGS. 138-143. The process starts at
360 and waits at 362. When any one of the players cards in for the
first time on the current day, at 364, a greet call is offered to a
first employee at 366, which starts the countdown timer from 30
seconds, at 368, as shown and described in connection with FIG.
138. At 370, if the player hits the Yes button in FIG. 138, the
process stops the countdown timer and starts an arrival count-up
timer at 372 and logs the time or count between assignment of the
call and acceptance by the employee. But if the player does not hit
the yes button within the 30-second countdown, the greeting call is
offered to another employee at 374, and a countdown timer for that
employee is started at 368.
[0333] After the call is accepted by touching the Yes button, the
employee arrives and touches the Arrive button, shown in FIG. 139,
at 376. This logs the arrival time, i.e., the time between
acceptance (touching the Yes button) and arrival (touching the
Arrive button). The arrival count up timer is stopped and a new
visit duration count up counter is begun at 377. Although not shown
on the flow chart, the optional game, shown in FIG. 140 may be
played after the Arrive button is touched. At 378, when the
greeting--and game, if played--is complete, the employee touches
the Finish button, shown in FIG. 141. This logs the current time or
count since the arrival. The visit duration count-up clock stops at
380, and ratings and notes are received, as described above, at
382. Statistics are then displayed for a predefined length of time,
e.g., 4 seconds, at 384 and as shown in FIG. 143. The number of
times the employee has interacted with this player, shown in
parentheses to the right of Greet in FIG. 138, is advanced at 386.
The process then returns to 362 to wait for the next player to
generate his or her first card-in of the day.
[0334] The time counters permit tracking for each employee of
statistics on how efficiently the employee acts to accept each
call, how long it takes to arrive (which can help to determine
employee positioning on the floor), and how long the employee
actually visits with the player. Each of these counters is useful
in measuring employee effectiveness as well as staffing efficiency
and time spent with each customer.
[0335] Other calls beyond the greet call described above are also
generated by the system and offered to an employee. For example, on
the day of a player's birthday or anniversary, the greet call may
be replaced by or supplemented with a birthday or anniversary call.
When a player cards in on the day of his or her birthday, or within
a defined range of days of the birthday date, a call is generated
in the same manner as described above. This call can go to a single
employee or multiple employees. The conduct of the call is
determined by management policy. It could be that each employee is
separately dispatched to wish the player happy birthday or that
only a subset of employees is dispatched separately to do so. It
could also be that a group of employees are dispatched
simultaneously and sing happy birthday and offer a cake or a
present. The exact nature of such dispatches is in accordance with
a combination of management policy, the player's perceived or
historical worth, player personality and current business levels of
the casino as well as the number of employees who are available to
conduct the call. Of course the same procedures may be followed on
the player's anniversary or other important days, thought he exact
configuration of these calls may be use a superset or a subset of
the criteria used for the birthday call.
[0336] Anniversary dates are typically provided by the player in
connection with enrollment in or updating the player's record in
the player-tracking club.
[0337] Additional calls can be made as described above even for a
player who is not carded in. For example, drink request, service
request, paper empty, hopper fill, and hand-pay jackpot, all of
which are described above with another embodiment. Of course, if
one of these calls comes in for a player who is not carded in,
there is no player name or personal information for the player. But
the employee responding can still greet and interact with the
player in connection with fulfilling the call, e.g., replacing
paper in the ticket printer. And if the player is carded in for one
of these calls, the player's name and information is provided as
described in connection with the call depicted in FIG. 138, and the
call proceeds in a similar fashion. In other words, a greeting and
positive interaction can be made in connection with responding to a
call that requires attention to the gaming device such as adding
paper or filling the hopper.
[0338] In another embodiment, the employee greeting--at least the
initial interaction--may be scripted by displaying a greeting on
the screen of the mobile computing device. Different greetings
could be served up according to rules stored in the system. For
example, the first thing an employee says when making a first
contact with an identified player might be: "Hi, my name is Emily.
Welcome to Acme Casino. Is there anything I can help you with?"
[0339] This confirms to the employee that he or she has not logged
an interaction with this player before and provides an indication
of how to proceed. For a greeting call to a player who has a prior
logged interaction, the employee script might be: "Hi Ms. ______.
I'm ______. We met a few months/weeks/days ago. How can I help
you?" The particular wording of follow up greetings can change over
time and will also vary depending upon the time since the last
interaction.
[0340] For players who are offered a game on the employee's mobile
device, as shown in FIG. 140, the script might read: "Hi Mr.
______. I am ______ (when it is a first interaction with the
employee). Would you like to play a bonus game with a chance to win
______ (list one or more prizes such as points and free play)?"
[0341] Different scripts are used for different kind of calls. For
example, a drink call might be: "Hi Ms. ______. I know your usual
drink is ______ (from mobile device screen). Can I bring you one or
would you like something else?"
[0342] To sum up, each type of call may have its own script. And
those can vary depending on whether it is the first interaction or
a subsequent one and with the time since the last interaction, or
in accordance to the perceived or historical worth of the customer.
Also, the scripts may vary from interaction to interaction so that
the employee does not sound as if she is simply repeating the same
statement over and over.
[0343] These scripts might be rule based. In other words, if first
greeting use script A. If first interaction on a paper fill, use
script B. If second greeting on first card in, use script C, etc.
In another embodiment, interactions are evaluated, and different
scripts or employees to interact with a player are chosen based on
the evaluation.
[0344] In another embodiment, call assignments may be routed to the
employee who has most often interacted with the customer on
previous visits. For example, If both Tom and Emily are employees
who are working when Nicole arrives, Emily may be selected for the
call because she has met Nicole 5 previous times while Tom has met
her only once before. In another embodiment, the call is assigned
to the employee who gave high ratings to previous interactions with
that guest. For example, if Tom had met Nicole only once before but
rated the encounter as leaving Nicole very happy, Tom might be
assigned the call because Nicole, although having had 5 previous
encounters, always rated Nicole as angry.
[0345] In another embodiment, the call is assigned to the employee
most highly rated on player surveys, or the employee who is most
experienced serving players of category of historical or perceived
worth, or by matching the age, regional birthplaces, mutual
interests, gender and other matching or complementary
characteristics of employees and customers.
[0346] Another type of call is the Introduction call, which, in
times when the casino isn't so busy that all employees are already
engaged with customers, an employee who has encountered the
customer previously is dispatched along with an employee that has
not previously met the customer. The employee who has previously
met the customer then introduces the employee who has not met the
customer, providing a basis of familiarity for future call
assignments.
[0347] Another type of call is the Checkup call in which, after a
period of time has elapsed since the last call to a given customer,
a new call is created in which the employee simply checks in to see
if the customer needs anything.
[0348] Similarly, an employee could be dispatched after a period of
time to deliver a drink. The periods of time between call
assignments to a given customer can depend on a combination of one
or more parameters such as customer personality, expressed customer
desires, customer historical or perceived worth, availability of
employees for call assignment and other relevant parameters.
[0349] Criteria used to determine when calls are assigned and to
which employees may be based upon information gathered from
observation by employees or management. Additional information
criteria may be drawn from player surveys, player interviews,
personality profiles, information drawn from social media,
information obtained from outside sources such as credit card
companies, car purchases and other consumer activities, as well as
instant or longer-term winning or losing events, frequency of
player visit, distance traveled by the player, and other
sources.
[0350] In the case of scheduled drink delivery, the schedule may be
based upon player request, observations by employees, historical
consumption and inside temperature and humidity. If the drink
contains alcohol, service schedules may be determined by number of
drinks previously served in the past few hours, customer weight,
build, gender and other physical and psychological characteristics,
as well as historical or perceived worth, cost of the beverage and
local laws or customs.
[0351] One of skill in the art will appreciate there are a wide
range of criteria from which to base call creation and assignment
as well as selection of the employee to whom the call is assigned.
Calls may be created and assigned in accordance to management rules
which are encoded into the system software or thy may be created
and assigned by allowing a machine learning system to evaluate
criteria regarding the customer, the employee, current business
levels and resulting customer behaviors. The machine learning
system could be provided by IBM's Watson system or by similar
systems from Facebook, Amazon, Google and other companies.
[0352] One way to evaluate a player is to track how much he or she
spends after an interaction. Virtually every casino has a
player-tracking system such as the IGT Advantage.RTM. made by IGT.
This tracks play by the player. Each electronic gaming device
includes a coin-in meter and a coin-out meter. Coin-in is the
amount applied to as a wager on the gaming device, and coin-out is
the amount paid by the gaming device as a result of an award in
response to a game played.
[0353] The present embodiment interfaces with the player-tracking
system to capture this meter information. The meter information is
typically captured when a player cards in and cards out, among
other times. Therefore, subtracting the coin-in and coin-out meter
values at card in and card out provides data from which the total
player spend for that session may be calculated. The spend can be
actual or theoretical. The actual spend is the difference between
the amount wagered and the amount won by the player. The
theoretical spend is the hold percentage on the gaming device times
the amount wagered. The theoretical spend is the amount the casino
would be expected to receive from the player if/when the gaming
device performs as it was designed over time.
[0354] Because the employee interactions are logged with time
stamps as described above, and because the meter data is also
logged with time stamps, data can be drawn from the databases
holding this information to associate a spend amount, either actual
or theoretical, with the employee who had the interaction. As a
result, a database record may be created for each interaction that
includes some or all of the following fields: [0355]
Employee/Player/Date and Time/Machine#/Spend/Mood
Rating/Personality Rating
[0356] This data can be used in a variety of ways. For example,
prior to assigning a call, whether it is a simple greeting or to
perform a task, e.g., hopper fill, the database can be consulted to
consider which employees have had positive past interactions with
this player. This could be based on spend, ratings, or a
combination. This information could also be used to determine
whether to offer a bonus game, like that in FIG. 140, to a player.
A player who has been on several different slot machines, and lost
at each, would be more likely to receive an offer to play the bonus
game than one who is consistently winning.
[0357] The data may also be used to select different scripts. In
other words, rather than implementing a strict rule-based
methodology for selecting a strict, a more adaptive approach is
used by making decisions based on the historical data.
[0358] The system can be used in other ways to optimize a player's
gaming experience. For example, the card-in and card-out times over
a long period, e.g., a year, may be searched and analyzed to
determine which players are at the casino at the same time. This
could result in an offer to one or more of the players who jointly
visit. For example, an employee responding to a call will have the
player's personal information on their mobile device, and will also
have the name of another person, in a field not shown in the
drawings, that is identified as a joint visitor with the player.
This enables the employee to inquire about the other person and
possibly get an introduction to greet the other player. This
creates a new player relationship with the employee.
[0359] In addition, this information can be used to track total
visits, e.g., over a year. A player who visits every couple of
weeks regularly and spends modest amounts might be of more value to
the casino than a player who comes only twice a year but spends
much higher amounts. Recognition of such regular players may be
achieved through displaying that information on an employee's
mobile device, which gives the employee the opportunity to comment
on their frequency of visiting and thank the player, perhaps using
a script as described above.
[0360] Consideration will now be given to another feature that may
be implemented on the system. Turning attention to FIG. 145, a cash
out ticket 388 is shown while being printed by a ticket printer
associated with a gaming device (not visible in FIG. 145). This is
part of a ticket-in/ticket-out (TITO) system that facilitates
transfers of credits from one one to another. An optical code, as
shown on ticket 388, encodes the amount of money associated with
the ticket. When the player hits the cash out button on the slot
machine, a ticket encoded with the number of remaining credits on
the credit meter is printed. They player may use the ticket on a
ticket reader with another slot machine to put credits on that
machine or may cash out at a kiosk having a ticket reader that
receives the ticket and returns cash. Or the player may cash out
via a cashier at the casino.
[0361] When each ticket is generated, i.e., printed, an entry in a
database records time generated, machine number where generated,
value, and unique validation number. When a ticket is inserted into
a ticket reader, whether to cash out or to apply credits to gaming
machine, the ticket in the database is canceled.
[0362] The present system can track an uncarded player using
tickets. A session starts with the first cash out of a ticket,
typically after play on a first slot machine. When that ticket is
inserted into another slot machine, the system uses the unique
number associated with it, and enters it in a database. As a
result, the player may be tracked from machine to machine until the
last cash out, which ends the session.
[0363] In this manner, the same kinds of analysis, in terms of
spend by the player, can be performed as described above for an
untracked player. As a result, calls to fill paper, pay jackpots,
take a drink order, etc. may be optimized in the same manner as if
the player was identified in a player-tracking system and using a
card.
* * * * *
References