Multipurpose EGM/player tracking device and system

摘要

A system and method provides gaming related and player/gaming attendant related services to a plurality EGM. Each EGM has an associated multipurpose EGM/player tracking device. Each multipurpose EGM/player tracking device has first and second ports. The first port couples the respective multipurpose EGM/player tracking device to the respective EGM using a communications link. The first port of one of the multipurpose EGM/player tracking devices may utilize a different communications protocol than another one of the advance player tracking device. A server computer is coupled the multipurpose EGM/player tracking devices using a system communications protocol through system communications links. The server computer provides gaming and player/gaming attendant services to users of the EGMs.

主权项

1. A system for providing gaming related services to a plurality of gaming machines, comprising:
a server computer for providing gaming services to at least one of the plurality of gaming machines, the server computer including a multipurpose EGM/player tracking services database server; at least one multipurpose EGM/player tracking device coupled to the server computer and to the at least one gaming machine, the multipurpose EGM/player tracking device configured to communicate with the at least one of the gaming machines using an EGM communications protocol and to communicate with the server computer using a system communications protocol that is different than the EGM communications protocol; and a plurality of middleware servers coupled to the multipurpose EGM/player tracking services database server, each of the plurality of middleware servers adapted to be coupled to the at least one multipurpose EGM/player tracking device for providing gaming services from the multipurpose EGM/player tracking services database server to the at least one multipurpose EGM/player tracking device, wherein the at least one multipurpose EGM/player tracking device includes an associated unique identifier, the multipurpose EGM/player tracking services database server has a first table associated with a first middleware server and a second table associated with a second middleware server, the unique identifier of the at least one multipurpose EGM/player tracking device being stored within one of the first table and the second table to enable the multipurpose EGM/player tracking device and the corresponding gaming machine to be disconnected from the first middleware server and to be connected to the second middleware server by transferring the associated unique identifier from the first table to the second table.