Virtual gaming peripherals for a gaming machine

• US 20060073869A1
• Filed: 11/23/2005
• Published: 04/06/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: LeMay, Steven G., Benbrahim, Jamal, Breckner, Robert E., Nelson, Dwayne R.
• Granted Patent: US 8,628,413 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/16
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3202 Hardware aspects of a gaming system, e.g. components, construction, architecture thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3248 involving non-monetary media of fixed value, e.g. casino chips of fixed value
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3262 Player actions which determine the course of the game, e.g. selecting a prize to be won, outcome to be achieved, game to be played
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/42 for ticket printing or like apparatus , e.g. apparatus for dispensing of printed paper tickets or payment cards

Abstract

A disclosed gaming machine provides a plurality of virtual gaming peripherals that are each used to generate one or more gaming services. To provide a particular gaming service, each virtual gaming peripheral may comprise virtual gaming peripheral software that controls one or more gaming devices. Examples of gaming services provides by virtual gaming peripherals may include but are not limited to a player tracking service, a vending machine purchase, a lottery ticket purchase, an ATM (Automatic Teller Machine) service, a hotel/casino service, a communication service, a registration service, a sports book service, an entertainment service, a prize redemption service and a locator service. A logic device, such as a master gaming controller on the gaming machine, may simultaneously activate a plurality of virtual gaming peripherals. Therefore, a gaming device may be shared by a plurality of active virtual gaming peripherals and additional logic may be provided to resolve conflicts that arise when two or more virtual gaming peripherals desire to control the same gaming device at the same time.

Claims

1. A method of providing a a game of chance on a gaming machine using a shared gaming device, the method comprising:

executing a plurality of gaming processes including a first gaming process, a second gaming process, a shared gaming device manager process wherein the first gaming process is designed to provide a first gaming function by controlling the shared gaming device and to take control of the shared gaming device and wherein the second gaming process is designed provide a second gaming function on the gaming machine and to take control of the shared gaming device; and

wherein the shared gaming device manager process is designed to determine, when the first gaming process and the second gaming process want to control the shared gaming device at the same time, which of the first gaming process or the second gaming process is allowed to control the shared gaming device and which of the first gaming process or the second gaming process is prevented from using the shared gaming device;

determining the first gaming function is to be provided;

assigning control of the shared gaming device to the first gaming process;

preventing the second gaming process from controlling the shared gaming device;

providing the first gaming function using the shared gaming device; and

generating the game of chance on the gaming machine.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first gaming function is a first gaming service generated using a first combination of gaming devices including the shared gaming device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the second gaming function is a second gaming service generated using a second combination of gaming devices including the shared gaming device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first gaming process is one of the gaming processes used to generate the game of chance.

5. The method of claim 1, determining the first gaming function is no longer using the shared gaming device and assigning control of the shared gaming device to the second gaming process.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying a message indicating the second gaming function is unavailable.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining the second gaming function can be provided without the shared gaming device and

providing the second gaming function using one or more gaming devices that does not include the shared gaming device.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

prior to assigning control of the shared gaming device to the first gaming process,

determining the first gaming function can be provided without the shared gaming device and

assigning control of the shared gaming device to the second gaming process.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

providing the first gaming function using one or more gaming devices that does not include the shared gaming device.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

while the first gaming process is assigned control of the shared gaming device, receiving a request from a third gaming process to use the shared gaming device;

preventing the third gaming process from using the shared device controlled by the first gaming process.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

while the first gaming process is assigned control of the shared gaming device, receiving a request from a third gaming process to use the shared gaming device;

switching control of the shared gaming device from the first gaming process to the third gaming process.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

prior to determining the first gaming function is to be provided,

determining the first gaming process has requested to use the shared gaming device;

assigning a first priority value to the first gaming process;

determining the second gaming process has requested to use the shared gaming device; and

assigning a second priority value to the second gaming process.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

comparing the first priority value to the second priority value to determine which of the first gaming function or the second gaming function is to be provided.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the shared gaming device is selected from the group consisting of a light panel, a bonus wheel, a sound projection device, a card reader, a ticket reader, an input panel, a ticket reader, a touch screen, a display screen, a key pad, a camera, a finger print reader, a bill validator, a solenoid, a CD/DVD-drive, a removable media drive, a flash drive, a USB communication port, an infrared communication port, an Ethernet communication port, a printer, a bar-code reader, a biometric input device, a slot reel, a motor, a mass storage device, a communication device, a wireless communication interface, a coin hopper, a note dispenser, a coin acceptor, a smart card and a hand-held computer.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the first gaming function or the second gaming function is selected from the group consisting of a player tracking service, a vending machine purchase, a lottery ticket purchase, an ATM (Automatic Teller Machine) service, a hotel/casino service, a communication service, a registration service, a sports book service, an entertainment service, a prize redemption service, Internet enabled services and a locator service.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the first gaming process or the second gaming process is selected from the group consisting of a virtual player tracking unit process, a virtual vending machine process, a virtual lottery machine process, a virtual ATM process, a virtual concierge process, a virtual video phone process, a virtual telephone process, a virtual casino kiosk process, a virtual prize redemption process, a virtual sports book process, a virtual entertainment center process and a virtual message center process.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the game of chance is selected from the group consisting of a slot game, a keno game, a poker game, a pachinko game, a video black jack game, a bingo game, a baccarat game, a roulette game, a dice game and a card game.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the second gaming process is one of the gaming processes used to generate the game of chance.

19. In a shared gaming device manager process executed on a gaming machine with a gaming operating system that activates and deactivates gaming processes, a method of allocating control of a shared gaming device, the method comprising:

receiving a request from a first gaming process to use the shared gaming device to provide a gaming service;

assigning control of the shared gaming device to the first gaming process; and

preventing at least one gaming process different from the first gaming process from controlling the shared gaming device.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the first gaming process is a virtual gaming peripheral process or a game play process.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the at least gaming process is a virtual gaming process, a game play process and combinations thereof.

22. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

determining the first gaming process is finished using the shared gaming device; and

assigning control of the shared gaming device to another gaming process different from the first gaming process.

23. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

receiving a plurality of request to use the shared gaming device from different gaming processes;

assigning a priority to each request; and

assigning control of the shared gaming device to each gaming process in an order determined from the priority assigned to each request.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the priority assigned to each request is determined from a context in which the shared gaming device is to be used.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein the priority assigned to a request changes as a function of time.

26. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

generating a list in order of priority of gaming processes waiting to use the shared gaming device.

27. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

assigning a first priority to the first gaming process;

while the shared gaming device is controlled by the first gaming process, receiving a second request to use the shared gaming device from a second gaming process;

assigning a second priority to the second gaming process that is higher than the second gaming process; and

switching control of the gaming device from the first gaming process to the second process.

28. The method of claim 19, wherein the shared gaming device is selected from the group consisting of a light panel, a bonus wheel, a sound projection device, a card reader, a ticket reader, an input panel, a ticket reader, a touch screen, a display screen, a key pad, a camera, a finger print reader, a bill validator, a solenoid, a CD/DVD-drive, a removable media drive, a flash drive, a USB communication port, an infrared communication port, an Ethernet communication port, a printer, a bar-code reader, a biometric input device, a slot reel, a motor, a mass storage device, a communication device, a wireless communication interface, a coin hopper, a coin acceptor, a note dispenser, a smart card and a hand-held computer.

29. The method of claim 19, wherein the gaming service is selected from the group consisting of a player tracking service, a vending machine purchase, a lottery ticket purchase, an ATM (Automatic Teller Machine) service, a hotel/casino service, a communication service, a registration service, a sports book service, an entertainment service, a prize redemption service and a locator service.

30. The method of claim 19, wherein the first gaming processes and other gaming processes are selected from the group consisting of a virtual player tracking unit process, a virtual vending machine process, a virtual lottery machine process, a virtual ATM process, a virtual concierge process, a virtual video phone process, a virtual telephone process, a virtual casino kiosk process, a virtual prize redemption process, a virtual sports book process, a virtual entertainment center process, a virtual message center process and a gaming process used to play a game of chance.