DOWNLOADING IN THE BACKGROUND

• US 20060160622A1
• Filed: 12/08/2005
• Published: 07/20/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sg Gaming, Inc. (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Original Assignee: WMS Gaming Incorporated (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Inventors: Lee, Steven, Sutton, James E., LeBrun, Faith, Sylla, Craig J., Carpenter, Jerome
• Granted Patent: US 8,721,446 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/42
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/323 wherein the player is informed, e.g. advertisements, odds, instructions
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3241 Security aspects of a gaming system, e.g. detecting cheating, device integrity, surveillance computer security G06F21/00

Abstract

Software is download to a gaming device as a background operation while the gaming application runs in the foreground. An authorization operation may be completed before the download operation to prevent unauthorized installation of software. New games, software updates, and advertising content can be downloaded to the gaming machine in a background operation.

Claims

1. A tangible machine-readable medium including instructions which when executed by machine cause the machine to perform operations comprising:

conducting a wagering game in a gaming machine; and

receiving, over a network, gaming content in the gaming machine, the receiving occurring during conduction of the wagering game.

2. The tangible machine-readable medium of claim 1, further comprising:

determining available gaming content that is applicable to gaming content already installed on a gaming machine;

presenting the list enumerating the available gaming content that is applicable to gaming content already installed on the gaming machine;

receiving a selection indicating certain of the available gaming;

requesting the certain of the available gaming content; and

receiving the certain of the available gaming content.

3. The tangible machine-readable medium of claim 1, wherein parts of the gaming content are simultaneously received, over the network, from different sources.

4. The tangible machine-readable medium of claim 1 further comprising:

after receiving gaming content, installing the gaming software on the gaming machine.

5. The tangible machine-readable medium of claim 2, wherein the gaming content includes content for advertising an event, product, or service.

6. The tangible machine-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the gaming content includes game themes, game settings, bonus events, pay tables, program code, audio content, or video content.

7. A method comprising:

selecting a gaming machine to which gaming content can be transmitted over a network;

selecting gaming content for transmission to the gaming machine; and

transmitting the selected content to the gaming machine for receipt while the gaming machine is conducting gaming operations.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

authenticating a source of the selected gaming content;

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

transmitting a request for a software download from a gaming device to a data server;

verifying that the requested software download has been authorized; and

transmitting the requested software download to the gaming device as a background operation while the gaming application runs in the foreground.

10. A machine-assisted method comprising:

identifying through a network a gaming device connected to the network, the gaming device running a gaming application that is available for use by a patron;

identifying through the network at least one software module running on the gaming device;

determining whether new software is available for the gaming device;

if new software is available for the gaming device, determining whether the new software has been authorized for download to the gaming device and, if the new software has been authorized;

authenticating an approved source from which new software can be downloaded; and

downloading the new software to the gaming device in a background operation while the gaming application is available for use by a patron.

11. The machine-assisted method of claim 10, further comprising:

identifying a time for the download to occur.

12. The machine-assisted method of claim 10, further comprising:

maintaining a database of gaming device parameters for a plurality of gaming devices;

identifying a gaming device for which new software is available;

retrieving from the database at least one parameter for the identified gaming device;

using the at least one parameter to determine whether downloading of the new software to the identified gaming device has been authorized; and

if downloading of the new software to the identified gaming device has been authorized, downloading the new software to the gaming device in a background operation.

13. The machine-assisted method of claim 10, further comprising:

selecting at least one advertising criterion;

identifying a networked gaming device that meets the at least one advertising criterion;

authenticating an advertisement server; and

downloading advertisement content from the advertisement server to the gaming device in a background operation while the gaming device is available to a patron for game playing.

14. The machine-assisted method of claim 10, further comprising:

obtaining authorization to download software to a gaming device from a first server;

transferring the software download from a second server to the gaming device; and

purging old software from the gaming device in background operation.

15. The machine-assisted method of claim 10 wherein software update information is stored on a first remote computer system, and further comprising, determining whether at least one new software is available for the gaming device includes referencing the software update information stored on the first remote computer system.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein authorization information is stored on a second remote computer system, and determining whether the new software has been authorized for download to the gaming device includes referencing the authorization information stored on the second remote computer system.

17. A gaming device comprising;

a computer system including a central processing unit coupled to a memory circuit, a display device, and a storage medium, the storage medium embodying instructions for running a software application on the computer system that presents a game of chance to a patron, the application including an interface that is presented on the display device; and

a network interface connected to a network;

wherein the central processing unit presents runs the application while new software is downloaded to the computer system and saved on the storage medium.

18. The gaming device of claim 17, wherein the gaming device includes a file system, capable of being defragmented.

19. The gaming device of claim 17, wherein new software includes content for advertising an event, product, or service.

20. The gaming device of claim 17, wherein new software includes game themes, game settings, bonus events, pay tables, program code, audio content, or video content.