Centralized gaming system with modifiable remote display terminals

• US 7,766,749 B2
• Filed: 03/29/2004
• Issued: 08/03/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LNW Gaming Incorporated (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: WMS Gaming Incorporated (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Inventors: Giobbi, John J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Vo; Peter DungBa
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hall; Arthur O.
• Application Number:
  US10/812,333
• Publication Number:
  US 20040180722A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,318 Days
• Field of Search: 463/7, 463 15- 23, 463 29- 38, 463/42, 463/1, 463 10- 14, 463 25- 27, 273/143.R, 273/138.1, 273/138.2, 273/139, 273/141.A, 273/142.B, 273/142.C, 273/142.J, 273/317.1, 273/453, 273460-461
• US Class Current: 463/42
• 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 17/3234 about the performance of a gaming system, e.g. revenue, diagnosis of the gaming system
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3262 Player actions which determine the course of the game, e.g. selecting a prize to be won, outcome to be achieved, game to be played

Abstract

A centralized gaming system comprises a central server system and a plurality of display terminals remote from and linked to the central server system. The central server system includes a master game server, a game execution server, and a database server. The master game server stores a plurality of games of chance. Each game includes respective game play software and respective audiovisual software. In response to one of the games being selected for play at one of the display terminals, the game play software for the selected game is loaded from the master game server into the game execution server and is executed by the game execution server to randomly select an outcome. The audiovisual software for the selected game is selectively executed at the display terminal to visually represent the outcome on a display of the display terminal. The database server collects game activity data based on the outcome and maintains such data for report generation and player tracking purposes. The master game server may evaluate the collected game activity data and, in turn, modify one or more of the display terminals for maximizing earnings and target marketing.

Claims

1. A centralized gaming system, comprising:

a central server system storing a plurality of games of chance, the central server providing the plurality of games to a plurality of remote display terminals linked to the central server; and

at least one of the remote display terminals including a display, a processor, and an accounting meter,

wherein in response to any credits on the accounting meter being redeemed and the at least one remote display terminal being idle for a predetermined period of time, the processor causes the display to display a plurality of game selection indicia corresponding to the plurality of games provided by the central server, and

in response to one of the games from the central server being selected for play according to the game selection indicia displayed at the at least one remote display terminal, the processor executes software for the selected game to randomly select an outcome and the outcome is visually represented on the display of the one remote display terminal, the processor causing the display of the one remote display terminal to display the selected game until any credits on the accounting meter have been redeemed and the at least one remote display terminal has been idle for the predetermined period of time.

2. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein in response to one of the games being selected for play at the at least one remote display terminal at least some software for the selected game is downloaded from the central server system to the at least one remote display terminal and is selectively executed at the at least one remote display terminal.

3. The gaming system of claim 2, wherein the at least some software executed at the at least one remote display terminal is audiovisual software for visually representing the outcome on the display of the one of the display terminals.

4. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein in response to one of the games being selected for play at the at least one remote display terminal, at least some software for the selected game is executed at the central server system.

5. The gaming system of claim 4, wherein the at least some software executed at the central server system is game play software for randomly selecting an outcome.

6. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the software includes a random number generator for randomly selecting the outcome.

7. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the at least one remote display terminal includes upper and lower video displays, the upper video display depicting billboard indicia, the lower display visually representing the outcome.

8. The gaming system of claim 7, wherein the upper display is a flat panel display selected from a group consisting of a liquid crystal display (LCD), plasma display, field emission display, digital micromirror display (DMD), dot matrix display, and vacuum florescent display (VFD).

9. A method of executing a game of chance, comprising:

providing a central server system storing a plurality of games of chance and providing the plurality of games to a plurality of remote display terminals linked to the central server, at least one of the remote display terminals including a display, a processor, and an accounting meter;

in response to any credits on the accounting meter of the at least one remote display terminal being redeemed and the at least one remote display terminal being idle for a predetermined period of time, displaying, using the processor, a plurality of game selection indicia on the display, the plurality of game selection indicia corresponding to the plurality of games provided by the central server;

receiving, according to the game selection indicia at the at least one display terminal, a player'"'"'s selection of one of the games from the central server to be played at the at least one display terminal;

executing, using the processor, software for the selected game to randomly select an outcome;

visually representing the outcome on a display of the at least one display terminal; and

displaying, using the processor, the selected game on the display until any credits on the accounting meter of the at least one remote display terminal have been redeemed and the at least one display terminal has been idle for the predetermined period of time.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the step of executing the software includes generating a random number for randomly selecting the outcome.

11. The method of claim 9, further including downloading at least some software for the selected game to the at least one display terminal, and selectively executing the software for the selected game at the at least one display terminal.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the at least some software executed at the at least one display terminal is audiovisual software for visually representing the outcome on the display of the one of the display terminals.

13. The method of claim 9, further including executing at least some software for the selected game at the central server system.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the at least some software executed at the central server system is game play software for randomly selecting an outcome.