POWER MANAGEMENT IN WAGERING GAME MACHINES

• US 20090138133A1
• Filed: 07/21/2006
• Published: 05/28/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/06/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sg Gaming, Inc. (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: WMS Gaming Incorporated (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Inventors: Grom, Robert A., Fitzdimons, Matthew R., Ryan, Eric, Gagner, Mark B., Sylla, Craig J., Buchholz, Dale R., Liber, Nevin J., Lee, Steven J.
• Application Number:
  US12/160,192
• Publication Number:
  US 20090138133A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/295
• 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

Abstract

Systems and methods provide power management on a wagering game machine. Power consumption for various components of a wagering game machine may be adjusted based on various factors, including inactivity, component activity, power source changes, time based events, wireless access point proximity, change in battery voltage, credit level threshold, change in ambient lighting, related or adjacent machine power status, mode transition to play mode, mode transition to attract mode and mode transition to diagnostic mode. Power management events and power usage data may be communicated to a remote system for analysis or action. Power management commands or policies may be received from a remote system.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a wager for a wagering game on a wagering game machine;

detecting a power management event in the wagering game machine; and

adjusting power consumption for at least one wagering game machine component.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the power management event is selected from the group consisting of:

inactivity timeout, component activity, power source change, time based event, wireless access point proximity, change in battery voltage, credit level threshold, change in ambient lighting, related or adjacent machine power status, mode transition to play mode, mode transition to attract mode and mode transition to diagnostic mode.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising saving the state of a wagering game machine component upon receipt of a power reduction event.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising restoring the state of a wagering game machine component upon receipt of a power restoration event.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining if a configuration of the wagering game machine has changed upon receiving a power restoration event.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the wagering game machine includes a plurality of wagering game machine components, and further comprising:

increasing power consumption for a first subset of the wagering game machine components; and

decreasing power consumption for a second subset of wagering game machine components.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising communicating the power management event to a remote system.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising communicating power usage data to a remote system.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a power management policy from a remote system.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the wagering game machines adjusts power in response to a command received from the remote system.

11. An apparatus comprising:

a wagering game machine including a processor and a memory;

a wagering game application executable by the processor and operable to receive a wager; and

a power management component executable by the processor and operable to;

detect a power management event; and

adjust power consumption for at least one component on the wagering game machine.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the power management component comprises an ACPI power management component.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the memory comprises ferromagnetic memory.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the wagering game machine is a portable wagering game machine, and further comprising:

a battery; and

a power source operable to charge the battery.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the power source is selected from the group consisting of AC power supply, DC power supply, crank generator, solar cell or inductive power source.

16. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising a sensor and wherein a value from the sensor causes the power management event.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the sensor is selected from the group consisting of:

motion sensor, ambient lighting sensor, audio sensor or heat sensor.

18. A computer-readable medium having computer executable instructions for causing a processor to:

receive a wager for a wagering game on a wagering game machine;

detect a power management event in the wagering game machine; and

adjust power consumption for at least one wagering game machine component.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the power management event is selected from the group consisting of:

inactivity timeout, component activity, power source change, time based event, wireless access point proximity, change in battery voltage, credit level threshold, change in ambient lighting, related or adjacent machine power status, mode transition to play mode, mode transition to attract mode, and mode transition to diagnostic mode.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 18, further comprising computer executable instructions to cause the processor to save the state of a wagering game machine component upon receipt of a power reduction event.

21. The computer-readable medium of claim 18, further comprising computer executable instructions to cause the processor to restore the state of a wagering game machine component upon receipt of a power restoration event.

22. The computer-readable medium of claim 18, further comprising computer executable instructions to cause the processor to determine if a configuration of the wagering game machine has changed upon receiving a power restoration event.

23. The computer-readable medium of claim 18, further comprising computer executable instructions to cause the processor to:

increase power consumption for a first subset of wagering game machine components; and

decrease power consumption for a second subset of wagering game machine components.