1. A gaming system comprising:
an account card, said account card storing personal information and biometric data of an individual;
an input device, said input device including a card reader for receiving said account card and accessing said personal information and said biometric data on said account card, said input device also including a biometric reader for receiving biometric data from an individual; and
means associated with said account card for comparing said biometric data stored on said account card with said biometric data entered into said input device to determine if access to said personal information on said account card should be granted.
2. The system of claim 1, wherein said personal information includes complimentary amenities.
3. The system of claim 1, wherein said gaming unit is at least one of a slot, roulette, poker, blackjack, craps, baccarat, caribbean-poker, video poker, bingo, lottery, keno, fantasy sports game, and wireless gaming device.
4. The system of claim 1, wherein said personal information includes access to a financial institution whereby said individual can use said account card to gain access to an authorized account to purchase items or pay for services.
5. The system of claim 1, wherein said personal information is a combination selected from the group consisting of an authorization number used to approve play at said gaming unit, a Personal Identification Number, a transaction number that is used for all games of chance initiated using the account card, player identification information, player tracking information, a encrypted combination used by a door access device to unlock a door, complimentary amenities, an authorization number that is used to authorize wireless gaming, an authorization number that is used to authorize sports wagering, an authorization number that is used to authorize fantasy sports wagering.
6. In a gaming system comprising, a method of providing access to a gaming device, said method comprising:
establishing communications with said gaming device utilizing an account card, said account card storing personal information and biometric data of an individual;
accessing said personal information and said biometric data on said account card utilizing an input device, said input device including a card reader for receiving said account card and accessing said personal information and said biometric data on said account card, said input device also including a biometric reader for accessing biometric data from an individual; and
comparing said biometric data stored on said account card with said biometric data entered into said input device utilizing means on said account card to determine if access to said personal information on said account card should be granted.
7. The method of claim 6, including placing complimentary amenities in said personal information.
8. The method of claim 6, wherein said gaming unit is at least one of a slot, roulette, poker, blackjack, craps, baccarat, Caribbean poker, video poker, bingo, lottery, keno, fantasy sports game, and wireless gaming device.
9. The method of claim 6, including providing access to a financial institution whereby said individual can use said account card to access an authorized account to purchase items or pay for services.
10. The method of claim 6, wherein said personal information is a combination selected from the group consisting of an authorization number used to approve play at said gaming unit, a Personal Identification Number, a transaction number that is used for all games of chance initiated using the account card, player identification information, player tracking information, a encrypted combination used by a door access device to unlock a door, complimentary amenities, an authorization number that is used to authorize wireless gaming, an authorization number that is used to authorize sports wagering, an authorization number that is used to authorize fantasy sports wagering.
11. A method of issuing an authentication instrument for granting gaming privileges comprising:
establishing communications with a gaming device utilizing an authentication instrument, said authentication instrument storing personal information and biometric data of an individual;
accessing said personal information and said biometric data on said authentication instrument utilizing an input device, said input device including a card reader for receiving said authentication instrument and accessing said personal information and said biometric data on said authentication instrument, said input device also including a biometric reader for accessing biometric data from an individual; and
comparing said biometric data stored on said authentication instrument with said biometric data entered into said input device utilizing means on said authentication instrument to determine if access to said personal information on said account card should be granted.
12. The method of claim 11 including utilizing said authentication instrument to gain access to a locked door.
13. The method of claim 11, including configuring said authentication instrument to grant specific gaming privileges.
14. The method of claim 11, including placing complimentary amenities in said personal information.
15. The method of claim 11, wherein said gaming device is at least one of a slot, roulette, poker, blackjack, craps, baccarat, Caribbean poker, video poker, bingo, lottery, keno, fantasy sports game, and wireless gaming device.
16. The method of claim 11, including providing access to a financial institution whereby said individual can use said account card to access an authorized account to purchase items or pay for services.
17. The method of claim 11, wherein said personal information is a combination selected from the group consisting of an authorization number used to approve play at said gaming unit, a Personal Identification Number, a transaction number that is used for all games of chance initiated using the account card, player identification information, player tracking information, a encrypted combination used by a door access device to unlock a door, complimentary amenities, an authorization number that is used to authorize wireless gaming, an authorization number that is used to authorize sports wagering, an authorization number that is used to authorize fantasy sports wagering.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. An independently mobile shopping cart, which is movable in a shop to collect and purchase one or more commodities, comprising:
a cart body for carrying the one or more commodities; and
a payment processor for handling a payment for the commodities with a prepaid card, having
a commodity code reader for reading a commodity code applied to the individual commodity,
a commodity price identifying section for identifying the price of the individual commodity based on the commodity code read by said commodity code reader,
a prepaid card reader for reading information about a current remainder of prepayment from the prepaid card, and
a registering section for subtracting the price of the individual commodity identified by said commodity price identifying section from the current remainder of prepayment read by said prepaid card reader, and registering the result of the subtraction on the prepaid card as a new remainder of prepayment without any communication with an external processor or computer.
2. An independently mobile shopping cart as defined in claim 1, wherein said payment processor further comprises a indicating section for indicating, if necessary, that the current remainder read by said prepaid card reader is insufficient for the price of the individual commodity identified by said commodity price identifying section.
3. An independently mobile shopping cart as defined in claim 2, wherein said payment processor further comprises:
a first selecting section for selecting, when the current remainder is insufficient for the individual price of the commodity, either (i) to carry out the payment with another prepaid card or (ii) to cancel the payment, and controlling said prepaid card reader and said remainder registering section accordingly.
4. An independently mobile shopping cart as defined in claim 3, wherein said payment processor further comprises a receipt issuing section for issuing a receipt upon completion of the payment.
5. An independently mobile shopping cart as defined in claim 4, wherein said payment processor further comprises:
a second selecting section for choosing whether or not to receive a receipt for the payment, and controlling said receipt issuing section accordingly.
6. An independently mobile shopping cart as defined in claim 2, wherein said payment processor further comprises:
a receipt issuing section for issuing a receipt upon completion of the payment.
7. An independently mobile shopping cart as defined in claim 6, wherein said payment processor further comprises:
a second selecting section for choosing whether or not to receive a receipt for the payment, and controlling said receipt issuing section accordingly.
8. An independently mobile shopping cart as defined in claim 1, wherein said payment processor further comprises:
a receipt issuing section for issuing a receipt upon completion of the payment.
9. An independently mobile shopping cart as defined in claim 8, wherein said payment processor further comprises:
a second selecting section for choosing whether or not to receive a receipt for the payment, and controlling said receipt issuing section accordingly.
10. An independently mobile shopping cart as defined in claim 1, wherein said payment processor further comprises:
an instruction receiver for receiving a power onoff instruction from an external management apparatus; and
a power onoff section for automatically turning onoff the power of said payment processor in response to the power onoff instruction received by said data reception section.
11. An independently mobile shopping cart as defined in claim 10, wherein said payment processor further comprises:
a measuring section for measuring the total weight of the commodities carried by said cart body;
a observing section for observing whether a change in the total weight measured by said measuring section accompanies the reading operation of the commodity code by said commodity code reader; and
an alarm generating section for generating an alarm when said observing section observes that any change in the total weight does not accompany the reading operation of the commodity code.
12. An independently mobile shopping cart as defined in claim 1, wherein said payment processor further comprises:
a measuring section for measuring the total weight of the commodities carried by said cart body;
an observing section for observing whether a change in the total weight measured by said measuring section accompanies the reading operation of the commodity code by said commodity code reader; and
an alarm generating section for generating an alarm when said observing section observes that any change in the total weight does not accompany the reading operation of the commodity code.