Modular entertainment and gaming systems

• US 20030100372A1
• Filed: 04/10/2002
• Published: 05/29/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/23/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mudalla Technology, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Cyberview Technology, Inc. (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Gatto, Jean-Marie, Beney, Pierre-Jean, Courssou, Thierry Brunet De
• Granted Patent: US 6,916,247 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/42
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3206 Player sensing means, e.g. presence detection, biometrics
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3216 Construction aspects of a gaming system, e.g. housing, seats, ergonomic aspects
• 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 secure and modular architecture for monitoring and controlling clusters of pay entertainment and gaming devices. The architecture allows flexible and secure use of state-of-the-art multimedia and Internet technologies to attract the younger player generation used to flashy and networked games. Cash or cash-less entertainment and gaming devices are supported.

Claims

8-1. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the gaming machine is portable and mobile.

14. A gaming system including:

a communication network;

at least one payment verification unit coupled to the communication network, the at least one payment verification unit including a plurality of specialized devices;

at least one central server, the at least one central server being configured to communicate with the plurality of specialized devices.

15. The gaming system of claim 14, wherein the at least one payment verification unit includes an automatic and unattended payment verification unit.

16. The gaming system of claim 14, further including at least one gaming machine coupled to the communication network, the at least one gaming machine including a plurality of specialized devices that are controlled by the at least one payment verification unit.

17. The gaming system of claim 14, wherein the specialized devices are controlled by the at least one payment verification unit.

18. The gaming system of claim 14, wherein the specialized devices are controlled by the at least one central server.

19. The gaming system of claim 14, wherein the communication network is wireless.

20. The gaming system of claim 14, wherein at least one of the plurality of specialized devices is configured to handle payments to and from a player.

21. The gaming system of claim 14, wherein at least one of the plurality of specialized devices is configured to identify players.

22. The gaming system of claim 14, wherein the at least one specialized device includes a random number generator.

23. The gaming system of claim 14, wherein the at least one specialized device communicates with the at least one central server using one of an IP protocol, a secure protocol, a secure IP protocol, a VPN tunneling protocol, the Kerberos protocol and a SSL protocol.

24. The gaming system of claim 14, further including a Certificate Authority and wherein communications from the at least one specialized device to the at least one central server are authenticated by the Certificate Authority.

25. The gaming system of claim 14, further including high-level software modules, wherein the at least one specialized device is controlled by the high-level software modules.

26. The gaming system of claim 26, wherein the high-level software modules are located in the payment verification unit.

27. The gaming system of claim 26, wherein the high-level software modules are located in the central server.

28. A system for controlling gaming machines, including:

a communication network;

at least one gaming machine coupled to the communication network, the at least one gaming machine including at least one specialized device coupled to the communication network;

at least one payment verification unit, the at least one specialized device being configured to offer direct asynchronous notification of events to the at least one payment verification unit over the communication network.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein the at least one gaming machine includes at least one of a cashless gaming machine, a cash gaming machine and an entertainment machine.

30. The system of claim 28, wherein the at least one payment verification unit is an automatic and unattended payment verification unit.

31. The system of claim 28, wherein the at least one specialized device is controlled by the at least one payment verification unit.

32. The system of claim 28, wherein the at least one specialized devices include at least one player payment device.

33. The system of claim 28, wherein the at least one specialized devices includes at least one player identification device.

34. The system of claim 28, wherein the at least one specialized devices includes at least one random number generator.

35. The system of claim 28, wherein the communication network is wireless.

36. The system of claim 28, wherein the at least one gaming machine is portable and mobile.

37. The system of claim 28, wherein the at least one specialized device communicates with the at least one central server using one of an IP protocol, a secure protocol, a secure IP protocol, a VPN tunneling protocol, the Kerberos protocol and a SSL protocol.

38. The gaming system of claim 28, further including a Certificate Authority and wherein communications from the at least one specialized device to the at least one central server are authenticated by the Certificate Authority.

39. The gaming system of claim 28, further including high-level software modules, wherein the at least one specialized device is controlled by the high-level software modules.

40. The gaming system of claim 39, wherein the high-level software modules are located in the payment verification unit.

41. A system for controlling gaming machines, including:

at least one gaming machine including a first random number generator;

at least one central server including a second random number generator, and a communication network linking the at least one gaming machine and the at least one central server, wherein the at least one gaming machine is configured to selectively obtain random numbers from the first or the second random number generator.

42. The system of claim 41, further including at least one payment verification unit coupled to the network, the payment verification unit including a third random number generator and wherein the at least one gaming machine is configured to selectively obtain random numbers from the first, second or third random number generators.

43. The system of claim 41, wherein the at least one gaming machine includes at least one of a cashless gaming machine, a cash gaming machine and an entertainment machine.

44. A system for controlling gaming machines, including:

at least one gaming machine including a first random number generator;

at least one payment verification unit including a second random number generator, and a communication network linking the at least one gaming machine and the at least one payment verification unit, wherein the at least one gaming machine is configured to selectively obtain random numbers from either the first random number generator or the second random number generator.

45. The system of claim 44, wherein the at least one gaming machine includes at least one of a cashless gaming machine, a cash gaming machine and an entertainment machine.