Suspending wagering game play on wagering game machines

• US 8,197,338 B2
• Filed: 02/23/2007
• Issued: 06/12/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LNW Gaming Incorporated (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: WMS Gaming Incorporated (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Inventors: Fitzsimons, Matthew R., Lee, Steven J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hall, Arthur O.
• Application Number:
  US12/280,139
• Publication Number:
  US 20100167810A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,936 Days
• Field of Search: 463/16, 463/20, 463 22- 23, 463 30- 34, 463/40, 463 42- 43, 463/25, 463/29, 463/39, 273/108.1, 273/138.2, 273/139, 273/141.A, 273/142.R, 273/143.C, 273/142.B, 273/142.H, 273/317.1, 273460-461, 345/1.1, 345/11, 345/14, 345/204, 345211-213, 348/553, 348559-560, 348/563, 348567-568, 348607-624, 348634-637, 348704-706, 348731-732, 455/41.2, 455/134, 455/136, 455/138, 455/140, 455/151.2, 455/153.2, 455/226.2, 455/420, 455512-513, 709203-207, 709/213, 709216-219, 709/225, 709/227, 709230-232, 709/245, 714 471- 473, 714 48- 49, 714735-737
• US Class Current: 463/29
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3223 Architectural aspects of a gaming system, e.g. internal configuration, master/slave, wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3234 about the performance of a gaming system, e.g. revenue, diagnosis of the gaming system

Abstract

Systems and methods for suspending wagering game play on wagering game machines are described herein. In one embodiment, the method includes receiving a content signal associated with regulated operations. The method can also include determining whether an enable signal is detected. Additionally, if the enable signal is not detected, the method can call for prohibiting performance of the regulated operations.

Claims

1. A wireless wagering game machine comprising:

a wireless network interface unit configured to receive a content signal, including data, from a wireless content provider, wherein the wireless content provider includes at least one of a content signal access point, an RFID tag or an RFID transceiver;

a content presentation unit to perform regulated operations using the data included in the content signal; and

a regulated operations controller configured to determine quality of the content signal, to suspend performance of the regulated operations after the quality of the content signal falls below a quality threshold, and to resume performance of the regulated operations after the quality of the content signal rises above the quality threshold;

wherein the regulated operations controller is configured to suspend the regulated operations before the wireless wagering game machine is out of range of the wireless content provider.

2. The wagering game machine of claim 1 further comprising:

a user interface to present an indication that regulated operations will be suspended, the user interface to present the indication before the regulated operations are suspended by the regulated operations controller.

3. The wagering game machine of claim 1, wherein the regulated operations include presentation of wagering games upon which monetary value can be wagered.

4. A nontransitory machine-readable storage medium including instructions which when executed cause a machine to perform operations comprising:

receiving, at a wireless wagering game machine, a wireless content signal associated with regulated operations of the wireless wagering game machine;

determining whether a wireless enable signal generated by one or more enable signal transceivers has been detected by the wireless gaming machine;

if the wireless enable signal has been detected by the wireless gaming machine, performing regulated operations on the wireless gaming machine; and

if the wireless enable signal has not been detected by the wireless gaming machine, suspending performance of the regulated operations on the wireless wagering game machine;

wherein suspending includes suspending the regulated operations before the wireless wagering game machine is out of range of the enable signal transceivers.

5. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 4,

wherein determining whether a wireless enable signal generated by one or more enable signal transceivers has been detected by the wireless gaming machine includes determining that the wireless enable signal generated by one or more enable signal transceivers has not been detected by the wireless gaming machine if a quality of the enable signal is below a quality threshold;

and

wherein suspending performance includes presenting an indication that the regulated operations will be suspended.

6. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 4, the operations further comprising:

after suspending performance of the regulated operations, resuming performance of the regulated operations.

7. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 4, the operations further comprising:

after suspending performance of the regulated operations, detecting the enable signal.

8. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 4, wherein performing regulated operations include presenting a wagering game upon which monetary value can be wagered.

9. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 4, wherein the content signal has a broader range than the enable signal.

10. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 4, wherein the content signal is a Wi-Fi signal.

11. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 4, wherein the enable signal conforms to a protocol selected from the group consisting of RFID, Bluetooth, Wireless USB, and Infrared Data Association.

12. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 4, wherein the regulated operations are selected from the group consisting of presenting a wagering game, receiving a wager associated with a wagering game, and presenting copyrighted content.

13. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 4, wherein the suspending performance of the regulated operations includes writing contents of a main memory to a storage device and displaying in a graphical user interface an indication that the regulated operations will be suspended.

14. A method comprising:

presenting, on a wireless wagering game machine, a wagering game using data received in a wireless content signal;

determining, within the wireless wagering game machine, whether the presenting is occurring within an area in which wagering game presentations are permitted, wherein determining includes determining whether a wireless enable signal generated by a short range enable signal transceiver has been detected by the wireless wagering game machine; and

after determining the presenting is not occurring within an area in which wagering game presentations are permitted, suspending the presenting of the wagering game on the wagering game machine.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

after suspending the presenting of the wagering game, resuming the presenting of the wagering game when the wireless enable signal is detected again.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the determining whether the presenting is occurring within an area in which wagering game presentations are permitted includes,

determining whether a quality of the content signal has dropped below a quality threshold.

17. The method of claim 14,

wherein the wireless enable signal has a lesser range than the wireless content signal.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein determining whether a wireless enable signal generated by a short range enable signal transceiver has been detected includes querying one or more RFID tags and determining whether a response is received from the RFID tags.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the suspending includes presenting an indication that the wagering game is being presented in an area in which wagering games are prohibited and that the wagering game presentations will be suspended.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein the wireless enable signal conforms to a protocol selected from the group consisting of RFID, Bluetooth, Wireless USB, and Infrared Data Association.