Method and apparatus for a gaming network architecture

• US 20050282628A1
• Filed: 06/02/2005
• Published: 12/22/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LNW Gaming Incorporated (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: WMS Gaming Incorporated (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Inventors: Blackburn, Christopher W., Block, Rory L., Jan, Chih-Hui, Warkentin, Terry D., Beatty, John A.
• Granted Patent: US 7,771,276 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/27
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3223 Architectural aspects of a gaming system, e.g. internal configuration, master/slave, wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3239 Tracking of individual players
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3276 wherein the players compete, e.g. tournament

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention relate generally to wagering games and, more particularly, to a gaming network linked to a plurality of gaming machines. The gaming network has a plurality of servers dedicated to providing a shared game to a plurality of gaming terminals. The shared game may be either competitive or collaborative between players and may be a combination of both competitive and collaborative game play. The dedicated game servers are connected to a core support network that has commonly used computer resources. The communication link between the gaming terminals and servers are supported by a communication server with message directing software that allows events that occur at individual gaming terminals to be broadcast to all other gaming terminals and servers associated with that shared gaming events.

Claims

1. A progressive gaming system, comprising:

a plurality of progressive servers, each progressive server dedicated to providing one of a plurality of progressive games;

a plurality of gaming terminals;

at least one progressive game playable on one or more of the plurality of gaming terminals; and

a communications server linking each of the plurality of gaming terminals to at least one progressive server.

2. The progressive gaming system described in claim 1, wherein the communications server communicates event messages between the gaming terminals and the appropriate progressive server.

3. The progressive gaming system describing claim 1, further including a support network, the support network connected to each progressive server through the communications server.

4. The progressive gaming system described in claim 3, wherein the support network includes a database server for archiving data from each of the plurality of progressive games.

5. The progressive gaming system described in claim 3, wherein the support network includes a database server and a directory services server.

6. The progressive gaming system described in claim 4, further including a plurality of databases, each one of the plurality of databases associated with one of the plurality of progressive servers, each of the plurality of databases having an archived database stored on the database server.

7. The progressive gaming system described in claim 6, wherein the databases are linked to their associated archived database by software for automatically updating the linked database when a change occurs in either the database or the archived database.

8. The progressive gaming system described in claim 7, wherein the communications server sends event messages between the progressive servers and the gaming terminals.

9. A networked gaming system, comprising:

a plurality of servers, each server dedicated to one of a plurality of shared games;

a plurality of gaming terminals offering at least one of the plurality of shared games to a player; and

a communications server linking each of the plurality of gaming terminals to at least one server;

10. The networked gaming system described in claim 9, further including a message director service on the communications server for communicating event messages generated by the shared game between the gaming terminal and it'"'"'s linked server.

11. The networked gaming system described in claim 9, wherein the shared game is a competitive game.

12. The networked gaming system described in claim 9, wherein the shared game is collaborative game.

13. The networked gaming system described in claim 9, further including linking at least two servers to participate in the same shared game.

14. The networked gaming system described in claim 9, wherein the servers provide competitive game play between the first and the second server.

15. The networked gaming system described in claim 14, wherein the players on the gaming terminals connected to the same server may play collaboratively.

16. The networked gaming system described in claim 14, wherein the players on the gaming terminals connected to the same server may play competitively.