Patent ID: 8469260

Claim:
A method of enabling a technician to open a door of a gaming machine without needing a physical key using a gaming system having a biometric controlled door lock, the method comprising: enabling the technician to scan a barcode on the gaming machine using a camera on a mobile device; capturing an image of the barcode; sending the image of the barcode via an encrypted link over the Internet to a web server; decoding the image of the barcode using an image analysis software; determining a gaming machine identifier (ID) using a barcode decoding module, which is used by a gaming machine ID database to determine which gaming machine has been scanned; enabling a picture to be taken of a technician that has presented itself to the camera built into the mobile device using a biometric lock component; transmitting the picture of the technician to a casino management system; using facial recognition software on the casino management system to identify the technician as being authorized with a corresponding employee identifier (ID); receiving a mobile device identifier that is transmitting from the mobile device to the biometric lock component; receiving a technician's personal identification number that is transmitting from the mobile device to the biometric lock component; sending a signal to the gaming machine to unlock the door; and after the gaming machine receives this signal, causing a door solenoid to be tripped using an associated controller; wherein four credentials are required to be passed to the biometric lock component at the casino management system, the four credentials including the employee ID, the mobile device identifier, the gaming machine ID, and the technician's personal identification number.