System and method for selective power and secure communications via an electronic gaming machine interface

• US 10,580,250 B2
• Filed: 09/16/2015
• Issued: 03/03/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LNW Gaming Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Bally Gaming Incorporated (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Inventors: Loose, Timothy C., Smolucha, Walter E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lewis, David L
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hoel, Matthew D
• Application Number:
  US14/856,058
• Publication Number:
  US 20160180656A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,630 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3209 Input means, e.g. buttons, touch screen
• 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 17/3241 Security aspects of a gaming system, e.g. detecting cheating, device integrity, surveillance computer security G06F21/00

Abstract

A gaming system includes a secure communication board having a Universal Serial Bus (USB) interface and/or a wireless interface accessible externally to players and administrators of the gaming system. The secure communication board selectively provides power and communication between a coupled or proximate mobile device and the gaming system. The secure communication board includes a microcontroller to selectively control both power and communication flow through the secure communication board to the external interfaces. The microcontroller is responsive to the physical state of gaming system components and gaming system processor events and control signals. A wagering game event, user authentication, and/or specific states of one or more physical security switches of the gaming system may be required to provide power and data via the external interfaces.

Claims

1. A gaming system primarily dedicated to playing at least one regulated casino wagering game, the gaming system comprising:

game-logic circuitry; and

a gaming machine including a power supply and a mobile device interface coupled to the power supply, the mobile device interface configured to;

couple with a mobile device in proximity to the gaming machine, the mobile device associated with a user of the gaming machine;

selectively provide power to the mobile device based on a power control signal; and

selectively provide data communication between the game-logic circuitry and the mobile device based on a data control signal;

wherein the game-logic circuitry is configured to;

initiate the casino wagering game in response to an input indicative of a wager;

determine an outcome of the casino wagering game based, at least in part, on one or more random elements;

in response to a game event occurring in the casino wagering game and satisfying predetermined criteria including at least one of exceeding a predetermined number of initiations of the casino wagering game in a predetermined period of time or exceeding a predetermined amount of wager of the casino wagering game in a predetermined period of time, generate the power control signal;

in response to one or more detected states of the gaming machine satisfying predetermined criteria, generate the data control signal; and

grant an award in response to the outcome meeting a predetermined award criterion.

2. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the game-logic circuitry is further configured to generate the power control signal for a predetermined period of time.

3. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the mobile device interface couples with the mobile device wirelessly.

4. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the mobile device interface couples with the mobile device via a universal serial bus (USB) port.

5. The gaming system of claim 1, further comprising a physical security switch coupled to the game-logic circuitry, and wherein the game-logic circuitry is further configured to, in response to the physical security switch being in a closed position, generate the data control signal.

6. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the game-logic circuitry is further configured to, in response to a successful authentication of the user associated with the mobile device via a non-volatile memory device coupled with the mobile device interface, generate the data control signal.

7. The gaming system of claim 6, wherein the non-volatile memory device contains a digital fingerprint used to authenticate the user associated with the mobile device.

8. The gaming system of claim 7, wherein the game-logic circuitry is further configured to define a plurality of access levels, each of the plurality of access levels corresponding to a particular level of security clearance associated with the digital fingerprint.

9. A casino gaming machine primarily dedicated to playing at least one regulated casino wagering game, comprising:

a power supply;

a mobile device interface coupled to the power supply, the mobile device interface configured to couple with a mobile device in proximity to the gaming machine and selectively provide power to the mobile device in response to a game event occurring in the casino wagering game and satisfying predetermined criteria including at least one of exceeding a predetermined number of initiations of the casino wagering game in a predetermined period of time or exceeding a predetermined amount of wager of the casino wagering game in a predetermined period of time, wherein the mobile device is associated with a user of the gaming machine; and

game-logic circuitry configured to;

initiate the casino wagering game in response to an input indicative of a wager;

determine an outcome of the casino wagering game based, at least in part, on one or more random elements;

in response to detecting the game event, provide power from the power supply to the mobile device via the mobile device interface; and

grant an award in response to the outcome meeting a predetermined award criterion.

10. The casino gaming machine of claim 9, wherein the game-logic circuitry is further configured to provide power to the mobile device in response to the game event satisfying predetermined criteria for a predetermined period of time.

11. The casino gaming machine of claim 9, wherein the mobile device interface provides power to the mobile device wirelessly.

12. The casino gaming machine of claim 9, wherein the mobile device interface provides power to the mobile device via a universal serial bus (USB) port.

13. A secure communication board coupling to one or more mobile device interfaces and a gaming system performing a wagering game, the secure communication board comprising:

a host interface coupling the secure communication board to the gaming system;

a device interface coupling the secure communication board to the one or more mobile device interfaces configured to communicatively couple to a mobile device associated with a user of the gaming system;

a power switch receiving power from a power supply of the gaming system and receiving a power control signal in response to a game event occurring in the wagering game and satisfying predetermined criteria including at least one of exceeding a predetermined number of initiations of the casino wagering game in a predetermined period of time or exceeding a predetermined amount of wager of the casino wagering game in a predetermined period of time, the power switch configured to selectively provide power to at least one of the one or more mobile device interfaces based on the power control signal; and

one or more microcontrollers coupling the host interface to the device interface and receiving a data control signal, the one or more microcontrollers configured to selectively allow data communication between the gaming system and the at least one of the one or more mobile device interfaces based on the data control signal.

14. The secure communication board of claim 13, further coupling to a physical security switch of the gaming system, and in response to detecting the physical security switch in a closed position, generating the data control signal.

15. The secure communication board of claim 14, wherein at least one of the one or more microcontrollers provides only one-way communication from the gaming system to the at least one of the one or more mobile device interfaces based on the data control signal.

16. The secure communication board of claim 14, wherein at least one of the one or more microcontrollers is configured to detect a positional state of the physical security switch as either in an open state or in a closed state, and to block all communication between the gaming system and the at least one of the one or more mobile device interfaces in response to the physical security switch being in an open state.

17. The secure communication board of claim 13, wherein the gaming system generates the data control signal in response to a successful authentication of a user using a digital fingerprint presented via the at least one of the one or more mobile device interfaces.

18. The secure communication board of claim 17, wherein at least one of the one or more microcontrollers provides only one-way communication from the gaming system to the at least one of the one or more mobile device interfaces in response to a successful authentication of a first type of user.

19. The secure communication board of claim 18, wherein at least one of the one or more microcontrollers provides two-way communication between the gaming system and the at least one of the one or more mobile device interfaces in response to a successful authentication of a second type of user.