Method for managing gaming devices

• US 8,323,111 B2
• Filed: 12/28/2011
• Issued: 12/04/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LNW Gaming Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Bally Gaming Incorporated (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Inventors: Finnimore, Ian, Davis, Joseph J. Sr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Suhol, Dmitry
• Assistant Examiner(s): DUFFY, DAVID W
• Application Number:
  US13/339,282
• Publication Number:
  US 20120100909A1
• Time in Patent Office: 342 Days
• Field of Search: 463/25, 463/29, 463 40- 42
• 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 17/3232 wherein the operator is informed

Abstract

A method for managing a casino gaming system is disclosed. One embodiment provides a web server embedded in at least one gaming component of a gaming machine, wherein the web server is configured to deliver a management user interface to a web browser. A management user interface is delivered to a web browser from the embedded web server, and input is received via the management user interface. The received input includes instructions for managing the gaming component in which the web server is embedded.

Claims

1. A method for managing a casino gaming system, the casino gaming system comprising a plurality of gaming machines connected via a network connection, wherein each gaming machine comprises one or more gaming components, the method comprising:

providing a plurality of web browsers associated with each of the plurality of gaming machines, wherein the web browsers are on external clients;

embedding web servers in a plurality of gaming components of a first gaming machine, wherein each embedded web server is configured to deliver a unique management user interface to the web browsers; and

receiving input, via the unique management user interface, wherein the received input includes instructions for managing a first gaming component of the plurality of gaming components in which a first web server is embedded.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising authenticating the received input.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising performing one or more management tasks on the first gaming component of the plurality of gaming components pursuant to the instructions received via the unique management user interface.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving instructions to change one or more configuration settings for the first gaming component of the plurality of gaming components, and wherein the configuration settings are effective immediately upon confirmation.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the web browsers communicate with a second web server of a second gaming component of the first gaming machine.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising performing one or more management tasks on a second gaming component of the plurality of gaming components pursuant to the instructions received via a second unique management user interface.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving instructions for configuring the first gaming component of the plurality of gaming components.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising configuring the first gaming component of the plurality of gaming components pursuant to instructions received.

9. A method for managing a casino gaming system, the casino gaming system comprising a plurality of gaming machines connected to a back-end system via a network connection, the method comprising:

providing a plurality of gaming components in a gaming machine that each include an embedded web server, wherein the gaming machine is connected via a network connection to a casino gaming system;

providing a plurality of web browsers associated with the gaming machine that includes the gaming components and embedded web servers, wherein the web browsers are on external clients;

delivering a unique management user interface to the web browsers from each embedded web server; and

receiving input via the unique management user interface.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising performing one or more management tasks on the first gaming component of the plurality of gaming components pursuant to instructions received via the unique management user interface.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising receiving input for configuring the first gaming component of the plurality of gaming components.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising receiving input for controlling the first gaming component of the plurality of gaming components.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising authenticating a user accessing the unique management user interface.

14. The method of claim 9, receiving a request for data and delivering the requested data to the web browser.

15. A method for managing a casino gaming system, the casino gaming system comprising one or more gaming machines connected to a casino network, the method comprising:

providing a plurality of web browsers associated with each of a plurality of gaming machines, wherein the web browsers are on external clients;

embedding web servers in a plurality of gaming components in a gaming machine, wherein each embedded web server delivers a unique management user interface to the web browsers, wherein the unique management user interface may be accessed to manage a particular gaming component of the gaming machine;

configuring each embedded web server associated with a gaming component to deliver the unique management user interface to each of the plurality of web browsers; and

receiving user input via the unique management user interface.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the embedded web servers are configured to communicate directly with each other.

17. A method for managing a gaming system, the method comprising:

embedding web servers in a plurality of gaming components in each of a plurality of gaming machines;

configuring a plurality of web browsers associated with each of a plurality of gaming machines, wherein the web browsers are on external clients, wherein each web browser is configured to communicate with the plurality of web servers; and

delivering a unique management user interface to the web browsers, from each embedded web server, wherein the unique management user interface is unique to each gaming component of the gaming machine.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising providing a hand-held mobile device having a web browser, wherein the hand-held mobile device wirelessly interfaces with the embedded web servers.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising communicating directly with a second embedded web server of a second gaming component via a network connection.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising configuring the first gaming component of the plurality of gaming components pursuant to instructions received via the unique management user interface.