Computerized gaming system, method and apparatus

• US 7,470,182 B2
• Filed: 04/19/2004
• Issued: 12/30/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Jackson, Mark D., Martinek, Michael G., Yoseloff, Mark L.
• Primary Examiner(s): HOTALING, JOHN M
• Application Number:
  US10/827,042
• Publication Number:
  US 20040198479A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,716 Days
• Field of Search: 463/1, 463 24- 25, 463/29, 463 16- 20, 463/43, 463/46, 273/138.1, 273/138.2, 273/139, 273/143.R, 273/269, 707/202, 714/100, 714/112, 714/5, 714/6, 714/15, 714/21, 714/36, 714/42, 700/1, 700/11, 700/19, 709/328, 709/330, 709/331, 709/332, 710/8, 710/10, 710/15, 710/17, 710/19, 710/62, 710/63, 717/1, 717/3
• US Class Current: 463/16
• 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

Abstract

The present invention in various embodiments provides a computerized wagering game method and apparatus that features an operating system kernel, a system handler application that loads and executes gaming program shared objects and features nonvolatile storage that facilitates sharing of information between gaming program objects. The system handler of some embodiments further provides an API library of functions callable from the gaming program objects, and facilitates the use of callback functions on change of data stored in nonvolatile storage. The nonvolatile storage also provides a nonvolatile record of the state of the computerized wagering game, providing protection against loss of the game state due to power loss. The system handler application in various embodiments includes a plurality of device handlers, providing an interface to selected hardware and the ability to monitor hardware-related events.

Claims

1. A universal operating system stored in a memory of a computerized controller comprising a processor with said memory and the operating system stored in said memory, the controller further comprising a operating state storage, a nonvolatile storage, the computerized controller being operable to control at least one computerized wagering game, the operating system comprising:

an operating system kernel and a system handler application, the operating system kernel and system handler application operable to dynamically link with a plurality of program shared objects and device handlers and load said program shared objects and device handlers, wherein said plurality of program shared objects can be effectively shared between two or more computerized wagering games;

the system handler application further comprising an event queue;

the system handler application further comprising an Application Program Interface (API) comprising functions callable from the program shared objects, the Application Program Interface comprising a plurality of operating functions callable by and used by said plurality of said program shared objects;

the device handlers accessing a look-up table in the operating state storage for the data variables stored in the nonvolatile storage;

the system handler application operable to;

initiate execution of a computerized wagering game based on data variables stored in the nonvolatile storage;

write data variables to the nonvolatile storage when said computerized wagering game is executed; and

wherein said writing of said data variables changes the data variables in the nonvolatile storage and consequently causes execution of a corresponding callback function in one of the plurality of program shared objects of the system handler application.

2. The universal operating system of claim 1, wherein the system handler application further comprises an event handler.

3. The universal operating system of claim 1, wherein the system handler application comprises software having the ability when executed to:

unload a previous program shared object or device handler if a previous object or device handler has been loaded;

load a new program shared object or device handler; and

execute the new program shared object or device handler.

4. The universal operating system of claim 1, wherein data variables modified by the program shared objects are stored by the system handler application in the nonvolatile storage and the operating state storage, and the system handler application functions to verify that the operating system or code for a shared object has not changed.

5. The universal operating system of claim 4 wherein the operating state storage provides a variable name index to associated variable data locations within the nonvolatile storage.

6. The universal operating system of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of APIs.

7. The universal operating system of claim 1, wherein the operating system kernel is a Linux operating system kernel.

8. The universal operating system of claim 7, wherein the Linux operating system kernel has at least one selected device handler disabled.

9. The universal operating system of claim 8, wherein the at least one selected device handler that is disabled is selected from the group consisting of a keyboard handler, an I/O port handler, a network interface handler, a storage device controller handler, and a I/O device handler.

10. The universal operating system of claim 9, wherein the system handler application and the operating system kernel work in communication to hash system handler application code and operating system kernel code.

11. The universal operating system of claim 1 wherein the operating system is controlled by a general-purpose computer and the nonvolatile storage stores program variables, such that loss of power does not result in loss of the state of the computerized wagering game system, and the system handler application loads a first shared object and the first shared object calls up a function from within an Application Program Interface.

12. The universal operating system of claim 11 wherein the system application handler loads and executes a single shared object at any one time but other shared objects are operable to share data via the program variables stored in nonvolatile storage.

13. A method of managing data in a universal operating system via a system handler application, the method comprising:

(a) executing an operating system includeing system kernel and a system handler application, both the operating system kernel and system handler application operable to dynamically link with a plurality of program shared objects and device handlers and load said shared objects and device handlers, wherein said plurality of shared objects can be effectively shared between two or more programs, the system handler application comprising an Application Program Interface comprising a plurality of functions callable from at least some of the shared objects, the system handler application operable to initiate a game based on data variables stored in a nonvolatile storage and the system handler application operable to write data variables to one of the nonvolatile storage or an operating state storage, the operating state storage comprising a look-up table for data variables stored in the nonvolatile storage,

(b) the system handler application loading a first shared object and providing Application Program Interface functions called by the first shared object;

(c) the system handler application executing the first shared object; and

(d) the system handler application storing data variables in the nonvolatile storage, such that a second shared object later or a first device handler loaded can access the data variables in nonvolatile storage by utilizing the look-up table of the operating state storage.

14. A computer readable medium storing computer program code for managing data in a universal operating system via a system handler application, the computer readable medium comprising:

computer program code for executing an operating system which then loads and operates an operating system kernel and a system handler application, both the operating system kernel and system handler application operable to dynamically link with a plurality of program shared objects and device handlers and load said shared objects and device handlers, wherein said plurality of shared objects can be effectively shared between two or more programs, the system handler application comprising an Application Program Interface comprising a plurality of functions callable from at least some of the shared objects, the system handler application operable to;

initiate a game based on data variables stored in a nonvolatile storage and write data variables to one the nonvolatile storage, wherein said writing of the data variables changes data variables in the nonvolatile storage and consequently causes execution of a corresponding callback function in one of the plurality of program shared objects of the system handler application.