Device for exchanging gaming chips and cash currency

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12347271-B2
Application number	US-202318400322-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 29, 2023
Priority date	Jun 18, 2018
Publication date	Jul 1, 2025
Grant date	Jul 1, 2025

Abstract

In an exchange device for gaming chip and cash currency, the gaming chip has a color or indication of value on its external surface, the exchange device comprises: a cash currency insertion opening; a cash currency reading section for obtaining authenticity information and currency information of the cash currency inserted from the cash currency insertion opening; an inserted cash currency amount display section configured to display the amount of the cash currency acquired by the cash currency reading section; a gaming chip storage section configured to store the gaming chips by type; a gaming chip dispensing section configured to dispense the gaming chips corresponding to the amount of the cash currency acquired by the cash currency reading section from the gaming chip storing section; a take-out section in which the paid out gaming chips are placed; and a user recognition section configured to recognize a person wishing exchange.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An exchange device for a gaming chip and cash currency, wherein the gaming chip has a color or an indication on the outer surface that represents a value, the exchange device comprising:
a cash currency insertion opening;
a cash currency reading section configured to acquire authenticity information and currency information of the cash currency inserted from the cash currency insertion opening;
an inserted cash currency amount display section configured to display an amount of the cash currency acquired by the cash currency reading section;
a gaming chip storage section configured to store the gaming chip by type;
a gaming chip dispensing section configured to dispense the gaming chip corresponding to the amount of cash currency acquired by the cash currency reading section from the gaming chip storage section; and
a take-out section on which the dispensed gaming chip is placed.

2. The exchange device for the gaming chip and cash currency of claim 1 , further comprising a user recognition section configured to recognize a person.

3. The exchange device for the gaming chip and cash currency of claim 2 , wherein the user recognition section has a function to capture an image of the person using a camera at a time of the person executing an exchange and to extract and identify an image of the face of the person from the image captured by the camera.

4. The exchange device for the gaming chip and cash currency of claim 2 , further comprising a user ID information input section configured to input ID information of the person, wherein the user recognition section has a function to identify the person from the information on the person obtained by the user ID information input section.

5. The exchange device for the gaming chip and cash currency of claim 4 , wherein the user ID information input section is further configured to obtain the information on the person by means of a member's card.

6. The exchange device for the gaming chip and cash currency of claim 2 , further comprising a user management section, wherein the user management section is configured to store, in a database, information on a number of times or an amount of cash currency exchanged during a predetermined period of time for a specific user recognized by the user ID recognition section.

7. The exchange device for the gaming chip and cash currency of claim 6 , wherein the user management section is further configured to grant points or status to the user under a predetermined condition and output the same.

8. The exchange device for the gaming chip and cash currency of claim 6 , wherein the user management section is further configured to allow a predetermined exchange ratio to be set for each user under a predetermined condition.

9. The exchange device for the gaming chip and cash currency of claim 1 , further comprising:
a cash currency storage section configured to store the cash currency by type; and
a cash currency holding section configured to temporarily hold the cash currency inserted from the insertion opening,
wherein the cash currency holding section has a function to move the inserted cash currency into the cash currency storage section by type when the exchange is executed.

10. The exchange device for the gaming chip and cash currency of claim 1 , wherein the gaming chip dispensing section has a function to pay out the gaming chips individually or in batches.

11. The exchange device for the gaming chip and cash currency of claim 1 , wherein the gaming chip has an embedded wireless tag storing chip information, the exchange device further comprising:
a wireless tag reading section configured to read the wireless tag of the gaming chip placed on the take-out section to obtain the chip information of the gaming chip;
a determining section configured to determine whether or not there is an abnormality in the chip information of the gaming chip obtained from the wireless tag reading section; and
a control section configured to enable the gaming chip at the take-out section to be taken out when the determining section determines that there is no abnormality.

12. The exchange device for the gaming chip and cash currency of claim 11 , wherein the take-out section is further provided with an openable door, and the openable door is closed while the determining section is determining, and the openable door is opened when the determining section determines that there is no abnormality.

13. The exchange device for the gaming chip and cash currency of claim 1 , further comprising an appearance inspection section which inspects an appearance of the gaming chip placed on the take-out section.

14. The exchange device for the gaming chip and cash currency of claim 11 , further comprising:
an appearance inspection section which inspects an appearance of the gaming chip placed on the take-out section,
wherein the appearance inspection section is configured to optically ascertain a number or a value of the gaming chip placed on the take-out section, and
wherein the determining section is configured to:
compare the chip information of the gaming chip obtained from the wireless tag reading section and the number or the value of the gaming chip obtained from the appearance inspection section, and
determine, based on the chip information matching the number or the value, that the gaming chip placed in the take-out section is free of defects.

15. The exchange device for the gaming chip and cash currency of claim 14 , wherein the gaming chip has a multi-layered structure in which a plurality of plastic layers of different colors are stacked, with a colored layer at least in the middle, and a white layer or a light colored layer on both sides of the colored layer in the middle to form a striped pattern on the sides in the direction of stacking, so that the type of gaming chip can be identified by the colored layer, and wherein the appearance inspection section is configured to ascertain the number or value of the gaming chip by the colored layer.

16. A device for exchanging gaming chips for cash currency, wherein each gaming chip incorporates a wireless tag storing currency information and has a color or indication of value on the outside surface, the device comprising:
an insertion opening through which the gaming chip can pass;
a wireless tag reading section configured to read the wireless tag of the gaming chip inserted through the insertion opening and obtain the currency information on the gaming chip;
a determining section configured to determine whether or not the currency information of the gaming chip obtained from the wireless tag reading section is abnormal;
an inserted amount display section configured to display the amount of the gaming chip based on the determining section determining the gaming chip to be free of abnormalities;
a cash currency storage section configured to store the cash currency by type; and
a cash currency dispensing section configured to dispense cash currency from the cash currency storage section corresponding to the amount of the gaming chips that the determining section determines to be free of abnormalities.

17. The device for exchanging the gaming chips for cash currency of claim 16 , further comprising a user recognition section configured to recognize a person.

18. The device for exchanging the gaming chips for cash currency of claim 17 , wherein the user recognition section has a function to capture an image of the person using a camera at a time of the person executing an exchange and to extract and identify an

Assignees

• Angel Group Co Ltd

Inventors

• Shigeta Yasushi

Classifications

• G06V40/172

  Classification, e.g. identification · CPC title

• G07F17/3255

  Incentive, loyalty and/or promotion schemes, e.g. comps, gaming associated with a purchase, gaming funded by advertisements · CPC title

• G07F17/3241

  Security aspects of a gaming system, e.g. detecting cheating, device integrity, surveillance (computer security G06F21/00) · CPC title

• G07D11/225

  for detecting or indicating tampering · CPC title

• G07D11/34

  Monitoring the contents of devices, e.g. the number of stored valuable papers · CPC title