Gaming terminal data repository and information distribution system

• US 20020137217A1
• Filed: 12/21/2000
• Published: 09/26/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: International Game Technology
• Inventors: Rowe, Richard E.
• Granted Patent: US 6,645,077 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 436/42
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/77 involving data related to game devices or game servers, e.g. configuration data, software version or amount of memory
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/407 Data transfer via internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/50 characterized by details of game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5513 involving billing
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5546 using player registration data, e.g. identification, account, preferences, game history
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/323 wherein the player is informed, e.g. advertisements, odds, instructions
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3232 wherein the operator is informed

Abstract

A disclosed gaming terminal data repository may be used to store game software components, game software component information and gaming transaction information for a plurality of gaming terminals owned by a plurality of gaming entities. The repository may store the game software component information and the gaming transaction information in a database partitioned according to the different gaming entities in a manner allowing a game software component configuration of a particular gaming machine to be easily analyzed and modified. Using various update triggers, game software components for gaming terminals connected to the gaming terminal data repository may be automatically updated. The gaming machines, configured or designed to receive game software components from the repository, may present game play using a combination of game software components residing on the gaming machine and the game software components received from the repository.

Claims

1. A gaming terminal data repository comprising;

a network interface for communicating with one or more gaming terminals;

a memory arranged to store gaming terminal transaction information and game software components for a plurality of gaming terminals;

a processor designed or configured to update game software components on said gaming terminals using one or more update triggers;

wherein a plurality of said game software components are used to present a game on each gaming terminal.

2. The gaming terminal data repository of claim 1, further comprising:

a firewall.

3. The gaming terminal data repository of claim 1, wherein the game software components are selected from the group consisting of game system components, game paytables, game bonusing, game progressives, game graphics, game sounds, game jurisdiction information and game networking components.

4. The gaming terminal data repository of claim 1, wherein the processor are designed or configured to execute one or more gaming repository applications.

5. The gaming terminal data repository of claim 4, wherein the gaming repository applications are selected from the group consisting of a data analysis application, a configuration design application, a scheduling design application, report generation application, a query configuration application and a game software version management application.

6. The gaming terminal data repository of claim 1, wherein the game is a video bingo game, a video lottery game, a video black jack game, a video slot game, a mechanical slot game, a video poker game, a video keno game, a video pachinko game, a video game of chance and a video card game.

7. The gaming terminal data repository of claim 1, wherein the game transaction information is stored according to one or more game data categories.

8. The gaming terminal data repository of claim 7, wherein the game data categories are selected from the group consisting of game version data, game data, gaming terminal data, player data, route data and venue data.

9. The gaming terminal data repository of claim 1, wherein the memory is a hard drive or a CD-RW drive.

10. The gaming terminal data repository of claim 1, wherein the network interface is a wireless network interface or a wired network interface.

11. The gaming terminal data repository of claim 1, wherein the network interface communicates with a remote gaming device.

12. The gaming terminal data repository of claim 11, wherein the remote gaming device is selected from the group consisting of a printer, a portable computer, a personal digital assistant and a computer.

13. The gaming terminal data repository of claim 1, wherein the gaming terminals and game software components are owned by a plurality of gaming entities.

14. The gaming terminal data repository of claim 13, wherein gaming transaction information and game software components owned by each gaming entity are stored in a separate gaming data partition in said memory.

15. The gaming terminal data repository of claim 13, wherein gaming transaction information and game software components owned by a first gaming entity are not accessible to a second gaming entity.

16. The gaming terminal data repository of claim 1, wherein access to gaming transaction information and game software components is limited according to one or more hierarchical access privileges.

17. The gaming terminal data repository of claim 16, wherein the hierarchical access privileges are selected from the group consisting of site user, corporate site user, remote corporate user, venue site user, remote venue site user, route user and route site user.

18. The gaming terminal data repository of claim 1, wherein the gaming transaction information and game software component information are stored in queryable and partitioned database.

20. The gaming machine of claim 19, further comprising:

a memory storing a plurality of game software components.

21. The gaming machine of claim 20, wherein the memory is selected from the group consisting of an EPROM, a flash memory a ROM, a RAM, a CD, a DVD, a tape drive, a hard drive and a non-volatile memory.

22. The gaming machine of claim 20, wherein at least one of the plurality of game software components stored in said memory is used to generate the second combination game software components.

23. The gaming machine of claim 19, further comprising:

a memory storing game software version information for a plurality of game software components.

24. The gaming machine of claim 19, wherein the remote server is a gaming terminal data repository.

25. The gaming machine of claim 19, further comprising:

a firewall.

26. The gaming machine of claim 19, wherein the game software components are selected from the group consisting of game system components, game paytables, game bonusing, game progressives, game graphics, game sounds, game jurisdiction information, game networking components.

27. The gaming machine of claim 19, wherein the network interface is a wireless network interface or a wired network interface.

28. The gaming machine of claim 19, wherein the network interface is configured to allow connection of the gaming machine to an internet network or an intranet network.

29. The gaming machine of claim 28, wherein the intranet network is selected from the group consisting of a cashless system network, a progressive game network, an accounting network and a bonus game network.

30. The gaming machine of claim 19, wherein the game is a video bingo game, a video lottery game, a video black jack game, a video slot game, a mechanical slot game, a video poker game, a video keno game, a video pachinko game, a video game of chance and a video card game.

31. The gaming machine of claim 19, further comprising:

a modem.

19. A gaming machine comprising:

a first combination of game software components, said first combination comprising a plurality of game software components;

a master gaming controller designed or configured to present a game on the gaming machine using the first combination of game software components;

a network interface for communicating with a remote server and receiving game software components from said remote server;

processor logic for combining game software components from said first combination with game software components received from said remote server to generate a second combination of game software components wherein said second combination is used to present a game on the gaming machine.

32. In a remote server, a method of modifying game play on a plurality of gaming machines, the method comprising:

determining that a configuration update has been triggered;

establishing communications with the gaming machine;

identifying one or more game software components for the configuration update on the gaming machine;

bundling the game software components; and

sending the game software components to the gaming machine

wherein said game software components are used to present a game on the gaming machine.

33. The method of claim 32, further comprising,

prior to sending the game software components,

contacting a local ISP and sending the game software components via the local ISP.

34. The method of claim 32, further comprising,

looking up an IP address of said one or more gaming machines.

35. The method of claim 32, further comprising,

encapsulating said game software components in multiple information packets.

36. The method of claim 32, further comprising

encrypting said game software components.

37. The method of claim 32, further comprising,

generating instructions for configuring the game software components and sending said instructions with said game software components;

38. The method of claim 32, further comprising:

requesting game software component version information from the gaming machines.

39. The method of claim 32, further comprising:

receiving game software component version information from the gaming machine.

40. The method of claim 32, further comprising:

receiving game transaction information from the gaming machines and storing said game transaction information.

41. The method of claim 40, further comprising:

storing said game transaction information according to one or more game data categories.

42. The method of claim 41, wherein the game data categories are selected from the group consisting of game version data, game data, gaming terminal data, player data, route data and venue data.

43. The method of claim 40, further comprising:

prior to storing said game transaction information, determining access privileges for said game transaction information.

44. The method of claim 40, further comprising:

prior to storing said game transaction information, performing one or more operations on said game transaction information.

45. The method of claim 40, further comprising:

determining a data storage partition from among a plurality of data storage partitions for storing said game transaction information.

46. The method of claim 45, wherein the plurality of data storage partitions correspond to a plurality of gaming entities.

47. The method of claim 32, further comprising:

checking a list of update triggers;

48. The method of claim 47, wherein the update triggers are selected from the group consisting of an update time, an update day, an update week, a game event, a game performance event and a player input.

49. The method of claim 32, wherein the game is a video bingo game, a video lottery game, a video black jack game, a video slot game, a mechanical slot game, a video poker game, a video keno game, a video pachinko game, a video game of chance and a video card game.

50. The method of claim 32, wherein the game software components are selected from the group consisting of game system components, game paytables, game bonusing, game progressives, game graphics, game sounds, game jurisdiction information, game networking components.

51. A method for accessing game transaction information on a remote server which stores gaming transaction information for multiple different gaming entities, the method comprising:

receiving a request message for game transaction information from a first gaming device;

verifying an identity of a game transaction information requester contained in the request message;

determining access privileges of the game transaction information requester;

when said access privileges are satisfied,

generating the requested game transaction information; and

sending the requested game transaction information specific to the gaming entity of the requester in a reply message to a second gaming device.

52. The method of claim 51, further comprising:

generating the reply message.

53. The method of claim 51, further comprising:

storing one or more game transaction information request parameters.

54. The method of claim 53, wherein said request parameters include one or more of the following a time, a gaming terminal, a date, a game version, a game, a player, a route and a venue.

55. The method of claim 51, further comprising:

searching a queryable database for the requested game transaction information.

56. The method of claim 51, further comprising:

denying access to the requested game transaction information when the access privileges are not satisfied.

57. The method of claim 51, further comprising:

encrypting said requested game transaction information.

58. The method of claim 51, wherein the first gaming device is selected from the group consisting of a gaming machine and a remote computer.

59. The method of claim 51, wherein the second gaming device is selected from the group consisting of a gaming machine, a printer and a remote computer.

60. The method of claim 51, wherein the access privileges are hierarchical and are selected from the group consisting of site user, corporate site user, remote corporate user, venue site user, remote venue site user, route user and route site user.

61. In a gaming machine, a method of updating game software components, the method comprising:

establishing communications with a remote server;

receiving one or more game software components from said remote server;

unbundling said one or more game software components;

generating a combination of game software components wherein said combination of game software components comprising a plurality of game software components including the one or more game software components received from said remote server; and

presenting a game play using the combination of game software components.

62. The method of claim 61, further comprising:

sending game software component information to said remote server.

63. The method of claim 61, further comprising:

sending game transaction information to said remote server.

64. The method of claim 61, wherein the game play is a video bingo game play, a video lottery game play, a video black jack game play, a video slot game play, a mechanical slot game play, a video poker game play, a video keno game play, a video pachinko game play, a video game play of chance and a video card game play.

65. The method of claim 61, wherein the remote server is a gaming terminal data repository.

66. The method of claim 61, wherein the game software components are selected from the group consisting of game system components, game paytables, game bonusing, game progressives, game graphics, game sounds, game jurisdiction information, game networking components.