Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02341930 2001-03-21
i FIELD OF THE INVENTION
z The present invention relates generally to cashless gaming and, more
3 particularly, to an open-loop cashless gaming system and method using
portable smart
a data mediums to provide credits for playing gaming machines without
requiring
s communication between the machines and any remote computer system linked
6 thereto.
s BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
9 Gaming systems have used a variety of mediums for exchanging money
io between gaming machines and players. Some common mediums of exchange
include
< < coins, bills, and tokens. In a typical gaming environment, a player
inserts coins, bills,
iz or tokens into a gaming machine to add credits to the machine. When the
player
i3 decides to leave the machine and still has credits remaining, the player
presses a cash-
i4 out or collect button and receives an appropriate number of coins or tokens
in a cash-
es out hopper. Casinos conventionally make containers, such as cups or trays,
available
i6 for players to keep their money. The player can then go to another gaming
machine
i~ and insert the coins or tokens therein. Coins and tokens are somewhat
undesirable
is mediums of exchange because they can be difficult for the player to handle,
take up a
i9 lot of space and have to be frequently emptied from gaming machines
(thereby
zo interrupting play of the machines), and are generally dirty and can thereby
transmit
zi diseases among players. Also, gaming establishments must spend a
substantial
zz amount of time, resources, and money to handle the coins and tokens. For
example,
z3 any collected coins and tokens must be separated, counted, stored, and
rolled for
za reuse. This process may involve dozens of people and requires expensive
coin/token
zs counting and wrapping devices.
zs Another medium of exchange is a credit card as proposed, for example, in
z~ U.S. Patent Nos. 6,019,283, 5,959,277, 5,952,640, 5,811,772, 5,559,312,
5,457,306,
za and 5,038,022 to Lucero. In the scenario proposed in the Lucero patents, a
player in a
z9 gaming establishment feeds a general purpose charge card such as a VISA,
3o MasterCard or AMERICAN EXPRESS card into a reader at a gaming machine or
enters information relating to the general purpose charge card on a keyboard
or other
sz input device. The player then keys in a desired amount of playing credit
and,
33 optionally, a PIN (personal identification number) for automatic
transmission to a
CA 02341930 2001-03-21
~ remote financial institution (VISA or other charge card facility) either
directly or
z through an intermediate transaction processing facility. Also transmitted
are an
3 identification of the gaming machine ::nd the gaming operator. Upon approval
of the
a requested playing credit, the gaming machine is enabled and thereafter a
running net
s (balance) is kept for the player and/or each machine and/or the gaming
operator by
6 accounting for win-lose-draws. After the playing session is over, net
playing credit
information is automatically transmitted to the financial institution either
directly or
s through an intermediate transaction processing facility so that the entire
playing
9 session can be a single line item on the player's regular statement from
that financial
io institution. Although the credit card may minimize disruptions in the
playing of the
i i gaming machine because the player need not walk away from the machine to
obtain
iz more money should he or she run out, there exists a strong public policy
against
i3 allowing a person gambling to have easy access to the credit limit of their
credit card
~a at the gaming machine itself. In addition, the gaming machines must be
provided
is with interface circuitry hooked up to a communications line so that
information
is concerning the credit transaction can be transmitted between the financial
institution
o and the gaming machines. Such circuitry adds to the cost of manufacturing
the
~a gaming machines. Also, the transmission of credit transaction information
between
the financial institution and the gaming machines can be time consuming.
zo Another proposed medium of exchange is a magnetic strip card. In a typical
zi scenario, a player opens a personal account stored in a central database of
a gaming
zz establishment, puts money into the personal account, and acquires a
magnetic strip
z3 card that identifies the personal account. After cpening the account and
acquiring the
za card, the player can use the magnetic strip card to play any gaming machine
equipped
zs with a compatible card reader and linked to the central database containing
the
z6 personal account. As the player plays the gaming machine, the gaming
machine
z~ communicates with the central database. The gaming machine deducts wagers
from
za the player's personal account and adds any winnings to the personal
account.
z9 Although the magnetic strip card is easy to use, it is susceptible to fraud
and damage.
3o For example, most magnetic strip cards are extremely vulnerable to magnetic
fields
3 i that can erase or damage the important monetary data stored on the card.
In addition,
32 like the credit card discussed above, the gaming machines must be provided
with
33 interface circuitry hooked up to a communications line so that information
concerning
2
CA 02341930 2001-03-21
i wagers and winnings can be transmitted between the central database and the
gaming
z machines.
3 Yet another proposed medium of exchange is a bar-coded ticket, coupon, or
a cash-out slip. In this case, a plurality of gaming machines are linked to a
remote
s central processing unit in a closed-loop system where each gaming machine is
6 equipped with a bar code reader and a bar code printer. When a player has
finished
playing one of the gaming machines and the machine still has credits remaining
on its
s credit meter, the printer prints a bar code on a ticket responsive to
instructions from
9 the central processing unit. The central processing unit generates the bar
code to be
~o printed on the ticket. The bar code typically represents the monetary value
of the
~ i credits remaining on the gaming machine, along with a randomly-generated
iz identification code, to permit the central processing unit to verify the
validity and
i3 unique identification of the ticket at a later time. Upon insertion of the
bar-code ticket
~a into the bar code reader of the same ~or a different gaming machine, the
bar code
is reader transmits a signal to the central processing unit corresponding to
the bar code,
and the central processing unit compares the bar code on the ticket with those
stored
m in its memory which contains the value of the ticket, the identification
code, and its
status (e.g., "redeemed" or "not redeemed"). If the ticket has not already
been
i9 redeemed, then credits corresponding to the monetary value of the ticket
are added to
zo the gaming machine. Although bar-coded tickets eliminate some of the
problems
zi associated with the other mediums of exchange, the closed-loop system
relies upon
zz linking the gaming machines to a remote central processing unit and
requires
z3 communication between a gaming machine and the central processing unit each
time
za a ticket is printed out by or inserted into the machine. Many game
manufacturers do
zs not also produce such closed-loop systems with "back end" central
processing units
z6 and therefore would need to either build such a system or hook up to
another
z~ company's system already installed in a gaming establishment. To hook up to
za another company's system, however, would require the game manufacturer to
install
z9 appropriate hardware and software in each gaming machine and use
appropriate
so communications protocols for interfacing to the central processing unit.
This process
can cost considerable time, money, and resources and requires the cooperation
of the
3z company that makes the back end system.
3
CA 02341930 2001-03-21
A need therefore exists for a cashless gaming system that uses a medium of
z exchange that overcomes the aforementioned shortcomings associated with
existing
3 mediums of exchange.
4
s SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
6 An open-loop cashless gaming system and method employ a portable smart
data medium and a gaming machine. The smart data medium is embedded with a
a microcontroller having a memory storing first monetary data. The term
"monetary
9 data" as used herein is intended to mean data that represents an amount of
money.
io The data could, for example, be in the form of a country's circulated
currency (e.g.,
~ i dollars and/or cents in the United States) or game credits.
~z In one embodiment, the gaming machine includes a visual display, a credit
meter, and a receptacle for receiving the smart data medium. To start playing
a game
is of chance on the visual display, a player inserts the smart data medium
into the
is receptacle. Either automatically or in response to an amount entered by the
player via
a player interface, the first monetary data is transferred to the gaming
machine and, if
o the monetary data is a currency amount, converted to a first number of
credits that are
~s added to the credit meter. With credits on the credit meter, the player can
place
i9 wagers and play one or more cycles of the game of chance. Unless the player
zo exhausts all of his or her credits, a second number of credits remain on
the credit
z~ meter after the game of chance has been played. In response to the player
activating a
zz "collect" or "credit-out" switch on the gaming machine, the second number
of credits
z3 are converted to a currency amount (if the monetary data is a currency
amount) and
za transferred to the memory of the smart data medium. The cashless gaming
system
zs and method are open-loop in that the credit-in and credit-out transactions
are
z6 performed by the gaming machine without communicating with any remote
computer
n linked to the machine.
zs
z9 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
3o The foregoing and other advantages of the invention will become apparent
si upon reading the following detailed description and upon reference to the
drawings in
sz which:
4
CA 02341930 2001-03-21
1 FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a gaming machine embodying the present
z invention;
3 FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an open-loop cashless gaming system, including
a
a smart cart and the gaming machine, in accordance with the present invention;
and
s FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a gaming method implemented with the open-loop
6 cashless gaming system.
While the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative
s forms, specific embodiments have been shown by way of example in the
drawings
9 and will be described in detail herein. However, it should be understood
that the
to invention is not intended to be limited to the particular forms disclosed.
Rather, the
11 invention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives
falling within the
lz spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
13
la DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS
is Turning now to the drawings, FIG. 1 depicts an "upright" gaming machine 10
16 including a primary housing 12 supported by a secondary housing or stand
14. The
a machine 10 further includes a visual or mechanical display 16, a central
processing
is unit (CPU) 18 (see FIG. 2), a player interface section 20, a mechanical
button panel
19 22, and an optional coin tray 25. The display 16 is mounted to an upper
portion of the
zo housing 12. The player interface section 20 is arranged on the housing 12
m immediately below the display 16 and between the display 16 and the button
panel 22.
zz The button panel 22 is mounted to the housing 12 below the player interface
section
z3 20. The button panel 22 includes numerous mechanical buttons that, in
response to
za being pressed by a player, cause the CPU to perform various game functions.
The
zs coin tray 25 is mounted to the housing 12 oelow the button panel 22.
z6 The display 16 can be visual or mechanical in nature. If the display is of
the
z~ visual type, the display 16 may be a cathode ray tube (CRT), dot matrix,
LED, LCD,
za electro-luminescent, or other visual display known in the art. A touch
screen
z9 optionally overlays the visual display 16. If the display 16 is of the
mechanical type,
3o the display 16 may be a window with mechanical gaming components such as
31 physical rotatable slot reels visible therethrough.
3z The player interface section 20 includes such features as a card reader 24
for
33 receiving a player tracking card, a keypad and mini-display 26, an optional
coin
S
CA 02341930 2001-03-21
acceptor 28, an optional bill acceptor 30, and a receptacle 32 for receiving a
smart
z data medium 34. By inserting his or her player tracking card into the card
reader 24,
3 the player logs into a casino's computer network. This allows the casino to
track the
a player's gambling activities and award points and/or special awards to the
player
s based on his or her degree of gambling. In one embodiment, the player
tracking card
6 reader 24 and the receptacle 32 are replaced with a single slot for
receiving a smart
data medium that can be used to store both monetary data and player tracking
a information. Such a dual purpose smart data medium would require a player to
carry
9 one less item. The keypad and mini-display 26 are used by service personnel
to
~o perform diagnostics on the gaming machine 10. The display 26 is also used
as a
~ i billboard for advertising, announcing special awards, providing
information to a
iz player logged into the casino's computer network via the player tracking
card reader,
i3 etc.
~a The illustrated gaming machine 10 can accept money in the form of coins or
~s tokens inserted into the coin acceptor 28, bills inserted into the bill
acceptor 30, or
i6 monetary data stored in a smart data medium 34 inserted into the receptacle
32.
Likewise, when a player wishes to "cash-out" and collect money corresponding
to the
~s number of credits remaining on the machine's credit meter, the gaming
machine 10
i9 can dispense the money in the form of coins in the coin tray 25 and/or
monetary data
zo transferred to the smart data medium 34. For gaming establishments that
prefer to be
z~ totally cashless and avoid the shortcomings associated with cash, the coin
acceptor
2z 28, the bill acceptor 30, and the coin tray 25 can be eliminated so that
the gaming
z3 machine 10 is limited to transferring money to and from smart data mediums.
za FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an open-loop cashless gaming system, including
zs the smart data medium 34 and a gaming machine 10, in accordance with the
present
zs invention. In one embodiment, the smart data medium 34 is a smart card
embedded
z~ with a serial access microcontroller and is based on an eight-bit CPU core
36. The
zs smart card 34 includes the following on-chip memories with the following
capacities:
29 128 Bytes of RAM 38, 6 Kbytes of User ROM 40, 1 Kbyte of System ROM 42, and
30 1088 Bytes of EEPROM 44. If the smart card is used to store player tracking
information in addition to monetary data, the number of bytes of EEPROM can be
3z increased to accommodate such information. Both the User ROM 40 and EEPROM
33 44 can be configured into two sectors. Access rules from any memory section
or
6
CA 02341930 2001-03-21
sector to any other are set up by the User's Memory Access Control Matrix
(MACM)
z 46. This provides protection against interaction between multiple
applications
3 running on the card, or against fraudulent software execution. The CPU 36 is
coupled
a to the MACM 46 by an internal bus 48. The EEPROM 44 preferably employs
highly
s reliable CMOS EEPROM technology with approximately 10 year data retention
and
6 300,000 erase/write cycles endurance. The smart data medium 34 is fully
compatible
with the ISO standards for smart card applications. A smart card of the
a aforementioned type, as well as other suitable smart cards, are commercially
available
9 from STMicroelectronics of Rousset, France and various other smart card
io manufacturers. Although the portable microcontroller-based smart data
medium 34 is
1 i illustrated as being in the shape of a card, the smart data medium 34 can
have other
iz shapes capable of housing a microcontroller. For example, the smart data
medium 34
i3 can be in the form of a key. ,
is An important advantage of the smart data medium 34 over some other
~s mediums of exchange is that it is inherently more secure and therefore less
susceptible
i6 to fraud. The internal bus 48 is protected from fraudulent use by security
logic 49,
o and the MACM 46 sets up access rules from any memory section or sector.
is Furthermore, the CPU 36 runs security software that encrypts/decrypts data
i9 transferred between the smart data medium 34 and the gaming machine 10.
zo When the smart data medium 34 is inserted into the gaming machine 10, the
z~ smart data medium 34 and the gaming machine 10 communicate via respective
serial
zz I/O interfaces 50 and 52. Alternatively, the interfaces may be implemented
with a
z3 Universal Serial Bus (USB), FirewireT"', or any other suitable link
recognized by a
za person skilled in the art. The serial I/O interfaces 50 and 52 preferably
include
zs mating electrical contacts, and serial interface 52 signals a central
processing unit
z6 (CPU) 18 when a player has fully inserted the smart data medium 34 into the
z~ receptacle 32 (see FIG. 1) and thereby mated the contacts. The CPU 36 on
the smart
zs data medium 34 transfers the monetary data on the smart data medium 34 to
the serial
z9 interface 52 of the gaming machine 10 via the serial interface 50. The CPU
18 of the
3o gaming machine 10, in turn, reads the transferred monetary data from the
serial
3i interface 52, and adds a number of credits corresponding to the transferred
monetary
3z data to a credit meter 60. If the transferred monetary data is a currency
amount such
33 as $25, the CPU 18 converts this currency amount to credits and then
increments the
7
CA 02341930 2001-03-21
i credit meter by the number of credits equal to this currency amount. For
example, if
z the minimum wager on the gaming machine 10 is $1, then a currency amount of
$25
3 would correspond to 25 credits. This credit-in transaction is performed by
the gaming
a machine 10 without communicating with any remote computer linked to the
gaming
s machine 10.
6 The CPU 18 then executes a game program in system memory 54 and
generates a game of chance on the display 16. As shown in FIG. l, the game of
a chance may for example be a slot game including animated or mechanical reels
with
9 symbols displayed thereon. Alternatively, the game of chance may be poker,
~o blackjack, keno, bingo, roulette, or any other game that is played in
response to a
< < wager and awards a payoff if the game outcome matches predetermined
criteria. In
iz the slot game, the player may select a number of pay lines to play and a
number of
i3 credits to wager via push-buttons 54 or a touchscreen 56 overlaying the
display 16.
~a The credit meter 60 is decremented by the number of wagered credits. The
game of
is chance commences in response to the player.pressing a "spin" push-button or
touch
field or pulling a handle, causing the CPU 18 to set the animated reels in
motion,
o randomly select a game outcome and then stop the reels to display symbols
i8 corresponding to the pre-selected game outcome. In one embodiment, certain
of the
game outcomes cause the CPU 18 to enter a bonus mode causing the display 16 to
zo show a bonus game.
z~ The system memory 54 stores control software, operational instructions and
zz data associated with the gaming machine 10. In one embodiment, the memory
54
z3 comprises a separate read-only memory (ROM) and battery-backed random-
access
z4 memory (RAM). It will be appreciated, however, that the system memory 54
may be
zs implemented on any of several alternative types of memory structures or may
be
z6 implemented on a single memory structure. The CPU is operable in response
to
z~ instructions from the CPU 16 to award a payoff of credits to the player in
response to
za certain winning outcomes which might occur in the game of chance. The
credit meter
z9 60 is incremented by the awarded payoff of credits. The payoff amounts
3o corresponding to certain combinations of reel symbols in the game is
predetermined
3i according to a pay table stored in system memory 54. If the game has a
bonus mode,
sz the payoff amounts corresponding to certain outcomes of the bonus game are
also
s3 stored in system memory 20.
8
CA 02341930 2001-03-21
If the player no longer wishes to play the game of chance on the gaming
z machine, the player can press a "card return" push-button or touch field. In
response
3 to pressing the "card return" push-button or touch field, the CPU 18
converts any
- a credits remaining on the credit meter 60 to a currency amount (if the
monetary data on
s the smart data medium should be a currency amount) and then transfers the
currency
6 amount to the serial interface 50 of the smart data medium 34 via the serial
interface
52. The CPU 36 of the smart data medium 34, in turn, reads the transferred
currency
s amount from the serial interface 50 and stores that amount in the EEPROM 44.
This
9 credit-out transaction is performed by the gaming machine 10 without
communicating
~o with any remote computer linked to the gaming machine 10. After the
currency
i i amount has been transferred to the smart data medium 34, the smart data
medium 34
iz is discharged from the receptacle 32 (see FIG. 1). The discharged smart
data medium
13 34 may be re-valued at a teller machine or cashier if necessary, and used
with another
is gaming machine in the same manner as described above.
is FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a gaming method implemented with the open-loop
cashless gaming system. To obtain a smart data medium 34 to be used in the
gaming
o method, a player inserts cash into and purchases a smart data medium 34 from
a teller
machine or a cashier in a gaming establishment. If the smart data medium 34 is
purchased directly from a teller machine, the teller machine can be designed
to add
zo specific preset amounts or any amount of money to the smart data medium. If
the
z~ smart data medium 34 is purchased from a cashier, the cashier may have a
similar
zz teller machine at the cashier's'station or, alternatively, may have
"pre=written" smart
z3 data mediums of different values. For example, the pre-written smart data
mediums
z4 could be available in $25 increments, e.g., $25, $50, $75, etc. The
purchase amount is
zs stored as monetary data in the EEPROM -+4. After purchasing the smart data
medium
zs 34, the player can use any gaming machine equipped with a receptacle 32
(see FIG.
z~ 1). If the player needs to add money to the smart data medium 34, the
player can
zs return to the teller machine or the cashier and revalue the smart data
medium 34.
z9 To start playing a game of chance on the display of the gaming machine 10,
3o the player inserts the smart data medium 34 into the receptacle at step 62.
At step 64,
31 the CPU 36 on the smart data medium 34 transfers the monetary data stored
in the
3z smart data medium's memory 44 to the machine's serial interface 52 via the
smart
33 data medium's serial interface 50. At step 66, the CPU 18 of the gaming
machine 10
9
CA 02341930 2001-03-21
i reads the transferred monetary data from the machine's serial interface 52
and, if the
2 monetary data is a currency amount, converts the data into credits. At step
68, the
3 CPU 18 checks the number of credits ,.orresponding to the transferred
monetary data.
a If the number of credits is zero because there was no money on the smart
data
s medium 34, the smart data medium may be returned to the player at step 70 or
the
6 CPU may prompt the player to insert money into the machine via the bill or
coin
acceptor. If, however, the number of credits is greater than zero, the CPU 18
causes
s the display to ask the player how many credits to add to the credit meter 60
at step 72.
9 At step 74, the player enters the number of credits via the push-buttons 56
and/or the
io touchscreen 58. The player's request, of course, is denied if he or she
enters more
i ~ credits than are available based on the monetary data from the smart data
medium 34.
iz At step 76, the credit meter 60 is incremented by the entered number of
credits. The
difference between the entered number of credits and the total number of
credits
~a corresponding to the monetary data originally transferred from the smart
data medium
~s 34 is returned to the smart data medium 34 as monetary data. For example,
if the
ib smart data medium 34 carries $50 and this is converted to SO credits
(assuming $1 = I
m credit) when transferred to the gaming machine 10, the player could add up
to 50
is credits to the credit meter 60. If the player enters 40 credits, then 40
credits are added
i9 to the credit meter 60 and 10 credits are converted to $10 and returned to
the smart
zo data medium 34.
zi In one embodiment, the player cannot select the number of credits to add to
zz the credit meter. Instead, thewnumber of credits corresponding to the
monetary data
z3 on the smart data medium is automatically added to the credit meter.
Therefore, in
z4 the above example, 50 credits are automatically added to the credit meter
60 in
zs response to insertion of the smart data medium 34 into the receptacle 32.
z6 With credits on the credit meter 60, the player can place wagers and play
one
z~ or more rounds of the game of chance at step 78. In each round, the credit
meter 60 is
zs decremented by the number of wagered credits and incremented by any payoff
z9 resulting from a winning outcome (step 80). Unless the player exhausts all
of his or
3o her credits, a certain number of credits remain on the credit meter after
the game of
si chance has been played. In response to the player activating a "collect" or
"credit-
3z out" push-button or touch field at step 82, the CPU 18 checks the number of
credits
33 remaining on the credit meter 60 at step 84. If the number of credits is
zero, the smart
CA 02341930 2001-03-21
i data medium is returned to the player at step 86. If, however, the number of
credits is
Z greater than zero, the CPU 18 converts the credits remaining on the credit
meter 60 to
3 a currency amount at step 88 (if the monetary data on the smart data medium
should
4 be a currency amount) and transfers the currency amount to the smart data
medium's
s serial interface SO via the machine's serial interface 52 at step 90. The
CPU 36 of the
6 smart data medium 34 reads the transferred currency amount from the smart
data
medium's serial interface 50 and transfers that amount to the smart data
medium's
a memory 44. The CPU 18 of the gaming machine 10 also resets the credit meter
60 to
9 zero at step 92. The smart data medium 34 is discharged from the receptacle
at step
~0 94.
~ i In one embodiment, in response to the player activating the "collect" or
i2 "credit-out" push-button or touch field, the CPU 18 causes the display to
ask the
i3 player how many credits on the credit meter 60 to return to the smart data
medium 34.
is The player enters the number of credits via the push-buttons 56 and/or the
'
~s touchscreen 58. Only the entered number of credits is converted to a
currency amount
16 (if the monetary data on the smart data medium should be a currency amount)
and
» transferred to the smart data medium 34, which is subsequently discharged.
Any
~s credits still remaining on the credit meter 60 following this transfer can
either be used
i9 to play additional rounds of the game of chance or cashed-out in coins or
tokens
zo discharged into the coin tray 25 (see FIG. 1 ). For example, if the credit
meter 60
includes 100 credits when the player activates the "collect" push-button or
touch
22 field, the player can enter up to 100 credits to transfer in the form of
monetary data
23 back to the smart data medium. If the player enters 70 credits, then 70
credits are
z4 converted to $70 (assuming $1 = 1 credit) and returned to the smart data
medium 34
is and the remaining 30 credits can be cashed out as $30 in coins or tokens.
26 In an alternative embodiment, the CPU 18 does not increment and decrement
z~ the credit meter 60 as the gaming machine 10 is played. Rather, the CPU 18
2a effectively bypasses the credit meter 60 and directly adds money to, or
subtracts
z9 money from, the smart data medium 34. If the monetary data in the smart
data
3o medium's memory 44 is a currency amount, the CPU 18 performs any necessary
conversions between game credits and currency amounts.
32 In the above-described methods, any activity in which the gaming machine
33 reads data from the smart data medium, processes the data, and writes data
to the
11
CA 02341930 2001-03-21
i smart data medium may be stored in a permanent memory log in the system
memory
2 54 for verification purposes in the event of a dispute.
While the present invention has been described with reference to one or more
4 particular embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that many
changes may
s be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the present
invention.
6 For example, the monetary data stored on the smart data medium 34 could be
in the
form of credits instead of a country's circulated currency. In this case, the
monetary
a data would not need to be converted to credits when transferred to the
gaming
9 machine 10 and, similarly, the credits would not need to be converted back
to
~o currency when transferred to the smart data medium 34. Each of these
embodiments
and obvious variations thereof is contemplated as falling within the spirit
and scope of
i2 the claimed invention, which is set forth in the following claims.
l3
12
