CONFIGURING AND CONTROLLING WAGERING GAME COMPATIBILITY

• US 20110287828A1
• Filed: 01/27/2010
• Published: 11/24/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LNW Gaming Incorporated (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: WMS Gaming Incorporated (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Inventors: Anderson, Peter R., Sylla, Craig J., Irby, Michael J. II
• Granted Patent: US 8,357,039 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/25
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 9/24 Electric games; Games using electronic circuits not otherwise provided for video games A63F13/00; computerized gaming systems G07F17/32
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/326 Game play aspects of gaming systems

Abstract

A wagering game system is herein. In embodiments, the system'"'"'s operations can include presenting a primary wagering game and receiving a request to present a secondary game in connection with the primary wagering game. The primary wagering game and the secondary game can be separate applications that require interactivity with each other (e.g., provide required functionality and communicate shared data, etc.). The operations can further include determining that an API provides the required interactivity, so that the secondary game can function in conjunction with the primary wagering game (e.g., can successfully plug-in to the primary wagering game). The operations can further determine optional and non-optional requirements and determine compatibilities based on the optional and non-optional requirements. Further, the operations can add functionality to the primary wagering game, the secondary game, or the API, to enable compatibility.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving a request to enable interactivity of functionality of a secondary game with a primary wagering game during a wagering game session, wherein the primary wagering game and the secondary game are separate applications from each other, and wherein the primary wagering game includes an application programming interface;

determining, in response to receiving the request to enable the interactivity of the functionality of the secondary game with the primary wagering game, that the application programming interface is capable of enabling the interactivity of the functionality of the secondary game with the primary wagering game;

enabling the interactivity of the functionality of the secondary game with the primary wagering game in response to determining that the application programming interface is capable of enabling the interactivity of the functionality of the secondary game with the primary wagering game; and

using the application programming interface during the wagering game session to perform the interactivity of the functionality of the secondary game with the primary wagering game.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein receiving the request to enable the interactivity of the functionality of the secondary game with the primary wagering game during the wagering game session comprises detecting a triggering event that causes communication of shared data between the secondary game and the primary wagering game, wherein the triggering event comprise one or more of a result on the primary wagering game, a direct buy-in to the secondary game, and an automatic enrollment as a result of a buy-in to the primary wagering game.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the functionality comprises one or more of providing information from the primary wagering game to the secondary game, obtaining use of wagering game machine resources that are available to the primary wagering game, and sharing math data between the primary wagering game and the secondary game.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the functionality of the secondary game is non-optional and enables presentation of the secondary wagering game without one or more of operational error, delay, missing data, and disturbances.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 further comprising:

detecting that the application programming interface is not capable of enabling interactivity of additional functionality of the secondary game with the primary wagering game; and

disabling the additional functionality of the secondary game in response to detecting that the application programming interface is not capable of enabling the interactivity of the additional functionality of the secondary game with the primary wagering game.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining that the application programming interface is capable of enabling the interactivity of the functionality of the secondary game during the wagering game session comprises,

determining that the secondary game is classified as a type of game that specifies a set of requirements shared in common by a group of secondary games;

determining a list of game types that are compatible with the primary wagering game; and

cross-referencing the type of the game with the list of game types to determine, via the cross-referencing, that the primary wagering game is compatible with the secondary game.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the application programming interface is not capable of enabling interactivity of additional functionality of the secondary game with the primary wagering game during the wagering game session; and

dynamically adding additional capabilities to the application programming interface to enable the interactivity of the additional functionality of the secondary game with the primary wagering game.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein dynamically adding the additional capabilities to the application programming interface comprises accessing a script file that adds the additional capabilities to the application programming interface.

9. One or more machine-readable storage media having instructions stored thereon, which when executed by a set of one or more processors causes the set of one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

determining requirements of a secondary game to control common data with a primary wagering game when presented via a wagering game machine during a wagering game session, and wherein the secondary game and the primary wagering game are separate programs that are configured to run independent of each other;

assigning a type for the secondary game based on the requirements of the secondary game to control the common data with the primary wagering game;

determining that an application programming interface for the primary wagering game is capable of controlling the common data; and

assigning the type to a compatibility list that identifies the type as being compatible with the application programming interface for the primary wagering game in response to determining that the application programming interface for the primary wagering game is capable of controlling the common data.

10. The one or more machine-readable storage media of claim 9, wherein said operation of assigning the type to the compatibility list includes operations further comprising:

storing the type in the compatibility list, wherein the type refers to the secondary game and any additional secondary games available via the wagering game machine that also have the same requirements;

associating the list with the secondary game; and

making the compatibility list accessible to the wagering game machine.

11. The one or more machine-readable storage media of claim 9, said operations further comprising:

determining an application programming interface component for the secondary game; and

determining that the application programming interface component has additional capabilities that are adequate to interact with the application programming interface of the primary wagering game.

12. The one or more machine-readable storage media of claim 9, said operations further comprising:

determining one or more additional secondary games already assigned to the type, wherein the one or more additional secondary games also possess the requirements; and

assigning the type to the one or more additional secondary games.

13. The one or more machine-readable storage media of claim 9, said operations further comprising

assigning a configuration reference to the type in a configuration file associated with the primary wagering game.

14. The one or more machine-readable storage media of claim 13, said operations further comprising:

presenting the primary wagering game;

receiving a request to present the secondary game in connection with the primary wagering game, wherein the requirements require presentation, during the secondary game, of at least some of the common data;

determining the type for the secondary game;

referencing the configuration reference to the type in the configuration file;

determining a match between the type and the configuration reference to the type indicating that the primary wagering game is compatible with the secondary game;

presenting the secondary game;

using the application programming interface to share the at least some of the common data between the primary wagering game and the secondary game; and

presenting the at least some of the common data.

15. A system comprising:

a wagering game server configured to provide primary wagering game content for a primary wagering game;

a secondary content server configured to provide secondary content that interfaces with the primary wagering game content, wherein the primary wagering game content and the secondary content are provided by separate applications; and

a wagering game machine configured to receive and present the primary wagering game content, the wagering game machine comprising,

a compatibility controller configured to determine that an application programming interface provides functionality to present, without operational error, non-optional portions of secondary content in conjunction with the primary wagering game content, and

a content controller configured to present the non-optional portions of the secondary content in conjunction with the primary wagering game content using the application programming interface.

16. The system of claim 15, the wagering game machine further comprising a configuration store configured to store configuration data regarding types of the secondary content that are compatible with the primary game content, and wherein the compatibility controller is further configured to utilize the stored configuration data to

determine a compatibility type for the secondary content,

compare the compatibility type to a pre-determined compatibility list indicating compatibility types that are compatible with the primary wagering game content via the application programming interface;

and

indicate to the content controller that the secondary content is compatible with the primary wagering game content.

17. The system of claim 15, further comprising:

a compatibility configuration server comprising;

a compatibility configuration controller configured to

determine that the application programming interface lacks abilities to present additional functionality for the secondary content, and

dynamically add the abilities to the application programming interface to present the additional functionality for the secondary content.

18. An apparatus comprising:

a processor; and

a game compatibility module configured to, via the processor,

determine that first functionality requirements of a primary wagering game and second functionality requirements of a secondary game require communication of wagering game data between the primary wagering game and the secondary game, wherein the primary wagering game and the secondary game are separate applications

determine that a first application programming interface for the primary wagering game and a second application programming interface for the secondary game possess capabilities to communicate with each other, and

configure one or more of the secondary game and the primary wagering game to communicate the wagering game data with each other, via the first application programming interface and the second application programming interface during a wagering game session.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the game compatibility module is further configured to

determine a type for the secondary game based on the second functionality requirements, wherein the type specifies a classification of secondary game application that possesses the second functionality requirements of the secondary game,

associate the type with the secondary game,

generate a configuration reference to the type, wherein the configuration reference indicates that the first application programming interface is compatible with the second functionality requirements, and

associate the configuration reference with the primary wagering game.

20. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the wagering game data comprises wagering account information and wherein the game compatibility module is further configured to

provide the wagering account information to the secondary game, wherein the secondary game generates modified wagering account information based on secondary game results, and

provide the modified secondary game results to the primary wagering game.

21. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the wagering game data comprises a first wager generated via the primary wagering game and a second wager generated via the secondary game.

22. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the first functionality requirements include a request for the secondary wagering game to insert one or more graphical images into a portion of a display for the primary wagering game using a shared sprite function between the primary wagering game and the secondary game.

23. An apparatus comprising:

means for receiving a request to communicate shared wagering data between a secondary game and a primary wagering game, wherein the primary wagering game and the secondary game are separate applications;

means for determining that an application programming interface is capable of communicating the shared wagering data between the secondary game and the primary wagering game in response to receiving the request to communicate the shared wagering data between the secondary game and the primary wagering game; and

means for communicating the shared wagering data between the primary wagering game and the secondary game using the capabilities of the application programming interface in response to determining that the application programming interface is capable of communicating the shared wagering data.

24. The apparatus of claim 23 further comprising:

means for determining secondary game type data for the secondary game, wherein the secondary game type data indicates a secondary game type that specifies a set of requirements shared in common by a group of secondary games;

means for determining primary wagering game compatibility data, wherein the primary wagering game compatibility data indicates one or more secondary game types that are compatible with the primary wagering game; and

means for cross-referencing the primary wagering game compatibility data with the secondary game type data to determine that the primary wagering game is compatible with the secondary game.

25. The apparatus of claim 23 further comprising:

means for determining that one or more of the primary wagering game and the application programming interface lacks ability to enable presentation of at least some secondary game content; and

means for dynamically adding additional functionality to one or more of the primary wagering game and the application programming interface to enable the presentation of the at least some secondary game content.