Method for developing gaming programs compatible with a computerized gaming operating system and apparatus

• US 7,618,317 B2
• Filed: 09/10/2002
• Issued: 11/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Jackson, Mark D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Suhol; Dmitry
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hoel; Matthew D.
• Application Number:
  US10/241,804
• Publication Number:
  US 20030069074A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,625 Days
• Field of Search: 463/20, 463/21, 463/22, 463/23, 463/24, 463/25, 463/26, 463/29, 463 40- 42, 463 43- 45, 463/16, 273/138.1, 273/292, 380/251
• US Class Current: 463/24
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6018 where the game content is authored by the player, e.g. level editor or by game device at runtime, e.g. level is created from music data on CD
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/20 Software design
• 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 17/323 wherein the player is informed, e.g. advertisements, odds, instructions
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3232 wherein the operator is informed
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3239 Tracking of individual players

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 method of generating a computer based wagering application comprising:

providing a gaming operating system operable

     1) to load a gaming application comprising a plurality of game program objects and to generate a wagering game on a computing system in response to information received from the gaming application,

     2) to maintain a set of gaming data variables for reconstructing a state of the wagering game in response to a power loss or other malfunction on the computing system wherein the gaming operating system comprises a plurality of software components, one or more Application Program Interfaces (APIs), associated with the plurality of software components, that define information recognized by the gaming operating system and enable communication between the gaming application and the gaming operating system, and plural gaming callback functions that allow the wagering game to be provided on the computing system, said plurality of software components and gaming callback functions compatible with one or more of a plurality of different computing systems, a plurality of different gaming applications or combinations thereof; and

wherein said plurality of software components and gaming callback functions can be provided by a plurality of different software vendors,

     3) to determine a vendor associated with each of the plurality of software components, the one or more APIs associated with the plurality of software components and gaming callback functions;

     4) to determine whether each software component associated with the vendor is related to a presentation, a determination or a storage of win-loss information for said wagering game;

     5) to determine whether the vendor is license by a gaming regulatory authority to provide software components associated with the presentation, the determination, or the storage of win-loss information for said wagering game based upon said determination of whether each software component associated with the vendor is related to the presentation, the determination or the storage of win-loss information for said wagering game;

providing the one or more APIs that define the information that is recognized by the gaming operating system and enable communication between the gaming application and the gaming operating system wherein the one or more APIs are designed or configured to allow the gaming application to at least

     1) access a non-volatile memory (NV-RAM) wherein the NV-RAM is for at least storing the set of gaming data variables,

     2) specify storage requirements for the NV-RAM including information related to the set of gaming data variables,

     3) provide instructions related to outputting video data or audio data available with the gaming operating system, provide instructions for peripheral devices recognized by the gaming operating system wherein the instructions are translated by the gaming operating system into formats recognized by the peripheral devices,

     5) request one or more random number to be generated and

     6) provide gaming application specific data used in the wagering game;

determining that a portion of the plurality of software game components and call back functions are required by the gaming application;

providing a configuration file for running the gaming operating system on the computing system; and

compiling a gaming program specific to the gaming application and that is compatible with the gaming operating system wherein the gaming program includes the portion of the plurality of software gaming components and the callback functions.

2. The method of claim 1,

wherein the plurality of software gaming components are selected from the group consisting of random number generator, game initiation sequence, bonus module, video gaming module, audio gaming module, jackpot module, graphics conversion tool, debugging tool, pay-out table module, value-handling module, power-loss recovery module, gaming payout history module, player history module, and user interaction module.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein public and/or private authentication keys are revved and different public and/or private authentication keys are provided to each of at least two different legal jurisdictions to prevent one or more of the gaming application or the gaming operating system approved to operate in a first legal jurisdiction from operating in a second legal jurisdiction.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the computer based wagering game application is developed for an apparatus comprising:

a computerized game controller including a processor, memory, and the NV-RAM; and

an operating system kernel that executes a system handler application.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the system handler application comprises:

a plurality of the device handlers,

software having the ability when executed to;

load the gaming program; and

execute the gaming program;

the API with functions callable from the gaming program; and

an event queue for executing specified ones of the plurality of device handlers in an order.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein a first gaming data variable in the set of gaming data variables is modified by a first game program object in the plurality of game program objects via the API prior to the execution of a second game program object in the plurality of game program.

7. The method of claim 6, and wherein the first gaming data variable modified by the first game program object is stored in the NV-RAM and changing the first gaming data variable in the NV-RAM causes execution of a corresponding callback function or a corresponding device handler.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein the operating system kernel is a an open operating system kernel having customized proprietary modules and the kernel has at least one modification wherein each modification is selected from the group consisting of:

1) accessing user level code from ROM,

     2) executing from ROM,

     3) zero out unused RAM,

     4) test and/or hash the kernel, and

     5) disabling selected device handlers.

9. The method of claim 4 wherein the apparatus contains a machine-readable component with machine-readable instructions thereon, the instructions when executed are operable to cause the processor to manage at least one of the plurality of game program objects via the system handler application and to execute a single gaming program object at any one time, wherein at least two of the plurality of game program objects are operable to share game data via the NV-RAM.

10. A method wherein after compiling the gaming program specific to the gaming application that is compatible with the gaming operating system according to claims 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5, the gaming program manages data in the computer based wagering game apparatus via a system handler application, where managing data comprises:

loading a first game program object in the plurality of game program objects,

executing the first game program object, and

accessing and storing game data related to the play of the wagering game in the NV-RAM.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein managing data further comprises

a) unloading a first game program object, and loading a second game program object or b) executing a corresponding callback function upon alteration of the game data in the NV-RAM.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein after compiling the gaming program specific to the gaming application, a machine-readable memory storage element with instructions thereon has instructions that when executed to cause the computing system to:

load a first game program object in the plurality of game program objects to a memory,

execute the first game program object,

store gaming data in the NV-RAM in response to the execution of the first game program object, such that a second game program object in the plurality of game program objects later loaded can access the gaming data,

unload the first game program object from the memory, and

load the second game program object to the memory so that the second game program object is accessible to the computer for execution.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein additional instruction are executed to cause the computing system to perform a task selected from the group consisting of a) executing a corresponding callback function upon alteration of the game data in the NV-RAM;

and b) managing events via a system handler application.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the computer based wagering game application is developed for an apparatus comprising:

the gaming operating system stored in a memory storage component designed or configured to be operatively inserted along with game identity data into an electronic or electromechanical gaming device having ancillary functions so that the gaming device can effect play of the wagering game provided in the game identity data and the gaming operating system will control at least one ancillary function selected from the group consisting of coin acceptance, credit acceptance, currency acceptance and boot up.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the API further comprises a plurality of APIs, and where the apparatus further comprises an operating system kernel customized for gaming purposes and an event queue.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein the gaming operating system controls access to a networked on-line system or controls a progressive meter.

17. The method of claim 14 wherein the gaming operating system comprises a kernel customized for gaming purposes utilizing a method of operation selected from the group consisting of:

1) accessing user level code from ROM,

     2) executing from ROM,

     3) zero out unused RAM,

     4) test and/or hash the kernel, and

     5) disabling selected device handlers.

20. The gaming machine of claim 14, wherein the plurality of software components are selected from the group consisting of random number generator, game initiation sequence, bonus module, video gaming module, audio gaming module, jackpot module, graphics conversion tool, debugging tool, pay-out table module, value-handling module, power-loss recover module, gaming payout history module, and user interaction module.

18. A gaming machine comprising:

a computerized game controller comprising a processor, an executable memory, and a non-volatile memory (NV-RAM);

a gaming application executed by the computerized game controller;

a gaming operating system executed by the computerized gaming controller operable

     1) to load the gaming application and to generate a wagering game on the gaming machine in response to information received from the gaming application and

     2) to maintain a set of gaming data variables in the NV-RAM for reconstructing a state of the wagering game in response to a power loss or other malfunction on the computing system wherein the gaming operating system comprises a plurality of software gaming components, one or more Application Program Interfaces (APIs), associated with the plurality of software components, that define information recognized by the gaming operating system and enable communication between the gaming application and the gaming operating system and plural gaming callback functions that allow the wagering game to be provided on the computing system, said plurality of software gaming components and gaming callback functions compatible with one or more of a plurality of different gaming devices, a plurality of different gaming applications or combinations thereof;

wherein said plurality of software gaming components and gaming callback functions can be provided by a plurality of different software vendors; and

     3) to determine a vendor associated with each of the plurality of software gaming components, the one or more APIs and gaming callback functions;

     4) to determine whether each software component associated with the vendor is related to the presentation, the determination, or the storage of win-loss information for said wagering game;

     5) to determine whether the vendor is licensed by a gaming regulatory authority to provide software components associated with the presentation, the determination or the storage of win-loss information for said wagering game based upon said determination of whether each software component associated with the vendor is related to the presentation, the determination or the storage of win-loss information for said wagering game; and

the one or more APIs that define the information that it recognized by the gaming operating system and enable communication between the gaming application and the gaming operating system wherein the one or more APIs are designed or configured to allow the gaming operation to at least

     1) access the NV-RAM wherein the NV-RAM is for at least storing the set of game data variables,

     2) specify storage requirements for the NV-RAM including information related to the set of gaming data variables,

     3) provide instructions related to outputting video data or audio data available with the gaming system,

     4) provide instructions for peripheral devices recognized by the gaming operating system into formats recognized by the peripheral devices,

     5) request one or more random number to be generated and

     6) provide gaming application specific data used in the wagering game to the gaming operating system;

one or more value handling devices for inputting, outputting or combinations thereof, credits on the gaming machine wherein the credits are for wagers on the wagering game;

one or more input devices for providing input used to play the wagering game; and

a display device for displaying the wagering game on the gaming machine.

19. The gaming machine of claim 18, wherein the display device is one of mechanical reels or a video display.