SECURE COMMUNICATIONS IN GAMING SYSTEM

• US 20080171598A1
• Filed: 11/09/2007
• Published: 07/17/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LNW Gaming Incorporated (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Bally Gaming Incorporated (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Inventors: Deng, Haiyang
• Granted Patent: US 9,275,512 B2
• 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 17/323 wherein the player is informed, e.g. advertisements, odds, instructions

Abstract

Secure communications are provided in a gaming system environment using a hash manager to hash information, store the hashed information to a database, and to retrieve and unhash the information when needed. Information may include a user identifier, pass phrase and/or package of executable gaming machine instructions. This approach may provide security without requiring a user to reenter log in information (e.g., user identifier and/or pass phrase) during a login or security session.

Claims

1. A method of providing secure communications in a gaming system environment, the method comprising:

receiving information;

producing a set of hashed information from the received information based on at least a key and a hash algorithm;

storing the hashed information in a database;

receiving the key and a request for the information;

retrieving the hashed information from the database; and

restoring the received information from the hashed information based on the key and the hash algorithm.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein producing a set of hashed information from the received information based on at least the key and a hash algorithm includes employing a hashing daemon.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the hashing daemon is a Web service.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the hashing daemon is a Windows®

service.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the information includes at least one of a user identifier or a pass phrase and producing a set of hashed information from the received information based on at least the key and a hash algorithm includes employing a symmetric key algorithm to hash the user identifier or user pass phrase using a one way hashing algorithm.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

providing at least one of the user identifier or the pass phrase to a Web service without requiring reentry of the user identifier or the pass phrase.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the information includes a package of executable instructions to reconfigure operation of a gaming machine and producing a set of hashed information from the received information based on at least the key and a hash algorithm includes hashing the package of executable instructions based on the key.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein producing a set of hashed information from the received information based on at least the key and a hash algorithm includes employing an MD5 hashing algorithm.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein producing a set of hashed information from the received information based on at least the key and a hash algorithm includes employing an SHA1 hashing algorithm.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

salting the information before producing the set of hashed information.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a password from a pass phrase and a salt value; and

generating the key from the password.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving the pass phrase from an end user.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein retrieving the hashed information from the database includes retrieving the hashed information from an SQL database table.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein restoring the received information based from the hashed information based on the key and the hash algorithm includes employing an unhashing daemon.

15. A gaming management system, comprising:

at least one user input device operable to request information;

at least one database;

at least one server communicatively coupled to the at least one user input device and the at least one database to;

receive information at a first time;

receive a request for the information at a second time; and

a hash manager configured to;

produce a set of hashed information from the received information based on at least a key and a hash algorithm;

store the hashed information in one of the databases;

retrieve the hashed information from the database; and

restore the received information based from the hashed information based on the key and the hash algorithm.

16. The gaming management system of claim 15 wherein the information includes at least one of a user identifier or a pass phrase and the hash manager employs a symmetric key algorithm to hash the user identifier or user pass phrase using a one way hashing algorithm.

17. The gaming management system of claim 15 wherein the information includes a package of executable instructions to reconfigure operation of a gaming machine and the hash manager hashes the package of executable instructions based on the key.

18. The gaming management system of claim 15 wherein the hash manager employs an MD5 hashing algorithm.

19. The gaming management system of claim 15 wherein the hash manager employs an SHA1 hashing algorithm.

20. The gaming management system of claim 15 wherein the hash manager salts the information before producing the set of hashed information.

21. A method of providing secure communications in a gaming system environment, the method comprising:

comparing a hash code of a package of gaming machine instructions to be copied with a stored hash code; and

determining whether to allow copying of the package of gaming machine instructions based at least in part on a result of the comparison.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

denying the copying of the package of gaming machine instructions if the result of the comparison indicates that the package of gaming machine instructions is not verified.

23. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

allowing the copying of the package of gaming machine instructions if the result of the comparison indicates that the package of gaming machine instructions is verified.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein copying the package of gaming machine instructions includes downloading the package of gaming machine instructions from a download distribution point to at least one gaming machine via a network.

25. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

storing the results of the determination.

26. The method of claim 21 wherein comparing a hash code of a package of gaming machine instructions to be copied with a hash code stored includes comparing a hash code stored on a read-only processor-readable medium that is to be copied from with a hash code stored on a package drive.

27. The method of claim 21 wherein comparing a hash code of a package of gaming machine instructions to be copied with a stored hash code includes determining whether the hash code of the package of gaming machine instructions is identical to the stored hash code.

28. A method of providing security in a gaming system environment, the method comprising:

generating a hash code of a package of gaming machine instructions stored on a download distribution point server based on a first hash algorithm and a first key;

verifying the package of gaming machine instructions stored on a download distribution point server against a hash code stored on a read-only processor-readable memory; and

storing a result of the verification.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein verifying the package of gaming machine instructions stored on the download distribution point server against the hash code stored on a read-only processor-readable memory includes comparing the hash code of the package of gaming machine instructions stored on the download distribution point server with the hash code stored on the read-only processor-readable memory.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein comparing the hash code of the package of gaming machine instructions stored on the download distribution point server with the hash code stored on the read-only processor-readable memory includes determining whether the hash code of the package of gaming machine instructions stored on the download distribution point server matches the hash code stored on the read-only processor-readable memory.

31. The method of claim 29, wherein generating a hash code of a package of gaming machine instructions stored on a download distribution point server based on a first hash algorithm and a first key includes generating the hash code with an MD5 hashing algorithm or an SHA1 hashing algorithm.

32. The method of claim 29, further comprising:

storing information indicative of a time of the verification logically associated with the result of the verification.

33. The method of claim 29, further comprising:

storing information indicative of an individual responsible for the verification logically associated with the result of the verification.

34. A method of providing secure communications in a gaming system environment, the method comprising:

receiving a key and a package of executable gaming machine instructions;

hashing at least the received package of executable gaming machine instructions based on the key to produce a set of hashed information;

storing the hashed information in a database;

retrieving the hashed information from the database;

restoring the package of executable gaming machine instructions from the retrieved hashed information based on the key.

35. The method of claim 34, further comprising:

adding a verification string to a header of the package of executable gaming machine instructions.

36. The method of claim 35, further comprising:

verifying the package of executable gaming machine instructions based on the verification string from the header.