PERIPHERAL UPDATE PERIPHERAL IN A WAGERING GAME SYSTEM

• US 20090270176A1
• Filed: 06/13/2007
• Published: 10/29/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LNW Gaming Incorporated
• Original Assignee: WMS Gaming Incorporated (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Inventors: Sylla, Craig J., Motyl, Jim
• Granted Patent: US 8,409,009 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/42
• 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

There is provided a peripheral update device. The peripheral update device includes at least one interface adapted to communicatively connect to at least one peripheral device of a wagering game machine and to an update device, the at least one interface adapted to receive a firmware update from the update device for a peripheral device of the at least one peripheral device. The peripheral update device further includes a processor being communicatively connected to the at least one interface and adapted to receive the transmitted firmware update via the at least one interface and further adapted to apply the received firmware update to the peripheral device via the at least one interface.

Claims

1. A peripheral update device comprising:

at least one interface adapted to communicatively connect to at least one peripheral device of a wagering game machine and to an update device, the at least one interface adapted to receive a firmware update from the update device for a peripheral device of the at least one peripheral device; and

a processor communicatively connected to the at least one interface and adapted to receive the firmware update via the at least one interface and further adapted to apply the received firmware update to the peripheral device via the at least one interface.

2. The peripheral update device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the at least one interface includes a power line interface adapted to communicatively connect via a power line network.

5. The peripheral update device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the at least one interface includes a power bus interface adapted to communicatively connect via a power bus of the wagering game machine.

9. The peripheral update device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the update device is an update server.

10. The peripheral update device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the at least one interface is further communicatively connected to a processor of the wagering game machine, and wherein the processor of the wagering game machine is adapted to receive the update from the update device and is further adapted to transmit the update to the processor of the peripheral update device.

3-4. -4. (canceled)

6-8. -8. (canceled)

11. (canceled)

12. A wagering game machine comprising:

a game processor;

at least one peripheral device communicatively connected to the game processor; and

a peripheral update device including;

at least one interface adapted to communicatively connect to the at least one peripheral device and to an update device, the at least one interface adapted to receive a firmware update from the update device for a peripheral device of the at least one peripheral device; and

a processor communicatively connected to the at least one interface and adapted to receive the firmware update via the at least one interface and further adapted to apply the received firmware update to the peripheral device via the at least one interface.

13. The wagering game machine in accordance with claim 12, further comprising a bus communicatively connecting the at least one interface of the peripheral update device to the at least one peripheral device and the game processor.

14. The wagering game machine in accordance with claim 13, wherein the bus is one selected from the group consisting of:

an input/output (I/O) bus; and

a power bus.

15. The wagering game machine in accordance with claim 14, wherein the bus is the power bus, and wherein the wagering game machine further comprises a respective power bus interface (PBI) adapted to connect each of the game processor, the at least one peripheral device and the at least one interface of the peripheral update device to the power bus.

16. The wagering game machine in accordance with claim 13, further comprising a power line interface adapted to communicatively connect to the bus, the power line interface further adapted to provide a connection to one or more of the game processor and the at least one interface of the peripheral update device to the update device.

17. The wagering game machine in accordance with claim 13, further comprising a communication network interface adapted to communicatively connect to the bus, the communication network interface further adapted to provide a connection to one or more of the game processor and the at least one interface of the peripheral update device to the update device.

18. The wagering game machine in accordance with claim 12, wherein the processor of the peripheral update device is adapted to transmit a status update to the update device in connection with the application of the received update to the peripheral device.

19. The wagering game machine in accordance with claim 18, wherein the update device is an update server.

20. The wagering game machine in accordance with claim 18, wherein the at least one interface is further communicatively connected to the game processor.

21. The wagering game machine in accordance with claim 20, wherein the game processor is adapted to receive the update from the update device and is further adapted to transmit the update via the at least one interface of the peripheral update device to the processor of the peripheral update device.

22-34. -34. (canceled)

35. A method for updating a peripheral device in a wagering game machine including at least one peripheral device, the method comprising:

receiving a firmware update for updating the peripheral device at a peripheral update device from an update device;

applying the firmware update using the peripheral update device to the peripheral device;

generating an update result resulting from applying the firmware update; and

transmitting the update result from the peripheral update device to a processor of the wagering game machine.

36. The method for updating a peripheral device in accordance with claim 35, further comprising:

notifying the processor of the received firmware update for the peripheral device; and

receiving notification from the processor that a state associated with the peripheral device has been set to a disabled state.

37. The method for updating a peripheral device in accordance with claim 36, further comprising changing a state associated with the peripheral device by the processor of the wagering game machine for application of the firmware update.

38. The method for updating a peripheral device in accordance with claim 37, further comprising resetting the state associated with the peripheral device by the processor of the wagering game machine after application of the firmware update.

39. The method for updating a peripheral device in accordance with claim 35, further comprising:

generating a log related to the application of the firmware update to the peripheral device; and

transmitting the log to the update device.

40. The method for updating a peripheral device in accordance with claim 35, further comprising:

receiving the firmware update from the update device for updating the peripheral device at the processor of the wagering game machine;

changing a state associated with the peripheral device; and

transmitting the firmware update from the processor to the peripheral update device.

41. A machine-readable medium including instructions, which when executed by a machine, cause the machine to:

receive a firmware update for updating the peripheral device at a peripheral update device from an update device;

apply the firmware update using the peripheral update device to the peripheral device;

gather an update result resulting from applying the firmware update; and

transmit the update result from the peripheral update device to a processor of the wagering game machine.

42. The machine-readable medium in accordance with claim 41, further comprising instructions that cause the machine to:

notify the processor of the received firmware update for the peripheral device; and

receive notification from the processor that a state associated with the peripheral device has been set to a disabled state.

46. The machine-readable medium in accordance with claim 41, further comprising instructions that cause the machine to:

receive the firmware update from the update device for updating the peripheral device at the processor of the wagering game machine;

change a state associated with the peripheral device; and

transmit the firmware update from the processor to the peripheral update device.

43-45. -45. (canceled)