United States Patent (19)
`Boushy
`
`54 NATIONAL CUSTOMER RECOGNITION
`SYSTEMAND METHOD
`
`75) Inventor: John Michael Boushy, Germantown,
`Tenn.
`
`73 Assignee: Harrah's Operating Company, Inc.,
`Memphis, Tenn.
`
`III III
`USOO5761647A
`11
`Patent Number:
`5,761,647
`(45) Date of Patent:
`Jun. 2, 1998
`
`OTHER PUBLICATIONS
`"Harrah's Casinos Introduces Two "Firts' For The Casino
`Industry". PR Newswire, Aug. 23, 1993.
`Primary Examiner-Edward R. Cosimano
`Assistant Examiner-Junghoon Kenneth Oh
`Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Fenwick & West LLP
`57
`ABSTRACT
`
`21 Appl. No.: 653,436
`22 Filed:
`May 24, 1996
`(51
`int. Cl. ............................ G06F 17160
`52 U.S. Cl. .................................. 70.5/10; 463/25; 463/29
`58) Field of Search ........................ 463/25, 29: 395/210;
`70.5/10
`
`(56)
`
`References Cited
`
`A system and method for implementing a customer tracking
`and recognition program that encompasses customers' gam
`ing and non-gaming activity alike at a plurality of affiliated
`casino properties. Customer information is accumulated at
`each AE casino through one or more LAN-based
`management systems, updated to a central patron database
`(CPDB) that is coupled to each casinoLAN through a WAN.
`and made available to each affiliated casino property as
`needed. Customer accounts are automatically activated and
`provided with data from the CPDB when a customer from
`one casino property first visits an affiliated casino property.
`Customer accounts are updated with new activity data
`whenever a management system associated with the casino
`receives customer data from input devices, such as card
`readers, workstations, and dumb terminals, located at vari
`ous venues throughout the casino. Customers are awarded
`points, based on their tracked activity at all affiliated casino
`U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
`properties. The point awards have a monetary value and are
`4.531,187 7/1985 Uhland .................................... 364412
`redeemable for gifts, meals, cash and the like, at any of the
`4,755,941
`7/1988 Bacchi .................................... 364/412
`5,007,641
`4/1991 Seidman ......
`... 273/138 A casino properties. The point awards may embody different
`5,080,364
`1/1992 Seidman .............................. 273/138 A promotional schemes in which point awards are adjusted to
`5,129,652 7/1992 Wilkinson ............................... 273/139
`target different casino properties or different venues within
`5,179.517
`1/1993 Sarbin et al.
`. 364/410
`a casino. Summary customer data, including point levels, is
`5,257,179 10/1993 DeMar .................................... 364/410
`regularly updated to reflect ongoing customer activity at the
`5,265,874 11/1993 Dickinson et al. .................... 273/138
`casino property. This data is made available to employees at
`5,287.269 2/1994 Dorrough et al. ..
`... 36408
`any affiliated casino property, as needed, to personalize
`5,321,241
`6/1994 Craine ..................................... 235/380
`customer services.
`5,429,361
`7/1995 Raven et al. ........................ 273/138A
`5,470,079 11/1995 LeStrange et al. ................. 273/138 A
`
`28 Claims, 14 Drawing Sheets
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`
`
`
`
`GOLDCAR
`CENTERP
`CENTER
`
`RESERVATIONS
`
`fe
`
`ODSING
`
`SYSTEM
`(SMS
`232
`
`MANAGEMENT
`SYSTEMS
`(CMS)
`234
`
`TEE
`SERVICES
`298
`
`DE AREA NEWORK
`
`MANAGEMENT
`SYSTEM
`24
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`
`
`
`
`MARKETENG
`(PC's
`
`MARKENG
`WORKBENCH
`
`PATRON
`DATABASE
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`
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`Zynga Ex. 1005, p. 1
`Zynga v. IGT
`IPR2022-00200
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`

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`U.S. Patent
`
`Jun. 2, 1998
`
`Sheet 1 of 14
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`5,761,647
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`
`
`TCP/IP
`
`WIDE AREA NETWORK
`FRAME RELAY
`102
`
`ETHERNET 10 Mb
`
`= --~ ~ ~ = - - - - - - - • ~- - = = - •*
`
`FIG. 1
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`Zynga Ex. 1005, p. 2
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`U.S. Patent
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`Jun. 2, 1998
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`Sheet 2 of 14
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`5,761,647
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`
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`112
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`TRANSACTION
`MANAGEMENT
`SYSTEM
`216
`
`FIG. 2A
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`U.S. Patent
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`Jun. 2, 1998
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`Sheet 3 of 14
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`5,761,647
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`TERMINALS
`245
`
`
`
`; GAMING
`: TABLES
`:
`f34
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`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`F MODULE
`235
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`CMS
`234
`124
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`DUMB
`TERMINAL
`132
`
`PC
`172
`---
`
`TRANSACTION
`MANAGEMENT
`SYSTEM
`216
`
`LAN/WAN IF
`280
`
`126
`
`FG. 2B
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`Zynga Ex. 1005, p. 4
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`U.S. Patent
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`Jun. 2, 1998
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`Sheet 4 of 14
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`5,761,647
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`124/f
`
`CPDB
`
`
`
`CMS
`ACCESS
`
`f24/4
`
`FIG. 2C
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`U.S. Patent
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`Jun. 2, 1998
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`Sheet 5 of 14
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`5,761,647
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`
`
`GOLD CARD
`HOTEL RESERVATIONS
`TABLE
`SLOTS RATINGS KIOSKS city GUESTS
`130
`/34
`136
`13
`|| 7 ||
`
`7
`
`EVENT
`PATRONS
`|| 7/4
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`
`
`
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`SLOT
`MONITORING
`SYSTEM
`(SMS)
`262
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`TELE
`SERVICES
`298
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`LODGING
`MGMTSYSTEM
`(LMS)
`238
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`
`
`
`
`
`
`CASNO
`MANAGEMENT
`SYSTEMS
`(CMS)
`234
`
`
`
`
`
`/ 2252
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`
`
`
`
`WIDE AREA NETWORK
`
`FIG. 3
`
`EVENT
`Maint
`240
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`
`
`
`
`
`
`MARKETING
`(PC's)
`
`MARKETING
`WORKBENCH
`
`PATRON
`DATABASE
`212
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`Zynga Ex. 1005, p. 6
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`U.S. Patent
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`Jun. 2, 1998
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`Sheet 6 of 14
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`5,761,647
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`TRIGGERING
`EVENT
`410
`
`YES
`
`READ CUSTOMER ID
`420
`
`ACCOUNT
`ACTIVATED?
`430
`
`UPDATE ACTIVATED ACCOUNT
`WITH
`ACTIVITY DATA
`444
`
`
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`BET
`ACTIVITY?
`448
`
`400 .
`CPDB UPDATE? .
`
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`46O
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`UPDATE CPDB WITH LOCAL DATA
`470
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`ACTIVATE ACCOUNT
`434
`
`REQUEST DATA FROM CPDB
`4.38
`
`UPDATE ACTIVATED ACCOUNT
`WITH SUMMARY DATA
`442
`
`CHECK POINTS ACTIVITY
`452
`
`PON UPDATE?
`450
`
`ADJUST POINTS TO ACCOUNT
`454
`
`FG. 4
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`
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`ADJUST COMPAVAILABILITY
`458
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`U.S. Patent
`
`Jun. 2, 1998
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`Sheet 7 of 14
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`5,761,647
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`-LOCAL MASTER
`-LOCAL CROSS-REFERENCE
`PROPERTY 2
`PROPERTY 3
`PROPERTY 4
`
`CMS
`234/1
`
`-LOCAL MASTER
`-LOCAL CROSS-REFERENCE
`PROPERTY 1
`PROPERTY 3
`PROPERTY 4
`
`CMS
`234/2
`
`CMS
`234/4
`
`CMS
`234/3
`
`-LOCAL MASTER
`-LOCAL CROSS-REFERENCE
`PROPERTY 1
`PROPERTY 2
`PROPERTY 3
`
`-LOCAL MASTER
`-LOCAL CROSS-REFERENCE
`PROPERTY 1
`PROPERTY 2
`PROPERTY A.
`
`FIG. 5
`
`Zynga Ex. 1005, p. 8
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`U.S. Patent
`
`OO
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`2
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`Jun. 2, 1998
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`Sheet 8 of 14
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`
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`SIOIAYTSSAL
`
`OLLV
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`STOO0LOUdYHOMLIN
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`ELV
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`5,761,647
`
`9“Old
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`Zynga Ex. 1005, p. 9
`Zyngav. IGT
`IPR2022-00200
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`Zynga Ex. 1005, p. 9
`Zynga v. IGT
`IPR2022-00200
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`U.S. Patent
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`Jun. 2, 1998
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`Sheet 9 of 14
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`5,761,647
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`A210
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`MSGAP
`A212
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`
`
`A230
`
`
`
`
`
`FUNCTIONS
`NITALIZE
`REQUEST
`TERMINATE
`274
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`
`
`
`
`
`
`MSG BUFFER
`A218
`PARSE
`y
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`NBOUND
`PARSEDDATA
`
`
`
`
`
`OUTBOUND
`-O-
`RPG DATA
`
`
`
`RGENONs A240
`PUT DAT
`GET DATA
`LANGUAGE
`FORMAT
`VALIDATE
`A216
`
`
`
`SHARED MEMORY
`A f 14
`DDS
`
`
`
`A226
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`FUNCTIONS
`NITIALIZE LIST
`SET FREE FUNCTION
`SET KEY TYPE
`A234
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`LIST BUILDAP
`A232
`
`MMS AP
`A242
`-
`MMS FUNCTIONS
`A244
`-
`
`BUILD/PARSEAP
`A2
`DD
`A225
`FUNCTIONS
`INTIALIZE
`BUILD MSG
`PARSE MSG
`A224
`
`FIG. 7
`
`A220
`
`Zynga Ex. 1005, p. 10
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`U.S. Patent
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`Jun. 2, 1998
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`Sheet 10 of 14
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`5,761,647
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`DATABASE
`A390
`
`APPLICATION
`A310
`
`FIG. 8
`
`
`
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`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
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`
`
`LST BUILD
`MODULE
`A330
`
`
`
`MEMORY
`MANAGEMENT
`MODULE
`A340
`
`
`
`BUILD/PARSE
`MODULE
`A360
`
`Zynga Ex. 1005, p. 11
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`U.S. Patent
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`Jun. 2, 1998
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`Sheet 11 of 14
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`5,761,647
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`
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`ASCII DEFINITION
`FILE
`A260
`
`MSG DATA
`STRUCTURE
`UTILITY
`A270
`
`DATA DCTIONARY
`A228
`
`ARDS
`A262
`
`ASDS
`A264
`
`\ .
`
`FIG. 9
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`Zynga Ex. 1005, p. 12
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`U.S. Patent
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`Jun. 2, 1998
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`Sheet 12 of 14
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`5,761,647
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`
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`A266
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`ACDS
`
`REQUEST SERVICES
`
`REQUEST SERVICENAME
`
`SENDING SEGMENTS
`
`HOLD CONTEXT FLAG
`
`RESULTS SERVICES
`
`RETURN STATUS CODE
`
`NITALIZED FLAG
`
`CONTROL FLAG
`
`FIG 10
`
`Zynga Ex. 1005, p. 13
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`U.S. Patent
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`Jun. 2, 1998
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`Sheet 13 of 14
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`5,761,647
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`A310
`
`
`
`APPLICATION AP
`A312
`
`APPLICATION
`FUNCTION
`A314
`
`
`
`REGD FUNCTIONS
`PUT DATA
`GET DATA
`LANGUAGE
`FORMAT
`VALIDATE
`A316
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
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`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`MSG BUFFER
`A318
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`MSG BUFFER
`A314
`
`DATA
`DICTIONARY
`A328
`
`FUNCTIONS
`NITALIZE LIST
`SET FREE FUNCTION
`SET KEY TYPE
`A334
`
`BUILD/PARSE
`AP
`A322
`A322
`R FUNCTIONS
`INTIALIZE
`BUILD MSG
`A FILL CACHE
`P PARSE MSG
`A324
`
`SEGMENT
`CACHE
`A354
`
`F.G. 11
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`Zynga Ex. 1005, p. 14
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`U.S. Patent
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`Jun. 2, 1998
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`Sheet 14 of 14
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`5,761.647
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`
`
`NOILOVSNÝ81<H—HÊ.
`+-HÊ...
`
`|(557
`
`SNO||WSHBAN00
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`Zynga Ex. 1005, p. 15
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`

`

`5,761.647
`
`2
`properties into national, company-wide tracking and mar
`keting programs.
`
`O
`
`5
`
`25
`
`30
`
`1
`NATIONAL CUSTOMER RECOGNITION
`SYSTEM AND METHOD
`BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
`1. Technical Field
`This invention relates to the field of systems for tracking
`customer activity at casinos, and in particular, to systems for
`tracking customers' gaming and non-gaming activity across
`affiliated casino properties, for use in customer recognition
`and marketing programs.
`1. Background Art
`Substantially all casinos have implemented some form of
`customer tracking to identify and reward their valuable
`customers. These tracking programs often use the betting
`activity of a customer as the basis for awarding the customer
`complementary rooms, meals, event tickets, and the like
`("comps"). Typically, these tracking programs are imple
`mented by providing each customer with a casino member
`ship card which includes a machine readable identification
`20
`number specific to the customer. Each identification number
`has an associated customer account that is stored in the
`casino's computer system and updated to reflect customer
`activity. Customers need only insert their cards in slot
`machines or card readers associated with gaming tables or
`give their cards to a casino employee to have their betting
`activity monitored and reflected in their accounts. Customer
`cards may also be used to track customer activity at casino
`venues, such as special events, showrooms, and hotels,
`through card readers and computer terminals manned by
`casino employees.
`The growth of the gaming industry has created new
`challenges to the way in which customer tracking programs
`are implemented. Many states and territories have recently
`legalized casino gambling, and companies have built casino
`properties at these new gaming locations to meet the demand
`for gaming facilities. Despite the increased number of casino
`properties affiliated with a company, conventional casino
`management practices continue to treat these casino prop
`erties as autonomous, decentralized entities that compete
`with each other for valuable customers. In particular, cus
`tomer tracking at each casino property is typically controlled
`by local management, and few if any attempts have been
`made to coordinate customer information across affiliated
`casino properties. For example, each casino has its own
`45
`system that tracks betting data on the casino's customers.
`The property treats this betting data as confidential, in order
`to prevent competing casinos, including those affiliated with
`the property, from luring away valuable customers. Thus.
`customer tracking programs at affiliated properties remain
`fragmented, and conventional management practices pro
`vide little incentive to coordinate data accumulated by these
`tracking programs.
`Even if a casino company was to attempt some coordi
`nation of customer tracking programs at its affiliated casinos,
`the systems currently in place at various casino properties
`are too localized to integrate easily. Casino management
`systems are typically custom designed for each casino
`property, the customer data is limited to selected customer
`activity at the specific casino property, and the customer data
`accumulated by different computer systems within the same
`casino is often in different, incompatible formats. Thus,
`while each casino has useful data for its regular customers,
`there is no ready means for consolidating this data or making
`it available conveniently for use at other casinos. In short,
`there are both operational and technical barriers to coordi
`nating customer tracking programs at individual casino
`
`65
`
`SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
`The present invention is a system and method for imple
`menting a customer tracking and recognition program that
`encompasses customers' gaming and non-gaming activity
`alike at all casino properties affiliated with a casino com
`pany. Customer information is input to a management sys
`tem associated with each affiliated casino property, updated
`to a patron database, and made available to each casino
`property as needed. This provides casino employees at each
`property with on-line access to the customer data necessary
`to implement cross-property incentive programs and to
`provide personalized services to customers, independent of
`which casino property the customer regularly visits. Mar
`keting personnel have access to a more complete database of
`customer activity for developing and monitoring marketing
`programs, including offer management and redemption pro
`grams. The present invention allows customer data to be
`accumulated across all casino properties and made available
`at any casino property without overburdening the individual
`casino properties' computer systems with unnecessary data.
`A system in accordance with the present invention com
`prises a local area network (LAN) at each affiliated casino
`property and a wide area network (WAN) for coupling data
`among the casino LANs. A management system associated
`with each casino LAN receives customer data from card
`readers, workstations, and dumb terminals, located at vari
`ous venues throughout the casino and couples the received
`data to a database that is accessible to all affiliated casino
`properties. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, a
`central patron database (CPDB) comprising customer
`accounts from all of the casino properties is supported on a
`central LAN that is coupled to the casino LANs through the
`WAN. In this embodiment, the management system may be
`a single. centralized system supported on the central LAN,
`a distributed system comprising local management systems
`associated with each casino LAN. or a hybrid system
`including both centralized and distributed components. The
`preferred configuration for the management system will
`depend on the data capacity of the WAN and the sizes of the
`various casino properties.
`In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the man
`agement system further comprises a casino management
`system to handle the day to day gaming transactions at
`various casino venues and hotel and event management
`systems to handle transactions relating to lodging and
`events, respectively. Data accumulated by the management
`system is updated to the CPDB. where it may be accessed by
`personnel at any of the casino properties through the WAN.
`When customer information is required at a casino property,
`the management system first checks a data store associated
`with the property, and if the data is not available there, it is
`retrieved from the CPDB. On-line access to a customer's
`activities at all of its casino properties allows the casino
`company to implement cross-property incentive programs,
`manage customer offer programs more effectively, and pro
`vide more personalized services to its customers. Data is
`available for a customer's gaming and non-gaming
`activities, giving the casino a more complete picture of the
`customer's expenditures while at the casino.
`For example, the system of the present invention facili
`tates and expands comping. By tracking customers' gaming
`activities at all of the company's casino properties, the
`present invention provides more complete data on which to
`
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`5,761.647
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`O
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`35
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`45
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`15
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`3
`base comps and provides the same. complete data to each
`casino employee. regardless of how frequently the customer
`visits their property. This allows valued customers to be
`recognized at any casino property affiliated with the
`company, regardless of which casino they patronize regu
`larly. It also makes comping more consistent across different
`casino properties.
`In addition to comping, the present invention implements
`a point system that awards points to customers based on their
`tracked activity at all casino properties. Customer points
`earned at any of the affiliated casino properties may be
`redeemed for gifts or services at any of the affiliated casino
`properties. In effect, a customer's points represent a mon
`etary value of the customer's activity, and may be used in
`place of cash at any affiliated casino, independent of where
`the points were earned. The point system may be used to
`target various properties or venues by weighting point
`awards according to the venue, the time period, or the casino
`property at which the points are generated. This allows new
`casino properties or venues at existing casino properties to
`be promoted by awarding extra points to customers who
`visit the targeted property or venue.
`The term "affiliated casinos", as it is used throughout this
`disclosure, is intended to indicate any of a number of
`different relationships between casino properties. For
`25
`example, casinos may be affiliated through common own
`ership by a parent company, they may be owned by different
`companies operating under a cooperation agreement, or they
`may be under contract with the same provider for customer
`tracking services.
`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
`FIG. 1 is an overview of a national customer recognition
`system in accordance with the present invention.
`FIGS. 2A, 2B and 2C are block diagrams of the various
`system modules supported in the central database server and
`a casino property LAN, respectively, for different configu
`rations of the customer recognition system.
`FIG. 3 is an overview of a casino LAN, indicating
`connections between the various input devices and distrib
`uted management systems supported on the casino LAN.
`FIG. 4 is a flow chart representing a method for tracking
`customer activity across all affiliated casino properties in
`accordance with the present invention.
`FIG. 5 is a block diagram of the system modules sup
`ported on casino LANs where a distributed patron database
`and management systems are employed.
`FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a network system incorpo
`rating a messaging system in accordance with the present
`invention.
`FIG. 7 is a block diagram of the messaging system for the
`network system shown in FIG. 6.
`FIG. 8 is a block diagram of the components of a service
`application supported by transaction services of the open
`system network.
`FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing the relationship
`between the ASCII Definition File and the defined data
`structures and data dictionaries generated from the ASCII
`Definition File.
`FIG. 10 is a representation of an ACDS defined data
`structure for communications between an RPG application
`and the messaging system of the present invention.
`FIG. 11 is a more detailed block diagram of the service
`application of FIG. 8.
`FIG. 12 is a block diagram of the network system of FIG.
`6, including a security service in the gateway server.
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`DETALED DESCRIPTION OF THE
`INVENTION
`The present invention is described in detail for a configu
`ration of the national customer recognition system compris
`ing a central patron database (CPDB) on a central LAN that
`is coupled to local management systems associated with
`each casino LAN. This configuration is particularly useful
`for companies that have already invested significant capital
`in local management systems for their casino properties.
`because it leverages these systems into a company-wide
`network through the addition of a CPDB. The system
`configuration employing a centralized management system
`with a CPDB and the system configuration employing
`distributed management and database systems are discussed
`in conjunction with FIGS. 2C and 5, respectively.
`Referring first to FIG. 1, there is shown an overview of a
`computer network 100 for implementing the system and
`method of the present invention. Computer system 100 is
`shown comprising a central database LAN 110 and casino
`LANs 120(1)-120(n), each of which is associated with one
`of the affiliated casino properties. Central database LAN 110
`and casino LANs 120(1)-120(n) are coupled through a wide
`area network (WAN) 102. Typically, central database LAN
`110 will be located at a central facility of the casino
`company.
`In the following discussion. LAN 120 designates any one
`of casino LANs 120(1)-120(n) unless otherwise noted.
`Similar notation, i.e. unindexed reference numbers, is used
`for the various components of LANs 120(1)-120(n). It is
`understood that in a typical application, computer system
`100 includes one or more LANs 120 for each casino
`property affiliated with the parent casino company, and all
`LANs 120 communicate with central database LAN 110
`through WAN 102. This configuration allows each LAN 110,
`120 to operate in a substantially independent manner until it
`requires access to data available on a different network.
`In the disclosed embodiment, central database LAN 110
`comprises an ethernet 106 to which a central database server
`112 and a marketing support server 114 are connected. An
`optional server 116 on LAN 110, supports a centralized
`management system (CMS 284. FIG. 2C) in the fully
`centralized configuration of the national customer recogni
`tion system. A token ring 108 is also shown connecting
`ethernet 106 to WAN 102. Token ring 108 typically includes
`additional nodes, such as workstation 118, for marketing and
`local processing. Central database server 112 includes a
`central patron database (CPDB 220, FIG. 2A), comprising
`customer accounts based on data originating at each casino
`property affiliated with the company. For the embodiment
`employing distributed management systems (CMS 234,
`FIG. 2B), central database server 112 is the only essential
`node on LAN 110. However, it is likely that in most
`implementations, other nodes such as workstations 118 and
`marketing support server 114 will be available for marketing
`analysis using data derived from CPDB 220.
`In the preferred embodiment of the invention, marketing
`support server 114 includes customer data from CPDB 220
`stored in a manner that facilitates its use for marketing
`purposes. For example, customer data may be sorted and
`stored in server 114 according to customer groups seg
`mented by profitability, principal gaming location
`(property), or other marketing criteria. On the other hand,
`customer data in server 112 is stored in a manner that
`facilitates rapid access by customer ID or name.
`Referring now to FIG. 2A, there is shown a block diagram
`of various systems supported on central database server 112.
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`Zynga Ex. 1005, p. 17
`Zynga v. IGT
`IPR2022-00200
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`These include an operating system (OS) 212, a database
`management system (DBMS) 214, a transaction manage
`ment system 216. and central patron database (CPDB) 220.
`Transaction management system 216 supports messaging
`between casino LANs 120 and services on central LAN 110,
`such as CPDB 220, allowing them to exchange data as
`necessary. In the disclosed embodiment, central database
`server 112 is an NCR3555 computer, OS 212 is Unix SVR4,
`DBMS 214 is Informix 7.1, and transaction management
`system 216 is TOP END, available from AT&T/NCR.
`Central LAN 110 employs TCP/IP communication protocol
`for communications among the nodes of ethernet 106 and
`token ring 108.
`Referring again to FIG. 1, each casino property LAN 120
`is shown with the same basic structure. For purposes of
`illustration. LAN 120 is shown comprising a token ring 122
`to which are connected computers 124, 144, 154, a gateway
`server 126, and workstations 128, 148. Dumb terminals 132
`and PCs 172, which are connected directly to computer 124.
`are typically associated with gaming tables (FIG. 3), and slot
`machines 130 are coupled to computer 124 through a slot
`computer 154 and token ring 122. Thus, all gaming-related
`activity is routed to computer 124.
`A person skilled in the art will recognize that LANs 120
`associated with different properties may vary from this
`structure in order to accommodate special needs at different
`casino properties, without altering the nature of the present
`invention. For example, a casino property lacking a hotel or
`event venue would not include computer 144 or workstation
`128 and their associated lodging and event management
`systems, respectively. In addition, other LAN protocols,
`including ethernet and the like, may be used instead of token
`ring 122.
`Referring now to FIG.2B, there is shown a detailed block
`diagram of LAN 120, indicating a casino management
`system (CMS) 234, lodging management system (LMS)
`238, and event management system (EMS) 240, associated
`with various LAN nodes (computers 124, 144, and work
`stations 128, respectively), for monitoring, tracking, and
`40
`controlling different areas of casino operations. In a pre
`ferred embodiment of the invention, CMS 234 includes
`Report Program Generator (RPG)-based programs for
`on-line transaction processing (OLTP) applications. These
`applications consolidate activity data at the casino property
`related to gaming, and access CPDB 220 to retrieve or store
`data, as necessary. For example, dumb terminals 132 and
`PCs 172 communicate customer gaming activity data from
`gaming tables to CMS 234. Dumb terminals 132 and PCs
`172 may also be used for tracking customers' currency and
`marker transactions and for accessing gaming activity that is
`tracked through a slot computer 154.
`Automatic bet tracking at slot machines 130 is monitored
`by a slot monitoring system (SMS) 262 on computer 154,
`which couples accumulated bet tracking data to CMS 234
`through token ring 122. In the preferred embodiment, bet
`tracking is accomplished through a card reader (not shown)
`associated with slot machine 130. A customer inserts his or
`her identity card in the card reader to initiate bettracking and
`removes it to terminate bet tracking. A customer's betting
`activity at slot machine 130 is accumulated in SMS 262 until
`the session is terminated or an account status is requested by
`CMS 234, at which time the data is transferred to CMS 234
`via LAN 120.
`LAN 120 may optionally include a pit tracking system
`65
`(PTS) 258 to automatically track customer activity at gam
`ing tables 134. PTS 258 is shown supported on a computer
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`174, which couples customer activity data to CMS 234
`through LAN 120. PTS 258 uses card readers associated
`with player positions at gaming tables to track customers'
`betting activity. Estimates of betting activity are based on a
`player's time at a gaming table and the minimum bet at the
`table. Systems for automatically tracking betting activity at
`slot machines and gaming tables are well known in the art
`and are not described in greater detail here.
`In the preferred embodiment of the invention, a lodging
`management system (LMS) 238 is maintained on computer
`144. However, there is no reason that CMS 234, LMS 238
`and any other management systems could not be supported
`on the same computer or some different combination of
`computers. LMS 238 comprises the software necessary for
`managing hotel operations within the casino, including
`reservations, room service, and other activities associated
`with hotel operations. In a preferred embodiment of the
`invention, LMS 238 communicates with CMS 234 to search
`locally for selected customer information available on that
`system. However, LMS 238 may include its own local data
`store for customer data.
`Also shown in FIG. 2B is an event management system
`(EMS) 240 on workstation 128 and a restaurant/retail point
`of sale system (POS) 244 coupled to workstation 148, EMS
`240 comprises software for handling ticketing information.
`reservations, and sales. POS 244 comprises accounting
`software for operating restaurants and retail venues within
`the casino property as well as software for transmitting
`charge information to other management systems. For
`example, data relating to meals charged to rooms or
`redeemed meal comps are coupled from POS 244 to LMS
`238 and CMS 234, respectively, through LAN 120.
`The primary role of gateway server 126 is to provide a
`link between selected nodes of LAN 120 and central data
`base server 112 through WAN 102 and LAN 110. For this
`purpose, gateway server 126 includes a LAN/WAN interface
`280 that couples data packets between the communication
`protocols of LAN 120 and WAN 102 and another instance
`of transaction management system 216 that routes data
`packets between management systems 234, 238, 240 and
`selected services in CPDB 220. In the preferred embodiment
`of the invention, CMS 234 on computer 124 accesses CPDB
`220 through transaction management system 216'. 216,
`while LMS 238 and EMS 234 access CPDB 220 through
`CMS 234, as discussed below. An interface module 235 in
`CMS 234 provides communication links with transaction
`management system 216, as discussed below.
`In the disclosed embodiment of the invention, computers
`124. 144 are IBM AS/400 computers, computer 154 is an
`IBM RS6000, gateway server 126 is an NCR 3410, work
`stations 128, 148 are based on '486 or better processors, and
`transaction management system 216. 216' is AT&T's TOP
`END. WAN 102 employs TCP/IP, an open communication
`protocol, while LANs 120 employ an IBM communication
`protocol, LU6.2. LU6.2 allows direct communication
`between LAN nodes, but it is not the preferred protocol for
`communications on WAN 102. In the preferred embodiment
`of system 100, LAN/WAN interface 280 includes the soft
`ware necessary to couple message packets between LU6.2
`and TCP/IP protocols for communications between central
`LAN 110 and casino property LANs 120. In particular,
`LAN/WAN IF 280 operates in conjunction with transaction
`management system 216, 216 to provide CMS 234. LMS
`238, and EMS 240 with rapid access to customer accounts
`for all customers who have visited any casino property
`affiliated with the casino company and obtained a customer
`ID card. For this purpose, each customer ID card includes a
`unique ID number that is associated with a customer account
`in CPDB 220.
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`Zynga Ex. 1005, p. 18
`Zynga v. IGT
`IPR2022-00200
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`7
`In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the RPG
`applications of CMS 234 are implemented in the AS400
`environment of computer 124. In order to facilitate fast,
`real-time communication between CMS 234 and CPDB 220,
`a messaging system is implemented as part of interface
`module 235 of computer 124 and transaction management
`system 216 of server 112. The messaging system functions
`as an application program interface (API) that allows the
`RPG applications of CMS 234 to communicate with CPDB
`220 via transaction management system 216. 216', with
`10
`LAN/WAN interface 280 coupling messages between the
`different communications protocols.
`In the preferred embodiment of system 100. customer
`data is transferred between LAN 120 and LAN 110 by
`means of message packets comprising header and data
`segments, the attributes of which are specified in a data
`dictionary associated with the messaging system. The data
`segments reflect the database schema of CPDB 220 and the
`header segments correspond to user provided service appli
`cations (not shown) accessed through transaction manage
`ment system 216. These user provided service applications
`implement functions for coupling data to and from CPDB
`220 in response to requests from CMS 234. A utility
`associated with the messaging system reads the data dictio
`nary and defines data structures in the AS400 system envi
`ronment suitable for passing data between the RPG appli
`cations of CMS 234 and the messaging system. A message
`building?parsing module uses data provided through the
`defined data structures to build message packets for trans
`mitting requests to transaction management system 216,
`216', which directs the request to the appropriate service
`application. A message building?parsing module as