Account adjusting system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9652932-B2
Application number	US-77246307-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 2, 2007
Priority date	Jul 5, 2006
Publication date	May 16, 2017
Grant date	May 16, 2017

Abstract

An account adjusting system according to an embodiment of the invention comprises a game machine that pays an award corresponding to a kind of a prize of a game; and an account adjusting apparatus that adjusts an account for a user. The game machine has a paying section for determining an award corresponding to a kind of a prize of a game and a determining section for determining whether or not tax payment is required based on the award determined by the paying section, and when determining that tax payment is required, transmitting award information indicative of the award to the account adjusting apparatus. The account adjusting apparatus has a receiving section for receiving the award information; a tax payment amount calculating section for calculating a tax payment amount based on the award information; and a tax payment certificate providing section for producing an output to prepare a tax payment certificate based on the tax payment amount.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A gaming system, comprising, in combination:
one or more gaming machines; and
an account-adjusting device in data communication with each of the gaming machines;
wherein each of the gaming machines includes
a housing;
a value-addition mechanism by which a player adds gaming media to be bet to the gaming machine;
a validator which validates the authenticity of bills or other physical, value-bearing media used to add gaming media to be bet to the gaming machine;
a plurality of input buttons including a bet button by which the player wagers an amount of gaming media that has been added to the gaming machine via the value-addition mechanism and that has monetary value associated therewith; a spin button by which the player causes a game to be executed; and a payout button by which the player can obtain from the gaming machine a payout of an amount of gaming media; and
an associated game-play microcomputer including a microprocessor, wherein the game-play microcomputer is programmed to perform the steps, as a result of the player having wagered gaming media and having caused a game to be executed, of
(i) executing the game;
(ii) determining an award, if any, to be paid to the player based on a result of the game and the amount of gaming media the player has wagered; and
(iii) determining whether the award to be paid to the player, if any, is subject to a tax payment and, if so, sending a tax-payment-processing-request to the account-adjusting device without reducing the amount of the award to be paid by the amount of the tax payment to which it is subject and without suspending the ability to execute games on the gaming machine; and
wherein the account-adjusting device includes an account-adjusting microcomputer including a microprocessor, the account-adjusting microcomputer being programmed to perform the steps of
a) receiving a tax-payment-processing-request message sent by the game-play microcomputer associated with one of said gaming machines in response to a given player winning a taxable award at said one of said gaming machines;
b) receiving data pertaining to non-gaming charges accumulated by the given player throughout an establishment in which the gaming system is installed;
c) using the data pertaining to non-gaming charges accumulated by the given player; uncollected award amounts, if any; and any tax payments to which awards are subject, determining a total amount due from the given player in settlement of an account associated with the given player; and
d) providing tax-payment-certification data to an output device upon settlement of the account associated with the given player.

2. The gaming system of claim 1 ,
further comprising a printer configured to issue tax payment certificates, and
wherein the account-adjusting microcomputer is programmed to provide the tax-payment-certification data to the printer.

3. The gaming system of claim 1 ,
further comprising a display device for display of information required to complete tax payment certificates, and
wherein the account-adjusting microcomputer is programmed to provide the tax-payment-certification data to the display device.

4. The gaming system of claim 1 , wherein the account-adjusting microcomputer is programmed to calculate an amount of tax due in connection with the taxable award won by the given player.

5. The gaming system of claim 1 , wherein each gaming machine is able to calculate an amount of tax due in connection with the taxable award won by the given player and to communicate the amount of tax due to the account-adjusting device.

6. The gaming system of claim 1 , wherein each of the gaming machines includes its own internal microcomputer.

7. The gaming system of claim 1 , wherein the game-play microcomputer associated with each of the gaming machines comprises a single external game server in data communication with all of the gaming machines.

8. A gaming facility, comprising:
one or more physical building structures, which can be occupied by human occupants as edifices;
one or more gaming machines and an account-adjusting device located within said one or more physical building structures, with the account-adjusting device in data communication with each of the gaming machines;
wherein each of the gaming machines includes
a housing;
a value-addition mechanism by which a player adds gaming media to be bet to the gaming machine;
a validator which validates the authenticity of bills or other physical, value-bearing media used to add gaming media to be bet to the gaming machine;
a plurality of input buttons including a bet button by which the player wagers an amount of gaming media that has been added to the gaming machine via the value-addition mechanism and that has monetary value associated therewith; a spin button by which the player causes a game to be executed; and a payout button by which the player can obtain from the gaming machine a payout of an amount of gaming media; and
an associated game-play microcomputer including a microprocessor, wherein the game-play microcomputer is programmed to perform the steps, as a result of the player having wagered gaming media and having caused a game to be executed, of
(i) executing the game;
(ii) determining an award, if any, to be paid to the player based on a result of the game and the amount of gaming media the player has wagered; and
(iii) determining whether the award to be paid to the player, if any, is subject to a tax payment and, if so, sending a tax-payment-processing-request to the account-adjusting device without reducing the amount of the award to be paid by the amount of the tax payment to which it is subject and without suspending the ability to execute games on the gaming machine; and
wherein the account-adjusting device includes an account-adjusting microcomputer including a microprocessor, the account-adjusting microcomputer being programmed to perform the steps of
a) receiving a tax-payment-processing-request message sent by the game-play microcomputer associated with one of said gaming machines in response to a given player winning a taxable award at said one of said gaming machines;
b) receiving data pertaining to non-gaming charges accumulated by the given player throughout the gaming facility;
c) using the data pertaining to non-gaming charges accumulated by the given player; uncollected award amounts, if any; and any tax payments to which awards are subject, determining a total amount due from the given player in settlement of an account associated with the given player; and
d) providing tax-payment-certification data to an output device upon settlement of the account associated with by the given player; and
one or more terminals located throughout the physical building structures and at which players can incur non-gaming charges.

9. The gaming facility of claim 8 , wherein the one or more physical building structures comprise a hotel with guest rooms and the gaming machines are located in a casino associated with the hotel.

10. The gaming facility of claim 9 , wherein some of said one or more terminals at which players can incur non-gaming charges are located within the guest rooms.

Assignees

• Nonaka Nobuyuki
• Universal Entertainment Corp

Inventors

• Nonaka Nobuyuki

Classifications

• G07F17/32

  for games, toys, sports, or amusements · CPC title

• G07F17/3255

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

• G07F17/3244 Primary

  Payment aspects of a gaming system, e.g. payment schemes, setting payout ratio, bonus or consolation prizes · CPC title