Identifying message senders

• US 20040092310A1
• Filed: 11/07/2002
• Published: 05/13/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: LeMay, Steven G., Benbrahim, Jamal, Brosnan, William
• Application Number:
  US10/291,926
• Publication Number:
  US 20040092310A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/42
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/606 by securing the transmission between two devices or processes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/64 Protecting data integrity, e.g. using checksums, certificates or signatures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2109 Game systems
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3239 Tracking of individual players
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3241 Security aspects of a gaming system, e.g. detecting cheating, device integrity, surveillance computer security G06F21/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/126 the source of the received data

Abstract

A disclosed gaming network provides a method and system for identifying message senders through use of a communication protocol that includes a message field containing message contents and a verification field containing a verification signature. The verification signature is calculated by a message sender utilizing a valuation of the message contents and an identifier value provided by the message receiver.

Claims

1. A method of communicating between two gaming devices on a gaming machine network, the method comprising:

sending a request for a first identifier value from a first gaming device to a second gaming device, the first gaming device having message contents to be sent to the second gaming device;

receiving the first identifier value from the second gaming device;

generating a verification signature at the first gaming device using a valuation of the message contents and the first identifier value; and

sending the message contents and the verification signature from the first gaming device to the second gaming device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing the first identifier value in a memory structure at the first gaming device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a request from the second gaming device to resend the message contents and the verification signature;

resending the message contents and the verification signature.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending a plurality of messages to the second gaming device from the first gaming device, the sending of each message comprising;

generating a message identifier value;

generating a message verification signature using a valuation of the message contents and the message identifier value; and

generating a message with the message contents and the message verification signature.

wherein the message identifier value generated in each message is from a sequence of identifier values that are known by the second gaming device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the sequence of identifier values is a random number sequence generated using a random number generator seeded with the first identifier value.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein a message verification algorithm used to generate the message verification signature changes from message to message.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the verification signature is generated using a private signature key.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the message contents and the verification signature are sent from the host server to the target gaming machine according to a protocol comprising at least:

a message field containing the message contents, and

a verification field containing the first verification signature.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

decrypting the first identifier value using a private encryption key.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a symmetric encryption key;

encrypting the symmetric encryption key using a public encryption key from the second gaming device;

encrypting the message contents using the symmetric encryption key;

and sending the encrypted symmetric encryption key to the second gaming device.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying the second gaming device.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the second gaming device is identified using a unique hardware serial number stored on the first gaming device.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the first gaming device is a gaming machine and the second gaming device is a gaming machine.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the first gaming device is a host server and the second gaming device is a gaming machine.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein first gaming device is selected from the group consisting of a gaming machine, a cell phone, a personal digital assistant, a host server, a remote computer and a portable gaming device.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein second gaming device is selected from the group consisting of a gaming machine, a cell phone, a personal digital assistant, a host server, a remote computer and a portable gaming device.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the message contents are at least one of player tracking information, accounting information, bonus game information, a game event from a game of chance played on a gaming machine, electronic fund transfer information, gaming software and combinations thereof.

18. A method of communicating between two gaming devices on a gaming machine network, the method comprising:

receiving a request at the first gaming device from a second gaming device for a first identifier value wherein the first gaming device has message contents to be sent to the second gaming device;

generating a first identifier value;

sending the first identifier value to the second gaming device;

receiving a first message comprising the message contents and a verification signature from the second gaming device;

generating a second verification signature using the message contents and the stored first identifier value; and

determining whether the second verification signature is equal to the verification signature, and if equal, accepting the first message for further processing by the gaming machine.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

storing the first identifier value in a memory structure at the second gaming device.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

rejecting the verification signature and

terminating the processing of the first message.

21. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

encrypting the first identifier value prior to sending it to the second gaming device.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the first identifier value is encrypted using a public encryption key for the second gaming device.

23. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

authenticating an identify of the second gaming device.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the identity of the second gaming device is authenticated using a serial number supplied by the second gaming device.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein the identity of the second gaming device is authenticated using a public signature key provided by the second gaming device.

26. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

generating the second verification signature using a public signature key corresponding to a private signature key used by the second gaming device to generate the verification signature.

27. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

decrypting at least one of the a portion of the message contents, the verification signature and combinations thereof.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the at least one of the portion of the message contents, the first verification and combinations thereof have been encrypted with a public encryption key corresponding to a private encryption key used by the first gaming device.

29. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

receiving a plurality of messages from the second gaming device, the receiving of each message comprising;

receiving first message contents and a first verification signature for each of the plurality of message;

determining a message identifier value in a sequence of message identifier values used to generate the first verification signature;

generating a message verification signature using a valuation of the message contents and the message identifier value; and

determining whether the first verification signature is equal to the message verification signature.

30. The method of claim 18, wherein the first gaming device is a gaming machine and the second gaming device is a gaming machine.

31. The method of claim 18, wherein the first gaming device is a host server and the second gaming device is a gaming machine.

32. The method of claim 18, wherein first gaming device is selected from the group consisting of a gaming machine, a cell phone, a personal digital assistant, a host server, a remote computer and a portable gaming device.

33. The method of claim 18, wherein second gaming device is selected from the group consisting of a gaming machine, a cell phone, a personal digital assistant, a host server, a remote computer and a portable gaming device.

34. The method of claim 18, wherein the message contents are at least one of player tracking information, accounting information, bonus game information, a game event from a game of chance played on a gaming machine, electronic fund transfer information, gaming software and combinations thereof.

35. A gaming machine network comprising:

at least one host server, the host server including verification software that enables the host server to obtain an identifier value from a gaming machine, and in response to obtaining the identifier value, enables the host server to generate a message according to a protocol that permits the gaming machine to identify a sender of the message;

a plurality of gaming machines, each gaming machine comprising;

a master gaming controller configured to control one or more games of chance played on the gaming machine,

a memory configured to store a plurality of verification software elements that allow the gaming machine to identify the sender of a message on the gaming machine network; and

a network allowing communication between the host server and the plurality of gaming machines.

36. The gaming machine network of claim 35, wherein the protocol further comprises:

a message field; and

a verification field.

37. The gaming machine network of claim 36, wherein the message field contains message contents and the verification field contains a verification signature.

38. The gaming machine network of claim 37, wherein the verification signature is generated using a valuation of the message contents and the identifier value.

39. The gaming machine network of claim 35, wherein the host server further comprises:

host server encryption software for decrypting the identifier value encrypted by the gaming machine and for encrypting, as needed, at least a portion of the message sent to the gaming machine.

40. The gaming machine network of claim 39, wherein the host server encryption software utilizes a private encryption key.

41. The gaming machine network of claim 35, wherein the gaming machine further comprises:

gaming machine encryption software for encrypting the identifier value prior to sending to the host server and for decrypting, as needed, at least a portion of the message encrypted by the host server.

42. The gaming machine network of claim 41, wherein the gaming machine encryption software utilizes a public key.

43. The gaming machine network of claim 35, wherein the verification software further comprises:

verification signature generation software for generating a verification signature.

44. The gaming machine network of claim 43, wherein the verification signature generation software utilizes at least one of a private signature key, the identifier value, message contents and combinations thereof to generate the verification signature.

45. The gaming machine network of claim 35, wherein the verification software elements further comprise:

verification signature authentication software elements for determining the authenticity of a verification signature.

46. The gaming machine network of claim 45, wherein the verification signature authentication software utilizes at least one of a public signature key, the identifier value, message contents and combinations thereof to authenticate the verification signature.

47. The gaming machine network of claim 35, wherein the host server and the plurality of gaming machines further comprise:

identifier generation software for generating a sequence of message identifier values that are used to generate verification signatures for a sequence of messages.