Centralized gaming system with modifiable femote display terminals

• US 20080032763A1
• Filed: 06/19/2007
• Published: 02/07/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sg Gaming, Inc. (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Original Assignee: WMS Gaming Incorporated (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Inventors: Giobbi, John
• Granted Patent: US 7,727,071 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 17/323 wherein the player is informed, e.g. advertisements, odds, instructions
• 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 17/3262 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

Abstract

A centralized gaming system comprises a central server system and a plurality of display terminals remote from and linked to the central server system. The central server system includes a master game server, a game execution server, and a database server. The master game server stores a plurality of games of chance. Each game includes respective game play software and respective audiovisual software. In response to one of the games being selected for play at one of the display terminals, the game play software for the selected game is loaded from the master game server into the game execution server and is executed by the game execution server to randomly select an outcome. The audiovisual software for the selected game is selectively executed at the display terminal to visually represent the outcome on a display of the display terminal. The database server collects game activity data based on the outcome and maintains such data for report generation and player tracking purposes. The master game server may evaluate the collected game activity data and, in turn, modify one or more of the display terminals for maximizing earnings and target marketing.

Claims

1-54. -54. (canceled)

55. A method for playing a game of chance with a central game system linked to one or more remote terminals, comprising:

requesting, at one of the remote terminals, a game of chance from one or more games of chance stored on the central game system, the central game system storing audiovisual software and game-play software corresponding to the requested game of chance;

receiving, at the one terminal, from the central game system, the audiovisual software corresponding to the requested game of chance;

receiving, at the one terminal, from the central game system, the game-play software corresponding to the requested game of chance; and

executing, at the one terminal, a game session of the requested game of chance by, one or more times;

determining an outcome for the requested game of chance, comprising executing, at the one terminal, the game-play software; and

presenting the outcome for the requested game of chance, comprising executing, at the one terminal, the audiovisual software.

56. The method for playing a game of chance according to claim 55, further comprising:

storing, at the one terminal, the audiovisual software in a memory structure; and

storing, at the one terminal, the game-play software in the memory structure.

57. The method for playing a game of chance according to claim 56, wherein the memory structure includes a primary storage unit from which the audiovisual software and the game-play software are executed.

58. The method for playing a game of chance according to claim 56, wherein the memory structure includes a storage buffer adapted to store cached software corresponding to one or more last played games of chance.

59. The method for playing a game of chance according to claim 58, wherein:

receiving, at the one terminal, from the central game system, the audiovisual software comprises receiving, at the one terminal, from the central game system, the audiovisual software if the audiovisual software is not stored in the storage buffer, and

receiving, at the one terminal, from the central game system, the game-play software comprises receiving, at the one terminal, from the central game system, the game-play software if the game-play software is not stored in the storage buffer.

60. The method for playing a game of chance according to claim 59, further comprising:

caching, at the one terminal, the audiovisual software in the storage buffer if the audiovisual software in not stored in the storage buffer; and

caching, at the one terminal, the game-play software in the storage buffer if the game-play software is not stored in the storage buffer.

61. The method for playing a game of chance according to claim 55, further comprising:

collecting, at the one terminal, game activity data corresponding to the game session; and

communicating, from the one terminal, the game activity data to the central game system, the central game system accumulating the game activity data with accumulated data from the one or more terminals.

62. The method for playing a game of chance according to claim 55, wherein determining, at the one terminal, an outcome for the requested game of chance further comprises communicating, from the one terminal, with a linked game controller of the central game system, the linked game controller linking execution of the game-play software with other terminals.

63. The method for playing a game of chance according to claim 55, wherein determining, at the one terminal, an outcome for the requested game of chance further comprises communicating, from the one terminal, with a progressive controller of the central game system, the progressive controller linking execution of the game-play software with a progressive jackpot common to the one or more terminals.

64. The method for playing a game of chance according to claim 55, wherein the audiovisual software stored by the central game system is an updated audiovisual software version corresponding to the requested game of chance, and the game-play software stored by the central game system is an updated game-play software version corresponding to the requested game of chance.

65. A method for playing a game of chance with a central game system linked to one or more remote terminals, comprising:

receiving, at one of the remote terminals, from a central game system at a predetermined time, audiovisual software corresponding to at least one game of chance, the central game system serving any of the one or more games of chance to the one or more remote terminals;

receiving, at the one terminal, from the central game system at the predetermined time, game-play software corresponding to at least one game of chance;

caching, at the one terminal, the audiovisual software in a storage buffer; and

caching, at the one terminal, the game-play software in the storage buffer.

66. The method for playing a game of chance according to claim 65, further comprising:

selecting, at the one terminal, a selected game of chance from the one or more games of chance;

determining, at the one terminal, an outcome for the selected game of chance, comprising executing the game-play software stored in the storage buffer; and

presenting, at the one terminal, the outcome for the selected game of chance, comprising executing the audiovisual software in the storage buffer.

67. The method for playing a game of chance according to claim 65, wherein:

receiving, at one of the remote terminals, from the central game system, the audiovisual software comprises receiving, at one of the remote terminals, from the central game system, the audiovisual software if the audiovisual software is not already cached in the storage buffer; and

receiving, at the one terminal, from the central game system, the game-play software comprises receiving, at the one terminal, from the central game system, the game-play software if the game-play software is not already cached in the storage buffer.

68. A gaming system, comprising:

a central game system including a storage device adapted to store audiovisual software and game-play software for one or more games of chance; and

one or more remote terminals linked to the central server system, each terminal being adapted to receive, from the central game system, the audiovisual software and the game-play software corresponding to a selected game of chance selected from any of the one or more games of chance, the terminal including one or more processors adapted to execute the game-play software to determine an outcome for the selected game of chance, and adapted to execute the audiovisual software to present the outcome on the terminal.

69. The gaming system according to claim 68, wherein each terminal further includes a memory structure adapted to store the audiovisual software and the game-play software.

70. The gaming system according to claim 69, wherein the memory structure includes a primary storage unit from which the audiovisual software and the game-play software are executed.

71. The gaming system according to claim 69, wherein each terminal further includes a storage buffer adapted to store cached software corresponding to one or more last played games of chance.

72. The gaming system according to claim 71, wherein:

the central game system is further adapted to determine whether the audiovisual software is stored in the storage buffer, and whether the game-play software is stored in the storage buffer,

the one or more processors are further adapted to execute the game-play software received from the storage buffer, without receiving the game-play software from the central game system, and

the one or more processors are further adapted to execute the audiovisual software received from the storage buffer, without receiving the audiovisual software from the central game system.

73. The gaming system according to claim 68, wherein each terminal is further adapted to collect game activity data corresponding to execution of the game-play software and to communicate the game activity data to the central game system, the central game system including a database server adapted to accumulate the game activity data from each terminal.

74. The gaming system according to claim 68, wherein the central game system further includes a linked game controller, the linked game controller linking execution of the game-play software on one or more of the terminals.

75. The gaming system according to claim 68, wherein the central game system further includes a progressive controller, the progressive controller linking execution of the game-play software with a progressive jackpot common to one or more of the terminals.

76. The gaming system according to claim 68, wherein the audiovisual software corresponding to the requested game of chance is an updated audiovisual software version, and the game-play software corresponding to the requested game of chance is an updated game-play software version.

77. A centralized gaming system, comprising:

means for serving any of one or more games of chance, the means for serving comprising means for storing audiovisual software and game-play software; and

one or more terminals linked to the means for serving, each terminal comprising;

means for requesting a selected game of chance from the one or more games of chance from the means for serving;

means for receiving, from the means for serving, the audiovisual software corresponding to the selected game of chance;

means for receiving, from the means for serving, the game-play software corresponding to the selected game of chance;

means for executing the game-play software to determine an outcome for the selected game of chance; and

means for executing the audiovisual software to present the outcome for the selected game of chance.

78. The centralized gaming system according to claim 77, wherein each terminal further comprises means for storing the audiovisual software and the game-play software.

79. The centralized gaming system according to claim 78, wherein each terminal further comprises means for buffering cached software corresponding to one or more last played games of chance.

80. The centralized gaming system according to claim 77, further comprising means for accumulating game activity data with accumulated data from one or more of the terminals, wherein each terminal further comprises means for collecting the game activity data corresponding to execution of the game-play software.

81. The centralized gaming system according to claim 77, further comprising means for linking execution of the game-play software to one or more of the other terminals.

82. The centralized gaming system according to claim 77, further comprising means for linking execution of the game-play software with a progressive jackpot common to one or more of the terminals.

83. A centralized gaming system, comprising:

means for serving any of one or more games of chance, the means for serving comprising means for storing audiovisual software and game-play software; and

one or more terminals linked to the means for serving, each terminal comprising;

means for receiving at a predetermined time, from the means for serving, the audiovisual software and the game-play software corresponding to a selected game of chance; and

means for buffering the audiovisual software and the game-play software.

84. The centralized gaming system according to claim 83, wherein each terminal further comprises:

means for selecting a selected game of chance from the one or more games of chance;

means for executing the game-play software stored in the means for buffering to determine an outcome for the selected game of chance; and

means for executing the audiovisual software in the means for buffering to present the outcome for the selected game of chance.