Video gaming device and communications system

• US 20060135262A1
• Filed: 07/26/2005
• Published: 06/22/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vegas Amusement Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Douglas E. Morris, Julian J. Kennedy, Michael A. Morris
• Inventors: Morris, Michael A., Kennedy, Julian J., Morris, Douglas E.
• Granted Patent: US 7,201,661 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 17/3211 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3234 about the performance of a gaming system, e.g. revenue, diagnosis of the gaming system
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3276 wherein the players compete, e.g. tournament
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3283 wherein the number of active machines is limited

Abstract

A video gaming device includes a game computer which is connected to a central computer and a plurality of player stations connected to the game computer. Connection of the player stations may be effected using an interface device which includes at least one serial port which has a transmit line for transmitting data to a player station and a receive line for receiving data from a player station, input port means and output port means for communication with the game computer, and processing means for routing data between the said serial port and the input and output port means.

Claims

1. (canceled)

2. A multiplayer card gaming system comprising:

a) plurality of spatially separate player stations, each said player station including;

at least one input device for allowing a player to enter game play selections into said system;

at least one output device for communicating game play outcome to a player; and

means for monitoring a plurality of events at said player station;

b) a game processor interfaced to said plurality of player stations;

c) a single display monitor connected to said game processor for displaying game play of each player station together; and

d) a remote computer interfaced to said game processor for monitoring events of multiple individual gaming machines;

wherein, said game processor is programmed first to execute a multiplayer video card gaming program in response to inputs received from said player station input devices and currency acceptors, determine an outcome of said gaming program for each player station, display said outcome on said video display and communicate said outcome to said player station output devices; and

second, to receive player station event information from said event monitoring means in each said player station and, in response thereto, to send messages to said remote computer, each said message identifying a one of said player stations as a corresponding one of a plurality of gaming machines and an event at said one of said player stations; and

, in response to receipt of a command from said remote computer to shut down one of said player stations, sending a shut down command to said one of said player stations; and

,

said remote computer is programmed to identify each of said player stations as a corresponding one of a plurality of separate gaming machines and in response to receipt of a message from said game processor indicating improper operation of one of said gaming machines, sending a command to said game processor to shut down said one of said gaming machines, said command including information identifying which of said gaming machines is to be shut down.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein said remote computer is programmed, to operate a progressive jackpot feature in which all communicating player stations may participate.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein said game processor executes an operating system.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein said player input devices include buttons.

6. The system of claim 2, wherein said player input devices include magnetic and integrated circuit card readers.

7. The system of claim 2, wherein said player output device includes ticket dispensers.

8. The system of claim 2, wherein said player output device includes magnetic and circuit card writers.

9. The system of claim 2, wherein each said player station includes a ticket dispensing means

10. The system of claim 2, wherein said multiplayer video card gaming program is configured at certain times to ignore data from one or more input devices

11. The system of claim 2, wherein said multiplayer video card gaming program is a blackjack game.

12. The system of claim 3, further including metering means for metering game play activity data as a whole for said multiplayer game and wherein said game processor further is programmed to send said game play activity data to said remote computer.

13. The system of claim 4, wherein each player station further includes a player station processor for generating personal computer compatible codes in response to actuation of input devices, and inputting said codes into said game processor.