Electronic access control for amusement devices

Abstract

A remote revenue collection station controls access to and play of one or more pool tables. The remote station includes coin, token and bill collectors, non-currency card readers for debit, credit and special purpose fare cards, scanners for bar codes on coupons and the like, and a computer with communication capabilities for contacting sources capable of authorizing non currency payment transactions. The computer can be programmed to determine type and duration of play as a function of the payment made by a patron. One station can be connected to control a plurality of pool tables, either directly or though wireless communication, which could be optical or electromagnetic.

1 . Apparatus for electronically controlling access to amusement devices comprising: 
 at least one revenue collection means for receiving currency and non currency payment and generating signals corresponding to and representative of received currency payment;    computer means connected to said revenue collection means and responsive to said signals for processing payment information to generate device enabling signals;    an amusement device control mechanism connected to said computer means for receiving device enabling signals;    at least one amusement device connected to said amusement device control mechanism and operable in response to device enabling signals from said amusement device control mechanism to allow utilization of said amusement device by a patron; and    communication means connected to said computer means for communicating non currency payments received by said revenue collecting means to a payment source for verification and validation,    whereby verification and validation of received non-currency payments can be acquired to authorize said computer means to process such non currency payments and to generate device enabling signals.    
   
   
       2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said amusement device is a pool table.  
   
   
       3 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said revenue collecting means include a magnetic card reader.  
   
   
       4 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said revenue collecting means include an optical bar code reader.  
   
   
       5 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said revenue collecting means include wireless receiving means for processing revenue transfer requests.  
   
   
       6 . Apparatus for electronically controlling access to a plurality of amusement devices comprising: 
 a revenue collection means for receiving currency and non currency payments and generating payment signals corresponding to and representative of proffered currency payment;    computer means connected to said revenue collection means and responsive to said payment signals for processing currency payment information to generate device enabling signals;    a plurality of amusement device control mechanisms connected to said computer means for receiving said device enabling signals;    a plurality of amusement devices, each connected to a corresponding one of said amusement device control mechanisms and each operable in response to device enabling signals from its corresponding amusement device control mechanism to allow utilization of that amusement device by a patron; and    communication means connected to said computer means for communicating non currency payments received by said revenue collecting means to a payment source for verification and validation,    whereby verification and validation of received non-currency payments can be acquired to authorize said computer means to process such non currency payments and generate device enabling signals.    
   
   
       7 . The apparatus of  claim 6 , wherein said amusement devices are pool tables.  
   
   
       8 . The apparatus of  claim 6 , wherein said revenue collecting means include a magnetic card reader.  
   
   
       9 . The apparatus of  claim 6 , wherein said revenue collecting means include an optical bar code reader.  
   
   
       10 . The apparatus of  claim 6 , wherein said revenue collecting means include wireless receiving means for processing revenue transfer requests.  
   
   
       11 . The apparatus of  claim 6 , wherein said amusement device control mechanisms are wirelessly connected to said computer means.  
   
   
       12 . The apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein said wireless connection is an infrared connection.  
   
   
       13 . The apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein said wireless connection is by means of electromagnetic radiation.  
   
   
       14 . The apparatus of  claim 6 , wherein said amusement device control mechanisms are connected to said computer means by wires.