PLUG-IN ARCHITECTURE FOR A WAGERING GAME NETWORK

• US 20100190553A1
• Filed: 06/19/2008
• Published: 07/29/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LNW Gaming Incorporated (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: WMS Gaming Incorporated (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Inventors: Whidden, Travis, Pacey, Larry, Gura, Damon E., Sylla, Craig J., Buchholz, Dale R., Wilson, Timothy D.
• Granted Patent: US 8,449,394 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 17/3223 Architectural aspects of a gaming system, e.g. internal configuration, master/slave, wireless communication

Abstract

A plug-in architecture for a wagering game network is described. Plug-in modules may provide various functions for services related to wagering games. Such functions may include random number generation, user interface functions, player tracking functions, central determinant functions etc. The plug-ins are dynamically loaded during the run-time of an application or service.

Claims

1. A method for execution by one or more processors, the method comprising:

initializing a logical connection between the one or more processors and a wagering game network having one or more wagering game machines operable to present a wagering game upon which monetary value may be wagered;

locating at least one plug-in on the wagering game network, the plug-in comprising executable code and data; and

loading the plug-in into an executable software program operating on at least one machine on the wagering game network, the executable software program providing a plug-in interface for communication between the plug-in and the executable software program.

2. The method of claim 1, and further comprising authenticating the at least one plug-in.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising registering one or more functions within the plug-in with the application.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the one or more functions include callback functions.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the one or more functions include event handler functions.

6. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor and a memory;

a software program executable by the at least one processor and operable to provide support for a wagering game upon which monetary value may be wagered and to provide a plug-in interface; and

a plug-in comprising executable code and data, the plug-in loadable into the software program during the run-time of the software program, the plug-in and software program communicating through the plug-in interface.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the software program executes on a wagering game machine.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the software program executes on a server on a wagering game network.

9. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the plug-in resides in a pre-determined directory accessible to the software program.

10. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the plug-in resides at a network location and is downloadable by the software program.

11. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the plug-in is included in at least one of a dynamically loadable library (DLL) or a shared object library.

12. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the plug-in includes one or more of a random number generator plug-in, a security plug-in, a protocol translator plug-in, a database plug-in, or a player tracking plug-in.

13. The apparatus of claim 6, and further comprising a second plug-in loadable into the plug-in.

14. The apparatus of claim 6, further comprising a plug-in interface between the software program and the plug-in.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the interface comprises a registration interface and wherein callback routines within the plug-in are registered with the software program.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the interface comprises a predetermined routine within the plug-in and a data structure defining actions to be performed by the plug-in.

17. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the interface includes a dynamically load library interface.

18. A machine-readable storage medium having machine executable code stored thereon for causing one or more processors to execute a method, the method comprising:

communicating on a wagering game network having one or more wagering game machines operable to present a wagering game upon which monetary value may be wagered;

locating at least one plug-in on the wagering game network, the plug-in comprising executable code and data; and

loading the at least one plug-in into an executable software program operating on at least one machine on the wagering game network, the executable software program providing a plug-in interface for communication between the plug-in and the executable software program.

19. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the method further comprises authenticating the at least one plug-in.

20. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the method further comprises registering one or more functions within the plug-in with the application.

21. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 20, wherein the one or more functions include callback functions.

22. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 20, wherein the one or more functions include event handler functions.