System and method for downloading electronic information to a video lottery terminal

• US 7,177,428 B2
• Filed: 01/30/2001
• Issued: 02/13/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Igt Canada Solutions Ulc (GTECH SpA)
• Original Assignee: Spielo Manufacturing ULC
• Inventors: Kelly, Bartholmew Matthew, Gordon, Timothy Alexander, Cormier, Joseph Emile Junior
• Primary Examiner(s): Moazzami; Nasser
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tran; Ellen C.
• Application Number:
  US09/772,460
• Publication Number:
  US 20020057800A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,205 Days
• Field of Search: 380/251, 380/28, 380/25, 380/4, 380/9, 380/23, 713/172, 463/29, 463/42
• US Class Current: 380/251
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/24 Resetting means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/602 Providing cryptographic facilities or services
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3241 Security aspects of a gaming system, e.g. detecting cheating, device integrity, surveillance computer security G06F21/00

Abstract

This invention relates to reprogramming of in-circuit programmable chips installed in video lottery terminals (VLTs) by downloading electronic information (software) to such chips. Encrypted electronic information is downloaded from a host device to a gaming terminal through a communications link. The terminal comprises a decryption component configured for decrypting the encrypted electronic information using at least two security keys, at least one said key being resident in the terminal and at least another said key being delivered to the terminal at the time of the downloading (the downloading facilitating a replacement of existing software in terminal with corresponding decrypted software obtained from decrypting the encrypted information). The encrypted information transmitted to the terminal comprises at least one next version key for later use by the decryption component in decrypting a next version of encrypted electronic information. The non-resident key may be provided to the terminal by means of an electronic plug-in security key or provided through a secure network.

Claims

1. An electronic downloading system, comprising:

a gaming terminal, the gaming terminal further comprising,

a first resident security key,

a first resident electronic information,

a receiving component, and

a decrypting component;

a host device;

a second encrypted electronic information, the second encrypted electronic information transmitted from the host device and received by the receiving component;

a second non-resident security key residing outside the gaming terminal and received by the gaming terminal separately from the first resident security key and the second encrypted electronic information; and

a second decrypted electronic information to replace the first resident electronic information, the second decrypted electronic information decrypted from the second encrypted electronic information by the decrypting component with at least the first resident security key and the second non-resident security key.

2. A system according to claim 1, further comprising a communications link between the host device and the receiving component.

3. A system according to claim 2, wherein the communication link comprises a cable coupled to parallel ports of the host device and the receiving component.

4. A system according to claim 3, wherein the cable is wired to provide crossed control lines and bidirectional communications for data transfer.

5. A system according to claim 2, wherein the communications link comprises a secure network.

6. A system according to claim 2, wherein the communications link comprises a wide area Ethernet network.

7. A system according to claim 1, further comprising a removable storage media removably attached to the gaming terminal, the removable storage media configured to receive and to transmit electronic information.

8. A system according to claim 1, further comprising a removable storage media removably attached to the gaming terminal, the removable storage media configured as a non-network connection.

9. A system according to claim 1, the gaming terminal further comprising an encrypted master reset component, the decrypting component configured to decrypt the encrypted master reset component with the second non-resident security key.

10. A system according to claim 1, wherein the second non-resident security key comprises information to determine a version information of the second encrypted electronic information.

11. A system according to claim 1, the gaming terminal further comprising a nonvolatile memory to store the second decrypted electronic information.

12. A system according to claim 1, wherein the second decrypted information comprises game application code.

13. A system according to claim 1, wherein the second decrypted information comprises game system modules.

14. A system according to claim 1, wherein the second decrypted information comprises game graphics and audio files.

15. A system according to claim 1, wherein the second decrypted information comprises new release game software files.

16. A system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a third encrypted electronic information;

a third non-resident security key, the third non-resident security key residing outside the gaming terminal and received by the gaming terminal with the second encrypted electronic information; and

a third decrypted electronic information to replace the second decrypted electronic information, the third decrypted electronic information obtained decrypted from the third encrypted electronic information by the decrypting component with at least the first resident security key and the third non-resident security key.

17. A system according to claim 16, wherein the third non-resident security key is packaged with the second encrypted electronic information into one file for transmission to the gaming terminal.

18. A system according to claim 16, wherein the host device is local to the gaming terminal.

19. A system according to claim 16, wherein the host device is in the same geographic location as the gaming terminal.

20. A system according to claim 16, wherein the host device is remote from the gaming terminal.

21. A system according to claim 1, wherein

the decrypting component is configured to,

decrypt the second encrypted information into an interim result with the first resident security key, and

decrypt the interim result into the second decrypted information with the second non-resident security key.

22. A method for securely downloading information to a gaming terminal, comprising:

transmitting a second encrypted electronic information from a host device;

receiving the second encrypted electronic information at the gaming terminal;

receiving at the gaming terminal a second non-resident security key separately from a first resident security key and the second encrypted electronic information;

decrypting the second encrypted electronic information into a second decrypted electronic information at the gaming terminal with at least the first resident security key and the second non-resident security key; and

replacing a first resident electronic information at the gaming terminal with the second decrypted electronic information.

23. A method according to claim 22, wherein the transmitting the second encrypted electronic information and receiving the second encrypted electronic information occurs over a communications link.

24. A method according to claim 23, wherein the communication link comprises a cable coupled to parallel ports of the host device and the receiving component.

25. A method according to claim 23, wherein the communications link comprises a secure network.

26. A method according to claim 23, wherein the communications link comprises a wide area Ethernet network.

27. A method according to claim 23, wherein the transmitting is accomplished with a physical electronic key removably attached to the gaming terminal.

28. A method according to claim 22, further comprising decrypting an encrypted master reset component in the gaming terminal with the second non-resident security key.

29. A method according to claim 22, further comprising determining a version information of the second encrypted electronic information with an information in the second non-resident security key.

30. A method according to claim 22, further comprising storing the second decrypted electronic information in the gaming terminal in a nonvolatile memory.

31. A method according to claim 22, wherein the second decrypted information comprises game application code.

32. A method according to claim 22, wherein the second decrypted information comprises game system modules.

33. A method according to claim 22, wherein the second decrypted information comprises game graphics and audio files.

34. A method according to claim 22, wherein the second decrypted information comprises new release game software files.

35. A method according to claim 22, wherein the decrypting the second encrypted electronic information into a second decrypted electronic information further comprises,

decrypting the second encrypted electronic information into an interim result with the first resident security key at the gaming terminal, and

decrypting the interim result into the second decrypted electronic information with the second non-resident security key at the gaming terminal.

36. A method according to claim 22, further comprising:

transmitting a third encrypted electronic information from the host device;

receiving the third encrypted electronic information at the gaming terminal;

receiving a third non-resident security key with the second encrypted electronic information at the gaming terminal;

decrypting the third encrypted electronic information into a third decrypted electronic information at the gaming terminal with at least the first resident security key and the third non-resident security key; and

replacing the second decrypted electronic information with the third decrypted electronic information.

37. A method according to claim 36, further comprising packaging the third non-resident security key and the second encrypted electronic information into one file.

38. A method according to claim 36, wherein the host device is local to the gaming terminal.

39. A method according to claim 36, wherein the host device is in the same geographic location to the gaming terminal.

40. A method according to claim 36, wherein the host device is remote from the gaming terminal.

41. The method of claim 36, further comprising:

replacing the first resident security key with the third resident security key.