System and method for an alterable storage media in a gaming machine

• US 7,749,076 B2
• Filed: 02/24/2005
• Issued: 07/06/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sg Gaming, Inc. (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Bally Gaming Incorporated (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Inventors: Morrow, James W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Elisca; Pierre E
• Application Number:
  US11/065,757
• Publication Number:
  US 20060079333A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,958 Days
• Field of Search: 463/1, 463/16, 463/22, 463/25, 463/29, 463 40- 43, 380/1, 380/2, 380/251, 380 28- 30, 380/59
• US Class Current: 463/25
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/70 Game security or game management aspects
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/90 Constructional details or arrangements of video game devices not provided for in groups A63F13/20 or A63F13/25, e.g. housing, wiring, connections or cabinets
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/006 Identification G06F11/2289 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0748 in a remote unit communicating with a single-box computer node experiencing an error/fault remote testing G06F11/2294
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2289 by configuration test
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2294 by remote test
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/1011 to devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/57 Certifying or maintaining trusted computer platforms, e.g. secure boots or power-downs, version controls, system software checks, secure updates or assessing vulnerabilities
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3206 Player sensing means, e.g. presence detection, biometrics
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/323 wherein the player is informed, e.g. advertisements, odds, instructions
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 2029/4402 Internal storage of test result, quality data, chip identification, repair information

Abstract

A system for verifying one or more downloaded components 54 of a gaming device 10 that includes the gaming device, which has an alterable hard drive 80 (or other persistent storage media 90), and the downloaded components that further include gaming-related content 92-96. A related method includes: enabling initiation of a game on the gaming device 10; downloading the gaming-related content 92-96 to the alterable hard drive 80 while the gaming device 10 is enabled for game play; reading an identifier associated with the gaming-related content 92-96; verifying that the identifier is valid (using verification software 70); and reconfiguring the gaming device 10 to utilize the newly-downloaded, gaming-related content 92-96 in response to an initiating event.

Claims

1. A method for verifying a downloaded component of a casino gaming device, wherein the casino gaming device has an alterable storage media, and wherein the downloaded component includes casino gaming-related content, the method comprising:

enabling initiation of a casino game on the gaming device;

downloading gaming-related content to the alterable storage media while the casino gaming device is enabled for casino game play, wherein the downloading of casino gaming related content is non-player initiated;

reading an identifier associated with the gaming-related content;

determining if the identifier is valid; and

reconfiguring the gaming device to utilize the newly-downloaded, gaming-related content in response to an initiating event if the identifier is valid, or attempting to replace the downloaded content if the identifier is invalid and tampering is not indicated.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the alterable storage media is an alterable hard drive and the downloaded gaming-related content is authenticated on the alterable hard drive while the gaming device is enabled for game play.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the alterable storage media is an alterable hard drive and the downloaded gaming-related content is authenticated on the alterable hard drive in response to an initiating event.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the alterable storage media is an alterable hard drive and the gaming-related content is downloadable to a separate partition area of the alterable hard drive while the gaming device is enabled for game play.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the alterable storage media is an alterable hard drive and the gaming-related content is downloadable to a separate partition area of the alterable hard drive while the gaming device is enabled for game play, and wherein downloaded gaming-related content is escrowed for later authentication.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the gaming-related content is downloadable to a staging area while the gaming device is enabled for game play, and wherein downloaded gaming-related content is escrowed for later authentication.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of verifying comprises algorithmically verifying the identifier associated with the gaming-related content to a value in a datastore to determine whether the identifier associated with the gaming-related content is valid.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising preventing utilization of the gaming-related content if the identifier is not algorithmically verified in the datastore.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the datastore is remote from the gaming device, wherein the verification is performed over a network that connects the gaming device with a database server containing the datastore, and wherein the gaming device transmits an identifier for each of the components to the database server where the verifying step is performed.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the datastore is selected from a group consisting of a relational database, an object database, a flat file, an ASCII list, registry entries, and an XML file.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the downloaded component includes a data file.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the data file comprises a software program file.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the gaming device further comprises persistent storage media.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the persistent storage media is a removable storage unit selected from the group consisting of:

a CD-ROM device, a WORM device, a CD-RW device, a floppy disk device, a removable hard disk device, a ZIP disk device, a JAZZ disk device, a DVD device, a removable flash memory device, and a hard card device.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein unsecured components are downloaded across an unsecured network to the gaming device, and wherein the components are verified in the gaming device in response to an initiating event.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein a player-viewable reconfiguration announcement is displayed when the gaming machine is reconfigured using the downloaded gaming-related content.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein a gaming machine is reconfigured using gaming-related content while the gaming machine is disabled for game play and a player viewable reconfiguration announcement is displayed.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the gaming-related content is downloaded from a server via a network.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the gaming-related content is downloaded from a laptop computer that is connected to at least one gaming device without requiring an interconnecting network.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the gaming-related content is downloaded from a portable device that is connected to at least one gaming device without requiring an interconnecting network.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the gaming-related content is transferred to the gaming device from another, proximately-located gaming device, whereby each gaming device forwards gaming-related content on to another gaming device, thereby serving as a relay station.

22. The method of claim 1 further comprising displaying a reconfiguration message for at least a period of time after the reconfiguration of the gaming device, wherein the reconfiguration message states that the casino game presently enabled on the casino gaming device was recently reconfigured, thereby informing players and potential players that a change to the presently displayed casino game has recently occurred.

23. A system for verifying a downloaded component of a gaming device, wherein the gaming device has an alterable hard drive, and wherein the downloaded component includes the gaming-related content, the system comprising:

a casino gaming device for playing a casino game, wherein casino gaming-related content is downloadable to the alterable hard drive while the casino gaming device is enabled for casino game play on the casino gaming device, wherein the downloading of casino gaming related content is non-player initiated;

a processor for reading an identifier associated with the gaming-related content and for verifying that the identifier is valid, wherein the gaming device is reconfigured to utilize the newly-downloaded, gaming-related content after the gaming-related content has been verified and in response to an initiating event or attempted to replace the newly-downloaded, gaming-related content if the identifier is invalid and tampering is not indicated.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the downloaded gaming-related content is authenticated on the alterable hard drive while the gaming device is enabled for game play.

25. The system of claim 23, wherein the downloaded gaming-related content is authenticated on the alterable hard drive in response to an initiating event.

26. The method system of claim 23, wherein the gaming-related content is downloadable to a separate partition area of the alterable hard drive while the gaming device is enabled for game play.

27. The system of claim 23, wherein the gaming-related content is downloadable to a separate partition area of the alterable hard drive while the gaming device is enabled for game play, and wherein downloaded gaming-related content is escrowed for later authentication.

28. The system of claim 23, wherein the gaming-related content is downloadable to a staging area while the gaming device is enabled for game play, and wherein downloaded gaming-related content is authenticated in response to an initiating event.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein the persistent storage media is a firmware hub.

30. The system of claim 23, further comprising one or more sets of executable instructions that are executed by the processor, wherein the executable instructions enable reading and verifying the identifiers.

31. The system of claim 23, further comprising a persistent storage media.

32. The system of claim 31, wherein at least one of the one or more sets of executable instructions are stored in persistent storage media.

33. The system of claim 31, wherein the persistent storage media is a basic input-output chip.

34. The system of claim 31, wherein the persistent storage media is a hard disk device.

35. The system of claim 31, wherein the persistent storage media is a removable storage unit selected from the group consisting of:

a CD-ROM device, a WORM device, a CD-RW device, a floppy disk device, a removable hard disk device, a ZIP disk device, a JAZZ disk device, a DVD device, a removable flash memory device, and a hard card device.

36. The system of claim 31, wherein the persistent storage media is a flash memory.

37. The system of claim 23, further comprising a datastore, wherein the processor verifies an identifier by algorithmically verifying the identifier in the datastore to confirm that the identifier is valid.

38. The system of claim 37, wherein the datastore is remote from the gaming device, wherein the verification is performed over a network that connects the gaming device with a database server containing the datastore, and wherein the gaming device transmits an identifier for each of the components to the database server where the verifying step is performed.

39. The system of claim 37, wherein the datastore is selected from a group consisting of a relational database, an object database, a flat file, an ASCII list, registry entries, and an XML file.

40. The system of claim 23, wherein the downloaded component includes a data file.

41. The system of claim 40, wherein the data file comprises a software program file.

42. The system of claim 23, further comprising a volatile storage media.

43. The system of claim 23, wherein the processor reads and verifies the identifier while the gaming device is enabled for game play.

44. The system of claim 23, wherein the processor reconfigures the gaming-related content while the gaming device is not enabled for game play.

45. The system of claim 23, wherein a player-viewable reconfiguration announcement is displayed when the gaming machine is reconfigured using the downloaded gaming-related content.

46. The system of claim 23, wherein a gaming machine is reconfigured using gaming-related content while the gaming machine is disabled for game play and a player viewable reconfiguration announcement is displayed.

47. The system of claim 23, wherein unsecured components are downloaded across an unsecured network to the gaming device, and wherein the components are verified in the gaming device in response to an initiating event.

48. The system of claim 23, wherein the gaming-related content is downloaded from a server via a network.

49. The system of claim 23, wherein the gaming-related content is downloaded from a laptop computer that is connected to at least one gaming device without requiring an interconnecting network.

50. The system of claim 23, wherein the gaming-related content is downloaded from a portable device that is connected to at least one gaming device without requiring an interconnecting network.

51. The system of claim 23, wherein the gaming-related content is transferred to the gaming device from another, proximately-located gaming device, whereby each gaming device forwards gaming-related content on to another gaming device, thereby serving as a relay station.

52. The method of claim 23 further comprising displaying a reconfiguration message for at least a period of time after the reconfiguration of the gaming device, wherein the reconfiguration message states that the casino game presently enabled on the casino gaming device was recently reconfigured, thereby informing players and potential players that a change to the presently displayed casino game has recently occurred.

53. A system for verifying a downloaded component of a gaming device, wherein the gaming device has an alterable storage media, and wherein the downloaded component includes gaming-related content having one or more modular components, the system comprising:

a casino gaming device for playing a casino game, wherein casino gaming-related content is downloadable to the alterable storage media while the casino gaming device is enabled for casino game play, and wherein the downloading of casino gaming related content is non-player initiated;

a processor for reading an identifier associated with the gaming-related content and for verifying that the identifier is valid, wherein the gaming device is reconfigured to utilize at least one modular component of the newly-downloaded, gaming-related content after the gaming related content has been verified and in response to an initiating event and for attempting to replace the newly-downloaded, gaming-related content if the identifier is invalid and tampering is not indicated.

54. The system of claim 53 wherein the casino gaming device displays a reconfiguration message for at least a period of time after the reconfiguration of the gaming device, wherein the reconfiguration message states that the casino game presently enabled on the casino gaming device was recently reconfigured, thereby informing players and potential players that a change to the presently displayed casino game has recently occurred.

55. The system of claim 53, wherein the gaming-related content is downloaded to a staging area in the alterable storage media while the gaming device is enabled for game play, and wherein the downloaded gaming-related content is escrowed for later authentication.

56. The system of claim 53, wherein the alterable storage media is an alterable hard drive and downloaded gaming-related content is downloadable to a separate partition area of the hard drive while the gaming device is enabled for game play, and wherein the downloaded gaming-related content is escrowed for later authentication.

57. The system of claim 53, wherein the processor prevents utilization of the gaming-related content if the identifier is not algorithmically verified.

58. The system of claim 53 further comprising persistent storage media.

59. The system of claim 58, wherein the persistent storage media is a removable storage unit selected from the group consisting of:

a CD-ROM device, a WORM device, a CD-RW device, a floppy disk device, a removable hard disk device, a ZIP disk device, a JAZZ disk device, a DVD device, a removable flash memory device, and a hard card device.