APPARATUS, METHOD, AND SYSTEM TO PROVIDE A MULTIPLE PROCESSOR ARCHITECTURE FOR SERVER-BASED GAMING

• US 20100124990A1
• Filed: 11/14/2008
• Published: 05/20/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LNW Gaming Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Bally Gaming Incorporated (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Inventors: Crowder, Robert W.
• Granted Patent: US 8,266,213 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 17/3202 Hardware aspects of a gaming system, e.g. components, construction, architecture thereof
• 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

Abstract

An architecture for an electronic gaming machine (EGM) includes multiple processors that separate game logic from game presentation. The multi-processor architecture includes a dedicated game logic engine and a dedicated presentation engine. A first processor having the game logic engine is adapted to handle the input/output (I/O), peripherals, communications, accounting, critical gaming and other game logic, power hit tolerances, protocols to other systems, and other tasks related to operation of the EGM. A second processor is adapted to running a presentation engine. The second processor receives commands from the first processor to present game-oriented outcome and results.

Claims

1. A method of operating a multi-processor architecture in an electronic gaming environment, the method comprising:

providing a first processor to execute a logic engine for a game;

providing a second processor to execute only a presentation engine for said game;

executing by said first processor said logic engine to process player input to obtain an outcome pertaining to said game;

sending, by said first processor to said second processor, a control signal that corresponds to said outcome; and

executing, by said second processor in response to said control signal sent by said first processor, said presentation engine to present said outcome.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said providing said first and second processors includes locating said first and second processors in an electronic gaming machine (EGM) remote from a server.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said providing said first processor includes locating said first processor in a server, and wherein said providing said second processor includes locating said second processor in a client device remote from said server.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising downloading said presentation engine to said client device, wherein said executing said logic engine includes executing said logic engine at said server and wherein said executing said presentation engine includes executing said downloaded presentation engine at said client device.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing communication from said second processor to a display to enable said second processor to control presentation of said outcome on said display; and

providing communication from said first processor to said display to enable said first processor to also control presentation of content on said display in addition to said presentation of said outcome controlled by said second processor.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said first processor is also provided to execute tasks pertaining to input/output (I/O) peripherals, communications, accounting, power hit tolerances, and protocols.

7. A multi-processor system in an electronic gaming environment, the system comprising:

a first processor adapted to execute a logic engine for a game;

a second processor adapted to execute only a presentation engine for said game;

a first processor-readable storage medium coupled to said first processor and that stores a first set of processor-executable instructions that implement said logic engine, said first set of processor-executable instructions being executable by said first processor to process player input to obtain an outcome pertaining to said game;

a communication line coupled to said first and second processors, and adapted to be used by said first processor to send to said second processor a control signal that corresponds to said outcome; and

a second processor-readable storage medium coupled to said second processor and that stores a second set of processor-executable instructions that implement said presentation engine, said second set of processor-executable instructions being executable by said second processor in response to said control signal sent by said first processor to present said outcome.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein both said first and second processors are located in an electronic gaming machine (EGM) remote from a server.

9. The system of claim 7 wherein said first processor is located in a server, and wherein said second processor is located in a client device remote from said server.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein said server is adapted to download said second set of processor-executable instructions that implement said presentation engine to said client device to be executed at said client device, and wherein said first set of processor-executable instructions that implement said logic engine are executed at said server.

11. The system of claim 7, further comprising a display coupled to said first and second processors, and adapted to be independently controlled by both said first and second processors.

12. The system of claim 7 wherein said second processor is located on a mobile wireless client device.

13. An electronic gaming machine (EGM) apparatus, comprising:

at least one processor adapted to execute only a presentation engine for a game, wherein another processor is adapted to execute a logic engine for said game; and

a processor-readable storage medium coupled to said at least one processor and that stores a set of processor-executable instructions that implement said presentation engine, said set of processor-executable instructions being executable by said at least one processor to present an outcome pertaining to said game, in response to a control signal received from said another processor and generated by said another processor in response to application of said logic engine to player input.

14. The EGM apparatus of claim 13 wherein said at least one processor and said another processor are located in a same client device.

15. The EGM apparatus of claim 14, further comprising another processor-readable storage medium coupled to said first processor and that stores a another set of processor-executable instructions that implement said logic engine, said first set of processor-executable instructions being executable by said first processor to process said player input to obtain said outcome pertaining to said game.

16. The EGM apparatus of claim 13 wherein said another processor is located at a server remote from said at least one processor.

17. The EGM apparatus of claim 16 wherein said at least one processor is located is located in a mobile wireless client device.

18. The EGM apparatus of claim 13, further comprising a display coupled to said first and second processors, and adapted to be independently controlled by both said first and second processors.

19. A server apparatus in an electronic gaming environment, the server comprising:

at least one processor adapted to execute a game logic engine for a game, wherein another processor is adapted to execute only a presentation engine for said game; and

a processor-readable storage medium coupled to said at least one processor and that stores a set of processor-executable instructions that implement said game logic engine, said set of processor-executable instructions being executable by said at least one processor to obtain an outcome pertaining to said game in response to player input, said at least one processor being adapted to generate a control signal corresponding to said outcome and to send said control signal to said another processor to enable said another processor to execute said presentation engine to present said outcome.

20. The server apparatus of claim 19 wherein said presentation engine is adapted to be downloaded by said at least one processor to a client device having said another processor so as to be executed at said client device.

21. The server apparatus of claim 20 wherein said client device includes a mobile wireless device.

22. The server apparatus of claim 19 wherein said game logic engine is shared by a plurality of remote client devices, each having their respective said another processor adapted to execute respective said presentation engine.