Method for fault and/or disaster tolerant cashless gaming

• US 20060281554A1
• Filed: 10/28/2005
• Published: 12/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: Cyberview Technology, Inc. (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Gatto, Jean-Marie, Brunet de Courssou, Thierry
• Granted Patent: US 7,717,791 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 17/3232 wherein the operator is informed

Abstract

Methods and systems that enable cashless gaming dispense with the need to set up and operate a complex centrally controlled system or dispense with the need to distribute expensive smart cards. The patrons'"'"' gaming session meters (including, for example, a measure of winning and/or available credit) are distributed amongst an estate of peer networked gaming machines and are stored in redundant storage for fault tolerance.

Claims

1. A gaming machine, comprising

computer means, game control software and player interaction devices to enable a gaming session with a patron, the gaming session having meters associated therewith and including at least one game played by the patron;

non-volatile solid state memory for storing a state of and meters associated with a currently played game and for storing the meters associated with the gaming session;

a redundant array of independent (or inexpensive) disks (RAID), the game control software being configured to replicate the meters associated with the gaming session to the RAID.

2. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein the meters associated with the gaming session are replicated to the RAID subsequent to the ending of the currently played game.

3. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein the meters associated with the currently played game are appended to the RAID subsequent to an end of the currently played game.

4. A network of gaming machines, comprising:

a communication network;

a first gaming machine coupled to the communication network, the first gaming machine being configured to maintain meters associated with a patron'"'"'s gaming session, the patron'"'"'s gaming session including at least one played game;

a second gaming machine coupled to the communication network, the first gaming machine including a redundant array of independent (or inexpensive) disks (RAID),

wherein the first gaming machine is configured to backup the meters associated with the patron'"'"'s gaming session to the RAID included in the second gaming machine directly over the communication network.

5. The network of gaming machines of claim 4, wherein the first gaming machine includes a RAID.

6. The network of gaming machines of claim 5, wherein the first gaming machine is a legacy gaming machine comprising a controller and further includes a PC within a locked enclosure thereof, the PC being configured for communication with the network and the controller of the legacy machine, and for controlling the RAID.

7. The network of gaming machines of claim 4, wherein the first gaming machine is configured to backup the meter'"'"'s associated with the patron'"'"'s gaming session to the RAID included in the second gaming machine directly over the communication network upon occurrence of a predetermined event.

8. The network of gaming machines of claim 7, wherein the predetermined event is selected from a group including an elapsed period of time, an end of a currently played game, a change in the patron'"'"'s meters, the patron cashing out and an initiation of the patron'"'"'s gaming session.

9. The network of gaming machines of claim 4, wherein the RAID is disposed within a locked enclosure of the second gaming machine.

10. A network of gaming machines, comprising:

a communication network;

a plurality of gaming machines, each of the plurality of gaming machines being coupled to the communication network, the plurality of gaming machines being grouped in a plurality of banks of gaming machines, at least some of the plurality of gaming machines in each bank including a redundant array of independent (or inexpensive) disks (RAID),

wherein each gaming machine within each bank is configured to backup meters associated with a patron'"'"'s gaming session to the RAID of at least one gaming machine of a bank other than the bank to which the gaming machine is grouped.

11. The network of gaming machines of claim 10, wherein the banks of gaming machines are geographically separated from one another.

12. The network of gaming machines of claim 10, wherein the banks of gaming machines are defined according to logical parameters.

13. The network of gaming machines of claim 10, wherein each gaming machine within each bank of gaming machines is configured to backup meters to at least one predetermined preferred gaming machine within at least one bank other than the bank to which the gaming is grouped.

14. A method for maintaining meters associated with a cashless gaming session played by a patron on a network including a plurality of networked gaming machines, each gaming machine including a non-volatile solid state memory (NVRAM) for storing a state and meters of a currently played game and for storing the meters associated with the gaming session, and a redundant array of independent (or inexpensive) disks (RAID), the method comprising the steps of:

a) initializing meters assigned to the gaming session with a credit amount corresponding to funds received from the patron in a predetermined first gaming machine of the plurality of networked gaming machines;

b) if the patron does not initiate the gaming session on the first gaming machine, transferring the meters assigned to the gaming session over the network from the meters in the first gaming machine directly to meters in whichever gaming machine of the plurality of networked gaming machines on which the patron initiates a gaming session;

c) metering the gaming session activity, the meters associated with the currently played game stored in NVRAM being appended to the RAID subsequent to an end of the currently played game;

d) transferring the meters assigned to the gaming session over the network directly to whichever gaming machine of the plurality of networked gaming machines on which the patron initiates a gaming session, and

repeating steps c) and d) as and if needed until the credit amount associated with the meters assigned to the gaming session is exhausted or a cashout is requested by the patron.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising after step c) the step of backing up the meters assigned to the gaming session directly to at least one other one of the plurality of networked gaming machines subsequent to the end of the currently played game.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising after step c) the step of backing up the meters assigned to the gaming session directly to at least one other one of the plurality of networked gaming machines and stored to its RAID subsequent to the ending of the currently played game, the meters being stored in the RAID of the at least one other one of the plurality of networked gaming machines.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising after step c) the step of backing up the meters assigned to the gaming session directly to at least one other one of the plurality of networked gaming machines subsequent to an end of the gaming session.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising after step c) the step of backing up the meters assigned to the gaming session directly to at least one other one of the plurality of networked gaming machines subsequent to an end of the gaming session, the meters being stored in the RAID of the at least one other one of the plurality of networked gaming machines.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the transferring step is carried out independently of any server.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the backing up step is carried out independently of any server.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein the backing up steps is carried out independently of any server.

22. The method of claim 14, wherein the first gaming machine is a legacy gaming machine and further includes a PC within a locked enclosure thereof, and wherein the PC carries out steps of communicating with the network and controlling the RAID.

23. The method of claim 15, wherein the backing up step is carried out upon occurrence of a predetermined event.

24. The method of claim 17, wherein the backing up step is carried out upon occurrence of a predetermined event.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the predetermined event is selected from a group including an elapsed period of time, the end of the currently played game, a change in the patron'"'"'s meters, the patron cashing out and an initiation of the patron'"'"'s gaming session.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein the predetermined event is selected from a group including an elapsed period of time, the end of the currently played game, a change in the patron'"'"'s meters, the patron cashing out and an initiation of the patron'"'"'s gaming session.

27. The method of claim 14, wherein the meters associated with the gaming session are replicated to the RAID of the gaming machine on which the patron is playing subsequent to the end of the currently played game.

28. The method of claim 14, wherein the meters associated to the gaming session of other patrons are stored in the gaming machine on which the patron is playing.

29. The method of claim 14, wherein the meters associated with the gaming session of other patrons are stored to the RAID of the gaming machine on which the patron is playing.