Distributed game services

• US 10,434,410 B2
• Filed: 04/14/2016
• Issued: 10/08/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Nguyen, Binh T., Benbrahim, Jamal, Bansemer, Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): Myhr, Justin L
• Application Number:
  US15/099,260
• Publication Number:
  US 20160225224A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,272 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/34 using peer-to-peer connections
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/355 Performing operations on behalf of clients with restricted processing capabilities, e.g. servers transform changing game scene into an encoded video stream for transmitting to a mobile phone or a thin client
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3213 Details of moving display elements, e.g. spinning reels, tumbling members
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3223 Architectural aspects of a gaming system, e.g. internal configuration, master/slave, wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3225 Data transfer within a gaming system, e.g. data sent between gaming machines and users
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/323 wherein the player is informed, e.g. advertisements, odds, instructions
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3234 about the performance of a gaming system, e.g. revenue, diagnosis of the gaming system
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3239 Tracking of individual players
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/34 depending on the stopping of moving members in a mechanical slot machine, e.g. "fruit" machines

Abstract

A local gaming machine is in communication with a remote gaming machine over a data network. The local gaming machine may include a storage medium. The local gaming machine may further include an interface for communicating with the remote gaming machine over a network. The local gaming machine may include a controller. The controller is configured to establish communications between the gaming machine and the remote gaming machine through the interface. The controller is further configured to initiate a game streaming session with the remote gaming machine in which output data from an instance of a game application is initiated from the remote gaming machine to the gaming machine. The controller is configured to detect an interrupt in the game streaming session. The controller is further configured to, after the interrupt is detected, determine whether the outcome of the instance of the game application has been received.

Claims

1. A gaming machine comprising:

a gaming machine housing;

at least one gaming machine display device supported by the gaming machine housing;

at least one gaming machine input device supported by the gaming machine housing;

at least one processor; and

at least one memory device which stores a plurality of instructions, which when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to;

cause the at least one gaming machine display device to display to a player a game application,

enable the player to request, via the at least one gaming machine input device, the game application,

responsive to the request of the game application being received via the at least one gaming machine input device and following a determination that a first interface for a play of a game associated with the requested game application is compatible with a second interface of the requested game application, for the play of the game associated with the requested game application;

cause data associated with a randomly determined game outcome to be wirelessly communicated to a mobile device, wherein the mobile device is distinct from the gaming machine and said data associated with the randomly determined game outcome enables a display device of the mobile device to display the randomly determined game outcome, and

cause data associated with a determined award to be wirelessly communicated to the mobile device, wherein said data associated with the determined award enables the display device of the mobile device to display the determined award, and

responsive to the request of the game application being received via the at least one gaming machine input device and following a determination that the first interface for the play of the game associated with the requested game application is not compatible with the second interface of the requested game application, cause no data associated with any game outcome for the play of the game to be wirelessly communicated to the mobile device in association with the requested game application.

2. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein compatibility of the first interface for the play of the game associated with the requested game application and the second interface of the requested game application is based on a hardware interface requirement.

3. The gaming machine of claim 2, wherein the hardware interface requirement is selected from the group consisting of:

a resolution requirement, a lighting requirement, an audio processing requirement, an information panel requirement, an input device requirement, a memory storage capacity requirement, and a processing speed requirement.

4. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein when executed by the at least one processor, the plurality of instructions cause the at least one processor to reserve an instance of the requested game application responsive to the first interface for the play of the game associated with the requested game application being determined to be compatible with the second interface of the requested game application.

5. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein the mobile device is selected from the group consisting of:

a hand-held computer, a personal digital assistant, and a cellular phone.

6. The gaming machine of claim 1, which includes a plurality of gaming machine input devices supported by the gaming machine housing, said plurality of gaming machine input devices including an acceptor, and a cashout device, wherein when executed by the at least one processor, the plurality of instructions cause the at least one processor to operate with the plurality of gaming machine input devices to:

responsive to a physical item being received via the acceptor, establish a credit balance based, at least in part, on a monetary value associated with the received physical item, and responsive to a cashout input being received via the cashout device, cause an initiation of any payout associated with the credit balance.

7. A gaming system server comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory device which stores a plurality of instructions, which when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to;

receive data associated with an input from a player at a gaming machine requesting a game application,

responsive to the request of the game application being received via a gaming machine input device of the gaming machine and following a determination that a first interface for a play of a game associated with the requested game application is compatible with second interface of the requested game application, for the play of the game associated with the requested game application;

randomly determine a game outcome,

cause data associated with a randomly determined game outcome to be wirelessly communicated to a mobile device, wherein the mobile device is distinct from the gaming machine and said data associated with the randomly determined game outcome enables a display device of the mobile device to display the randomly determined game outcome,

determine an award associated with the randomly determined game outcome, and

cause data associated with the determined award to be wirelessly communicated to the mobile device, wherein said data associated with the determined award enables the display device of the mobile device to display the determined award, and

responsive to the request of the game application being received via the gaming machine input device of the gaming machine and following a determination that the first interface for the play of the game associated with the requested game application is not compatible with the second interface of the requested game application, determine no game outcome in association with the requested game application and cause no data associated with any game outcome for the play of the game to be wirelessly communicated to the mobile device in association with the requested game application.

8. The gaming system server of claim 7, wherein compatibility of the first interface for the play of the game associated with the requested game application and the second interface of the requested game application is based on a hardware interface requirement.

9. The gaming system server of claim 8, wherein the hardware interface requirement is selected from the group consisting of:

a resolution requirement, a lighting requirement, an audio processing requirement, an information panel requirement, an input device requirement, a memory storage capacity requirement, and a processing speed requirement.

10. The gaming system server of claim 7, wherein when executed by the at least one processor, the plurality of instructions cause the at least one processor to reserve an instance of the requested game application responsive to the first interface for the play of the game associated with the requested game application being determined to be compatible with the second interface of the requested game application.

11. The gaming system server of claim 7, wherein the mobile device is selected from the group consisting of:

a hand-held computer, a personal digital assistant, and a cellular phone.

12. The gaming system server of claim 7, wherein a credit balance associated with the play of the game associated with the requested game application is increasable based on any determined award, said credit balance being increasable via a gaming machine acceptor of a physical item associated with a monetary value, and said credit balance being decreasable via a gaming machine cashout device.

13. A method of operating a gaming system, said method comprising:

enabling a player at a gaming machine to request a game application,

responsive to the request of the game application being received via a gaming machine input device of the gaming machine and following a determination that a first interface for the play of the game associated with the requested game application is compatible with a second interface of the requested game application, for the play of the game associated with the requested game application;

cause data associated with a randomly determined game outcome to be wirelessly communicated to a mobile device, wherein the mobile device is distinct from the gaming machine and said data associated with the randomly determined game outcome enables a display device of the mobile device to display the randomly determined game outcome, and

causing data associated with a determined award to be wirelessly communicated to the mobile device, wherein said data associated with the determined award enables the display device of the mobile device to display the determined award, and

responsive to the request of the game application being received via the gaming machine input device of the gaming machine and following a determination that the first interface for the play of the game associated with the requested game application is not compatible with the second interface of the requested game application, not causing any data associated with any game outcome for the play of the game to be wirelessly communicated to the mobile device in association with the requested game application.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein compatibility of the first interface for the play of the game associated with the requested game application and the second interface of the requested game application is based on a hardware interface requirement.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the hardware interface requirement is selected from the group consisting of:

a resolution requirement, a lighting requirement, an audio processing requirement, an information panel requirement, an input device requirement, a memory storage capacity requirement, and a processing speed requirement.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to reserve an instance of the requested game application responsive to the first interface for the play of the game associated with the requested game application being determined to be compatible with the second interface of the requested game application.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the mobile device is selected from the group consisting of:

a hand-held computer, a personal digital assistant, and a cellular phone.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein a credit balance associated with the play of the game associated with the requested game application is increasable based on any determined award, said credit balance being increasable via a gaming machine acceptor of a physical item associated with a monetary value, and said credit balance being decreasable via a gaming machine cashout device.

19. The method of claim 13, which is provided through a data network.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the data network is an internet.