Secure mode control in wagering game systems

• US 8,257,171 B2
• Filed: 08/27/2008
• Issued: 09/04/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sg Gaming, Inc. (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: WMS Gaming Incorporated (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Inventors: Gagner, Mark B., Shimabukuro, Jorge L., Sylla, Craig J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nigh, James D
• Application Number:
  US12/675,738
• Publication Number:
  US 20100234100A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,469 Days
• Field of Search: 463/29, 463/42
• 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 17/3269 Timing aspects of game play, e.g. blocking/halting the operation of a gaming machine

Abstract

A secure mode control device is described herein. The secure mode control device interfaces with a wagering game machine. The wagering game machine is capable of secure modes. The wagering game machine is also capable of wagering game modes that can generate wagering game data. The secure mode control device can detect an event that indicates a need for the wagering game machine to activate a secure mode. The secure mode control device activates the secure mode to halt the one or more wagering game modes on the wagering game machine.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining a wireless casino network in a casino for a mobile wagering game machine, wherein the wireless casino network includes a boundary, and wherein the mobile wagering game machine is configured to provide wagering game functionality only within the boundary, wherein the mobile wagering game machine is configured to enable one or more wagering game modes that cause generation of wagering game data;

determining a location of the mobile wagering game machine;

determining that the mobile wagering game machine leaves the boundary of the wireless casino network;

activating the one or more secure modes on the mobile wagering game machine based on severity of activity that occurs to the mobile wagering game machine outside of the boundary, the one or more secure modes configured to protect the wagering game data;

transferring, wirelessly, via one or more processors, an image of the wagering game data from the mobile wagering game machine to a network device;

erasing, via at least one of the one or more processors, the wagering game data from the mobile wagering game machine after the mobile wagering game machine leaves the boundary;

determining, via at least one of the one or more processors, that the mobile wagering game machine reenters the boundary;

receiving, wirelessly, via at least one of the one or more processors, the wagering game data from the network device, in response to determining that the mobile wagering game machine reenters the boundary; and

restoring, wirelessly, via at least one of the one or more processors, the image of the wagering game data on the mobile wagering game machine in response to receiving the wagering game data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein activating the one or more secure modes comprises activating the one or more secure modes based on time that the mobile wagering game machine remains outside the boundary.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein activating the one or more secure modes comprises

determining levels of severity of the activity, and

activating the one or more secure modes in a progressive pattern according to severity of the activity.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

determining data wiping levels for one or more of wagering game data, gaming software data, and operational framework data on the mobile wagering game machine, wherein the levels of data wiping correlate to the levels of severity, wherein the operational framework data consists of one or more of an operating system and firmware of the mobile wagering game machine; and

erasing, first the one or more of the wagering game data, second the gaming software data, and third the operational framework data on the mobile wagering game machine according to the data wiping levels.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein activating the one or more secure modes in the progressive pattern according to severity of the activity includes performing, in series, first one or more of preventing the mobile wagering game machine from writing and generating new wagering game data and erasing data on the mobile wagering game machine, and, second, disabling hardware on the mobile wagering game machine.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein activating the one or more secure modes further comprises,

determining an authorization for the mobile wagering game machine to leave the boundary,

restricting data modification on the mobile wagering game machine while outside of the boundary, and

preventing activation of a secure mode that erases the wagering game data.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining that the mobile wagering game machine receives an authorization to deactivate the one or more secure modes; and

deactivating the one or more secure modes according to the authorization in stages.

8. A system comprising:

at least one input device configured to receive an indication of a wager to play a wagering game;

at least one display device configured to display the wagering game;

at least one processor; and

at least one memory device storing instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to

determine that an event occurs on a wagering game network, wherein the event indicates a need to activate one or more secure modes of a wagering game machine,

activate the one or more secure modes, wherein activation of the one or more secure modes deactivates wagering game functionality of the wagering game machine in response to the event to prevent writing of additional wagering game data via the wagering game machine,

transfer an image of stored wagering game data from the wagering game machine to a wagering game server in response to the event,

erase the stored wagering game data from the wagering game machine in response to the event,

determine that the event no longer indicates a need for the wagering game machine to activate the one or more secure modes, and

restore the image of the stored wagering game data from the wagering game server to the wagering game machine to automatically restore the wagering game functionality in response to determination that the event no longer indicates the need for the wagering game machine to activate the one or more secure modes.

9. The network-system of claim 8, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the system to,

determine a severity level for the event,

deactivate one or more of a plurality of operational modes for the wagering game machine according to the severity level of the event,

determine that the event no longer indicates a need to for the wagering game machine to activate the one or more secure modes, and

reactivate the one or more of the plurality of operational modes for the wagering game machine.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the wagering game machine is a mobile machine, and wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further configured cause the system to,

connect to a wireless casino network for the mobile machine, wherein the wireless casino network includes a boundary, and wherein the mobile machine is configured to provide wagering game functionality only within the boundary, wherein the mobile machine is configured to enable one or more wagering game modes that cause generation of wagering game data;

determine a location of the mobile machine;

determine that the mobile machine leaves the boundary of the wireless casino network; and

activate the one or more secure modes on the mobile machine based on severity of activity that occurs to the mobile machine outside of the boundary, the one or more secure modes configured to protect the wagering game data.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the event is classifiable by a severity type indicating a degree of needed security, and wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the system to determine the severity type of the event and activate the one or more secure modes according to one or more levels of security that correspond with the severity type.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the system to secure electronic information on the wagering game machine, including locking and erasing one or more of data, software, firmware, memory, bios configurations, operating systems, system configurations, and files.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the system to

present an authorization mechanism to deactivate the one or more secure modes,

receive authorization information via the authorization mechanism,

validate the authorization information, and

deactivate the one or more secure modes.

14. One or more non-transitory machine-readable storage media having instructions stored thereon, which when executed by a set of one or more processors causes the set of one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

determining that a mobile wagering game machine leaves a boundary of a casino;

activating a first command on the mobile wagering game machine, in response to the mobile wagering game machine leaving the boundary, said first command to activate a first secure mode that locks the mobile wagering game machine to prevent use of the mobile wagering game machine;

activating a second command on the mobile wagering game machine, in response to the mobile wagering game machine leaving the boundary, said second command to activate a second secure mode with a time delay to erase data stored on the mobile wagering game machine in a progressive pattern if the mobile wagering game machine does not return to the boundary within a time period.

15. The one or more non-transitory machine-readable storage media of claim 14, said operations further comprising:

determining that the mobile wagering game machine does not return to the boundary within the time period; and

erasing the data on the mobile wagering game machine according to a data wiping level based on a degree of severity for activity that occurs to the mobile wagering game machine outside of the boundary, wherein the data wiping level deletes at least one of a plurality of types of data, wherein deletion of a first of the plurality of types the mobile wagering game machine does not permanently disable the mobile wagering game machine, and wherein deletion of a second of the plurality of types of data the mobile wagering game machine permanently disables the mobile wagering game machine.

16. The one or more non-transitory machine-readable storage media of claim 14, said operations further comprising activating a third command to detect physical tampering with an enclosure of the mobile wagering game machine and destroy hardware on the mobile wagering game machine in response to detection of the physical tampering with the enclosure.

17. The one or more non-transitory machine-readable storage media of claim 14, said operations further comprising:

transferring an image of at least a portion of the data to a network device before erasure of the data;

erasing the data after the time period;

determining that the mobile wagering game machine is secured; and

receiving an authorization to reload the image of the at least a portion of the data from the network device to the mobile wagering game machine in response to determining that the mobile wagering game machine is secured.

18. The one or more non-transitory machine-readable storage media of claim 14, wherein erasing the amount of data in the progressive pattern comprises first, erasing one or more of user related data on the mobile wagering game machine and wagering game software stored on the wagering game machine and, second, erasing one or more of an operating system and firmware of the mobile wagering game machine.

19. The one or more non-transitory, machine-readable storage media of claim 14, said operations further comprising preventing erasure of an operating system of the mobile wagering game machine.

20. One or more non-transitory machine-readable storage media having instructions stored thereon, which when executed by a set of one or more processors causes the set of one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

transferring an image of data stored on a wagering game machine;

erasing the data from the wagering game machine in response to an event that indicates a need to secure the wagering game machine;

determining that the wagering game machine is secured;

accessing the image of the data in response to determination that the wagering game machine is secured; and

restoring the image of the data to the wagering game machine in response to access of the image of the data.

21. The one or more non-transitory machine-readable storage media of claim 20, wherein the wagering game machine is a mobile device, wherein the event indicates that the wagering game machine leaves a boundary of a casino, and wherein the operation for determining that the wagering game machine is secured includes one or more operations comprising determining that the wagering game machine returns to the boundary of the casino.

22. The one or more non-transitory machine-readable storage media of claim 21 wherein the operations further comprise determining that the wagering game machine fails to return to the boundary within a given time, and wherein the operation for erasing the data is in response to the wagering game machine failing to return to the boundary within the given time.

23. The one or more non-transitory machine-readable storage media of claim 20, wherein the operation for erasing the data from the one or more memory devices associated with the wagering game machine includes one or more operations comprising erasing the data in a progressive pattern.