DE102016205553B4 - Method for issuing an activation medium and activation medium issuing terminal therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

Activation medium output terminal (25) for outputting an activation medium (6) which can be set to a first activation state or to a second activation state, with a code receiver (27) for receiving a security code from a security medium (26) in communication with the code receiver, and with a medium code reading/writing device (30) for the activation medium (6), wherein when an activation medium (6) is present in the first activation state, the activation medium (6) is brought into the second activation state in which a medium code based on a security code stored or marked as PASSIVE is written/stored on/in the activation medium (6) and the activation medium (6) is released for removal and the security code is stored or marked as ACTIVE; and wherein, when an activation medium (6) is present in the second activation state, the activation medium (6) is brought into the first activation state in which the medium code stored on/in the activation medium (6) is deleted and the associated security code is stored or marked as PASSIVE.

Description

The present invention relates to an activation medium output terminal for outputting an activation medium which can be set to a first activation state or a second activation state, and further to a method for outputting such an activation medium via an activation medium output terminal.

Such an activation medium is, for example, from the writing EN 10 2012 014 039 A1 known and can be used to unlock a gaming machine that has a code receiver that can be brought into communication with the unlocking medium, wherein the unlocking medium has a medium code stored in the second unlocking state and unlocking of the gaming machine is only possible when the unlocking medium is present in the second unlocking state and a medium code matching the gaming machine is present.

Gaming and/or entertainment machines, particularly in the form of gambling or slot machines or betting machines or devices that can be operated with monetary value, are often installed in groups in common installation areas or at a machine operator's premises, so that a machine user has the choice between different gaming and/or entertainment machines.

In this context, a machine operator, or operator or installer for short, can generally be understood as a specially authorized person who is allowed to set up or operate gaming machines and who has the right to configure or service the gaming machines. In this context, a machine user can generally be understood as a player or consumer who, as an "end user", can play the game content provided on the gaming machine, for example depending on a credit.

However, such gaming halls or casinos are regularly subject to regulations regarding the use of the machines by a machine user or player. In particular, it may be stipulated that a machine user cannot play several or at least not an unlimited number of slot machines at the same time, but may only be active on a single machine or at least only on a limited number of gaming and/or entertainment machines.

It is known that each gaming and/or entertainment machine in the group is assigned only one activation medium, for example in the form of an authorization card or a smart card or even a transponder, whereby the activation medium must be brought into communication with the respective device, for example by inserting it into a card reader on the gaming device or placing it on a reading or receiving device or by other means bringing it into active connection with a code receiver so that a medium code received by the activation medium can activate the gaming and/or entertainment machine. By activating it, various device functions can be released or enabled, for example the insertion and storage of gaming credits, the activation of a gaming function and/or the effectiveness of input keys or other input devices.

When the activation medium is removed again, all gaming credits can be promptly dispensed from the gaming machine and any further gaming operations can be prevented. If the operator of the group of slot machines only issues one activation medium per player at a time, a player can only operate one machine at a time.

From the Scripture EN 10 2014 107 864 B3 A method for operating gaming and/or entertainment machines of the type mentioned is known, whereby an authorization card with an identification ID stored on it is inserted into a code reader on the gaming machine and the activation is decided by comparing the identification ID with an admissibility criterion stored in the data memory of the gaming and/or entertainment machine. In order to prevent the authorization card from being used multiple times in different gaming machines, on the one hand the identification ID is queried continuously or at certain intervals and on the other hand the device ID of the device in which the authorization card is used is written into a specially provided memory area on the authorization card. If the card is inserted into another gaming machine, the said memory area is queried, and if a foreign device ID is read out, activation is prevented.

Furthermore, the EN 10 2012 014 039 A1 a centrally controlled activation of gaming and/or entertainment machines of a machine operator. Here, too, the machine user logs into the machine using a data storage device, and a terminal server then checks whether this player has already used several machines or whether the data storage device has already been used to activate another machine and the activation of this other machine has not yet been completed. This allows the use of several slot machines one after the other and at the same time prevents the use of operation of several slot machines at the same time. However, the slot machines must be networked with a central terminal server, which is a problem especially for smaller gaming venue operators, as they do not have such networked systems or do not want to operate them due to the administrative effort.

Furthermore, the text EN 10 2014 009 858 A1 a method for selecting a gaming device in a gaming facility is known. It is characterized in that a pre-selection device is provided, via which available gaming devices can be selected by the player. In this case, it can also be provided that the available gaming devices are displayed via the pre-selection device in a form that can be distinguished from the unavailable gaming devices.

It is also generally known that on coin-operated gaming machines with the possibility of winning, authorized persons, i.e. the operator of the gaming machine or their service personnel, can use secure access to the gaming machine to adjust various parameters that affect the gaming operation for the user of the gaming machine, i.e. the player. For example, certain games can be switched on or off using a key switch and an operator menu on a multi-game gaming machine in order to vary the range of games available to the player. However, this ability to adjust using such a key switch and the operator menu does not solve the aforementioned problem of access authorization and playing several gaming machines simultaneously or one after the other.

The present invention is therefore based on the object of creating an improved gaming and/or entertainment machine and an improved method for operating such a gaming and/or entertainment machine of the type mentioned at the beginning, which avoid the disadvantages of the prior art and develop the latter in an advantageous manner. In particular, the simultaneous use of several machines should be reliably prevented, but on the other hand, the successive use of different gaming and/or entertainment machines should be made possible in a simple manner without the machine user or player having to laboriously procure activation media, and without longer downtimes or expensive replacement measures having to be taken in the event of an activation medium being lost or stolen and in the course of procuring replacement/reserve activation media. At the same time, the unauthorized passing on of activation media (passing on to unauthorized persons) should be prevented and the risk of manipulation of the system should be significantly reduced.

The above object is achieved according to the invention by an activation medium output terminal for outputting an activation medium according to claim 1 and a method for outputting/generating an activation medium according to claim 7, which can be set to a first activation state or a second activation state, wherein the activation medium has no medium code stored in the first activation state and has a medium code stored in the second activation state, and wherein activation of the gaming and/or entertainment machine is only possible when the activation medium is present in the second activation state and when a medium code matching the gaming and/or entertainment machine is present. Preferred embodiments of the invention are the subject of the dependent claims.

An activation medium output terminal is therefore proposed for outputting an activation medium, which activation medium can be set to a first activation state or to a second activation state, with a code receiver for receiving a security code from a security medium in communication with the code receiver, and with a medium code read/write device for the activation medium, wherein when an activation medium is present in the first activation state, the activation medium is brought into the second activation state in which a medium code based on a security code stored or marked as PASSIVE is written/stored on/in the activation medium and the activation medium is released for removal and the security code is stored or marked as ACTIVE; and wherein, if an activation medium is present in the second activation state, the activation medium is brought into the first activation state in which the medium code stored on/in the activation medium is deleted and the associated security code is stored or marked as PASSIVE.

The activation medium can be set to a first activation state or a second activation state for activating a gaming and/or entertainment machine which has a code receiver which can be brought into communication with the activation medium, wherein the activation medium has no medium code stored in the first activation state and has a medium code stored in the second activation state, wherein the gaming and/or entertainment machine can only be activated if the activation medium is present in the second The unlocking state is possible if a medium code matching the gaming and/or entertainment machine is present.

The proposed measures have the particular advantage that pairing does not have to be carried out by a manufacturer of the gaming and/or entertainment machines and the activation media belonging to the respective gaming device do not have to be enclosed, whereby the activation media could possibly be lost on the way to the customer or mixed up with activation media of other gaming devices.

According to an alternative embodiment, it is proposed to store a list or selection of initially passive activation codes in one or more memories assigned to the respective gaming and/or entertainment machine, from which one can be selected and activated in order to then be stored as an activated activation code in the memory or in another memory. The activation device is designed in such a way that it only takes the active, but not the passive, activation codes into account and compares them with the received medium code in order to activate the gaming device for use by a player if there is a match or not to activate it if there is no match. According to one embodiment, various passive activation codes can be stored in the memory, one of which can be selected and stored and/or marked as an activated activation code in the or another memory or can be converted into such an activated activation code, wherein the activation device is designed to activate the gaming and/or entertainment machine depending on the activated activation code or to activate a game session.

By providing different memory levels and/or the configurability of the activation device's access to a specific memory location, a longer downtime of the gaming and/or entertainment machine can be avoided if the activation medium is lost, since a reserve activation medium can be activated at short notice by the operator of the gaming and/or entertainment machine, so that there is no need to wait until a replacement card can be obtained from the machine manufacturer.

Alternatively or additionally, a predetermined maximum playing time and/or a predetermined maximum game loss can also be provided as a deactivation criterion. If the predetermined maximum playing time and/or the predetermined maximum game loss is reached, the activated activation code is deactivated or the game session is ended. Such a deactivation criterion allows the machine user and/or the machine operator better control over the playing time and/or game loss. In particular, such a limitation of the playing time and/or game loss can be achieved by configuring the activation medium accordingly. When the activation medium is generated and/or issued, a correspondingly desired maximum playing time and/or a desired maximum game loss can be entered and/or queried and/or stored on the activation medium and/or linked to the medium code, so that when a slot machine is activated with the corresponding activation medium and its medium code, the corresponding desired playing time and/or the maximum game loss is configured on the slot machine. The maximum playing time and/or the maximum game loss can be received by the activation medium that is connected to the gaming machine and, if necessary, stored in the gaming and/or entertainment machine. Alternatively, it would also be possible to store the desired maximum playing time and/or the maximum game loss in an external memory and/or terminal and to configure the gaming and/or entertainment machine in such a way that when activated using a specific medium code, a query is initiated to the external memory and/or the aforementioned terminal in order to query the playing time and/or the game loss stored there and/or to transfer it to the gaming or entertainment machine and to configure the activation device in such a way that when the playing time and/or the game loss is reached, the activated activation code is deactivated and/or the game session is ended.

Alternatively or in addition to such a deactivation criterion, according to a further aspect of the present invention, an additional activation or unlocking criterion can also be provided, which is checked for fulfillment in addition to checking the medium code of the unlocking medium, so that the gaming or entertainment machine is only unlocked if both the medium code of the unlocking medium and the additional unlocking criterion fulfill the check.

Such an additional activation criterion can in particular be biometric information about the respective user, in particular a fingerprint and/or an iris scan and/or a facial geometry and/or a voice recognition characteristic or other biometric, individual characteristics. Advantageously, such biometric information of a user linked to the activation medium that is given to the user. In particular, the biometric characteristic can be recorded when the activation medium is issued and/or generated and stored on the activation medium and/or linked to its medium code.

If the user then puts "his" activation medium into communication with a gaming and/or entertainment machine, the user's biometric information can be recorded again on the gaming and/or entertainment machine and compared with the stored biometric information. If the stored biometric information is stored directly on the activation medium, the gaming and/or entertainment machine can receive the stored biometric information from the activation medium. If the biometric information is alternatively or additionally stored and/or kept ready in an external memory or an external terminal, the activation device can query the associated biometric data kept ready in the external memory or terminal when it receives a specific medium code and compare it with the currently recorded biometric data. If there is a corresponding match - in addition to the "correct" medium code - the machine can be activated. If the recorded and stored biometric data do not match, activation can be refused.

Alternatively or additionally, corresponding biometric data can also be used to deactivate a specific activation code or a specific activation medium, in particular in such a way that an activation code can only be deactivated and thus a new activation code can only be activated once a user has logged out properly by having their biometric data recorded again. This can ensure that it is actually the authorized user who ends a game session.

The aforementioned passive activation codes can be stored in the memory by the manufacturer using a special access-protected memory configuration module with the aid of memory configuration means, while the activation and/or storage of an activated activation code selected from this can be carried out by a gaming venue operator or operator of the machine, whereby separate memory configuration means can be provided for this purpose. On the one hand, this can ensure sufficient security, since the machine manufacturer has sovereignty over both the activation codes stored in the gaming and/or entertainment machine and the associated activation media, which can be smart cards, chip cards or the like, for example, whereby the manufacturer can provide sufficient security measures such as cryptographic steps for the comparison between the activation medium and the medium code stored on it and the activated activation code of the machine. On the other hand, the gaming venue operator has sufficient flexibility to be able to quickly provide a replacement if an activation card or activation medium is lost.

Advantageously, the storage of the various activation codes, i.e. the storage of the selection of several passive activation codes on the one hand and the storage of an activation code selected from these as an activated activation code, can be carried out under different access authorizations, in particular in such a way that the access authorization to selection means for selecting an activation code to be activated and its storage as an active activation code does not authorize the list of passive activation codes to be changed. Conversely, it can be provided that the manufacturer's access authorization for storing the several passive activation codes authorizes the second, separate access authorization to be set and/or changed, with the help of which the gaming facility operator or its service company can carry out the aforementioned selection and activation of an activation code. The gaming and/or entertainment machine can therefore have different access levels with different access authorizations, with the help of which the memory and the information and activation codes that can be stored therein can be configured in different ways.

The selection of several passive activation codes and the one activated activation code selected from these can basically be stored in the same memory, whereby different memory areas can be provided so that the passive activation codes can be stored in a first memory area and the activated activation code in a second memory area. Alternatively, the passive activation codes and the active activation code can also be stored in the same memory area, whereby markings or flags, i.e. binary status indicators, can be provided in the memory for each activation code in order to be able to identify an activation code as passive or active.

Alternatively or additionally, the passive activation codes on the one hand and the selected active activation code on the other hand can also be stored in two completely separate memories.

According to a further advantageous embodiment, it can be provided that activation codes, preferably initiated or triggered via a suitable operating device, are generated on the basis of a random event, value or a random function, so that a respective individual activation code can be generated. This means that the distinction between passive and active activation codes can be eliminated, since the activation code generated last is always active or valid.

The memory mentioned and/or the multiple memories mentioned can advantageously be an integral part of the gaming and/or entertainment machine, in particular be incorporated into its machine housing. This allows each gaming and/or entertainment machine to be configured individually without being connected to a network. Alternatively, however, it would also be possible to provide an external memory that is connected or can be connected to the gaming machine and its control device individually or via a network in order to be able to select an activation code in the manner mentioned and save it as an active activation code or to set such an activation code to be inactive (passive) or to delete it.

The activation means with which the activation of an activation code can be carried out can be designed to work in different ways depending on the memory structure. If the aforementioned markings or flags are used, the activation means can be designed to set and/or remove and/or change such markings. If a selected, active activation code is stored in a separate memory area or a separate memory module, the activation means can be designed to write to and/or delete the aforementioned memory area and/or memory module and/or change a memory location.

The activation means mentioned can be provided as a programmed routine in a program for controlling the gaming machine, in particular for controlling the memory, and/or can be designed as a hardware logic circuit for directly influencing the electronic memory.

In order to be able to conveniently configure the memory area or memory module that can be filled with active activation codes, the respective gaming and/or entertainment machine can advantageously be designed in such a way that the machine can be operated in a special pairing mode in which the insertion or connection of the activation medium, which in itself belongs to another gaming machine, automatically or semi-automatically activates corresponding memory configuration means in order to store the medium code that was received from the inserted or connected activation medium as an additional active activation code.

The aforementioned memory configuration means and/or the aforementioned activation means can advantageously be an integral part of the gaming and/or entertainment machine, in particular designed as a software and/or hardware component of the control device of the gaming and/or entertainment machine. Alternatively, it would also be possible to design the activation means and/or memory configuration means as a separate hardware and/or software component that can be connected to the control device of the gaming machine via a suitable interface, for example in the form of a USB interface.

The activation codes that are stored and/or activated can fundamentally be designed in different ways, for example they can consist of a multi- or multi-digit character combination, for example in the form of a sequence of letters and/or numbers, whereby the activation codes can advantageously be composed of a device-specific character sequence and a character sequence specific to the respective activation medium.

According to a further advantageous embodiment, activation codes have character combinations that are generated on the basis of a random event, value or random function.

For the activation process, the medium code read from the activation medium can be compared with the stored, active activation code, in particular compared for identity, in order to trigger activation if the code is identical and not to trigger activation if the code is not identical.

In order to increase security, however, as an alternative or in addition to such a direct identity comparison, the medium code stored on the activation medium and/or the active activation code stored in the memory of the gaming and/or entertainment machine can be subjected to one or more transformation steps. A corresponding code transformation module can convert the stored, active activation code into a transformed activation code and/or the medium code received from the activation medium into a transformed medium code, whereby a corresponding predefined transformation rule can be used in each case. If both the medium code and the activation code are transformed, the same transformation rule or Various transformation rules can also be applied.

The transformed activation code and/or the transformed medium code can be temporarily stored or directly processed further, whereby - depending on which code was transformed - the transformed activation code can be compared with the received medium code or the transformed medium code or the stored, non-transformed activation code can be compared with the transformed medium code.

In an advantageous development of the invention, the gaming and/or entertainment machine can have an encryption and/or decryption module for encrypting and/or decrypting the medium code received from the activation medium and/or the active activation code stored in the memory.

Such a cryptographic encryption and/or decryption module can fundamentally be designed in different ways, whereby in a further development of the invention it can have a hash module for providing a cryptographic hash function and a key generation module for generating a key for the cryptographic hash function. In principle it would also be possible to provide a keyless hash function.

If a key-dependent hash function is provided, a SHA/HMAC machine module can be provided in particular, which can provide a secure hash algorithm and/or a hash-based authentication code. Such an HMA code, the construction of which is based on a cryptographic hash function, can in particular be calculated from a message and a secret key using a hash function. The key can be filled up to a predetermined block length of the hash function by appending zeros or, if the length of the key is greater than the block length of the hash function, the key can be replaced according to the block length of the hash function.

• 1: eine schematische, perspektivische Darstellung eines Spiel- und/oder Unterhaltungsautomaten nach einer vorteilhaften Ausführung der Erfindung,
• 2A: eine schematische Darstellung eines Ausgabeterminals zum Erzeugen und Ausgeben eines Freischalt-Mediums basierend auf einer eingelesenen Security-Karte,
• 2B: eine schematische Darstellung der im Speicher des Spiel- und/oder Unterhaltungsautomaten abgelegten Freischaltcodes in einer ersten Konfiguration, in der ein erster Freischaltcode aktiviert und damit ein erstes Freischalt-Medium zum Freischalten verwendbar ist,
• 3A: eine schematische Darstellung der im Speicher abgelegten Freischaltcodes in einer zweiten Konfiguration, in der ein zweiter Freischaltcode und damit ein Ersatz- Freischalt-Medium verwendbar ist und gleichzeitig das erste (ursprüngliche, zu ersetzende) Freischalt-Medium nicht mehr zum Freischalten verwendbar ist,
• 3B: eine schematische Darstellung der im Speicher abgelegten Freischaltcodes in einer weiteren Konfiguration, in der ein weiterer Freischaltcode und damit ein weiteres Freischalt-Medium aus der zu dem Spielgerät gehörenden Freischaltmedien verwendbar ist und gleichzeitig die zuvor aktivierten Freischaltcodes wieder deaktiviert und nicht mehr zum Freischalten verwendbar sind,
• 4: eine schematische Darstellung der im Speicher des Spiel- und/oder Unterhaltungsautomaten abgelegten Freischaltcodes in einer weiteren Konfiguration, gemäß der weitere Freischaltcodes, die zu Freischaltmedien weiterer, anderer Spiel- und/oder Unterhaltungsautomaten gehören, als zusätzliche aktive Freischaltcodes gespeichert sind, um eine wechselweise Nutzung verschiedener Automaten mit nur einem Freischalt-Medium zu ermöglichen,
• 5: eine schematische Darstellung der Komponenten der Steuereinrichtung des Spiel- und/oder Unterhaltungsautomaten aus 1 und dessen Freischalteinrichtung
• 6: eine schematische Darstellung der im Speicher des Spiel- und/oder Unterhaltungsautomaten abgelegten Freischaltcodes in einer weiteren Konfiguration, in der ein Freischaltcode aktiviert und damit ein erstes Freischalt-Medium zum Freischalten des Spiel- und/oder Unterhaltungsautomaten verwendbar ist,
• 7: eine schematische Darstellung eines Ausgabeterminals zum Erzeugen und Ausgeben eines Freischalt-Mediums mit erweitertem Medium-Code basierend auf einem Medium-Code eines eingelesenen Freischalt-Mediums (Security-Karte) zum Freischalten eines Spiel- und/oder Unterhaltungsautomaten,
• 8: eine schematische Darstellung eines Systems mit einem Freischalt-Medium-Ausgabeterminal als Master in Kommunikationsverbindung mit einem oder mehreren Slave-Freischalt-Medium-Ausgabeterminals.

The invention is explained in more detail below using a preferred embodiment and associated drawings. In the drawings:

• 1 : a schematic, perspective representation of a gaming and/or entertainment machine according to an advantageous embodiment of the invention,
• 2A : a schematic representation of an output terminal for generating and issuing an activation medium based on a read security card,
• 2 B : a schematic representation of the activation codes stored in the memory of the gaming and/or entertainment machine in a first configuration in which a first activation code is activated and thus a first activation medium can be used for activation,
• 3A : a schematic representation of the activation codes stored in the memory in a second configuration in which a second activation code and thus a replacement activation medium can be used and at the same time the first (original, to be replaced) activation medium can no longer be used for activation,
• 3B : a schematic representation of the activation codes stored in the memory in a further configuration in which a further activation code and thus a further activation medium from the activation media belonging to the gaming device can be used and at the same time the previously activated activation codes are deactivated again and can no longer be used for activation,
• 4 : a schematic representation of the activation codes stored in the memory of the gaming and/or entertainment machine in a further configuration, according to which further activation codes belonging to activation media of further, different gaming and/or entertainment machines are stored as additional active activation codes in order to enable alternate use of different machines with only one activation medium,
• 5 : a schematic representation of the components of the control device of the gaming and/or entertainment machine from 1 and its activation device
• 6 : a schematic representation of the activation codes stored in the memory of the gaming and/or entertainment machine in a further configuration in which an activation code is activated and thus a first activation medium can be used to activate the gaming and/or entertainment machine,
• 7 : a schematic representation of an output terminal for generating and issuing an activation medium with an extended medium code based on a medium code of a read activation medium (security card) for activating a gaming and/or entertainment machine,
• 8th : a schematic representation of a system with an activation medium issuing terminal as master in communication with one or more slave activation medium issuing terminals.

How 1 As shown by way of example, a gaming and/or entertainment machine 1 of the generic type can be an electronic, free-standing gaming machine which comprises a - roughly speaking - approximately box-shaped housing 2 on which one or more screens 3 can be provided in order to be able to display the game content of a gaming device 60 as an image or sequence of images. However, it is understood that other gaming devices such as reel gaming devices with actually (mechanically) rotating reels or roulette machines or other gaming devices with possibly separate housing parts and separate components can also be provided.

In the example shown, a control panel 4 is provided on the housing 2 mentioned, which in this case extends below the screens 3 and comprises various input keys or input means in order to be able to enter various game control or other commands, whereby a touch screen or similar input means can of course also be used instead of keys.

Inside the housing 2, preferably protected against unauthorized manipulation, there is an electronic control device 12 with an electronic data memory 8 in order to control the gaming and/or entertainment machine 1 and its components.

In order to be able to activate the gaming and/or entertainment machine 1, it must be activated by means of an activation medium 6, which can be designed, for example, as a smart card, chip card, magnetic stripe card and/or also as a transponder and can also be referred to as a player card in the description or the figures.

How 2A shows, an activation medium output terminal 25 for generating and issuing an activation medium 6 based on a read-in security medium designed as a security card 26 can be provided in the system.

The issuing terminal 25 can be designed so that the security card 26 is inserted into a card reader 27 of the activation medium issuing terminal 25 or is brought into communication with it, wherein the security card 26 in the present example transmits the device ID “AGI_01” and the card version number “S1” to a code generator 28 of the activation medium issuing terminal 25.

Such an activation medium 6 is to be brought into communication with the gaming and/or entertainment machine 1 in order to provide the gaming and/or entertainment machine 1 with a medium code which is stored on the activation medium 6 and, as previously explained, can consist of a specific character string, for example a combination of letters or numbers, which can contain a character string for the respective gaming and/or entertainment machine and a character string for the medium, i.e. a machine ID and a card ID. In the example of the 2 the device ID is the character string “AGI_01” and the medium ID is the character string “_V1”, which together result in the medium code “AGI_01_V1”.

In this case, the gaming and/or entertainment machine 1 has a card reader arranged on the housing 2 as a code receiver 5. The activation medium 6 mentioned can be inserted into the card reader or placed on it or brought into communication with the code receiver 5 in another way. The code receiver 5 mentioned can comprise a passive, for example electromagnetic or optical, receiving component and/or an active, for example electronic or magnetic, reading component, so that information sent by the activation medium 6 can be received and/or information stored on the medium can be queried.

Based on this information received from the activation medium 6 and on information stored in the gaming and/or entertainment machine 1, the control device 12 of the gaming and/or entertainment machine 1 decides whether authorization exists and the machine is activated for use by a player or not.

For this purpose, the said control device 12 comprises an activation device 7, cf. 5 , which can be implemented in the form of hardware and/or software components in the control device 12. Furthermore, the control device 12 comprises an input/output unit I/O, to which, for example, the peripheral control elements of the control panel 4 and the code receiver 5 are connected in terms of hardware. How 5 further shows, the activation device 7 can access a memory 8 for this purpose. The memory 8 can be arranged in the housing 2 of the gaming and/or entertainment machine 1 and can be connected to the control device 12 or can be contained by it. The activation device 7 is connected to the input/output unit I/O. bound.
According to an alternative embodiment, the manufacturer of the gaming and/or entertainment machine 1 can already store several available activation codes 13p in the said memory 8, initially as passive activation codes that cannot be used in this form by the activation device 7 and that can be stored in a non-volatile memory area 8p. These activation codes 13p can - similar to the medium code on the activation medium 6 - be made up of a character string that represents a device ID and a character string that represents a card ID. In the 2 In the example shown, the number sequence “AGI_01” stands for the device ID of the slot machine in question and the number sequence “S 1 V2”, “S1_V3”, “S1_V4” ... “S1_Vn” stands for various card or medium IDs for the slot machine in question.

These activation codes 13p stored in the passive memory area 8p can be programmed by the manufacturer. The manufacturer can issue security cards 26 that match a particular gaming device, by means of which an activation medium 6 with a corresponding medium code can be generated in conjunction with the output terminal 25.
In order to activate one of the passively stored activation codes, the gaming and/or entertainment device 1 can comprise activation means 9, by means of which one of the passive activation codes 13p can be selected and activated, i.e. transferred to an active memory area 8a and stored there as an active activation code 13a.
This storing or activating of such an active medium code can advantageously be carried out with the activation means 9 in a pairing or pairing step, in particular by bringing an activation medium 6 to be activated for the gaming and/or entertainment machine, which for example has the device identifier “AGI_01” for a gaming machine “AGI_01” and the medium identifier “S1_V3”, into communication with the gaming machine in question, for example by plugging it into the code receiver 5, the gaming and/or entertainment machine having been switched to a pairing mode for this purpose. The medium code received at the code receiver 5 or a medium code derived therefrom is then stored as an activation code 13a in the active memory area 8a.

Alternatively or additionally, the activation means 9 can also add and/or remove and/or convert a marking to the relevant passive medium code, for example converting a “passive” marking into an “active” marking, as explained in more detail at the beginning (“setting flags”). The activation means 9 can also be implemented in the control device 12 using hardware and/or software and be subject to special access authorization so that only the gaming machine operator and/or another authorized person has access to it. For example, the activation means 9 can comprise a key switch which, when activated by the authorized person, triggers a corresponding selection menu on the screen 3.

The activation device 7 is designed to compare the activated activation code 13a with a received medium code and to activate the gaming and/or entertainment machine (1) depending on a comparison result. For this purpose, an activation signal 61 can be emitted by the activation device 7 depending on the comparison of the activated activation code 13a with a received medium code. Accordingly, control elements of the control panel 4 can be activated or blocked and elements of the gaming device 60 can be activated/deactivated using the activation signal 61.

As a comparison of the 2 B and 3A , 3B and 4 shows, a previously activated activation code can also be switched to passive again, for example by pushing the corresponding activation code back into the passive memory area 8p. This can be done, for example, if the corresponding security medium has been lost or stolen. The aforementioned activation means 9 can therefore also be designed to deactivate an active activation code.

A previously activated activation code can be switched back to passive, for example by moving the corresponding activation code back into the passive memory area 8p. This can be done, for example, if the corresponding security medium has been lost or stolen. The aforementioned activation means 9 can therefore also be designed to deactivate an active activation code.

In order to be able to operate the gaming machine with a new activation medium 6, for example in the event of loss or non-use (by the player) or damage to an activation medium 6 having the medium code "AGI_01_S1_V1", an activation medium 6 having the medium code "AGI_01_S1_V2" can be issued by the operator instead and an alternative activation code "AGI O1 _- S 1 V2" can be activated for the gaming and/or entertainment machine 1 or stored in the active memory area 8a of the gaming and/or entertainment machine 1, whereby the originally activated activation code “AGI_01_S1_V1” (of the lost activation medium, for example) can be deactivated or saved in the passive memory 8p or deleted. It can be provided that only one activation code is ever saved in the active memory area 8a.

Furthermore, the method described above can optionally be implemented with an activation medium designed as a rewritable barcode ticket or QR code ticket, whereby the barcode ticket can be read by a banknote validator of the gaming and/or entertainment machine, if present. A QR code ticket could be read by a reading device integrated into the gaming device, for example a camera. The activation medium issuing terminal has an appropriately configured ticket printer for generating barcode tickets or QR code tickets or controls an external ticket printer accordingly. As described above, the required information (medium code, etc.) can be generated using a security card and printed or deleted accordingly on the barcode ticket or QR code ticket.

According to a further embodiment, the gaming device can comprise, instead of or in addition to the manual input, a camera and an image recognition or a QR code recognition, with which the code can be received as an image or as a QR code, processed and fed to the activation device as a medium code for the further comparison process.

Optionally, the method can be applied not only to a single gaming and/or entertainment machine, but also to a plurality of gaming and/or entertainment machines, whereby the corresponding security cards for each gaming and/or entertainment machine are inserted into the activation medium issuing terminal or the ticket printer and the operator can select for which gaming device an activation medium is to be generated.

Optionally, there is not just one security card per gaming device, but several security cards, because if one security card is lost (e.g. stolen), no activation medium can be issued and the gaming device would be out of service until a replacement security card can be obtained. According to one embodiment, several security cards can be supplied per gaming device ex works, with these security cards having a specific version number (e.g. S1, S2, S3, etc.) and a pairing between the gaming device and the issued security cards taking place in the factory. If, for example, the security card "S 1" is lost, the operator can then use the security card "S2" and generate an activation medium (see. 3B) , whereby the gaming device will from now on only accept the activation media generated based on the security card "S2" (whereby the version number can start again at "V1") and no longer the activation media generated based on one of the other security cards.

According to one embodiment, a security card can be provided to take over the currently valid activation medium code of the gaming device, for example in such a way that the operator can transfer the active medium code to the security card via the operator menu (i.e. an authorized person via a corresponding selection menu). If the security card is lost, a new medium code is activated using the above-mentioned method and transferred to the security medium. This means that the game can only be activated if the code on the activation medium matches the currently activated medium code in the gaming device.

A further embodiment can be implemented with regard to a "multi-use" activation medium, i.e. the activation medium becomes invalid for a further game session when a game session ends, for example when it is pulled out or removed from the code receiver of the gaming device, and must be made valid again for the next game session at an activation terminal, e.g. activation medium output terminal 25, whereby here too authorization is carried out via a security card belonging to or assigned to the gaming and/or entertainment machine 1. In this case, it can be provided that the operator can demand a deposit from the player so that the activation medium is returned.

According to a further embodiment, an activation medium 6 can be provided which can be set to a first activation state or a second activation state for activating a gaming and/or entertainment machine which has a code receiver which can be brought into communication with the activation medium, wherein the activation medium has no medium code stored in the first activation state and has a medium code stored in the second activation state, wherein activation of the gaming and/or entertainment machine is only possible when the activation medium is present in the second activation state in the presence of a medium code matching the gaming and/or entertainment machine.
In other words, it is proposed that the activation medium 6 issued to the player only has two states, i.e. a first activation state, for example "empty", and a second activation state, which in this case is characterized by the fact that the activation medium 6 is written with a specific media code or has such a code stored, so that this (one) activation medium 6 can only activate a very specific gaming device in accordance with the respective stored medium code. In this case, the system can also provide that no further activation media can be generated with the same media code. This can be ensured, for example, via a separate activation terminal in the system, i.e. a media code currently on an activation medium cannot be assigned to another activation medium at the same time. In other words, activation media can be generated or issued temporarily with limited validity, whereby only one (single) gaming device can be activated (at the same time) with the respective activation medium.

Furthermore, in this context, an activation medium output terminal 25 is proposed for outputting an activation medium 6, which activation medium 6 can be set to a first activation state or to a second activation state, with a code receiver 27 for receiving a security code from a security medium 26 that can be brought into communication with the code receiver 27, and with a medium code read/write device 30 for the activation medium 6, wherein, if an activation medium 6 is present in the first activation state, the activation medium 6 is brought into the second activation state in which a medium code based on a security code stored or marked as PASSIVE is written/stored on/in the activation medium 6 and the activation medium 6 is released for removal and the security code is stored or marked as ACTIVE; and wherein, if an activation medium 6 is present in the second activation state, the activation medium 6 is brought into the first activation state in which the medium code stored on/in the activation medium 6 is deleted and the associated security code is stored or marked as PASSIVE.
A security code stored or marked as PASSIVE means that the corresponding security code is available to unlock a corresponding gaming and/or entertainment machine via the activation medium 6 to be generated. A security code stored or marked as ACTIVE means that the corresponding security code is no longer available because an activation medium 6 has already been generated for this purpose.
The activation medium output terminal 25 can comprise a memory 31 with a passive memory area for storing the security codes as PASSIVE and an active memory area for storing the security codes as ACTIVE. Additionally or alternatively, the states of the security codes can be marked by means of a "flag" in the memory area.

• Ein im ersten Freischalt-Zustand („leer“), d.h. ohne Medium-Code, befindliches Freischalt-Medium 6 wird an den Spieler ausgegeben.
• Ein Freischalt-Medium-Ausgabeterminal in der Spielhalle weist nicht vergebene Medien-Codes in einem elektronischen Speicherbereich „PASSIV“ aus. Die sich solcherart in dem Speicherbereich „PASSIV“ befindlichen Medien-Codes stellen in diesem Sinne die verfüggbare Menge an freien, noch verfügbaren, Spielgeräten in der Spielhalle dar. Weiters sind Auswahlmittel, beispielsweise Tasten bzw. über Touchscreen und einem visualisierten Auswahlmenü, zum Auswählen eines bestimmten Medien-Codes vorgesehen.
• Beim Einstecken (bzw. Herstellen einer Kommunikationsverbindung mit dem Freischalt-Medium-Ausgabeterminal) des „leeren“ Freischalt-Mediums wird der ausgewählte Medium-Code auf das Freischalt-Medium geschrieben. Anschließend bzw. zeitgleich wird der betreffende Medium-Code im Freischalt-Medium-Ausgabeterminal von dem Speicherbereich „PASSIV“ in einen Speicherbereich „AKTIV“ verschoben. Medien-Codes im Speicherbereich AKTIV können nicht von einem weiterem „leeren“ Freischalt-Medium übernommen werden.
• Das Freischalt-Medium kann ausschließlich jenes Spielgerät freischalten, dessen aktiver Medium-Code mit dem Medium-Code des Freischalt-Mediums übereinstimmt.
• Beim Entfernen des Freischalt-Mediums aus dem Spielgerät wird der Spielbetrieb beendet. Wenn der Spieler ein Spielgerät verlässt und ein anderes Gerät spielen möchte, kann das Freischalt-Medium in das Freischalt-Medium-Ausgabeterminal gesteckt werden, wobei in diesem Fall der Medium-Code in dem Freischalt-Medium gelöscht wird, so dass das Freischalt-Medium wieder „leer“ ist und wird weiters der betreffende Medium-Code im Freischalt-Terminal von dem Speicherbereich AKTIV in den Speicherbereich PASSIV verschoben, so dass dieser Medien-Code im weiterem Verlauf auf ein „leeres“ Freischalt-Medium eines anderen Spielers geschrieben werden kann.
• Der Spieler verfügt nun wieder über ein „leeres“ Freischalt-Medium, welches er mit dem Medium-Code eines anderen Spielgerätes bespielen kann, sofern sich dessen Medium-Code im Speicherbereich „PASSIV“ des Freischalt-Terminals befindet.

The process in a gaming hall can be characterized as follows:

• An activation medium 6 in the first activation state (“empty”), i.e. without a medium code, is issued to the player.
• An activation media issuing terminal in the arcade displays unassigned media codes in an electronic "PASSIVE" storage area. In this sense, the media codes located in the "PASSIVE" storage area represent the available quantity of free, still available gaming machines in the arcade. In addition, selection means, such as buttons or a touchscreen and a visualized selection menu, are provided for selecting a specific media code.
• When the "empty" activation medium is inserted (or a communication connection is established with the activation medium output terminal), the selected medium code is written to the activation medium. Then or at the same time, the relevant medium code is moved from the "PASSIVE" storage area to an "ACTIVE" storage area in the activation medium output terminal. Media codes in the ACTIVE storage area cannot be adopted by another "empty" activation medium.
• The activation medium can only activate the gaming device whose active medium code matches the medium code of the activation medium.
• When the activation medium is removed from the gaming device, the game operation is terminated. If the player leaves a gaming device and wants to play on another device, the activation medium can be inserted into the activation medium output terminal, in which case the medium code in the activation medium is deleted so that the activation medium is "empty" again and the relevant medium code in the activation terminal is moved from the ACTIVE memory area to the PASSIVE memory area so that this media code can subsequently be used on an “empty” activation medium of another player can be written.
• The player now has an “empty” activation medium again, which he can use with the medium code of another gaming device, provided that its medium code is in the “PASSIVE” memory area of the activation terminal.

According to a further embodiment of the method, it can be provided that a central activation medium issuing terminal, preferably positioned at a central location in the gaming hall, has functionally identical "satellite" activation medium issuing terminals, which are positioned directly next to or near each gaming device in the gaming hall and have the same display and function as the central activation medium issuing terminal, so that the player is spared the annoying running back and forth to the central activation medium issuing terminal. At least one or the "satellite" activation medium issuing terminals are in a permanent and secure operative connection with the central activation medium issuing terminal, which can be wired or wireless, with a comparison of the ACTIVE and PASSIVE memory areas in particular taking place.
Such a system shows 8th , i.e. it can be provided that the central activation medium issuing terminal has reading means for one or more security cards S1 - Sn and acts/functions as a "master" and the medium codes are "physically" processed there. The "satellite" activation medium issuing terminals in this case therefore function as "slaves" (Slave_1 - Slave_n).
The security card associated with each gaming device (with the individual medium code for the respective gaming device) can preferably remain permanently inserted in the central activation medium issuing terminal so that the corresponding medium code is present in the memory of the activation medium issuing terminal (active or passive). This ensures that only one valid activation medium can be generated even when using several activation medium issuing terminals. It can also be provided that the security medium is secured against unauthorized removal, for example by means of an appropriate mechanical lock or by means of an electronic security query system.

How 4 shows, in the active memory area 8a or a further active memory area 8aa, additional activation codes can be stored as active activation codes, whereby these additional activation codes can in particular be those which belong to other gaming and/or entertainment machines and are stored there as passive activation codes or are stored there as active activation codes. This storing of such additional active activation codes can advantageously be carried out with memory configuration means 10 in a pairing or pairing step, in particular by an activation medium 6 which has been activated for another gaming and/or entertainment machine and which, for example, bears the device identifier “AGI_02” for a gaming machine AGI_02 and the medium identifier “S1_V1” is brought into communication with the respective gaming machine, for example by plugging it into the code receiver 5, whereby the gaming and/or entertainment machine has been switched to a pairing mode for this purpose with the aid of the memory configuration means 10. The medium code received at the code receiver 5 or an activation code derived therefrom is then stored as a further activation code 13b in the further active memory area 8aa.

For the activation process, the received medium code can be directly compared with the stored, active activation code 13a in order to activate the gaming and/or entertainment machine 1 if they are identical and not to activate it if they are not identical. As an alternative to such a direct identity comparison, the received medium code and/or the stored activation code can be transformed by a code transformation module 24 in the manner described above and, if necessary, temporarily stored, so that activation then takes place depending on the transformed activation code and/or the transformed medium code. The code transformation module 24 mentioned can in particular transform a stored active activation code; if necessary, such a transformation step can be integrated into the activation process, i.e., when a passive activation code is selected, it can be transformed and stored in the form of a transformed, active activation code.

In order to increase the security during activation, the activation device 7 can comprise an encryption and/or decryption module 11, which cryptographically processes the received medium code and/or the respectively activated activation code. Such an encryption and/or decryption module 11 can in particular be part of a security chip implemented in the gaming and/or entertainment machine using hardware and/or software. Such a security chip can, for example, comprise: a processor module for carrying out control tasks comprising a microcontrol unit processor 15, the aforementioned encryption and/or decryption module 11, a memory module 16 for storing encryption and/or decryption keys, an input/output interface module 17 and, if necessary, a power detection module 18 for detecting the power supply of the security chip mentioned. The modules mentioned can be connected to one another via an internal bus system 19, which can be implemented in the security chip. However, it is also understood that the modules mentioned must be implemented separately or not all in such a security chip, but can also form separate control modules.

The mentioned processor module 14 can control the encryption and/or decryption module 11 according to a command received at the input/output module 17 and/or send a command processing result according to the received command to the input/output module 17 and/or retrieve stored information and/or a key from the memory module 16 and/or send it to the input/output module 17.

Preferably under the control of the aforementioned processor module 14, the encryption and/or decryption module 11 can retrieve the aforementioned stored encryption and/or decryption keys from the memory module 16 and/or receive them from it and then encrypt and/or decrypt data received using at least one such key and send the encrypted and/or decrypted data to other modules via the input/output module 17. The aforementioned input/output module 17 is provided to transmit data and/or commands and/or signals between the security chip and other control devices.

In an advantageous development of the invention, the said encryption and/or decryption module 11 can comprise a hash module which can carry out an asymmetric cryptographic method which can be used both for encryption and for digital signatures. In particular, such an RSA system can use a key pair, which key pair consists of a private key which is used for decrypting or signing data and a public key which is also used for encryption and for checking signatures, the said private key being kept secret.

Preferably also under the control of the aforementioned processor module 14, the RSA processor module 23 can execute corresponding RSA algorithms on the received data and pass the calculated result to the input/output module 17. The random generator 22 can preferably also provide random numbers for random key generation under the control of the processor module 14. Using these random numbers, the key generation module 21 can generate keys that are required and/or processed by the RSA module 23 and/or the SHA/HMAC module.

Said memory module 16 can advantageously be designed as a non-volatile memory and store key data and/or user data and/or programs. Alternatively or additionally, said memory module 16 can also comprise a volatile memory for saving temporary data and temporary programs.

For example, the aforementioned private key with which the RSA module 23 works can be stored on the player card or the activation medium 6 in a secure processor which can neither be read nor copied. The aforementioned public key can be stored in the gaming and/or entertainment machine 1, in particular its activation device 7.

According to a further advantageous embodiment, it can be provided that the activation medium 6 comprises time information in addition to the medium code. For this purpose, the activation medium output terminal 25 can comprise a real time module (or timer), for example a DCF77 radio clock module, and the code generator 28 can be designed to output the time information to the activation medium. Absolute times and/or relative times (i.e. time periods) can be output as time information. The electronic control device 12 of the gaming device can be designed to receive the time information of the activation medium via the code receiver 5 and to further process the time information. In particular, it can be provided that the gaming device is released depending on a comparison result of the time information received via the code receiver 5 and a current time in the control device 12 (for example also based on a DCF77 radio clock module). This makes it possible to set a time limit on the validity of activation media. This can be used, for example, to limit the playing time of the gaming device as desired by a player.

To this end, the player informs the operator of the restricted access gaming and/or entertainment machines before issuing the activation medium 6 that he wishes to limit the usage time in order to voluntarily and independently counteract excessive use of the gaming machine. For example, a A maximum usage time of 2 hours may be desired and the operator of the gaming devices enters this time period via a suitable input device of the activation medium output terminal 25, whereby the issued activation medium 6 receives the information that the activation of the gaming device is automatically interrupted at a predetermined time.

The calculation basis for the shutdown time can be made in an "absolute time" version by using the current date and time plus the maximum usage time desired by the player, for example 2 hours, i.e. if the activation medium is generated and issued at 12 noon, the activation of the gaming device is automatically interrupted or terminated at 2 p.m. To do this, the gaming device saves the medium code received via the activation device as well as the desired shutdown time in a suitable memory area and terminates the activation of the gaming device at exactly 2 p.m.

In the "relative times" design variant, the desired playing time can be noted on the activation medium 6 and transmitted via the code receiver 5 into the activation device 7 of the gaming device when the activation medium is inserted, so that the switch-off time is the result of the time the gaming device is activated plus the desired playing time. If the device is activated at 12:10, for example, the gaming device automatically stops use at 14:10.

In addition to or as an alternative to a time-bound voluntary restriction on the use of the gaming device by a player, a voluntary restriction with regard to a predetermined maximum monetary loss during use of the device can also be made by means of a separate configuration of the activation medium 6. This option also supports the player with regard to a voluntary restriction on excessive gaming or to protect themselves against excessive monetary losses through the use of the gaming machine within a certain period of time.

To do this, the player can announce before the activation medium 6 is generated using the activation medium output terminal 25 that a maximum of a predetermined amount of money can be used or lost to play on the relevant gaming machines while the activation medium 6 is being used. For example, a maximum loss of €100 is noted on the activation medium 6 and transmitted to the gaming machine in the manner described above, and the gaming machine checks whether the negative balance, in this example €100, is reached or not by means of a permanent target/actual comparison of the balance between the amounts of money wagered and the amounts of money won, and ends the activation when the upper limit is reached. Such a target/actual comparison can alternatively be carried out at time (fixed or variable) intervals or when an amount of money or points balance changes. Of course, a combination of time and monetary self-limitation by the player is also possible, i.e. the activation can also be terminated before the end of the specified maximum playing time if the specified maximum monetary loss is reached first when using the gaming device.

According to a further preferred embodiment, the smart card can have a fingerprint sensor as a further security feature, hereinafter referred to as FP smart card, i.e. the activation medium has means for a biometric query and optional storage integrated on/in the FP smart card.
In a preferred embodiment, the FP smart card can be repeatedly written to via the activation medium issuing terminal and thus issued to another player after use by one player, whereby the biometric data of the previous player can be deleted and the biometric data of the new player can be stored.

This provides the particular advantage that the activation medium cannot be passed on to unauthorized persons or can not be used by the unauthorized person to activate the gaming device.

• 1) Jeder Spieler erhält beim Betreten der Spielstätte eine FP-Smart-Card, welche per se zum Spielen an den definierten Spielgeräten akzeptiert wird, da in bekannter Weise der Medium-Code gemäß der in das Ausgabeterminal eingesteckten Security-Karten auf die FP-Smart-Card aufgespielt wird.
• 2) Über den Fingerprintsensor der e-smart-card wird die FP-Smart-Card „fix“ mit diesem einen Spielgast verbunden, so dass eine Weitergabe an einen weiteren Spieler nicht möglich ist.
• 3) Beim Einstecken der FP-Smart-Card in das Spielgerät wird neben der Übereinstimmung des Medium-Codes auch geprüft, ob der Finger der berechtigten Person aufgelegt ist.

This could be used with slot machines as follows:

• 1) Each player receives an FP smart card upon entering the gaming venue, which is accepted per se for playing on the defined gaming machines, since the medium code is loaded onto the FP smart card in the known manner according to the security cards inserted into the issuing terminal.
• 2) The FP Smart Card is permanently linked to this one player via the e-smart card’s fingerprint sensor, so that it cannot be passed on to another player.
• 3) When inserting the FP smart card into the gaming device, in addition to the medium code being matched, it is also checked whether the finger of the authorized person is placed on the device.

This ensures that only one and the same person can play on a (single) gaming device of the defined group of gaming devices, whereby the player can change the gaming devices of the defined group at any time.
It may be provided that access to a gaming hall (in which the gaming and/or entertainment machines are located) is restricted by means of a separation system, for example a turnstile. It may then be provided that the turnstile remains closed if the player does not return the FP smart card.

Deviating from the previous embodiments, according to a further preferred embodiment, a gaming and/or entertainment machine does not have activation codes predefined in the memory of the gaming and/or entertainment machine, but the machine operator can carry out a pairing (pairing step) with the gaming device "on site" using preconfigured activation media. Each such preconfigured activation medium has, for example, a respective unambiguous and unique medium code for activating a gaming and/or entertainment machine as well as a usage status, which is preferably initially set as usage status=unused and can be irreversibly set to usage status=used upon first use.
This has the particular advantage that the pairing does not have to be carried out by a manufacturer of the gaming and/or entertainment machines and the activation media belonging to the respective gaming device does not have to be enclosed, whereby the activation media could possibly be lost on the way to the customer or mixed up with activation media of other gaming devices.

In other words, activation media are used that are already provided with a clear or unique medium code (e.g. sequential number) and can only be read for security reasons. In the initial state, i.e. before the activation medium is read for the first time, a usage status flag in the activation medium is set to "unused" and pairing with a gaming device can only take place if this flag is set to "unused", so that it is already ensured that only "virgin" activation media can be linked to the gaming device and not those that have already been paired with another gaming device. During such an initial pairing via the display menu, the medium code of the activation medium is read and stored in the gaming device's memory as an individual media code (or activation code), whereby the first reading necessarily sets the flag on the activation medium (preferably irreversibly) from "unused" to "used". Instead of a flag, a readable (memory) area on the activation medium can be irreversibly changed on the hardware side, so that initial pairing is no longer possible afterwards.

The technical processes described below offer the particular advantage that ultimately only one valid activation medium needs to be issued per player (=user) in a group of gaming and/or entertainment machines, so that when the gaming and/or entertainment machines are used in different ways, there is no need to constantly change their associated activation media, provided that only one single and individual activation medium exists per gaming and/or entertainment machine.

In these methods, it can also advantageously be provided that secure communication between the gaming device and the (pre)configured activation media is ensured by means of a suitable encryption method.

6 shows a schematic representation of the activation code stored in the memory of the gaming and/or entertainment machine in a further configuration in which an activation code is activated and thus a first activation medium can be used to activate the gaming and/or entertainment machine. In this case, an "empty" security medium 26 is configured with the aid of the gaming and/or entertainment machine 1, which comprises a code receiver 5 for receiving a medium code and a code writing device 5a for writing a medium code, as well as a memory 8 in which at least one activated activation medium code can be stored, wherein in an initial pairing step in which in this case a security medium 26 designed as a security card, which in turn is provided for generating activation media for activating the gaming and/or entertainment machine, is brought into communication with the code receiver 5 or the code writing device 5a of the at least one gaming and/or entertainment machine 1 and the security card takes over the currently valid activation medium code of the gaming device as the security code.
The gaming and/or entertainment machine 1 can further comprise an activation medium code generator which generates activation medium codes based on a random event, value or a random function and thus a respective individual activation medium code can be generated, whereby only a most recently generated activation medium code is always kept available as an active code. The activation medium code can contain an identifier of the gaming and/or entertainment machine 1 which generated it.

According to a further embodiment, a configuration of the gaming and/or entertainment machine 1 can be provided with a code receiver 5 for receiving a medium code and a memory 8 in which at least one activated activation code can be stored, wherein in an initial pairing step in which a security medium which is provided for activating the gaming and/or entertainment machine and has a medium code suitable for activating this gaming and/or entertainment machine is brought into communication connection with the code receiver 5 of the at least one gaming and/or entertainment machine 1, and wherein the communication-connected security medium is checked for a usage status 40, and wherein if a usage status=unused 41 is present, depending on the received medium code of the communication-connected security medium, an activation code compatible therewith is generated and stored in the memory 8 as an activated activation code 13a, and wherein the usage status 40 of the communication-connected Activation medium 6 is set to a usage status=used 42.

The 7 shows a schematic representation of an activation medium output terminal 25 for generating and issuing an activation medium 6 for activating a gaming and/or entertainment machine, with an extended medium code based on a security code of a read-in activation medium 26 designed as a Securit card.

The output terminal 25 can be provided and designed so that the security medium 26 is inserted into a code receiver designed as a card reader 27 of the activation medium output terminal 25 or is brought into communication with it, wherein the security medium 26 in the present example transmits the (gaming and/or entertainment machine) device ID "AGI_01" and the card version number "S1" to a code generator 28 of the activation medium output terminal 25 or the latter receives such a code, after which an extended medium code intended for activating a gaming and/or entertainment machine is generated depending on the received security code.
Furthermore, the activation medium issuing terminal comprises a card output 30 which is designed as a medium code reading/writing device for the activation medium 6, wherein, when an activation medium 6 is present in the first activation state, the activation medium 6 is brought into the second activation state in which a medium code based on a security code stored or marked as PASSIVE is written/stored on/in the activation medium 6 and the activation medium 6 is released for removal and the security code is stored or marked as ACTIVE; and wherein, when an activation medium 6 is present in the second activation state, the activation medium 6 is brought into the first activation state in which the medium code stored on/in the activation medium 6 is deleted and the associated security code is stored or marked as PASSIVE.
The card dispenser 30 of the dispenser terminal 25 can be designed to store the, optionally extended, medium code in an electronic or electromagnetic memory of the activation medium 6.

In an alternative embodiment, it can be provided that the card dispenser 30 is designed to print or delete a barcode/QR code and the storage of the extended medium code comprises printing a barcode/QR code.
In a further alternative or additional embodiment, it can be provided that code transformation means are provided and the extended medium code is converted with a transformation function to a multi-digit, for example three-, four-, or five-digit, code and is printed as a human-readable code.
It can further be provided that the card reader 27 and the card dispenser 30 are designed as a unit.
According to a further embodiment, the generation of the extended medium code can comprise a further activation criterion or several further activation criteria, wherein the activation criterion(s) is/are recorded in which, in particular, a desired maximum playing time and/or a desired maximum game loss and/or biometric information of a user of the gaming and/or entertainment machine is/are recorded. For this purpose, it can be provided that the output terminal 25 has detection means 51, in particular for detecting biometric information of a user, for example a fingerprint sensor, a palm vein scanner, an iris scanner, a camera. The detection means 51 can further comprise simple keyboard input means and a suitable user interface display and selection options, for example a touch screen display.

Similar to the above in connection with the 5 described now comprises a gaming and/or entertainment machine 1 in a game operating mode provided for a player to operate the machine, a code receiver 5 for receiving a medium code, a memory 8 in which at least one activated activation code can be stored, and an activation Device 7 for unlocking the gaming and/or entertainment machine for use by a user depending on the received medium code and the active unlock code.
In this case, a medium code or valid group media code received by the code receiver 5 is compared with the/each activated activation code 13a of the gaming and/or entertainment machine 1 and the gaming and/or entertainment machine 1 is activated or blocked depending on the comparison between the medium code and the activated activation code 13a.

Based on this information received from the activation medium 6 and on information stored in the gaming and/or entertainment machine 1, the control device 12 of the gaming and/or entertainment machine 1 decides whether authorization exists and the machine is activated for use by a player or not.
According to one embodiment, the said control device 12 can comprise the activation device 7, cf. 5 , which can be implemented in the form of hardware and/or software components in the control device 12. Furthermore, the control device 12 comprises an input/output unit I/O, to which, for example, the peripheral control elements of the control panel 4 and the code receiver 5 are connected in terms of hardware. How 5 further shows, the activation device 7 can access a memory 8 for this purpose. The memory 8 can be arranged in the housing 2 of the gaming and/or entertainment machine 1 and can be connected to the control device 12 or can be contained by it. The activation device 7 is connected to the input/output unit I/O.

According to a further embodiment, in addition to the comparison between the medium code and the activated activation code 13a, a further activation criterion that can be received with the code receiver 5 via an extended medium code or several further activation criteria that can be received with the code receiver 5 can be taken into account and the gaming and/or entertainment machine is only activated if this further activation criterion or these further activation criteria are met.

According to a further embodiment, the additional activation criterion can comprise biometric information, preferably a fingerprint and/or an iris image and/or a field of vision recognition, wherein biometric information of a respective user is recorded on the gaming and/or entertainment machine and compared with stored biometric information that was recorded for issuing an activation medium 6 to the user, and depending on this, the gaming and/or entertainment machine is activated for use by a player or not activated. For this purpose, the gaming and/or entertainment machine comprises, for example, a fingerprint sensor, and/or a palm vein scanner, and/or an iris scanner, and/or a camera.

According to a further embodiment, a temporal configuration of the gaming and/or entertainment machine 1 can be provided as an additional activation criterion, wherein the gaming and/or entertainment machine 1 determines a real time, for example from a real time module (real time module or timer).

According to a further embodiment, after the use of the gaming and/or entertainment machine 1 has ended, a real-time time stamp can be stored in the memory of the communication-connected activation medium (6) by means of a code writing device (5a) of the gaming and/or entertainment machine 1, or a separate validation or real-time stamp terminal.

According to a further embodiment, a time difference between a real-time time stamp received by the code receiver 5 with the extended medium code and the real time of the gaming and/or entertainment machine 1 can be determined and the gaming and/or entertainment machine 1 can be unlocked or locked depending on the determined time difference and a predetermined time difference.

According to a further embodiment, the activation medium 6 can comprise a security label, and when the security label comes sufficiently close to an antenna of an electronic article surveillance system (AES), an optical and/or acoustic warning signal can be issued at a suitable location, for example on the gaming device and/or output terminal and/or a system center.

Claims (7)

Activation medium output terminal (25) for outputting an activation medium (6) which can be set to a first activation state or a second activation state, with a code receiver (27) for receiving a security code from a security medium (26) in communication with the code receiver, and with a medium code read/write device (30) for the activation medium (6), wherein when an activation medium (6) is present in the first activation state, the activation Medium (6) is brought into the second activation state in which a medium code based on a security code stored or marked as PASSIVE is written/stored on/in the activation medium (6) and the activation medium (6) is released for removal and the security code is stored or marked as ACTIVE; and wherein, if an activation medium (6) is present in the second activation state, the activation medium (6) is brought into the first activation state in which the medium code stored on/in the activation medium (6) is deleted and the associated security code is stored or marked as PASSIVE. Activation medium output terminal (27) to Claim 1 , wherein the activation medium issuing terminal comprises a memory (31) having a memory area for storing the security codes as PASSIVE and a memory area for storing the security codes as ACTIVE. Activation medium issuing terminal (27) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein several different security codes are kept available, one of which is selectable. Activation medium issuing terminal according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the activation medium issuing terminal is designed as a master for communication with one or more slave activation medium issuing terminals, each of which is designed to set the activation medium (6) to a first activation state or to a second activation state, and wherein an automatic updating of the ACTIVE and PASSIVE states of the security codes takes place. Activation medium output terminal according to one of the preceding claims, wherein input means for entering a desired maximum playing time and/or a desired maximum game loss and writing means for storing the entered maximum game loss and/or the entered maximum playing time on the activation medium are provided. Activation medium output terminal according to one of the preceding claims, wherein a biometric data acquisition device is provided for acquiring biometric data of a user, in particular a fingerprint and/or field of vision and/or an iris representation, wherein writing means are provided for storing the acquired biometric data on the activation medium and/or storage means for storing the acquired biometric data and/or transmission means are provided for transmitting the acquired biometric data to a gaming and/or entertainment machine on which an activation medium is read. Method for issuing an activation medium (6) via an activation medium issuing terminal, which activation medium (6) can be set to a first activation state or to a second activation state, the method comprising the steps: - receiving a security code from a security medium (26) in communication with a code receiver (27), - checking the activation medium (6), wherein if an activation medium (6) is present in the first activation state, the activation medium (6) is brought into the second activation state in which a medium code based on a security code stored or marked as PASSIVE is written/stored on/in the activation medium (6) and the activation medium (6) is released for removal and the security code is stored or marked as ACTIVE; and wherein, when an activation medium (6) is present in the second activation state, the activation medium (6) is brought into the first activation state in which the medium code stored on/in the activation medium (6) is deleted and the associated security code is stored or marked as PASSIVE.

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