METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR TRACKING AN EVENT OF AN EXTERNALLY CONTROLLED INTERFACE

• US 20090104954A1
• Filed: 05/13/2008
• Published: 04/23/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Russell, Glenn Keith, de Waal, Daniel, Schlottmann, Gregory A., LeMay, Steven G., Beaulieu, Nicole M., Rowe, Richard E., Manfredi, Vincent S., Iddings, Cara L., Schneider, Richard J., Bullard, Bryan, Graham, Jacob, Yi, Jae Man, Williams, David C., Larsen, Kurt M., Steinbach, Brad Robert, Marcu, Adrian R., Petersen, Erik B., Little, William C., Weber, Reid M., Cockerille, Warner R. IV, Gipp, David A.
• Granted Patent: US 8,992,304 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/1
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3202 Hardware aspects of a gaming system, e.g. components, construction, architecture thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3211 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3223 Architectural aspects of a gaming system, e.g. internal configuration, master/slave, wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/323 wherein the player is informed, e.g. advertisements, odds, instructions
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3232 wherein the operator is informed
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3239 Tracking of individual players
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3244 Payment aspects of a gaming system, e.g. payment schemes, setting payout ratio, bonus or consolation prizes

Abstract

A method for tracking an event of an externally controlled interface (ECI) is described. The method includes generating the externally controlled interface independent of an outcome of a wager-based game regulated by a regulatory authority, and logging the event of the externally controlled interface.

Claims

1. A method for tracking an event of an externally controlled interface (ECI), said method comprising:

generating the externally controlled interface independent of an outcome of a wager-based game regulated by a regulatory authority; and

logging the event of the externally controlled interface.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein content associated with the externally controlled interface is generated using a code that is executed separately from a code used to generate the wager-based game including the outcome.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising controlling the externally controlled interface by operating a remote host.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising timestamping the event.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising timestamping the outcome of the wager-based game.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a first timestamp by timestamping the event;

generating a second timestamp by timestamping the outcome of the wager-based game; and

associating the event with the outcome of the wager-based game via the first and second timestamps.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing information related to the outcome of the game or the event that allows one or more elements of a graphical representation of the game and the event to be generated at a later time.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating a graphical representation of the outcome of the game and the event.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the graphical representation includes one or more graphical elements that were displayed when the outcome of the game or the event was first displayed.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said redisplaying the event comprises redisplaying an animation of the event.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a first timestamp by timestamping the event;

generating a second timestamp by timestamping the outcome of the wager-based game; and

determining whether the first timestamp is within a threshold of the second timestamp.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying the event at a first time on a gaming machine by executing a first application;

determining that a first application from a plurality of applications is used to perform said displaying the event;

redisplaying the event at the gaming machine at a second time by executing the first application.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing information regarding the event within a gaming machine comprising a display displaying the wager-based game.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing information regarding the event within a remote host that controls the externally controlled interface.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing information regarding the event within a gaming machine;

storing the information regarding the event within a remote host that controls the externally controlled interface;

determining whether the remote host is inoperable; and

obtaining the information regarding the event from the gaming machine upon determining that the remote host is inoperable.

16. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

storing a first set of information regarding the event within a gaming machine;

storing a second set of information regarding the event within a remote host that controls the externally controlled interface;

wherein an amount of the first set of information stored within the gaming machine is less than an amount of the second set of information stored within the remote host.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising playing the wager-based game via of a video reel or a mechanical reel.

18. A method for tracking an event of an externally controlled interface (ECI), said method comprising:

storing information to a non-volatile memory regarding a wager-based game played on a gaming machine, wherein the information regarding the wager-based game allows one or more graphical states of the wager-based game to be regenerated at a later time;

storing information to a non-volatile memory regarding the event, wherein the wager-based game is regulated by a regulatory authority and the information regarding the event allows one or more graphical states of the externally controller interface to be regenerated at a later time.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising synchronizing a redisplay of the information regarding the wager-based game with a redisplay of the information regarding the event by using an event logger.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein said synchronizing comprises synchronizing a redisplay of a mechanical reel with the redisplay of the information regarding the event.

21. The method of claim 19, further comprising resolving a dispute between a player and an entity by said synchronizing of the redisplay of the information regarding the wager-based game with the redisplay of the information regarding the event.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein said storing the information regarding the wager-based game comprising storing the information regarding the wager-based game at the same time as that of said storing the information regarding the event.

23. The method of claim 18, wherein said storing the information regarding the wager-based game comprising storing the information regarding the wager-based game at a different time than a time of said storing the information regarding the event.

24. A system for tracking an event of an externally controlled interface, said system comprising:

a remote host configured to control generation of the externally controlled interface independent of an outcome of a wager-based game regulated by a regulatory authority; and

an event logger configured to log the event of the externally controlled interface.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein content associated with the externally controlled interface is generated using a code that is executed separately from a code used to generate the wager-based game including the outcome.

26. The system of claim 24, further comprising a timestamping module configured to timestamp the event.

27. The system of claim 24, further comprising a timestamping module configured to timestamp the outcome of the wager-based game.

28. The system of claim 24, further comprising:

a timestamping module configured to generate a first timestamp by timestamping the event and to generate a second timestamp by timestamping the outcome of the wager-based game; and

an association module configured to associate the event with the outcome of the wager-based game via the first and second timestamps.

29. The system of claim 24, further comprising:

an outcome logger configured to record the outcome of the wager-based game; and

an event logger configured to record the event.

30. The system of claim 24, further comprising a processor configured to:

generate a first timestamp by timestamping the event;

generate a second timestamp by timestamping the outcome of the wager-based game; and

determine whether the first timestamp is within a threshold of the second timestamp.

31. A processor for tracking an event of an externally controlled interface, said processor configured to:

control generation of the externally controlled interface independent of an outcome of a wager-based game regulated by a regulatory authority; and

log the event of the externally controlled interface.

32. The processor of claim 31, wherein the externally controlled interface is regulated by a regulatory authority with more lenient requirements compared to a set of requirements used to regulate the wager-based game.

33. A method for use in a gaming machine, said method comprising:

generating a wager-based game comprising a first series of states, wherein first information related to each state in the first series of states is stored to a first non-volatile memory prior to advancing to a subsequent state in the first series of states, wherein when a loss of power occurs between a first state and a second in the first series of states, the gaming machine is operable to restore itself to the first state using the first information stored to the first non-volatile memory associated with the first state;

generating an externally controlled interface (ECI) on the gaming machine, wherein said generating the ECI comprises generating a second series of states, wherein second information related to each state in the second series of states is stored to a second non-volatile memory prior to advancing to a subsequent state in the second series of states; and

outputting visual content associated with each state in the second series of states to a video display device.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein the first non-volatile memory and the second non-volatile memory reside on a memory device located within a housing for said gaming machine.

35. The method of claim 33, wherein at least of a portion of the second information is stored to the second non-volatile memory wherein said second non-volatile memory is located within a housing for said gaming machine and a copy of said portion of the second information is stored in a third non-volatile memory located remote from said housing.

36. The method of claim 33, wherein the second non-volatile memory is located in a memory device remote from said gaming machine.

37. The method of claim 33, wherein said first non-volatile memory or said second non-volatile memory is a battery-back Random Access Memory (RAM).

38. The method of claim 33, wherein a portion of said first information and a portion of said second information is common to both the first series of states and the second series of states.

39. The method of claim 33, further comprising,

logging first events associated with the first series of states;

logging second events associated with the second series of states;

determining a time sequence of events including the first events and the second events.

40. The method of claim 39, wherein each of the first events and each of the second events includes a time stamp.

41. The method of claim 33, further comprising;

generating a playback interface on the video display device;

receiving an input selection related to one or more previously generated states in the second series states; and

outputting first visual content related to the one or more previously generated states to the video display device.

42. The method of claim 33, further comprising:

generating a playback interface on the video display device;

receiving an input selection related to one or more previously generated states in the first series states; and

outputting first visual content related to the one or more previously generated states.

43. The method of claim 42, wherein the first visual content is output as a configuration of one or more mechanical reels coupled to the gaming machine, on the video display device or combinations thereof.

44. The method of claim 33, further comprising:

generating a playback interface on the video display device;

receiving a first input selection related to a previously generated state in the first series of states;

receiving a second input selection related to a previously generated state in the second series of states;

outputting first visual content related to the previously generated state in the first series of states; and

outputting second visual content related to the previously generated state in the second series of states to the video display device.

45. The method of claim 44, wherein the first visual content is output to the video display device.

46. The method of claim 33, further comprising:

generating a playback interface on the video display device;

receiving an input selection related to a previously generated state in the first series of states;

determining a previously generated state in the second series of states related to the previously generated state in the second series of states;

outputting first visual content related to the previously generated state in the first series of states; and

outputting second visual content related to the previously generated state in the second series of states to the video display device.

47. The method of claim 33, further comprising:

generating a playback interface on the video display device;

receiving an input selection related to a previously generated state in the second series of states;

determining a previously generated state in the first series of states related to the previously generated state in the second series of states;

outputting first visual content related to the previously generated state in the first series of states; and

outputting second visual content related to the previously generated state in the second series of states to the video display device.