Wagering game establishment data import/export architecture

• US 8,317,622 B2
• Filed: 09/07/2009
• Issued: 11/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LNW Gaming Incorporated
• Original Assignee: WMS Gaming Incorporated (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Inventors: Gura, Damon E., Himawan, Budyanto, Lakshmanaperumal, Mahesh, Meluveettil, Krishnakumar, Schulhof, Scott H.
• Primary Examiner(s): D'AGOSTINO, PAUL ANTHONY
• Application Number:
  US13/060,630
• Publication Number:
  US 20110159966A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,177 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 463/42
• 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 17/3276 wherein the players compete, e.g. tournament

Abstract

An architecture that employs an internal entity that controls import and export of data (“import/export controller”) and an external entity that operates as a liaison (“data liaison”) between the import/export controller and one or more online social communities allows online social community access in a secure manner. The import/export controller and the data liaison handle data transmissions (e.g., data feeds, data updates, etc.) between the secure entity and the one or more online social communities. The import/export controller applies rules that regulate import and export of data, and the data liaison allows the import/export controller to operate in obscurity. Funneling data transmissions through the import/export controller and the data liaison allows players to securely access an online social community from a wagering game machine while in a wagering game establishment.

Claims

1. A method of establishing a data feed from a data source on an online wagering game community server for a wagering game machine within a wagering game establishment, the method comprising:

evaluating a request for the data feed against import rules that regulate data imported into the wagering game establishment, wherein the request originates from the machine within the wagering game establishment;

determining that the data source and the request are valid based, at least in part, on said evaluating the request for the data feed against the import rules;

forwarding the validated request to a first machine operating as a data liaison external to the wagering game establishment, wherein the data liaison subscribes to the data source for the data feed based, at least in part, on the validated request;

a data import/export controller ensuring that the data feed forwarded from the data liaison complies with the import rules to generate an import rules compliant data feed, wherein the data liaison forwarded the data feed to a second machine operating as the data import/export controller within the wagering game establishment; and

supplying the import rules compliant data feed to the wagering game machine in the wagering game establishment.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the data import/export controller and the data liaison agreeing upon a communication protocol and a security protocol in advance.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said supplying the import rules compliant data feed to the wagering game machine in the wagering game establishment comprises:

the data import/export controller forwarding the import rules compliant data feed to a player account server, wherein the data feed comprises online wagering game community of a player represented by a player account managed by the player account server; and

the player account server forwarding the import rules compliant data feed to the wagering game machine, wherein the player account indicates the player as logged into the wagering game machine.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising at least one of trading an achievement represented by the import rules compliant data feed for a service within the wagering game establishment, exchanging online wagering game community credit represented by the import rules compliant data feed for credit within the wagering game establishment, enhancing a wagering game presented by the wagering game machine with the import rules compliant data feed, presenting a secondary game represented by the import rules compliant data feed, and displaying the import rules compliant data feed.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the data import/export controller ensuring that the data feed forwarded from the data liaison complies with the import rules to generate the import rules compliant data feed comprises at least one of determining that the data feed corresponds to a player registered with a developer of the wagering game machine, limiting the data feed to a bandwidth specified by the import rules, expurgating data of the data feed that does not comport with a data format specified by the import rules, selecting particular fields from the data feed that can be imported, limiting the data feed to a size specified by the import rules, and limiting the data feed to an amount of time specified by the import rules.

6. A method of establishing a data feed from a data source on a first server within a wagering game establishment to a first machine external to the wagering game establishment via a data liaison and a second server of an online wagering game community, the method comprising:

evaluating a request for the data feed against export rules that regulate data exported from the wagering game establishment, wherein the request originates from the first machine external to the wagering game establishment and the request indicates the online wagering game community;

determining that the data feed to the first machine is permitted based, at least in part, on said evaluating the request for the data feed against the export rules;

a data import/export controller subscribing to the data source for the data feed, wherein the data import/export controller is within the wagering game establishment;

the data import/export controller receiving the data feed;

the data import/export controller applying the export rules to the data feed to generate an export rules compliant data feed; and

the data import/export controller forwarding the export rules compliant data feed to a second machine operating as the data liaison, wherein the second machine operating as the data liaison is external to the wagering game establishment and forwards the export rules compliant data feed to the second server.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the data source comprises at least one of a player account and wagering gaming data from a wagering game machine.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the data import/export controller applying the export rules to the data feed to generate the export rules compliant data feed comprises expurgating units of the data feed in accordance with the export rules.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said expurgating the units of the data feed in accordance with the export rules comprises one of removing and scrambling one of a player identifier used by the wagering game establishment and notes about a player maintained by the wagering game establishment.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the data import/export controller applying the export rules to the data feed to generate the export rules compliant data feed comprises applying different levels of encryption for different aspects of player data indicated by the data feed.

11. The method of claim 6, wherein the data import/export controller applying the export rules to the data feed to generate the export rules compliant data feed comprises locating a first indication of the data liaison and a second indication of the online wagering game community in a hierarchical data structure of data liaison indications and online wagering game community indications, wherein positions of the first indication and the second indication correspond to security measures specified by the export rules.

12. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium having program instructions for establishing a data feed from a data source on an online wagering game community server for a wagering game machine within a wagering game establishment, the program instructions comprising:

program instructions to evaluate a request for the data feed against import rules that regulate data imported into the wagering game establishment, wherein the request originates from the machine within the wagering game establishment;

program instructions to determine that the data source and the request are valid based, at least in part, on evaluation of the request for the data feed against the import rules;

program instructions to forward the validated request to a first machine operating as a data liaison external to the wagering game establishment, wherein the data liaison subscribes to the data source for the data feed based, at least in part, on the validated request;

program instructions to ensure that the data feed forwarded from the data liaison complies with the import rules to generate an import rules compliant data feed, wherein the data liaison forwarded the data feed to a second machine operating as the data import/export controller within the wagering game establishment; and

program instructions to supply the import rules compliant data feed to the wagering game machine in the wagering game establishment.

13. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the program instructions further comprise program instructions to agree upon a communication protocol and a security protocol with the data liaison.

14. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the program instructions to supply the import rules compliant data feed to the wagering game machine in the wagering game establishment comprises the program instructions to:

forward the import rules compliant data feed to a player account server, wherein the data feed comprises online wagering game community data of a player represented by a player account managed by the player account server.

15. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the program instructions further comprising program instructions to, at least one of, trade an achievement represented by the import rules compliant data feed for a service within the wagering game establishment, exchange online wagering game community credit represented by the import rules compliant data feed for credit within the wagering game establishment, enhance a wagering game presented by the wagering game machine with the import rules compliant data feed, present a secondary game represented by the import rules compliant data feed, and display the import rules compliant data feed.

16. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the program instructions to ensure that the data feed forwarded from the data liaison complies with the import rules to generate the import rules compliant data feed comprises the program instructions to, at least one of, determine that the data feed corresponds to a player registered with a developer of the wagering game machine, limit the data feed to a bandwidth specified by the import rules, expurgate data of the data feed that does not comport with a data format specified by the import rules, select particular fields from the data feed that can be imported, limit the data feed to a size specified by the import rules, and limit the data feed to an amount of time specified by the import rules.

17. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium having program instructions for establishing a data feed from a data source on a first server within a wagering game establishment to a first machine external to the wagering game establishment via a data liaison and a second server of an online wagering game community, the program instructions comprising:

program instructions to evaluate a request for the data feed against export rules that regulate data exported from the wagering game establishment, wherein the request originates from the first machine external to the wagering game establishment and the request indicates the online wagering game community;

program instructions to determine that the data feed to the first machine is permitted based, at least in part, on evaluation of the request for the data feed against the export rules;

program instructions to subscribe to the data source for the data feed;

program instructions to receive the data feed;

program instructions to apply the export rules to the data feed to generate an export rules compliant data feed; and

program instructions to forward the export rules compliant data feed to a second machine operating as the data liaison, wherein the second machine operating as the data liaison is external to the wagering game establishment and forwards the export rules compliant data feed to the second server.

18. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the data source comprises at least one of a player account and wagering gaming data from a wagering game machine.

19. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the program instructions to apply the export rules to the data feed to generate the export rules compliant data feed comprises the program instructions to expurgate units of the data feed in accordance with the export rules.

20. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the program instructions to expurgate units of the data feed in accordance with the export rules comprises the program instructions to, one of, remove and scramble one of a player identifier used by the wagering game establishment and notes about a player maintained by the wagering game establishment.

21. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the program instructions to apply the export rules to the data feed to generate the export rules compliant data feed comprises the program instructions to apply different levels of encryption for different aspects of player data indicated by the data feed.

22. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the program instructions to apply the export rules to the data feed to generate the export rules compliant data feed comprises the program instructions to locate a first indication of the data liaison and a second indication of the online wagering game community in a hierarchical data structure of data liaison indications and online wagering game community indications, wherein positions of the first indication and the second indication correspond to security measures specified by the export rules.

23. An apparatus comprising:

a processor;

a network interface operable to receive a request for a data feed, wherein the request originates from a first machine accessing an online community that is external to and separate from a network of a wagering game establishment;

means for establishing the data feed between a data source in the network and a data import/export controller in the network;

means for enforcing export rules on the data feed received at the import/export controller to generate an export rules compliant data feed; and

means for forwarding the export rules compliant data feed to a second machine operating as a data liaison between the wagering game establishment and the online community, wherein the second machine forwards the export rules compliant data feed to a server of the online community.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the data source comprises at least one of a player account and wagering gaming data from a wagering game machine.