Remote Identification for Electronic Gaming Machines
A casino management system uses unique identifiers to automatically identify individual gaming assets and to select a particular asset on a video display of a gaming floor. Information about the specific asset can be retrieved and presented on an overlay of the video display. Identification data for a plurality of assets can be used with known camera locations to automatically generate a map of asset locations on the gaming floor. A unique identifier for each EGM may be transmitted via an optical or infrared signal and received by cameras monitoring the gaming floor. The unique identifier may also be optically received via a smartphone application.
1 . A computer-implemented method of providing information about a gaming asset in a console station having console-logic circuitry including one or more central processing units and one or more memory devices, the method comprising:
presenting a live image of the gaming asset on an electronic display device;
receiving, at the console-logic circuitry, an identifier associated with the gaming asset shown in the live image;
receiving, at the console-logic circuitry, information regarding the gaming asset based on the identifier; and
displaying, via a routine executed by the console-logic circuitry, at least a portion of the information on the electronic display device concurrent with the live image of the gaming asset.
2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising broadcasting the identifier from an emitter physically attached to the gaming asset.
3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein broadcasting the identifier comprises broadcasting the identifier from the emitter via an infrared signal.
4 . The method of claim 2 , wherein receiving the identifier comprises receiving the identifier via the infrared signal broadcast from the gaming asset.
5 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising selecting the gaming asset via a user interface of the console station.
6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the gaming asset is one of an electronic gaming machine, a table game, and an automatic teller machine.
7 . A computer-implemented method of providing information about an electronic gaming machine (EGM) on a gaming floor in a system having logic circuitry including one or more central processing units and one or more memory devices, the method comprising:
broadcasting an infrared signal from the EGM;
receiving the infrared signal from the EGM at a camera; and
based on the infrared signal, determining, by the logic circuitry, at least one of an identity of the EGM or information about the EGM.
8 . The method of claim 7 , further comprising displaying the information about the EGM on an electronic display device showing an image of the EGM from the camera.
9 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the infrared signal includes an identifier associated with the EGM, and wherein determining at least one of the identity of the EGM or information about the EGM comprises retrieving the identity of the EGM using the identifier.
10 . The method of claim 8 , wherein displaying the information about the EGM on the electronic display device comprises displaying the information about the EGM superimposed on a live image of the gaming floor from the camera.
11 . The method of claim 7 , further comprising:
receiving the infrared signal at a mobile device;
associating, by the logic circuitry, the identity of the EGM via information from the infrared signal; and
using the identity of the EGM, retrieving, by the logic circuitry, information about the EGM at the mobile device via a wireless network.
12 . The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
publishing a physical location of the EGM; and
displaying the physical location of the EGM and the information about the EGM.
13 . The method of claim 7 , wherein broadcasting the infrared signal from the EGM comprises broadcasting the infrared signal responsive to a condition at the EGM.
14 . The method of claim 7 , wherein the infrared signal includes an identifier that is unique among a plurality identifiers of electronic gaming machines on the gaming floor.
15 . A system for providing information about a gaming asset, the system comprising:
the gaming asset including:
a first memory storing an identifier that distinguishes the gaming asset from another gaming asset;
a processor coupled to the first memory; and
an emitter coupled to the processor that broadcasts a signal over the air containing the identifier responsive to the processor;
a sensor that receives the signal broadcast by the gaming asset; and
a controller that receives the signal via the sensor, the controller including:
a second processor; and
a second memory that stores an algorithm that when executed on the second processor develops an identity of the gaming asset using the received signal.
16 . The system of claim 15 , wherein the controller further comprises a data retrieval routine stored in the second memory that when executed retrieves information about the gaming asset using the identity of the gaming asset.
17 . The system of claim 16 , wherein the sensor is a camera.
18 . The system of claim 17 , wherein the controller further comprises a display routine that displays the information about the gaming asset concurrent with a live image of the gaming asset received via the camera.
19 . The system of claim 15 , further comprising a mobile device running a mobile application that receives the signal containing the identifier and displays the identity of the gaming asset via the mobile application.
20 . The system of claim 15 , wherein the emitter of the gaming asset is located in a candle structure located at a top of the gaming asset.