System for configuration

• US 20070111791A1
• Filed: 09/11/2006
• Published: 05/17/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sg Gaming, Inc. (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Bally Gaming Incorporated (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Inventors: Green, Travis, Jones, William, Patel, Pravinkumar, Green, Anthony, Shepherd, Dale, Larsen, Joshua, Cadima, Ronald, Buckeyne, Thomas, Arbogast, Christopher, Crowder, Robert
• Application Number:
  US11/530,880
• Publication Number:
  US 20070111791A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/40
• 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 17/3225 Data transfer within a gaming system, e.g. data sent between gaming machines and users
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3227 Configuring a gaming machine, e.g. downloading personal settings, selecting working parameters
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/323 wherein the player is informed, e.g. advertisements, odds, instructions

Abstract

A system for configuring an EGM from a remote terminal thereby providing improvements in operational efficiency when configuring EGMs. For example, operational efficiencies are possible by providing direct access to configure an EGM without the technician traveling to the physical machine, which may be miles away. For local EGM'"'"'s, there will be efficiencies obtained by the number of EGM'"'"'s configured per hour/per technician. For extremely remote EGM'"'"'s, there are additional efficiencies by the reduction of travel and lodging expenses for the technician. Additionally, remote configuration of an EGM reduces security overhead.

Claims

1. A system for configuring a gaming machine comprising:

a host server having a communication link to the gaming machine and for sending a configuration change from the host server to the gaming machine;

the gaming machine in communication with the host server, the gaming machine testing the configuration change for validity and making the configuration change at the gaming machine when the configuration change is valid.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the gaming machine communicates with the host sever via a host interpreter.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the gaming machine includes a configuration server communicating with the host interpreter and with a game client.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the gaming machine returns an error when the configuration change is not valid.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein the configuration change is stored in a storage means.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein the storage means is NVRAM.

7. A system for configuring a gaming machine comprising:

a host server defining a configuration having one or more configuration options and establishing communication link between the host server and the gaming machine;

a gaming machine receiving the configuration template, testing the configuration template for validity, and configuring options on the gaming machine in accordance with the configuration template when the configuration template is valid.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein the configuration template comprises an XML file.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the gaming machine may provide the configuration template to other gaming machines for use.

10. The system of claim 8 wherein the configuration template is valid only if all options of the configuration template are valid.

11. The system of claim 7 wherein the gaming machine stores a current configuration status in memory on the gaming machine.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the gaming machine communicates the current configuration status to the host server.