WO2002007838A2 - Method and system for managing the servicing of gaming machines - Google Patents

Method and system for managing the servicing of gaming machines Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2002007838A2
WO2002007838A2 PCT/IB2001/001318 IB0101318W WO0207838A2 WO 2002007838 A2 WO2002007838 A2 WO 2002007838A2 IB 0101318 W IB0101318 W IB 0101318W WO 0207838 A2 WO0207838 A2 WO 0207838A2
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
response
gaming machines
gaming
data
staff
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/IB2001/001318
Other languages
French (fr)
Other versions
WO2002007838A3 (en
Inventor
Kevin Docherty
Bernhardt Wilhelm Oppel Alberts
Original Assignee
Kevin Docherty
Alberts Bernhardt Wilhelm Oppe
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Kevin Docherty, Alberts Bernhardt Wilhelm Oppe filed Critical Kevin Docherty
Priority to AU2001277633A priority Critical patent/AU2001277633A1/en
Publication of WO2002007838A2 publication Critical patent/WO2002007838A2/en
Publication of WO2002007838A3 publication Critical patent/WO2002007838A3/en

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Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
    • G07F—COIN-FREED OR LIKE APPARATUS
    • G07F17/00—Coin-freed apparatus for hiring articles; Coin-freed facilities or services
    • G07F17/32—Coin-freed apparatus for hiring articles; Coin-freed facilities or services for games, toys, sports, or amusements
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
    • G07F—COIN-FREED OR LIKE APPARATUS
    • G07F17/00—Coin-freed apparatus for hiring articles; Coin-freed facilities or services
    • G07F17/32—Coin-freed apparatus for hiring articles; Coin-freed facilities or services for games, toys, sports, or amusements
    • G07F17/3225—Data transfer within a gaming system, e.g. data sent between gaming machines and users
    • G07F17/323—Data transfer within a gaming system, e.g. data sent between gaming machines and users wherein the player is informed, e.g. advertisements, odds, instructions
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
    • G07F—COIN-FREED OR LIKE APPARATUS
    • G07F17/00—Coin-freed apparatus for hiring articles; Coin-freed facilities or services
    • G07F17/32—Coin-freed apparatus for hiring articles; Coin-freed facilities or services for games, toys, sports, or amusements
    • G07F17/3225—Data transfer within a gaming system, e.g. data sent between gaming machines and users
    • G07F17/3232—Data transfer within a gaming system, e.g. data sent between gaming machines and users wherein the operator is informed
    • G07F17/3234—Data transfer within a gaming system, e.g. data sent between gaming machines and users wherein the operator is informed about the performance of a gaming system, e.g. revenue, diagnosis of the gaming system
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
    • G07F—COIN-FREED OR LIKE APPARATUS
    • G07F17/00—Coin-freed apparatus for hiring articles; Coin-freed facilities or services
    • G07F17/32—Coin-freed apparatus for hiring articles; Coin-freed facilities or services for games, toys, sports, or amusements
    • G07F17/326—Game play aspects of gaming systems
    • G07F17/3269—Timing aspects of game play, e.g. blocking/halting the operation of a gaming machine

Definitions

  • This invention relates to gaming. More particularly, the invention relates to the servicing of gaming machines. In particular, the invention relates to a method for managing the servicing of gaming machines and a system for managing the servicing of gaming machines, by service staff in a gaming establishment having a plurality of gaming machines.
  • Gaming machines are popular methods of gaming in casinos, gaming establishments and even in other public places, such as airports, bus stations, railway stations, and the like. Casinos and gaming establishments may have many hundreds of such gaming machines on a gaming floor. In this case, the gaming machines are generally arranged to take up as small a space as possible in the circumstances.
  • Such gaming machines have become relatively sophisticated and are commonly linked to an information network, by means of which the status of each machine may be automatically communicated to a control facility from time to time.
  • the gaming machines may be polled on a predetermined basis by a control device, such as a computer, or the machines may be programmed to transmit their status either at set time intervals, or on the occurrence of certain predetermined events.
  • the signals transmitted by the gaming machines may thus indicate that the status of the machine is unchanged and that the machine is in an operable condition, or that a predetermined event has occurred.
  • the event may be of a kind that does not require intervention by service staff, for example the event may simply be the recording of the initiation of a game on the gaming machine by a player of the game, or the swiping by the player of his identification card through a card reader associated with the machine for the purposes of updating a customer data base. Instead, the event may be of a kind requiring the intervention of service staff on the gaming floor to attend to the gaming machine and to service it. Further, strict gaming legislation often requires that a detailed audit trail of events associated with gambling machines is retained by gaming establishments. Thus, the occurrence and details of events associated with gaming machines, which are communicated to a control facility, are generally written to a data base for recording and reporting as required.
  • events occur in the course of the use of a gaming machine by a player, which renders the machines inoperative.
  • a large number of events may qualify as events rendering the gaming machine inoperative, such as, for example, an insufficiency of coins or tokens requiring a refill of the gaming machine hopper by service staff, jamming of the gaming machine requiring freeing of the gaming machine, hitting of a jackpot by the gaming machine requiring authentication and payout by service staff and other malfunctions requiring intervention by service staff.
  • the gaming machine is said to have "tilted” or "locked-up".
  • a gaming machine will be referred to as having tilted or being in a tilt condition, when an event has occurred rendering the gaming machine inoperable in the sense that the intervention of a member of the establishment's staff is required before use of the machine may be continued. The gaming machine will then be said to require servicing.
  • protocols are established by the gaming establishment, as to the number of members of the service staff and their levels of seniority required to respond to the occurrence of any tilt event. It will be appreciated that while the gaming machine is in an inoperative tilt condition, the player using the machine is unable to gamble and may be dissatisfied if the situation is allowed to persist for any length of time. Further, while the machine is inoperable, it cannot contribute to the business of the gaming establishment and is non-profitable. Accordingly, it is desirable to reduce, as far as possible, the time during which a machine is offline and to improve the efficiency and response time of service. staff in servicing tilted gaming machines.
  • gaming machines have a visible alarm, in the form of a light, which is activated automatically on the occurrence of a tilt event.
  • the alarm light is commonly mounted prominently on the gaming machine, possibly on a mast, and service staff are expected to respond to the activation of the alarm light. As may be expected, service staff often overlook an activated alarm light for some period of time. This leads to dissatisfaction on the part of the customer operating the machine and also leads to extended downtime during which the machine is non-profitable. Further, the use of such alarm lights makes it difficult to establish the chronological order in which gaming machines have tilted. Accordingly, it is not possible to attend to tilted machines in chronological order. This again leads to dissatisfaction on the part of customers, and a player may gain the impression that he is not being fairly treated in that his gaming machine is being serviced out of turn.
  • Improved servicing systems rely on the use of telecommunications devices, in the form of pagers or two-way radios, to communicate instructions between a facility receiving tilt signals from gaming machines and service staff on the floor of the gaming establishment.
  • a signal indicating a tilt condition is received at the service facility from tilted gaming machines.
  • an operator pages a member of the service staff to attend to a specific gaming machine.
  • This procedure may be automated so that a signal is sent automatically to a specific member of the service staff on receipt of a tilt signal from a gaming machine, identifying the machine.
  • Such a system while an improvement on a system relying on alarm lights, nevertheless retains certain inefficiencies.
  • a method for managing the servicing of gaming machines by service staff in a gaming establishment having a plurality of gaming machines including receiving first, status signals from the gaming machines, each status signal being transmitted in response to a predetermined event associated with a respective gaming machine and containing first data representative of the identity of the said gaming machine; and displaying, via a display means visible to the service staff, in respect of each respective gaming machine from which a status signal has been received, second data representative of the identity of the said gaming machine, the second data being displayed in a manner in accordance with at least one predetermined first criterion.
  • The, or at least one of the, first criteria may be at least partly determinative of the ordering of the second data on the display means.
  • the first and second data may be the same and comprise an identification code of the respective gaming machine.
  • Each status signal from the gaming machines may contain third data representative of the event in response to which the status signal is transmitted.
  • the event may be one that renders the gaming machine inoperative.
  • the method may include the further steps of receiving at least one second, response signal from each gaming machine in respect of which a status signal has been received, each response signal being transmitted in response to actuation of a first actuating means of a respective gaming machine by a member of the service staff; and reconfiguring the data displayed on the display means in accordance with at least one predetermined second criterion.
  • The, or at least one of the, second criteria may be at least partly determinative of the ordering of the second data on the display means.
  • the actuation of the actuating means by a member of the service staff may include inputting a unique identifier of that staff member.
  • the method may include comparing the identifier of the staff member with data of a service staff data base to verify that the staff member actuating the first actuating means is authorized to respond to the respective event and accepting the response signal only if the identifier is of a staff member with the required authorization.
  • the identification codes of the respective gaming machines may be displayed in accordance with a first ordering criterion in respect of which at least some of them are displayed in chronological order of the occurrence of the events with which they are associated.
  • the identification codes displayed on the display means may be reconfigured in response to the, or each, response signal from respective gaming machines so that the identification codes are displayed in groups representative of a status of the response by the service staff to the events with which the identification codes are associated, each group of identification codes being displayed in a different mode.
  • the identification codes may be first displayed chronologically in a first group containing identification codes representative of gaming machines which have transmitted a status signal to which the service staff have yet to respond, and the display may be reconfigured in response to the, or each, response signal from respective gaming machines so that the mode of display of the identification codes is changed, in accordance with the second ordering criteria, from the mode of the first group to a mode associated with one of the following groups: a) a second group comprising identification codes representative of gaming machines in respect of which the event triggering the status signal requires a response by only one member of the service staff and in respect of which a first response signal has been accepted, and identification codes representative of gaming machines in respect of which the event triggering the status signal requires a response by two members of the service staff and in respect of which a first and a second response signal has been accepted; b) a third group comprising identification codes representative of gaming machines in respect of which the event triggering the status signal requires a response by two members of the service staff, one of whom is senior to the other, and in respect of which only
  • An eighth group may be included, comprising identification codes representative of those gaming machines which have transmitted a status signal to which the service staff have yet to respond and where the event in respect of which the status signal was triggered requires a response from a staff member of a predetermined status and the method may include, on acceptance of a first response signal from an authorized staff member, reconfiguring the display to change the mode of display of the respective identification code from that of the eighth group to that of the seventh group.
  • the method may include receiving third, operational signals from the gaming machines, each operational signal being transmitted in response to a predetermined event associated with a respective gaming machine, which event is indicative of the fact that a respective gaming machine has been rendered operational and containing the first data representative of the identity of the said gaming machine; and reconfiguring the display of the display means to remove, in respect of each respective gaming machine from which an operational signal has been received, the second data representative of the identity of the said gaming machine.
  • the operational signal may be transmitted in response to actuation of a second actuating means of the respective gaming machine by a member of the service staff.
  • a single device may provide both the first and second actuating means.
  • the method may include saving to a data base at least a part of the data contained in each signal received, together with the time of receipt of the respective data.
  • the display means may comprise a display unit which is arranged to be visible both to service staff on a gaming floor of the gaming establishment and to customers of the gaming establishment who are operating respective gaming machines.
  • a management system for managing the servicing of gaming machines by service staff in a gaming establishment having a plurality of gaming machines, the system including receiving means for receiving first, status signals from the gaming machines, each status signal containing first data representative of the identity of a respective gaming machine requiring servicing; display means configured to be visible to the service staff of the gaming establishment; control means operably connected to the receiving means and the display means and operable, in response to the status signals received by the receiving means, to transmit output signals, each output signal containing second data representative of the identity of a respective gaming machine from which a status signal has been received, and to control the display means to display the second data received from the gaming machines according to at least one predetermined criterion.
  • the control means may include a computer operating under the control of a computer program.
  • The, or at least one of the, criteria may be at least partly determinative of the ordering of the second data on the display means.
  • the receiving means may be operable to receive at least one second, response signal from each gaming machine in respect of which a status signal has been received, each response signal being transmitted in response to actuation of a first actuating means of a respective gaming machine by a member of the service staff, and the control means may be operable to reconfigure the data displayed on the display means in accordance with at least one predetermined second criterion.
  • The, or at least one of the, second criteria may be at least partly determinative of the ordering of the second data on the display means.
  • the control means may be operable to reconfigure the second data displayed on the display means in response to the, or each, response signal from respective gaming machines so that the second data are displayed in groups representative of a status of the response by the service staff to the events with which the second data are associated, each group of second data being displayed in a different mode.
  • the display means may comprise a display unit which is arranged to be visible both to service staff on a gaming floor of the gaming establishment and to customers of the gaming establishment who are operating the respective gaming machines.
  • the display unit may have a two tier display region, a first tier displaying second data of those gaming machines in respect of which a response from only a single member of the service staff is required; and responses from both a junior and senior staff members are required and where the senior member has first attended to the gaming machine; and the second tier displaying second data of those gaming machines in respect of which a response from only a predetermined senior member of staff is required; and responses from both a junior and senior staff members are required and where the junior member has first attended to the gaming machine.
  • Figure 1 shows a schematic view of a system, in accordance with the invention, for managing the servicing of gaming machines, by service staff in a gaming establishment having a plurality of gaming machines;
  • Figure 2 shows a schematic front view of a display unit of the system of Figure 1 , in a first configuration
  • Figure 3 shows a further schematic front view of the display unit of the system of Figure 1 , in a second configuration
  • Figure 4 shows a schematic front view of a second embodiment of the display unit
  • Figure 5 shows a schematic flow diagram of the operation of a method for managing the servicing of gaming machines, in accordance with another aspect of the invention.
  • Figure 6 shows a further flow diagram of the operation of the method of the invention.
  • reference numeral 10 generally indicates a system, in accordance with the invention, for managing the servicing of gaming machines, by service staff in a gaming establishment having a plurality of gaming machines.
  • the gaming establishment 12 has a plurality of slot machines, some of which are indicated by reference numeral 14.
  • Each of the slot machines 14 has a unique identification code.
  • each slot machine has a mag stripe card reader (not shown) connected thereto. It will be appreciated that a large gaming establishment 12 may have many hundreds of such slot machines 14. Accordingly, the unique identification code of the slot machines 14 advantageously provides an indication of the location of respective slot machine 14 on the gaming floor.
  • the slot machines 14 have a five digit numeric identification code, the first digit of which indicates the section of the gaming floor on which the slot machine 14 is located, the following two digits of which indicate a bank of machines to which the slot machine 14 belongs, and the final two digits of which indicate the position of the slot machine 14 within the bank of machines.
  • service personnel on the floor of the gaming establishment 12 may readily locate a specific slot machine 14 by knowing its identification number.
  • the slot machines 14 are connected via a communications network 16 to one or more floor servers 18 on the floor of the gaming establishment 12.
  • the floor servers 18 are, in turn, connected via the communications network 16 to an online monitoring system 20 having a database.
  • the monitoring system 20 includes a computer server 22 on which the database is located.
  • the computer server 22 operates under the control of computer programs which, in combination with the database, provide a slot accounting and reporting system, indicated by numeral 24.
  • the monitoring system 20 is connected via the communications network 16 to a service coordination system 26 and database housed on a second dedicated computer server 28.
  • the second computer server 28 operates under the control of computer programs and, in combination with its database, provides a service reporting system, indicated by numeral 30.
  • the server 28 of the service coordination system 26 is operably connected to a number of display units 32, three of which are shown, known as tilt display units.
  • the tilt display units 32 are prominently positioned on the gaming floor of the gaming establishment 12 so that they are visible to both service staff operating on the gaming floor and guests operating slot machines 14 connected to the monitoring system 20.
  • the tilt display units 32 are two tier displays, which are in direct communication with the computer server 28. Message signals are sent via Ethernet to an Ethernet-to-serial converter which, in turn, drives the display. It will be appreciated that many kinds of display units may be used, according to circumstances on the floor of the gaming establishment 12, such as, for example, LED-based displays, liquid crystal displays, video displays, or the like.
  • a first signal is transmitted to the computer server 28 and the unique identification number of the slot machine 14 is displayed on either the upper or lower tier of a display unit 32.
  • slot machine ID numbers are displayed initially according to the criterion of chronological ordering, from left to right in chronological order, with the oldest tilted machine ID being displayed at the left of a queue of ID numbers.
  • general floor attendants attend to slot machines 14 whose ID numbers are reflected on the top tier of the display unit 32, while supervisors tend to slot machines 14 whose ID numbers are displayed on the bottom tier of the display unit 32.
  • a floor attendant in response to the displayed ID numbers, arrives at a slot machine 14, he inserts an employee ID mag stripe card carrying a unique employee ID number into the card reader associated with the slot machine 14. This triggers the sending of a second signal, called for convenience a response signal, from the slot machine 14 to the server 28, the signal containing the employee ID of the attendant.
  • An employee database located on the server 28 is searched and the employee ID compared with relevant database records to establish that the relevant employee has the required authority to perform the task of responding to the respective tilt event. If so, the signal is accepted and the status of the slot machine 14 is changed, the display updated and employee and time data are updated. If not, the signal is not accepted, and an error report may be generated.
  • any suitable input device may be used, such as, for example, a keyboard, touch screen, mechanical key, or the like. If the tilt event does not require the co-operation of two members of the service staff, the floor attendant services the machine, rendering it operable. The floor attendant then inserts a second "job complete" mag stripe card into the card reader to indicate that the servicing job has been completed and that the slot machine 14 is operable. Swiping of the job complete card results in the updating of the machine status code, employee and time data on the database and reconfiguration of the display on the display unit 32 under the control of the server 28, to remove the machine ID number from the first tier of the display unit 32.
  • gaming facility protocol requires the co-operation of, and signature by, two members of the service staff.
  • the machine ID number is removed from the top tier of the display unit 32 and relocated to the bottom tier queue, while the floor attendant completes his part of the job.
  • a supervisor has not arrived at the slot machine 14 within a predetermined period, which is conveniently set at two minutes, the machine ID number on the display unit 32 begins flashing. When a supervisor arrives, he inserts his ID card into the card reader, thereby triggering the sending of a second response signal from the slot machine 14 to the server 28.
  • the required level of authority of the supervisor is established, as described above, and, if established, the second response signal is accepted and the status of the slot machine 14 is changed and the display reconfigured accordingly.
  • the machine ID number is finally removed from the display when the slot machine 14 is reset by means of a reset key, or by use of a job complete card, in cases where the slot machine 14 does not require resetting.
  • Machine number 11111 requires the attention of the next available attendant and machine number 66666 requires the attention of the next available supervisor.
  • an attendant has responded to machine number 11111 and has inserted his ID card in the card reader of the slot machine 14. He may, for example, currently be writing out a pay cheque (slot short payment voucher).
  • Machine ID 11111 has been moved to the end of the supervisor's queue and will work its way forward to the front of the queue by the time the attendant has finished writing out the pay cheque.
  • the supervisor arrives, he inserts his ID card and completes the countersigning of the cheque.
  • he resets the slot machine 14 by means of key, at which stage machine ID 11111 is removed from the display entirely.
  • display unit 32 many configurations of display unit 32 are possible.
  • One such alternative configuration 32.1 is shown in Figure 4, where relevant machine ID numbers are displayed vertically rather than horizontally, in chronological order from the first tilted machine at the top of the display to the last tilted machine the bottom of the display.
  • additional information is displayed, including a short description of the event causing the tilt and the amount of cash required for a hopper fill or the amount of a jackpot payout, the additional information being encoded in the data of the status signal transmitted by the respective gaming machine.
  • the database of the service coordination system 10 accepts incoming signals from the slot machines 14 for a period of time (typically 3 seconds).
  • the database contains a machine table containing the following information in respect of each slot machine 14: the unique identification number indicating the location of the slot machine 14 on the gaming floor; a status code (SC) representing the current status of the slot machine 14; the time when the slot machine 14 became disabled (tilted); the ID number of the first attendant to respond to the tilt event and the time of his response; the ID number of the second attendant to respond to the tilt event and the time of his response (where appropriate); and the time when the job was completed and the machine became operational once again.
  • SC status code
  • SC18 Machine awaits the attention of one junior staff member
  • SC21 Machine awaits the attention of a junior staff member, but will subsequently require the attention of a senior staff member too;
  • SC24 Machine has been attended by senior staff member, and is awaiting the arrival of a junior staff member
  • SC30 Machine is fully attended and awaits job completion
  • SC33 Machine awaits the arrival of one senior staff member only;
  • SC36 Machine awaits the arrival of a senior staff member;
  • SC39 Junior staff member has waited longer than two minutes for the arrival of a senior staff member
  • SC42 Machine is fully attended and awaits job completion
  • SC45 Machine enabled and not reflected on display.
  • the following is a list of symbols used in Figure 5, and their interpretation.
  • the events represented by the symbols are represented in the Figure 5 by way of arrows.
  • a Status signal indicates that machine requires attention by only one junior staff member; b Status signal indicates that machine requires attention by a junior staff member, but will subsequently require attention by a senior staff member too; c Status signal indicates that machine requires attention by only one senior staff member
  • d Response signal indicates that machine is attended by junior or senior staff member; e Response signal indicates that machine is attended by senior staff member; f Response signal indicates that machine is attended by junior staff member; g Response signal indicates that machine is attended by senior staff member.
  • Junior staff member awaits arrival of senior staff member for longer than two minutes.
  • k m Response signal indicates that machine is attended by second staff member, being either junior or senior; n, p Response signal indicates that machine is attended by second staff member, being senior staff member.
  • q, r Response signal indicates that staff member has reset machine or inserted "Job Complete” card into machine card reader.
  • all slot machines 14 are in an enabled state and are allocated a status code SC45 on the database table. Their machine IDs are not displayed on the display unit 32.
  • the server 28 processes the signal and performs an assessment.
  • the data representing the machine ID of the incoming status signals (and value of the jackpot payout or hopper refill, where applicable) is compared against the current machine status of the respective slot machine 14 as stored in the machine table. Where appropriate, the status of the slot machine 14 is updated in the machine table, and the time of the status signal is recorded.
  • the server processor controls the display unit 32 to display the disabled slot machine's identification number, along with other tilted machines.
  • the status of the slot machine 14 is changed from SC45 to SC18, and the identification number of the machine is displayed in a region of the display unit in which identification numbers are displayed in red, and on the right-hand end of the group of identification numbers already in this mode.
  • a floor attendant at the slot machine 14 he inserts his identification mag stripe card into a card reader of the machine 14, in response to which a response signal is transmitted to the server 28 of the service coordination system 10.
  • the response signal contains data representative of the unique ID number of the attendant.
  • the server 28 has an employee database and the rank of the employee is ascertained from the database.
  • the status of the slot machine 14 and time of arrival of the attendant are updated in the machine table.
  • the status of the slot machine 14 is changed from SC18 to SC30 and the display is reconfigured under the control of the computer program of the server 28 so that the machine ID number is moved to a region on the right of the display and displayed in green, on the right-hand end of the group of machines IDs reflected in this region.
  • the server processor determines that according to the protocol the tilt event requires a response from a floor attendant and a supervisor, the machine status is changed from SC45 to SC21 , and the machine ID is displayed in chronological order on the display in the red group. If a junior attendant inserts his ID card into the slot machine 14 first, the status of the slot machine 14 is changed from SC21 to SC36 and the ID number of the machine 14 is moved to the bottom tier, or level, of the display, where it is displayed within the group whose machine Ids are displayed in amber mode.
  • the status of the machine 14 is changed from SC36 to SC39 and the mode of display of the machine ID is changed to the group whose ID numbers are displayed in flashing amber.
  • a supervisor On the arrival of a supervisor, he inserts his ID card into the card reader of the slot machine 14 and a response signal is transmitted from the machine 14 to the server 28.
  • the ID number of the supervisor is compared with the employee database and the rank of the supervisor is ascertained. If the supervisor is authorized to perform the task indicated by the data representative of the respective tilt event contained in the original status signal from the machine, the status and time of arrival of the supervisor are saved in the machine table, and the status of the machine 14 is changed from SC39 to SC42.
  • the mode of display of the machine ID number is changed from amber flashing to a group of green ID numbers on the bottom tier of the display, where it is displayed in chronological order within that group.
  • the machine 14 is reset, as described above, and the status of the machine is changed from SC42 to SC45 indicating that the machine 14 is fully enabled.
  • SC36 the status of the machine 14 is immediately changed from SC36 to SC42, after which the process proceeds as previously described.
  • the machine status code is changed to SC30 on insertion by the floor attendant of his ID card, unless a period of two minutes expires before the arrival of the floor attendant, in which case the status of the machine 14 is changed from CS24 to CS27, and the mode of display of the ID number of the machine is changed from amber on the top tier of the display unit 32 to the flashing amber on the top tier of the display unit 32.
  • the status of the slot machine 14 is changed from CS27 to CS30, and the ID number of the machine 14 is moved from the flashing amber group to the green group, where it is displayed in chronological order within that group.
  • tilt events which are defined in the operating protocol as requiring a response from a predetermined person, such as a casino manager.
  • the status of the relevant slot machine 14 is changed from SC45 to SC33, and machine ID number is displayed on the bottom tier of the display unit 32 in the red group, in chronological order within that group.
  • the status of the machine 14 is changed from SC33 to SC42, and the ID number of the machine 14 is moved from the red group on the bottom tier of the display unit 32 to the green group on the bottom tier of the display unit 32, where it is again displayed in chronological order within that group.
  • the status of the machine14 is changed from SC42 to SC45, indicating that the machine is fully enabled, and the machine ID is removed from the display.
  • the machine IDs may conveniently be displayed in groups having the same mode of display, with the members of each group being located contiguously with respect to one another.
  • the members of the groups of machine IDs are not necessarily contiguously displayed.
  • all members of each group are displayed in chronological order.
  • this is again not the case, and the rule of chronological ordering does not apply to the members of groups.
  • management system 10 and the method of operation thereof have been described with reference to a specific embodiment. Many alternative arrangements of the operating protocol are possible within the scope of the invention, as are different configurations and reconfigurations of the display.
  • the efficiency of servicing of gaming machines 14 may be increased. Downtime of machines 14 and waiting time of guests may be substantially reduced. Further, guests become familiar with the operation of the display boards 32 and are able to see that tilt events on machines 14 on which they are playing are being attended to. Further, the database of the system 10 is updated with information relating to staff performance, thereby facilitating a staff performance reporting system, as well as the analysis, reporting and servicing of gaming machines 14. Workloads of staff may be logged and imbalances in the workloads of staff reported. Further, the display units 32 of the system 10 may be utilized for the display of promotional messages when not in use by the system 10.

Abstract

A method is provided for managing the servicing of gaming machines by service staff in a gaming establishment having a plurality of gaming machines. The method includes receiving first, status signals from the gaming machines, each status signal being transmitted in response to a predetermined event associated with a respective gaming machine and containing first data representative of the identity of the said gaming machine, and displaying, via a display means visible to the service staff, in respect of each respective gaming machine from which a status signal has been received, second data representative of the identity of the said gaming machine, the second data being displayed in a manner in accordance with at least one predetermined first criterion. The invention extends to a management system for managing the servicing of gaming machines.

Description

METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR MANAGING THE SERVICING OF GAMING
MACHINES
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to gaming. More particularly, the invention relates to the servicing of gaming machines. In particular, the invention relates to a method for managing the servicing of gaming machines and a system for managing the servicing of gaming machines, by service staff in a gaming establishment having a plurality of gaming machines.
BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION
Gaming machines are popular methods of gaming in casinos, gaming establishments and even in other public places, such as airports, bus stations, railway stations, and the like. Casinos and gaming establishments may have many hundreds of such gaming machines on a gaming floor. In this case, the gaming machines are generally arranged to take up as small a space as possible in the circumstances.
Such gaming machines have become relatively sophisticated and are commonly linked to an information network, by means of which the status of each machine may be automatically communicated to a control facility from time to time. The gaming machines may be polled on a predetermined basis by a control device, such as a computer, or the machines may be programmed to transmit their status either at set time intervals, or on the occurrence of certain predetermined events. The signals transmitted by the gaming machines may thus indicate that the status of the machine is unchanged and that the machine is in an operable condition, or that a predetermined event has occurred. The event may be of a kind that does not require intervention by service staff, for example the event may simply be the recording of the initiation of a game on the gaming machine by a player of the game, or the swiping by the player of his identification card through a card reader associated with the machine for the purposes of updating a customer data base. Instead, the event may be of a kind requiring the intervention of service staff on the gaming floor to attend to the gaming machine and to service it. Further, strict gaming legislation often requires that a detailed audit trail of events associated with gambling machines is retained by gaming establishments. Thus, the occurrence and details of events associated with gaming machines, which are communicated to a control facility, are generally written to a data base for recording and reporting as required.
From time to time, events occur in the course of the use of a gaming machine by a player, which renders the machines inoperative. A large number of events may qualify as events rendering the gaming machine inoperative, such as, for example, an insufficiency of coins or tokens requiring a refill of the gaming machine hopper by service staff, jamming of the gaming machine requiring freeing of the gaming machine, hitting of a jackpot by the gaming machine requiring authentication and payout by service staff and other malfunctions requiring intervention by service staff. On the occurrence of such latter events, the gaming machine is said to have "tilted" or "locked-up".
In this specification, a gaming machine will be referred to as having tilted or being in a tilt condition, when an event has occurred rendering the gaming machine inoperable in the sense that the intervention of a member of the establishment's staff is required before use of the machine may be continued. The gaming machine will then be said to require servicing.
Generally, protocols are established by the gaming establishment, as to the number of members of the service staff and their levels of seniority required to respond to the occurrence of any tilt event. It will be appreciated that while the gaming machine is in an inoperative tilt condition, the player using the machine is unable to gamble and may be dissatisfied if the situation is allowed to persist for any length of time. Further, while the machine is inoperable, it cannot contribute to the business of the gaming establishment and is non-profitable. Accordingly, it is desirable to reduce, as far as possible, the time during which a machine is offline and to improve the efficiency and response time of service. staff in servicing tilted gaming machines.
In many cases, gaming machines have a visible alarm, in the form of a light, which is activated automatically on the occurrence of a tilt event. The alarm light is commonly mounted prominently on the gaming machine, possibly on a mast, and service staff are expected to respond to the activation of the alarm light. As may be expected, service staff often overlook an activated alarm light for some period of time. This leads to dissatisfaction on the part of the customer operating the machine and also leads to extended downtime during which the machine is non-profitable. Further, the use of such alarm lights makes it difficult to establish the chronological order in which gaming machines have tilted. Accordingly, it is not possible to attend to tilted machines in chronological order. This again leads to dissatisfaction on the part of customers, and a player may gain the impression that he is not being fairly treated in that his gaming machine is being serviced out of turn.
Improved servicing systems rely on the use of telecommunications devices, in the form of pagers or two-way radios, to communicate instructions between a facility receiving tilt signals from gaming machines and service staff on the floor of the gaming establishment. In these systems, a signal indicating a tilt condition is received at the service facility from tilted gaming machines. In response to the receipt of these signals, an operator pages a member of the service staff to attend to a specific gaming machine. This procedure may be automated so that a signal is sent automatically to a specific member of the service staff on receipt of a tilt signal from a gaming machine, identifying the machine. Such a system, while an improvement on a system relying on alarm lights, nevertheless retains certain inefficiencies. For example, in such a system it is not possible to establish whether the selected member of the service staff is available to attend to a specific machine or not. It may be that the selected member is temporarily occupied in attending to some other matter. Since the message identifying a gaming machine requiring servicing is sent only to a single attendant, it is not possible for other attendants to intervene and attend to the gaming machine while the specified attendant is temporarily occupied. Alternatively, where the same machine ID is sent to more than one attendant, the attendants have no way of knowing whether someone else has already attended to a gaming machine and more than one attendant is likely to arrive at a particular machine, leading to inefficiencies. Further, the customer operating the machine has no way of knowing that the tilted condition of the machine has been reported and is being dealt with.
OBJECT OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of this invention to provide a method for managing the servicing of gaming machines and a system for managing the servicing of gaming machines, by service staff in a gaming establishment having a plurality of gaming machines, which at least partially alleviate some of the abovementioned problems.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a method for managing the servicing of gaming machines by service staff in a gaming establishment having a plurality of gaming machines, the method including receiving first, status signals from the gaming machines, each status signal being transmitted in response to a predetermined event associated with a respective gaming machine and containing first data representative of the identity of the said gaming machine; and displaying, via a display means visible to the service staff, in respect of each respective gaming machine from which a status signal has been received, second data representative of the identity of the said gaming machine, the second data being displayed in a manner in accordance with at least one predetermined first criterion.
The, or at least one of the, first criteria may be at least partly determinative of the ordering of the second data on the display means.
The first and second data may be the same and comprise an identification code of the respective gaming machine.
Each status signal from the gaming machines may contain third data representative of the event in response to which the status signal is transmitted. The event may be one that renders the gaming machine inoperative.
The method may include the further steps of receiving at least one second, response signal from each gaming machine in respect of which a status signal has been received, each response signal being transmitted in response to actuation of a first actuating means of a respective gaming machine by a member of the service staff; and reconfiguring the data displayed on the display means in accordance with at least one predetermined second criterion.
The, or at least one of the, second criteria may be at least partly determinative of the ordering of the second data on the display means.
The actuation of the actuating means by a member of the service staff may include inputting a unique identifier of that staff member.
The method may include comparing the identifier of the staff member with data of a service staff data base to verify that the staff member actuating the first actuating means is authorized to respond to the respective event and accepting the response signal only if the identifier is of a staff member with the required authorization. The identification codes of the respective gaming machines may be displayed in accordance with a first ordering criterion in respect of which at least some of them are displayed in chronological order of the occurrence of the events with which they are associated.
The identification codes displayed on the display means may be reconfigured in response to the, or each, response signal from respective gaming machines so that the identification codes are displayed in groups representative of a status of the response by the service staff to the events with which the identification codes are associated, each group of identification codes being displayed in a different mode.
The identification codes may be first displayed chronologically in a first group containing identification codes representative of gaming machines which have transmitted a status signal to which the service staff have yet to respond, and the display may be reconfigured in response to the, or each, response signal from respective gaming machines so that the mode of display of the identification codes is changed, in accordance with the second ordering criteria, from the mode of the first group to a mode associated with one of the following groups: a) a second group comprising identification codes representative of gaming machines in respect of which the event triggering the status signal requires a response by only one member of the service staff and in respect of which a first response signal has been accepted, and identification codes representative of gaming machines in respect of which the event triggering the status signal requires a response by two members of the service staff and in respect of which a first and a second response signal has been accepted; b) a third group comprising identification codes representative of gaming machines in respect of which the event triggering the status signal requires a response by two members of the service staff, one of whom is senior to the other, and in respect of which only a first response signal associated with the junior staff member has been accepted; c) a fourth group comprising identification codes representative of those gaming machines previously of the third group in respect of which no second response signal has been received for a predetermined time period; d) a fifth group comprising identification codes representative of gaming machines in respect of which the event triggering the status signal requires a response by two members of the service staff, one of whom is senior to the other, and in respect of which only a first response signal associated with the senior staff member has been accepted; e) a sixth group comprising identification codes representative of those gaming machines previously of the fifth group in respect of which no second response signal has been accepted for a predetermined time period; and f) a seventh group comprising identification codes representative of those gaming machines previously of the fifth and sixth groups in respect of which first and second response signals have been accepted.
An eighth group may be included, comprising identification codes representative of those gaming machines which have transmitted a status signal to which the service staff have yet to respond and where the event in respect of which the status signal was triggered requires a response from a staff member of a predetermined status and the method may include, on acceptance of a first response signal from an authorized staff member, reconfiguring the display to change the mode of display of the respective identification code from that of the eighth group to that of the seventh group.
The method may include receiving third, operational signals from the gaming machines, each operational signal being transmitted in response to a predetermined event associated with a respective gaming machine, which event is indicative of the fact that a respective gaming machine has been rendered operational and containing the first data representative of the identity of the said gaming machine; and reconfiguring the display of the display means to remove, in respect of each respective gaming machine from which an operational signal has been received, the second data representative of the identity of the said gaming machine.
The operational signal may be transmitted in response to actuation of a second actuating means of the respective gaming machine by a member of the service staff. A single device may provide both the first and second actuating means.
The method may include saving to a data base at least a part of the data contained in each signal received, together with the time of receipt of the respective data.
The display means may comprise a display unit which is arranged to be visible both to service staff on a gaming floor of the gaming establishment and to customers of the gaming establishment who are operating respective gaming machines.
According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a management system for managing the servicing of gaming machines by service staff in a gaming establishment having a plurality of gaming machines, the system including receiving means for receiving first, status signals from the gaming machines, each status signal containing first data representative of the identity of a respective gaming machine requiring servicing; display means configured to be visible to the service staff of the gaming establishment; control means operably connected to the receiving means and the display means and operable, in response to the status signals received by the receiving means, to transmit output signals, each output signal containing second data representative of the identity of a respective gaming machine from which a status signal has been received, and to control the display means to display the second data received from the gaming machines according to at least one predetermined criterion.
The control means may include a computer operating under the control of a computer program.
The, or at least one of the, criteria may be at least partly determinative of the ordering of the second data on the display means.
The receiving means may be operable to receive at least one second, response signal from each gaming machine in respect of which a status signal has been received, each response signal being transmitted in response to actuation of a first actuating means of a respective gaming machine by a member of the service staff, and the control means may be operable to reconfigure the data displayed on the display means in accordance with at least one predetermined second criterion.
The, or at least one of the, second criteria may be at least partly determinative of the ordering of the second data on the display means.
The control means may be operable to reconfigure the second data displayed on the display means in response to the, or each, response signal from respective gaming machines so that the second data are displayed in groups representative of a status of the response by the service staff to the events with which the second data are associated, each group of second data being displayed in a different mode.
The display means may comprise a display unit which is arranged to be visible both to service staff on a gaming floor of the gaming establishment and to customers of the gaming establishment who are operating the respective gaming machines. The display unit may have a two tier display region, a first tier displaying second data of those gaming machines in respect of which a response from only a single member of the service staff is required; and responses from both a junior and senior staff members are required and where the senior member has first attended to the gaming machine; and the second tier displaying second data of those gaming machines in respect of which a response from only a predetermined senior member of staff is required; and responses from both a junior and senior staff members are required and where the junior member has first attended to the gaming machine.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention is now described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings.
In the drawings,
Figure 1 shows a schematic view of a system, in accordance with the invention, for managing the servicing of gaming machines, by service staff in a gaming establishment having a plurality of gaming machines;
Figure 2 shows a schematic front view of a display unit of the system of Figure 1 , in a first configuration;
Figure 3 shows a further schematic front view of the display unit of the system of Figure 1 , in a second configuration;
Figure 4 shows a schematic front view of a second embodiment of the display unit; Figure 5 shows a schematic flow diagram of the operation of a method for managing the servicing of gaming machines, in accordance with another aspect of the invention; and
Figure 6 shows a further flow diagram of the operation of the method of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In the drawings, reference numeral 10 generally indicates a system, in accordance with the invention, for managing the servicing of gaming machines, by service staff in a gaming establishment having a plurality of gaming machines.
As shown in Figure 1 , the gaming establishment 12 has a plurality of slot machines, some of which are indicated by reference numeral 14. Each of the slot machines 14 has a unique identification code. Further, each slot machine has a mag stripe card reader (not shown) connected thereto. It will be appreciated that a large gaming establishment 12 may have many hundreds of such slot machines 14. Accordingly, the unique identification code of the slot machines 14 advantageously provides an indication of the location of respective slot machine 14 on the gaming floor. Thus, the slot machines 14 have a five digit numeric identification code, the first digit of which indicates the section of the gaming floor on which the slot machine 14 is located, the following two digits of which indicate a bank of machines to which the slot machine 14 belongs, and the final two digits of which indicate the position of the slot machine 14 within the bank of machines. Thus, service personnel on the floor of the gaming establishment 12 may readily locate a specific slot machine 14 by knowing its identification number.
The slot machines 14 are connected via a communications network 16 to one or more floor servers 18 on the floor of the gaming establishment 12. The floor servers 18 are, in turn, connected via the communications network 16 to an online monitoring system 20 having a database. The monitoring system 20 includes a computer server 22 on which the database is located. The computer server 22 operates under the control of computer programs which, in combination with the database, provide a slot accounting and reporting system, indicated by numeral 24.
Further, the monitoring system 20 is connected via the communications network 16 to a service coordination system 26 and database housed on a second dedicated computer server 28. The second computer server 28 operates under the control of computer programs and, in combination with its database, provides a service reporting system, indicated by numeral 30. Still further, the server 28 of the service coordination system 26 is operably connected to a number of display units 32, three of which are shown, known as tilt display units. The tilt display units 32 are prominently positioned on the gaming floor of the gaming establishment 12 so that they are visible to both service staff operating on the gaming floor and guests operating slot machines 14 connected to the monitoring system 20.
The tilt display units 32 are two tier displays, which are in direct communication with the computer server 28. Message signals are sent via Ethernet to an Ethernet-to-serial converter which, in turn, drives the display. It will be appreciated that many kinds of display units may be used, according to circumstances on the floor of the gaming establishment 12, such as, for example, LED-based displays, liquid crystal displays, video displays, or the like.
In use, when one of the slot machines 14 tilts, a first signal, called for convenience a status signal, is transmitted to the computer server 28 and the unique identification number of the slot machine 14 is displayed on either the upper or lower tier of a display unit 32. Generally, slot machine ID numbers are displayed initially according to the criterion of chronological ordering, from left to right in chronological order, with the oldest tilted machine ID being displayed at the left of a queue of ID numbers. In the embodiment described, general floor attendants attend to slot machines 14 whose ID numbers are reflected on the top tier of the display unit 32, while supervisors tend to slot machines 14 whose ID numbers are displayed on the bottom tier of the display unit 32.
When a floor attendant, in response to the displayed ID numbers, arrives at a slot machine 14, he inserts an employee ID mag stripe card carrying a unique employee ID number into the card reader associated with the slot machine 14. This triggers the sending of a second signal, called for convenience a response signal, from the slot machine 14 to the server 28, the signal containing the employee ID of the attendant. An employee database located on the server 28 is searched and the employee ID compared with relevant database records to establish that the relevant employee has the required authority to perform the task of responding to the respective tilt event. If so, the signal is accepted and the status of the slot machine 14 is changed, the display updated and employee and time data are updated. If not, the signal is not accepted, and an error report may be generated. It will be appreciated that instead of a card reader any suitable input device may be used, such as, for example, a keyboard, touch screen, mechanical key, or the like. If the tilt event does not require the co-operation of two members of the service staff, the floor attendant services the machine, rendering it operable. The floor attendant then inserts a second "job complete" mag stripe card into the card reader to indicate that the servicing job has been completed and that the slot machine 14 is operable. Swiping of the job complete card results in the updating of the machine status code, employee and time data on the database and reconfiguration of the display on the display unit 32 under the control of the server 28, to remove the machine ID number from the first tier of the display unit 32.
In some instances, for example where a jackpot has been registered or a hopper fill is required, gaming facility protocol requires the co-operation of, and signature by, two members of the service staff. In such a event, the machine ID number is removed from the top tier of the display unit 32 and relocated to the bottom tier queue, while the floor attendant completes his part of the job. If a supervisor has not arrived at the slot machine 14 within a predetermined period, which is conveniently set at two minutes, the machine ID number on the display unit 32 begins flashing. When a supervisor arrives, he inserts his ID card into the card reader, thereby triggering the sending of a second response signal from the slot machine 14 to the server 28. The required level of authority of the supervisor is established, as described above, and, if established, the second response signal is accepted and the status of the slot machine 14 is changed and the display reconfigured accordingly. The machine ID number is finally removed from the display when the slot machine 14 is reset by means of a reset key, or by use of a job complete card, in cases where the slot machine 14 does not require resetting.
Thus, as shown in Figure 2, machines numbers 11111 , 22222, 33333, 44444,
66666, 77777, 88888 and 99999 have experienced a tilt event. Machine number 11111 requires the attention of the next available attendant and machine number 66666 requires the attention of the next available supervisor.
In Figure 3, an attendant has responded to machine number 11111 and has inserted his ID card in the card reader of the slot machine 14. He may, for example, currently be writing out a pay cheque (slot short payment voucher). Machine ID 11111 has been moved to the end of the supervisor's queue and will work its way forward to the front of the queue by the time the attendant has finished writing out the pay cheque. When the supervisor arrives, he inserts his ID card and completes the countersigning of the cheque. Finally, he resets the slot machine 14 by means of key, at which stage machine ID 11111 is removed from the display entirely.
It will be appreciated that many configurations of display unit 32 are possible. One such alternative configuration 32.1 is shown in Figure 4, where relevant machine ID numbers are displayed vertically rather than horizontally, in chronological order from the first tilted machine at the top of the display to the last tilted machine the bottom of the display. Further, additional information is displayed, including a short description of the event causing the tilt and the amount of cash required for a hopper fill or the amount of a jackpot payout, the additional information being encoded in the data of the status signal transmitted by the respective gaming machine.
We turn now to Figure 5, in which the operation of the system 10 is illustrated schematically. The database of the service coordination system 10 accepts incoming signals from the slot machines 14 for a period of time (typically 3 seconds). The database contains a machine table containing the following information in respect of each slot machine 14: the unique identification number indicating the location of the slot machine 14 on the gaming floor; a status code (SC) representing the current status of the slot machine 14; the time when the slot machine 14 became disabled (tilted); the ID number of the first attendant to respond to the tilt event and the time of his response; the ID number of the second attendant to respond to the tilt event and the time of his response (where appropriate); and the time when the job was completed and the machine became operational once again.
The following is a list of status codes and their interpretation:
Status Codes
SC18 Machine awaits the attention of one junior staff member;
SC21 Machine awaits the attention of a junior staff member, but will subsequently require the attention of a senior staff member too;
SC24 Machine has been attended by senior staff member, and is awaiting the arrival of a junior staff member;
SC27 Senior staff member has waited longer than two minutes for the arrival of a junior staff member;
SC30 Machine is fully attended and awaits job completion;
SC33 Machine awaits the arrival of one senior staff member only; SC36 Machine awaits the arrival of a senior staff member;
SC39 Junior staff member has waited longer than two minutes for the arrival of a senior staff member;
SC42 Machine is fully attended and awaits job completion;
SC45 Machine enabled and not reflected on display. The following is a list of symbols used in Figure 5, and their interpretation. The events represented by the symbols are represented in the Figure 5 by way of arrows.
a, b, c Signal received, indicating that machine has become disabled
a Status signal indicates that machine requires attention by only one junior staff member; b Status signal indicates that machine requires attention by a junior staff member, but will subsequently require attention by a senior staff member too; c Status signal indicates that machine requires attention by only one senior staff member
d, e, f, g Machine is attended to by first staff member
d Response signal indicates that machine is attended by junior or senior staff member; e Response signal indicates that machine is attended by senior staff member; f Response signal indicates that machine is attended by junior staff member; g Response signal indicates that machine is attended by senior staff member.
h, j Internally generates triggers for change in status of machine: First staff member awaits arrival of second staff member
h Senior staff member awaits arrival of junior staff member for longer than two minutes; j Junior staff member awaits arrival of senior staff member for longer than two minutes.
k, m, n, p Machine is attended by second staff member
k, m Response signal indicates that machine is attended by second staff member, being either junior or senior; n, p Response signal indicates that machine is attended by second staff member, being senior staff member.
q, r Job is now complete and machine is enabled.
q, r Response signal indicates that staff member has reset machine or inserted "Job Complete" card into machine card reader.
Initially, all slot machines 14 are in an enabled state and are allocated a status code SC45 on the database table. Their machine IDs are not displayed on the display unit 32. When a machine tilt status signal is accepted, the server 28 processes the signal and performs an assessment. The data representing the machine ID of the incoming status signals (and value of the jackpot payout or hopper refill, where applicable) is compared against the current machine status of the respective slot machine 14 as stored in the machine table. Where appropriate, the status of the slot machine 14 is updated in the machine table, and the time of the status signal is recorded. The server processor controls the display unit 32 to display the disabled slot machine's identification number, along with other tilted machines. When the tilt event requires a response by only a single floor attendant, the status of the slot machine 14 is changed from SC45 to SC18, and the identification number of the machine is displayed in a region of the display unit in which identification numbers are displayed in red, and on the right-hand end of the group of identification numbers already in this mode. On the arrival of a floor attendant at the slot machine 14, he inserts his identification mag stripe card into a card reader of the machine 14, in response to which a response signal is transmitted to the server 28 of the service coordination system 10. The response signal contains data representative of the unique ID number of the attendant. The server 28 has an employee database and the rank of the employee is ascertained from the database. If the employee is authorized to perform the task, the status of the slot machine 14 and time of arrival of the attendant are updated in the machine table. The status of the slot machine 14 is changed from SC18 to SC30 and the display is reconfigured under the control of the computer program of the server 28 so that the machine ID number is moved to a region on the right of the display and displayed in green, on the right-hand end of the group of machines IDs reflected in this region.
Where, however, it is determined by the server processor that according to the protocol the tilt event requires a response from a floor attendant and a supervisor, the machine status is changed from SC45 to SC21 , and the machine ID is displayed in chronological order on the display in the red group. If a junior attendant inserts his ID card into the slot machine 14 first, the status of the slot machine 14 is changed from SC21 to SC36 and the ID number of the machine 14 is moved to the bottom tier, or level, of the display, where it is displayed within the group whose machine Ids are displayed in amber mode. If a period of two minutes passes without the arrival of a supervisor, the status of the machine 14 is changed from SC36 to SC39 and the mode of display of the machine ID is changed to the group whose ID numbers are displayed in flashing amber. On the arrival of a supervisor, he inserts his ID card into the card reader of the slot machine 14 and a response signal is transmitted from the machine 14 to the server 28. The ID number of the supervisor is compared with the employee database and the rank of the supervisor is ascertained. If the supervisor is authorized to perform the task indicated by the data representative of the respective tilt event contained in the original status signal from the machine, the status and time of arrival of the supervisor are saved in the machine table, and the status of the machine 14 is changed from SC39 to SC42. The mode of display of the machine ID number is changed from amber flashing to a group of green ID numbers on the bottom tier of the display, where it is displayed in chronological order within that group. On completion of the servicing of the slot machine 14, the machine 14 is reset, as described above, and the status of the machine is changed from SC42 to SC45 indicating that the machine 14 is fully enabled. Alternatively, if a supervisor arrives before the expiry of the two minute period, the status of the machine 14 is immediately changed from SC36 to SC42, after which the process proceeds as previously described. Where the status of the machine 14 is indicated by status code SC21 , and a supervisor is the first member of the service staff to respond to the machine tilt condition, the procedure will be similar to that described previously, with the exception that the status of the slot machine 14 changes from SC21 to SC24, and the mode of display of the ID number of the machine 14 is changed from red on the top tier of the display to amber on the top tier of the display unit 32. On the arrival of the floor attendant who is required to co-operate with the supervisor, the machine status code is changed to SC30 on insertion by the floor attendant of his ID card, unless a period of two minutes expires before the arrival of the floor attendant, in which case the status of the machine 14 is changed from CS24 to CS27, and the mode of display of the ID number of the machine is changed from amber on the top tier of the display unit 32 to the flashing amber on the top tier of the display unit 32. On insertion of his ID card by the floor attendant, the status of the slot machine 14 is changed from CS27 to CS30, and the ID number of the machine 14 is moved from the flashing amber group to the green group, where it is displayed in chronological order within that group.
There are certain tilt events which are defined in the operating protocol as requiring a response from a predetermined person, such as a casino manager. In this case, the status of the relevant slot machine 14 is changed from SC45 to SC33, and machine ID number is displayed on the bottom tier of the display unit 32 in the red group, in chronological order within that group. On arrival of the predetermined person, insertion of his mag stripe card, and authentication of his authority, the status of the machine 14 is changed from SC33 to SC42, and the ID number of the machine 14 is moved from the red group on the bottom tier of the display unit 32 to the green group on the bottom tier of the display unit 32, where it is again displayed in chronological order within that group. On reset of the slot machine 14, the status of the machine14 is changed from SC42 to SC45, indicating that the machine is fully enabled, and the machine ID is removed from the display.
Where it is possible to have large display units 32, the machine IDs may conveniently be displayed in groups having the same mode of display, with the members of each group being located contiguously with respect to one another. However, this may not always be possible of convenient, and circumstances may dictate that only certain groups have contiguous members. Thus, the members of the groups of machine IDs are not necessarily contiguously displayed. Further, in one embodiment of the system 10, all members of each group are displayed in chronological order. However, in another embodiment of the invention this is again not the case, and the rule of chronological ordering does not apply to the members of groups. However, it is preferred that at least the group of those machine IDs representing gaming machines which have tilted but have not yet received any attention, ie the initial display of the machine IDs, is ranked chronologically. Still further, since a large gaming establishment may have many hundreds of machines, where the gaming floor is busy it may not be possible to display simultaneously the machine IDs of all the machines that have tilted and it may be desirable to save the machine IDs in a buffer while awaiting display space on a display unit 32, or to place a time delay on the tilt time allocated to the status signal of the gaming machines.
It will be appreciated that the operation of the management system 10 and the method of operation thereof have been described with reference to a specific embodiment. Many alternative arrangements of the operating protocol are possible within the scope of the invention, as are different configurations and reconfigurations of the display.
By means of the management system 10 and method, the efficiency of servicing of gaming machines 14 may be increased. Downtime of machines 14 and waiting time of guests may be substantially reduced. Further, guests become familiar with the operation of the display boards 32 and are able to see that tilt events on machines 14 on which they are playing are being attended to. Further, the database of the system 10 is updated with information relating to staff performance, thereby facilitating a staff performance reporting system, as well as the analysis, reporting and servicing of gaming machines 14. Workloads of staff may be logged and imbalances in the workloads of staff reported. Further, the display units 32 of the system 10 may be utilized for the display of promotional messages when not in use by the system 10.

Claims

1. A method for managing the servicing of gaming machines by service staff in a gaming establishment having a plurality of gaming machines, the method including receiving first, status signals from the gaming machines, each status signal being transmitted in response to a predetermined event associated with a respective gaming machine and containing first data representative of the identity of the said gaming machine; and displaying, via a display means visible to the service staff, in respect of each respective gaming machine from which a status signal has been received, second data representative of the identity of the said gaming machine, the second data being displayed in a manner in accordance with at least one predetermined first criterion.
2. The method as claimed in Claim 1 , in which the, or at least one of the, first criteria are at least partly determinative of the ordering of the second data on the display means.
3. The method as claimed in Claim 2, in which the first and second data are the same and comprise an identification code of the respective gaming machine.
4. The method as claimed in Claim 3, in which each status signal from the gaming machines contains third data representative of the event in response to which the status signal is transmitted.
5. The method as claimed in Claim 4, in which the event is one that renders the gaming machine inoperative.
6. The method as claimed in Claim 5, which includes the further steps of receiving at least one second, response signal from each gaming machine in respect of which a status signal has been received, each response signal being transmitted in response to actuation of a first actuating means of a respective gaming machine by a member of the service staff; and reconfiguring the data displayed on the display means in accordance with at least one predetermined second criterion.
7. The method as claimed in Claim 6, in which the, or at least one of the, second criteria are at least partly determinative of the ordering of the second data on the display means.
8. The method as claimed in Claim 7, in which the actuation of the actuating means by a member of the service staff includes inputting a unique identifier of that staff member.
9. The method as claimed in Claim 8, which includes comparing the identifier of the staff member with data of a service staff data base to verify that the staff member actuating the first actuating means is authorized to respond to the respective event and accepting the response signal only if the identifier is of a staff member with the required authorization.
10. The method as claimed in any Claim 9, in which the identification codes of the respective gaming machines are displayed in accordance with a first ordering criterion in respect of which at least some of them are displayed in chronological order of the occurrence of the events with which they are associated.
11. The method as claimed in Claim 10, in which the identification codes displayed on the display means are reconfigured in response to the, or each, response signal from respective gaming machines so that the identification codes are displayed in groups representative of a status of the response by the service staff to the events with which the identification codes are associated, and in which each group of identification codes is displayed in a different mode.
2. The method as claimed in Claim 11 , in which the identification codes are first displayed chronologically in a first group containing identification codes representative of gaming machines which have transmitted a status signal to which the service staff have yet to respond, and in which the display is reconfigured in response to the, or each, response signal from respective gaming machines so that the mode of display of the identification codes is changed, in accordance with the second ordering criteria, from the mode of display of the first group to a mode of display associated with one of the following groups: a) a second group comprising identification codes representative of gaming machines in respect of which the event triggering the status signal requires a response by only one member of the service staff and in respect of which a first response signal has been accepted, and identification codes representative of gaming machines in respect of which the event triggering the status signal requires a response by two members of the service staff and in respect of which a first and a second response signal has been accepted; b) a third group comprising identification codes representative of gaming machines in respect of which the event triggering the status signal requires a response by two members of the service staff, one of whom is senior to the other, and in respect of which only a first response signal associated with the junior staff member has been accepted; c) a fourth group comprising identification codes representative of those gaming machines previously of the third group in respect of which no second response signal has been received for a predetermined time period; d) a fifth group comprising identification codes representative of gaming machines in respect of which the event triggering the status signal requires a response by two members of the service staff, one of whom is senior to the other, and in respect of which only a first response signal associated with the senior staff member has been accepted; e) a sixth group comprising identification codes representative of those gaming machines previously of the fifth group in respect of which no second response signal has been accepted for a predetermined time period; and f) a seventh group comprising identification codes representative of those gaming machines previously of the fifth and sixth groups in respect of which first and second response signals have been accepted.
13. The method as claimed in Claim 12, which includes an eighth group comprising identification codes representative of those gaming machines which have transmitted a status signal to which the service staff have yet to respond and where the event in respect of which the status signal was triggered requires a response from a staff member of a predetermined status and in which, on acceptance of a first response signal from an authorized staff member, the display is reconfigured to change the mode of display of the respective identification code from that of the eighth group to that of the seventh group.
14. The method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, which includes receiving third, operational signals from the gaming machines, each operational signal being transmitted in response to a predetermined event associated with a respective gaming machine, which event is indicative of the fact that a respective gaming machine has been rendered operational, and containing the first data representative of the identity of the said gaming machine; and reconfiguring the display of the display means to remove, in respect of each respective gaming machine from which an operational signal has been received, the second data representative of the identity of the said gaming machine.
15. The method as claimed in Claim 14, in which the operational signal is transmitted in response to actuation of a second actuating means of the respective gaming machine by a member of the service staff.
16. The method as claimed in Claim 15, in which a single device provides both the first and second actuating means.
17. The method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, which includes saving to a data base at least a part of the data contained in each signal received, together with the time of receipt of the respective data.
18. The method as claimed in Claim 1 , in which the display means comprises a display unit which is arranged to be visible both to service staff on a gaming floor of the gaming establishment and to customers of the gaming establishment who are operating respective gaming machines.
19. A management system for managing the servicing of gaming machines by service staff in a gaming establishment having a plurality of gaming machines, the system including receiving means for receiving first, status signals from the gaming machines, each status signal containing first data representative of the identity of a respective gaming machine requiring servicing; display means configured to be visible to the service staff of the gaming establishment; control means operably connected to the receiving means and the display means and operable, in response to the status signals received by the receiving means, to transmit output signals, each output signal containing second data representative of the identity of a respective gaming machine from which a status signal has been received, and to control the display means to display the second data received from the gaming machines according to at least one predetermined criterion.
20. The system as claimed in Claim 19, in which the control means includes a computer operating under the control of a computer program.
21. The system as claimed in Claim 20, in which the, or at least one of the, criteria are at least partly determinative of the ordering of the second data on the display means.
22. The system as claimed in Claim 21 , in which the receiving means is operable to receive at least one second, response signal from each gaming machine in respect of which a status signal has been received, each response signal being transmitted in response to actuation of a first actuating means of a respective gaming machine by a member of the service staff, and the control means is operable to reconfigure the data displayed on the display means in accordance with at least one predetermined second criterion.
23. The system as claimed in Claim 22, in which the, or at least one of the, second criteria are at least partly determinative of the ordering of the second data on the display means.
24. The system as claimed in Claim 23, in which the control means is operable to reconfigure the second data displayed on the display means in response to the, or each, response signal from respective gaming machines so that the second data are displayed in groups representative of a status of the response by the service staff to the events with which the second data are associated, and in which each group of second data is displayed in a different mode.
25. The system as claimed in any one of Claims 19 to 24, in which the display means comprises a display unit which is arranged to be visible both to service staff on a gaming floor of the gaming establishment and to customers of the gaming establishment who are operating the respective gaming machines.
26. The system as claimed in Claim 25, in which the display unit has a two tier display region, a first tier displaying second data of those gaming machines in respect of which a response from only a single member of the service staff is required; and responses from both a junior and senior staff members are required and where the senior member has first attended to the gaming machine; and the second tier displaying second data of those gaming machines in respect of which a response from only a predetermined senior member of staff is required; and responses from both a junior and senior staff members are required and where the junior member has first attended to the gaming machine.
27. A method, substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, for managing the servicing of gaming machines by service staff in a gaming establishment having a plurality of gaming machines.
28. A management system, substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, for managing the servicing of gaming machines by service staff in a gaming establishment having a plurality of gaming machines.
PCT/IB2001/001318 2000-07-24 2001-07-24 Method and system for managing the servicing of gaming machines WO2002007838A2 (en)

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GB2140953A (en) * 1983-05-31 1984-12-05 Simper Peter Ets Ltd Coin-released machines
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WO2004024258A1 (en) 2002-09-10 2004-03-25 Igt Method and apparatus for supporting wide area gaming network
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EP1545726A4 (en) * 2002-09-10 2010-02-17 Igt Reno Nev Method and apparatus for supporting wide area gaming network

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WO2002007838A3 (en) 2002-05-02

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