EP1000416A1

EP1000416A1 - Method for controlling sums of money restored by a slot machine electronic coin meter

Info

Publication number: EP1000416A1
Application number: EP98941472A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Jean Jacques Foglino; Hervé Orus; Donald Miller
Original assignee: Gemplus Card International SA; Gemplus SA
Current assignee: Gemplus SA
Priority date: 1997-07-31
Filing date: 1998-07-28
Publication date: 2000-05-17
Also published as: WO1999006972A1; FR2766948A1; FR2766948B1; AU8983598A; CN1265764A

Abstract

The invention concerns a method for controlling sums of money restored by a slot machine electronic coin meter (20), which in particular consists in transferring, into the electronic coin meter (20), limited amounts for restoring, in the form of advance payment vouchers (BA), using a separate storage medium (CR).

Description

METHOD FOR MONITORING MONEY SUMS RETURNED BY AN ELECTRONIC COIN OF A GAMING MACHINE

The present invention relates to a method for controlling the flow of money in an electronic coin operated game machine, and more particularly the sums of money returned by this electronic coin operated on game chip cards.

Gaming machines, also called "slot machines", are often used, in particular in casinos that have the authorization. The principle of the game is to bet coins and start the operation of the machine by action on a lever which triggers a selection mechanism operating at random. This selection mechanism makes it possible to order the possible restitution of a gain which can be significant. The use of coins is however not very practical because it involves the manipulation of a large volume of coins for a relatively small sum and it slows down the speed with which the players can bet their money so that the volume of gains obtained by the owner of the machine are thereby reduced. In addition, slot machines are also used by fraudsters to sell counterfeit money.

To overcome these drawbacks, the applicant has described and claimed, in a European patent application No. A-0 673 005 filed on March 15, 1995 under the title "Game machine with regulatory mechanical counters and electronic coin operated", a device allowing to adapt to an ordinary slot machine an electronic coin acceptor, of the smart card reader type, using a games chip card from the type of those commonly used in ATMs for example. A machine thus equipped has a mixed operation. It can indeed work either with tokens, each token representing a determined sum of money, or with smart cards. In addition, it contains regulatory mechanical counters to control the level of chips in its hopper. Two other electronic counters located in the electronic coin mechanism, also make it possible to total the number of credits wagered by the game card and the number of winnings received by this same card.

These counters bear the names of Anglo-Saxon origin: - "TOTAL IN" (TI): mechanical counter which totals the tokens physically entered and the credits replayed,

- "TOTAL OϋT" (TO) mechanical counter which totals the physically drawn tokens and the replayed credits,

- "CASH BOX" (CB) mechanical counter which totals the tokens which are directed towards the bucket of the statement of receipts,

- "JACKPOT" (JK) mechanical counter which totals the very important "Jackpot" winnings which are paid manually in the form of payment vouchers (BP), - "CANCEL CREDIT" (CC) mechanical counter which totals the payments in the form payment vouchers (BP) the accumulations of small winnings that exceed the restitution limit of the slot machine,

"GAME PLAYED" (GP) mechanical counter which totals the number of games that have been played,

- "TOTAL IN CARD" (TIcarte) electronic counter which totals the number of credits bet by the smart card of games, - "TOTAL OUT CARD" (TO card) electronic counter which totals the number of debits returned on the gaming chip card.

In France the "CANCEL CREDIT" and "JACK POT" counters are merged to form a single "JACK POT" counter.

In this device, the return of winnings in the electronic coin mechanism is carried out by using signals sent by the slot machine to its hopper and by deflecting them, by means of a relay, to come and indicate to the coin mechanism the amount of credit write in the smart card. It is possible that a person manages to divert money, by means of the electronic coin mechanism, by sending signals simulating restitutions of money, of unlimited values, on the electrical connection located between the machine and the coin mechanism.

To overcome this problem, the invention therefore proposes a system making it possible to improve the protection of gaming machines, capable of accounting for the amounts returned on the game card and of controlling these amounts. The present invention aims to increase the level of security of the patent application cited above. For this, an authorized restitution limit sum is brought, in the form of BA advance vouchers, into the electronic coin mechanism to be recorded and stored there, a BA advance voucher being the result of the filling action of a protected area of the electronic coin changer forming an electronic hopper, and more precisely the result of the filling action in level of said hopper.

The subject of the invention is more particularly a method of controlling the sums of money returned by an electronic coin mechanism of a gaming machine on game chip cards, characterized in that it consists in transferring, in the electronic coin mechanism, limit restitution sums, in the form of advance vouchers, by means of a separate storage medium.

According to another characteristic of the invention, the storage medium is produced by a reloading smart card.

According to another characteristic of the invention, the advance vouchers are recorded and stored in a protected area of the electronic coin mechanism constituting an electronic hopper. Preferably this protected area is located in a security module of the electronic coin mechanism. According to another characteristic of the invention, when the electronic coin changer credits losses or returns gains, it simultaneously orders an update of an electronic counter "VT card" intended to record the remaining amount in electronic hopper level.

According to another characteristic of the invention, before restoring winnings, the electronic coin mechanism controls the updating calculations of the remaining sum in electronic hopper level so as to check whether the gains to be transferred do not exceed this remaining sum.

According to another characteristic of the invention, the storage medium makes it possible to transfer advance vouchers of different values to different electronic coin acceptors associated with different gaming machines.

Another object of the invention relates to an electronic coin operated game machine, characterized in that the electronic coin operated device has a protected zone playing the role of electronic hopper in which advance vouchers, brought by means of a separate storage medium, are recorded and stored and an electronic counter "BA card" makes it possible to record the remaining amount as a voucher when the coin acceptor credits losses or returns gains.

Other features and advantages of the invention will appear on reading the description given by way of illustrative and nonlimiting example with reference to attached FIG. 1 which represents a diagram of the flow of sums of money in a gaming machine of the conventional type equipped with an electronic coin acceptor comprising means for controlling the sums of money returned on the game chip cards associated with the coin acceptor.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is shown schematically in Figure 1 attached. For the sake of simplification of this figure, the mechanical parts of the game machine have not been shown. The game machine is designated by the general reference 10 while the electronic coin mechanism is designated by the reference 20. The coin mechanism 20, of the smart card reader type, as described in the patent application cited above and known under the reference commercial GCV400, is connected to the gaming machine 10 by an electrical connection.

The electronic coin mechanism 20 is connected to the electronic management circuit of the game machine 10 by means of a serial or parallel link. To avoid fraudsters from simulating payments on their game card, the invention provides for introducing into the coin mechanism a restitution limit amount above which no payment is no longer possible. For this, sums of money are advantageously provided by the casino staff, in the form of BA advance vouchers, then recorded and stored in the electronic coin mechanism 20.

Preferably, these advance vouchers BA are transferred to the electronic coin mechanism 20 by means of a separate storage medium CR. This CR support is advantageously produced in a CR reloading smart card. This CR card is unique and owned by casino staff. A terminal 30, of the kind personal computer type

PC, allows these BA vouchers to be generated with a fixed sum, such as 10.000F, and to register them in the CR reloading card. The sums generated by this terminal 30 are known and can be controlled by computer.

Advantageously, BA advance vouchers are recorded and stored in a protected area of the electronic coin mechanism. This protected zone can in particular be located in a SAM security module ("Security Application Module") of the coin mechanism 20. This zone is for example protected by locking keys.

When BA advance vouchers are provided, an electronic "BA card" counter placed in the protected area of the coin mechanism 20 is incremented by a corresponding value.

To play, it suffices for a player to insert his game card CJ, of the chip card type, into the slot F of the coin mechanism 20 and to put a certain amount of money, contained in the game card, by pressing on a coin button. The coin mechanism includes an MP microprocessor intended to control the sending of signals to the game machine, via an electrical connection, to increment a counter. "CREDIT" 11 with a value corresponding to the sum wagered.

The microprocessor MP also simultaneously controls the incrementation of an electronic counter "TIcard" with a value corresponding to the sum wagered. This "TIcard" counter is placed in the coin mechanism 20 and makes it possible to total the bets made by a player.

The "CREDIT" counter 11 being provided with a certain amount of money, the player can then operate the gaming machine.

This "CREDIT" counter allows you to totalize the winnings so that they are not immediately distributed on the CJ game card. In the event of bets, this CREDIT counter is decremented by a value corresponding to the sum wagered.

When he wants to repeat a game, the player can then start the game either from a sum contained in the CREDIT 11 counter, when it is not zero, or by betting again of money contained in the CJ game chip card, when it is not empty. For each new game, the "game played" GP counter is incremented by 1. With regard to the return of winnings on the CJ game card, it is possible to use two common solutions for those skilled in the art. A first solution consists in using a "CASH OUT" button and a "CANCEL KEY" key connected to the gaming machine 10 via the coin mechanism 20.

In this case, the coin mechanism 20 simulates the action of the "CANCEL KEY" key, for example using a relay which closes. The game machine then resets the "CREDIT" counter 11 and incremented its mechanical counter "CANCEL CREDIT" of a number of virtual tokens corresponding to the amount of money won. The connection between the gaming machine and this "CANCEL CREDIT" counter is also connected to the coin mechanism 20, which allows the latter to count the pulses arriving on the counter and, from these indications, to reload the chip card CJ games contained in the coin mechanism 20 with a credit corresponding to the winnings obtained. A second solution consists in using the signals conventionally sent by the gaming machine 10 to its hopper and deflecting them towards the coin mechanism 20, by means of a relay for example, to indicate to the coin mechanism the amount of credit to be entered. in the CJ games chip card.

Simultaneously with the recording of the winnings in the game card CJ, the microprocessor MP of the coin mechanism 20 controls the incrementation of an electronic counter "TOcarte", with a value corresponding to the sum transferred to the card CJ. This "TOcarte" counter is advantageously located in the coin mechanism and allows you to total the amounts transferred by the coin mechanism to the CJ card.

When winnings are returned on a CJ game chip card, the "BAcarte" counter is decremented accordingly. The coin-operated protected area then constitutes an electronic hopper, the "VT card" level of which can be controlled by the conventional formula of calculation from the indications coming from the electronic meters. This formula therefore becomes:

VTcarte = TIcarte + BAcarte - TOcarte. The electronic hopper thus created is completely independent of the classic mechanical hopper of gaming machines. Thanks to this electronic hopper, it It is therefore possible to make fully electronic game machines, working only with smart cards.

To be able to check at any time the level of the electronic hopper, the coin mechanism 20 orders, each time that it credits losses or restores gains, an update of the remaining amount in level of electronic hopper, c is to say an update of the counter "VTcarte". In an alternative embodiment, the coin changer 20 can anticipate its update calculations, before the restitution of the winnings on the game card CJ, to check whether the sum to be transferred does not exceed the restitution limit of the coin changer. The coin mechanism can thus assess whether it can return all the winnings. If it is not the case, it is put on hold or it emits an audible and / or visual signal for the attention of the staff of the casino, the gaming machine is then in "tilt hopper empty" since it there is not enough money to return the winnings, and so she warns the casino.

In all cases, when the maximum restitution sum is reached, that is to say when the electronic hopper is empty, or when the winnings to be returned exceed the restitution limit sum remaining, the coin mechanism 20 can no longer restore gains to the player and he emits an audible and / or visual signal and / or he puts himself on hold. In this case, the casino staff is warned that the electronic coin hopper must be recharged with advance vouchers. A service provider therefore inserts the CR recharging card into the coin slot, which proceeds to authenticate the CR card, according to a procedure well known to those skilled in the art, then checks whether a BA advance has been issued. generated for him. If so, its electronic hopper is credited with the corresponding amount.

In addition, a single reloading card CR advantageously makes it possible to transfer several advance vouchers (BA) of different values to different electronic coin acceptors each associated with a gaming machine. For this, the information is stored on the reloading CR smart card in the form of a table in which each coin changer listed corresponds to a determined BA advance voucher. This solution is very interesting because it makes it possible to have only one CR reload card for several or even all the gaming machines of the same casino. When the coin mechanism 20 credits losses, the "VT card" counter is incremented by a corresponding value. It therefore happens that the sum contained in the electronic hopper is greater than the restitution limit sum having been brought in the form of BA advance vouchers. This is why, it is preferable that at the closing of the casino for example, the personnel withdraws the surplus money, by means of a chip card called unloading card, to pour it back into the bucket of receipts of the casino managed electronically by terminal 30.

According to an alternative embodiment, it is also possible to envisage placing another electronic counter "CBcard" in the electronic coin mechanism, in order to total the sums which are directed towards the bucket of statement of receipts. In fact, it can be provided that when the electronic hopper comprises a sum greater than the sum entered in the form of BA advance vouchers, the "CBcard" counter is incremented by a value corresponding to the surplus. This surplus represents then the bucket of recipes. Thus, the restitution limit sum is at most equal to the sum brought in the form of BA advance vouchers by casino staff. In this case, the equation for calculating the level of the electronic hopper becomes:

VTcarte = TIcarte + BAcarte - TOcarte - CBcarte.

Claims

1. Method for controlling the sums of money returned by an electronic coin mechanism (20) of a game machine (10) on game chip cards (CJ), characterized in that it consists in transferring, into the electronic coin mechanism (20), limit restitution sums, in the form of advance vouchers (BA), by means of a separate storage medium (CR).

2. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the storage medium is produced by a recharging smart card (CR).

3. Method according to one of claims 1 to 2, characterized in that the advance vouchers (BA) are recorded and stored in a protected area of the electronic coin mechanism (20) constituting an electronic hopper.

4. Method according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the advance vouchers (BA) are recorded and stored in a security module (SAM) of the electronic coin mechanism (20).

5. Method according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that when the electronic coin mechanism

(20) credits losses or restores gains, it simultaneously orders an update of an electronic counter "VT card" intended to record the remaining amount in level of electronic hopper.

6. Method according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, before restoring gains, the electronic coin mechanism (20) controls the update calculations of the remaining sum in electronic hopper level so as to check whether the winnings to be transferred do not exceed this remaining amount.

7. Method according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the level of electronic hopper (VTcarte) depends on the number of credits (TIcarte) bet by the card, the stored advance vouchers (BAcarte) and the number debit (TOcarte) returned on the card, and in that it is calculated from the following formula: VTcarte = TIcarte + BAcarte - TOcarte.

8. Method according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the storage medium (CR) makes it possible to transfer advance vouchers (BA) of different values on different electronic coin acceptors associated with different gaming machines.

9. Games machine (20) with electronic coin mechanism (20), characterized in that the electronic coin mechanism (20) comprises a protected zone playing the role of electronic hopper in which advance vouchers (BA), brought by means of 'a separate storage medium (CR), are recorded and stored and an electronic counter "BA card" allows to record the remaining amount in advance vouchers when the coin mechanism (20) credits losses or returns gains.

10. Game machine according to claim 9, characterized in that the protected area playing the role hopper has a security module (SAM).

11. Game machine according to one of claims 9 to 10, characterized in that the electronic coin mechanism is connected to an electronic circuit for managing said game machine using a serial or parallel link.