Persistent state systems, methods and software

• US 8,342,944 B2
• Filed: 02/09/2007
• Issued: 01/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LNW Gaming Incorporated (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: WMS Gaming Incorporated (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Inventors: Gagner, Mark B., Motyl, Jim, Rasmussen, James M., Sylla, Craig J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hall, Arthur O.
• Application Number:
  US12/278,857
• Publication Number:
  US 20090054136A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,153 Days
• Field of Search: 463 16- 23, 463 25- 33, 463 39- 43, 273/138.1, 273/139, 273/138.2, 273/141.A, 273454-456, 273/460, 705 56- 57, 705/64, 705/67, 705/72, 705 74- 75, 705 78- 79, 709203-207, 709/FOR.113, 713/1, 713/100, 713/150, 713/155, 713/170, 713/176, 713182-184, 713186-189, 713/300, 713/375, 713/400, 713/500, 713/600, 902 2- 5, 902/23, 902/38, 902/40
• US Class Current: 463/25
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3248 involving non-monetary media of fixed value, e.g. casino chips of fixed value

Abstract

In one example embodiment, a wagering game system includes at least one wagering game computer program operative on the wagering game platform to detect a wager. A persistent state manager software component is operative to read or write persistent state data to and from the wagering game computer program and persistent state media. In one embodiment, the persistent state media is a bar-coded ticket, and in another embodiment an electronic data storage device such as a RFID device. A messaging system allows persistent state media devices to interact with the wagering game.

Claims

1. A gaming system configured to exchange persistent state data between a wagering game and a persistent state hardware device, the wagering game including one or more persistent game states of a plurality of game states, the one or more persistent game states being represented by corresponding persistent state data that, when loaded into the wagering game, establish the wagering game at the corresponding persistent game state, the gaming system comprising:

one or more input devices,

one or more display devices;

one or more persistent state hardware devices;

one or more processors; and

one or more memory devices storing instructions including a wagering game program and a persistent state manager module, the instructions, when executed by at least one of the one or more processors, causing the gaming system to;

receive, via at least one of the one or more input devices, an input from a player indicative of a wager to initiate the wagering game;

randomly select, via at least one of the one or more processors, an outcome of the wagering game;

display to the player, on at least one of the one or more display devices, the randomly selected outcome;

responsive to a request for persistent state output, send a first store-state message, from the wagering game program to the persistent state manager module, containing first persistent state data related to at least one of the one or more persistent game states, wherein identity and initialization information of the one or more persistent state hardware devices is unavailable to the wagering game program; and

responsive to receipt of the first store-state message by the persistent state manager module, send a second store-state message, from the persistent state manager module to at least one of the one or more persistent state hardware devices, the identity and initialization information of the one or more persistent state hardware devices being available to the persistent state manager module, and the second store-state message causing the first persistent state data to be written to data media by the at least one persistent state hardware device.

2. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the instructions further cause the gaming system to:

send a first restore-state message, from at least one of the one or more persistent state hardware devices to the persistent state manager module, containing second persistent state data; and

responsive to receipt of the first restore-state message by the persistent state manage module, send a second restore-state message, from the persistent state manager module to the wagering game program, the second restore-state message causing the wagering game program to establish the wagering game in a persistent game state corresponding to the second persistent state data.

3. The gaming system of claim 2, wherein the persistent game state corresponding to the second persistent state data is the same as the persistent game state corresponding to the first persistent state data.

4. The gaming system of claim 2, wherein establishing the wagering game in the persistent game state corresponding to the second persistent data includes unlocking aspects of the wagering game that were previously locked.

5. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the one or more persistent state hardware devices include at least one of a ticket printer and an electronic data storage device.

6. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the one or more persistent state hardware devices include a ticket printer and the persistent state data is written to bar-code printed on a bar-coded ticket.

7. The gaming system of claim 6, wherein the number of digits printed on the bar-coded ticket representing non-credit asset data is different than the number of digits representing credit asset data.

8. A computer-implemented method of conducting a wagering game including one or more persistent game states of a plurality of game states, the one or more persistent game states being represented by corresponding persistent state data that, when loaded into the wagering game, establish the wagering game at the corresponding persistent game state, the method comprising:

receiving, via one or more input devices, an input indicative of a wager to initiate the wagering game;

executing, via at least one of one or more processers, a wagering game program including a randomly selected outcome displayed on one or more display devices;

executing, via at least one of the one or more processors, a persistent state manager module configured to exchange messages between the wagering game program and one or more persistent state hardware devices;

responsive to a request for persistent state output, sending a first store-state message, from the wagering game program to the persistent state manager module, containing first persistent state data related to at least one of the one or more persistent game states, wherein identity and initialization information of the one or more persistent state hardware devices is unavailable to the wagering game program; and

responsive to receipt of the first store-state message by the persistent state manager module, sending a second store-state message, from the persistent state manager module to at least one of the one or more persistent state hardware devices, the identity and initialization information of the one or more persistent state hardware devices being available to the persistent state manager module, and the second store-state message causing the first persistent state data to be written to data media by the at least one persistent state hardware device.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, further comprising:

sending a first restore-state message, from at least one of the one or more persistent state hardware devices to the persistent state manager module, containing second persistent state data, and

responsive to receipt of the first restore-state message by the persistent state manager module, sending a second restore-state message, from the persistent state manager module to the wagering game program, the second restore-state message causing the wagering game program to establish the wagering game in a persistent game state corresponding to the second persistent state data.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein establishing the wagering game in the persistent game state corresponding to the second persistent state data includes unlocking aspects of the wagering game that were previously locked.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the persistent game state corresponding to the second persistent state data is the same as the persistent game state corresponding to the first persistent state data.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein the first persistent state data includes credit data and non-credit data, the non-credit data being related to intangible player assets awarded by a winning outcome occurring during game play of the wagering game, and wherein the intangible player assets cannot be converted to monetary value or redeemed for tangible prizes.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein the one or more persistent state hardware devices include at least one of a ticket printer and an electronic data storage device.

14. A machine-readable, non-transitory medium including executable instructions thereon, the instructions including a persistent state manager module and, when executed by at least one of one or more processors, cause a gaming system to perform a method comprising:

receiving, via one or more input devices, an input indicative of a wager to initiate the wagering game;

executing, via at least one of the one or more processors, a wagering game program including a randomly selected outcome displayed on one or more display devices;

executing, via at least one of the one or more processors, the persistent state manager module configured to exchange messages between the wagering game program and one or more persistent state hardware devices;

responsive to receipt of the first store-state message by the persistent state manager module, sending a first store-state message, from the wagering game program to the persistent state manager module, containing first persistent state data related to at least one of the one or more persistent game states, wherein identity and initialization information of the one or more persistent state hardware devices is unavailable to the wagering game program; and

responsive to receipt of the first store-state message by the persistent state manager module, sending a second store-state message, from the persistent state manager module to at least one of the one or more persistent state hardware devices, the identity and initialization information of the one or more persistent state hardware devices being available to the persistent state manager module, and the second store-state message causing the first persistent state data to be written to data media by the at least one persistent state hardware device.

15. The machine-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the instructions further cause the gaming system to:

send a first restore-state message, from at least one of the one or more persistent state hardware devices to the persistent state manager module, containing second persistent state data; and

responsive to receipt of the first restore-state message by the persistent state manager module, send a second restore-state message, from the persistent state manager module to the wagering game program, the second restore-state message causing the wagering game program to establish the wagering game in a persistent game state corresponding to the second persistent state data.

16. The machine-readable medium of claim 15, wherein establishing the wagering game in the persistent game state corresponding to the second persistent data includes unlocking aspects of the wagering game that were previously locked.

17. The machine-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the machine-readable medium resides in a memory device on a server, the memory device connected for communication with the wagering game program via a communications network.

18. The machine-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the at least one of the one or more persistent state hardware devices is a memory device on a server, the memory device connected for communication with the wagering game program via a communications network, and wherein the second store-state message causes the first persistent state data to be written to data media of the memory device.

19. The machine-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the instructions further cause the gaming system to generate pointer data identifying a location of the first persistent state data on the data media of the memory device, and to provide the pointer data to the persistent state manager module.

20. The machine-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the instructions further cause the gaming system to:

send a first restore-state message, from at least one of the one or more persistent state hardware devices to the persistent state manager module, containing pointer data;

responsive to receipt of the first restore-state message by the persistent state manager module, locate, via the persistent state manager module, first persistent state data residing at a location corresponding to the pointer data and send a second restore-state message, from the persistent state manager module to the wagering game program, causing the wagering game program to establish the wagering game in a persistent game state corresponding to the first persistent state data.