Amusement devices: games – Including means for processing electronic data – With communication link
Reexamination Certificate
2000-12-21
2003-11-11
Sager, Mark (Department: 3714)
Amusement devices: games
Including means for processing electronic data
With communication link
C463S025000, C463S043000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06645077
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to game playing services for gaming machines such as slot machines and video poker machines. More particularly, the present invention relates to methods of data management and configuration management for game services provided to gaming machines distributed across a gaming entity.
There are a wide variety of associated devices that can be connected to a gaming machine such as a slot machine or video poker machine. Some examples of these devices are lights, ticket printers, card readers, speakers, bill validators, ticket readers, coin acceptors, display panels, key pads, coin hoppers and button pads. Many of these devices are built into the gaming machine or components associated with the gaming machine such as a top box which usually sits on top of the gaming machine.
Typically, utilizing a master gaming controller, the gaming machine controls various combinations of devices that allow a player to play a game on the gaming machine and also encourage game play on the gaming machine. For example, a game played on a gaming machine usually requires a player to input money or indicia of credit into the gaming machine, indicate a wager amount, and initiate a game play. These steps require the gaming machine to control input devices, such as bill validators and coin acceptors, to accept money into the gaming machine and recognize user inputs from devices, including key pads and button pads, to determine the wager amount and initiate game play. After game play has been initiated, the gaming machine determines a game outcome, presents the game outcome to the player and may dispense an award of some type depending on the outcome of the game.
The operations described above may be carried out on the gaming machine when the gaming machine is operating as a “stand alone” unit or linked in a network of some type to a group of gaming machines. As technology in the gaming industry progresses, more and more gaming services are being provided to gaming machines via communication networks that link groups of gaming machines to a remote computer that provides one or more gaming services. As an example, gaming services that may be provided by a remote computer to a gaming machine via a communication network of some type include player tracking, accounting, cashless award ticketing, lottery, progressive games and bonus games. In addition, gaming machines are evolving into gaming platforms where the gaming services and game play options provided on the gaming machines may be dynamically configured. Thus, the number and type of game services and game play options offered on a particular gaming machine may vary regularly with time.
Within the gaming industry, a particular gaming entity may desire to provide network gaming services and track the performance of all the gaming machines under the control of the entity. The gaming machines under the control of a particular entity may be globally distributed in many different types of establishments. Casinos, convenience stores, supermarkets, bars and boats are a few examples of establishments where gaming machines may be placed. Further, gaming entities are becoming increasingly interdependent. For instance, promotions may be provided that span multiple gaming entities. As another example, mechanisms such as cashless systems are being provided that allow game players to seamlessly engage in game play across multiple gaming entities.
FIG. 1
is a block diagram depicting gaming machines distributed in different establishments partially connected by a dedicated communication network for a typical gaming entities currently operating in the gaming industry. In
FIG. 1
, a first gaming entity
101
utilizes a central office
142
. Gaming machines,
102
,
104
,
106
,
136
and
138
operated by the gaming entity
101
are located in casino
110
and a store
140
. The store
140
may be part of route comprising gaming machines distributed in such venue sites as stores, bars and other retail establishments. The gaming machines,
114
,
116
and
118
for the gaming entity
150
are located in casinos
122
. A gaming entity may operate hundreds, thousands or ten of thousands of gaming machines. Since gaming is allowed in many locations throughout the world, the two casinos,
110
and
122
, the central office
142
and the store may be distributed over a wide geographic area. For instance, the casino
110
may be located in Atlantic City, New Jersey, the casino
122
may be located in Australia, the central office may be located in Las Vegas, Nev. and the store may be located in Reno, Nev.
Within the casinos, the gaming machines may be connected to one or more servers via one or more dedicated networks. The servers are usually located in a backroom of the casino away from the casino floor. For instance, in casino
110
, gaming machines
102
,
104
and
106
are connected to a server
100
via a dedicated network
108
. The dedicated network
108
may be used to send accounting information and player tracking information from the gaming machines to the server
110
. In casino
122
, the gaming machines
114
,
116
,
118
may send accounting information and player tracking information to a server
112
using the dedicated network
120
. Other dedicated networks (not shown) in casinos,
110
and
112
, may provide such network gaming services as bonus game play, progressive game play and cashless ticketing.
In casinos
110
and
122
, the servers
100
and
112
may store and process accounting data from the gaming machines in communication with the servers. For instance, an accounting report detailing the performance of individual and groups of gaming machines may be generated from the data stored on the servers
100
and
112
. In addition, accounting data or reports may be sent to the server
124
in the central office
142
from each casino. These reports may contain game performance data collected from a number of gaming machines supporting many different types of games as well as hotel operations data. The data from the casino
110
may be sent to the central office
142
using a dedicated leased line
132
using a frame relay or ATM network. The data from the casino
122
may be sent to a central office (not shown) using the communication link
133
.
In some cases, the gaming entities,
101
and
150
, may exchange information in some manner. For instance, a player may be issued a cashless instrument at casino
122
, such as an award ticket valid for game play, the player may then utilize the award ticket at casino
110
. In this example, gaming entity
150
may transfer resources to gaming entity
101
, in some manner, to cover a value of the cashless instrument used by the player.
The server
124
may be used to generate reports summarizing the performance of all the gaming machines within the gaming entity (e.g. casino
110
, casino
122
and store
140
). The reports may be accessed locally using the local access points
126
and
128
via the local network. In addition, reports may be remotely accessed using a dial in number for a limited number of users. For instance, an executive travelling on the road might view gaming machine performance data from the remote access point
134
where the remote access point
134
may be a hotel room.
For the store
140
, the gaming machines,
136
and
138
may be leased by the store operator. However, the cost of a dedicated communication network for a small number of gaming machines is usually not justified. Thus, the gaming machines operate in a “stand alone” mode. While operating in “stand alone” mode, network gaming services are not available to these gaming machines. To obtain performance data for the gaming machines,
136
and
138
, a route operator may regularly extract performance data from the machines and manually transmit the information to the central office
142
. A route may consist of a number gaming machines located in various locations such as bars, convenience stores and supermarkets. Usually, the route operator manually extracts performance dat
Beyer Weaver & Thomas LLP
IGT
Sager Mark
LandOfFree
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