Sharing wagering game machine resources

• US 8,376,835 B2
• Filed: 08/07/2007
• Issued: 02/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LNW Gaming Incorporated (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: WMS Gaming Incorporated (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Inventors: Ryan, Chad A., Bleich, Charles R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lewis, David L
• Assistant Examiner(s): TORIMIRO, ADETOKUNBO OLUSEGUN
• Application Number:
  US12/375,883
• Publication Number:
  US 20090239657A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,023 Days
• Field of Search: 463/16, 463/24, 463/30, 273/292
• US Class Current: 463/24
• 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 17/3244 Payment aspects of a gaming system, e.g. payment schemes, setting payout ratio, bonus or consolation prizes

Abstract

Apparatus, systems, and methods may operate to determine that a second resource is available to be shared in place of a first resource located in a first wagering game machine operable to receive a wager associated with a wagering game. The second resource may be located apart from the first wagering game, perhaps in a second wagering game machine, or in a wagering game server.

Claims

1. A gaming system configured to share resources between a plurality of gaming machines that are connected for communication, the gaming system comprising:

one or more input devices for receiving player inputs;

one or more display devices;

one or more processors;

a resource locator including resource information on available hardware resources; and

one or more memory devices storing instructions that, when executed by at least one of the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to operate with the resource locator, the one or more input devices, and the one or more display devices to;

receive an indication of a wager from a player initiating a wagering game on a first gaming machine of the plurality;

display the wagering game on at least one of the one or more display devices; and

prior to the player cashing out of the first gaming machine,

(i) detect a request from the first gaming machine for a hardware resource residing in the first gaming machine to perform a function,

(ii) determine that the requested resource is unavailable on the first gaming machine,

(iii)search, via the resource locator, for the requested resource on at least one of the gaming system and the plurality of gaming machines, and

(iv)in response to locating the requested resource on the gaming system or on a second gaming machine of the plurality, access the requested resource and perform the function via the resource on the gaming system or on the second gaming machine.

2. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the resource locator resides in the second gaming machine.

3. The gaming system of claim 2, wherein the resource locator includes a multi-host universal serial bus (USB) hub connected to the first gaming machine and to the requested resource, and wherein searching for the requested resource includes searching the multi-host USB hub interface ports.

4. The gaming system of claim 3, wherein accessing the requested resource includes the first gaming machine controlling the requested resource via the multi-host USB hub.

5. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein gaming system further comprises a wagering game server connected to the plurality of gaming machines via a communications network, and wherein the resource locator resides in the wagering game server.

6. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the instructions further cause the at least one processor, in response to failing to locate the requested resource on either the gaming system or on the plurality of gaming machines, to notify the player of the failure via at least one of the one or more display devices.

7. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein accessing the requested resource includes the second gaming machine controlling the resource according to instructions received from the first gaming machine.

8. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of gaming machines includes resource information concerning hardware resources available at other gaming machines of the plurality, and wherein searching for the requested resource includes searching the resource information.

9. The gaming system of claim 8, wherein the resource information includes asset numbers input by an operator, wherein the asset numbers correspond to the available hardware resources.

10. A gaming system configured to share hardware resources between a plurality of gaming machines that are connected for communication via a communications network, the gaming system comprising:

a wagering game server on the communications network, the wagering game server comprising a resource locator that includes resource information on available hardware resources;

one or more input devices for receiving player inputs;

one or more display devices;

one or more processors; and

one or more memory devices storing instructions that, when executed by at least one of the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to operate with resource locator, the one or more input devices, and the one or more display devices to;

receive an indication of a wager from a player initiating a wagering game on a first gaming machine of the plurality;

display the wagering game on at least one of the one or more display devices; and

prior to the player cashing out of the first gaming machine,

(i) detect a request from the first gaming machine for a hardware resource residing in the first gaming machine to perform a function,

(ii) determine that the requested resource is unavailable on the first gaming machine,

(iii)search the resource information for the requested resource,

(iv)in response to the required resource being located on a second gaming machine of the plurality, access the requested resource via the resource locator and perform the function via the resource on the second gaming machine.

11. The gaming system of claim 10, wherein accessing the requested resource includes the second gaming machine controlling the requested resource in response to instructions received from the first gaming machine.

12. The gaming system of claim 11, wherein the instructions from the first gaming machine are received by the resource locator and transmitted to the second gaming machine by the resource locator.

13. The gaming system of claim 10, wherein the resource locator further includes mapping information corresponding to the locations of the available hardware resources, and wherein the instructions further cause at least one of the one or more processors to operate with the resource locator and at least one of the one or more display devices to notify the player of the location of the second gaming machine.

14. A computer-implemented method of sharing hardware resources between a plurality of gaming machines that are connected for communication, the plurality of gaming machines including one or more input devices, one or more display devices, one or more processors, and one or more memory devices, the method comprising:

receiving, via at least one of the one or more input devices, an indication of a wager from a player to initiate a wagering game on a first gaming machine of the plurality;

displaying, via at least one of the one or more display devices, the wagering game; and

prior to the player cashing out of the first gaming machine,

(i) detecting a request from the first gaming machine for a hardware resource residing in the first gaming machine to perform a function;

(ii) determining that the requested resource is unavailable on the first gaming machine,

(iii)searching, via a resource locator including resource information on available hardware resources, for the requested resource on the plurality of gaming machines, and

(iv)in response to locating the requested resource on a second gaming machine of the plurality, accessing, via the resource locator, the requested resource and performing the function via the resource on the second gaming machine.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the resource locator resides in the second gaming machine.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the resource locator includes a multi- host universal serial bus (USB) hub connected to the first gaming machine and to the requested resource, and wherein searching for the requested resource includes searching the multi-host USB hub interface ports.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein accessing the requested resource includes the first gaming machine controlling the requested resource via the multi-host USB hub.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising, in response to failing to locate the requested resource on the plurality of gaming machines, notifying the player of the failure via at least one of the one or more display devices.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein accessing the requested resource includes the second gaming machine controlling the resource according to instructions received from the first gaming machine.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein at least one of the plurality of gaming machines includes resource information concerning hardware resources available at other gaming machines of the plurality, and wherein searching for the requested resource includes searching the resource information.

21. A machine-readable, non-transitory medium including executable instructions that, when executed by at least one of one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to operate with one or more input devices and one or more display devices to perform a method comprising:

receiving, via at least one of the one or more input devices, an indication of a wager from a player to initiate a wagering game on a first gaming machine of a plurality of gaming machines, wherein the plurality of gaming machines are connected for communication;

displaying, via at least one of the one or more display devices, the wagering game; and

prior to the player cashing out of the first gaming machine,

(i) detecting a request from the first gaming machine for a hardware resource residing in the first gaming machine to perform a function;

(ii) determining that the requested resource is unavailable on the first gaming machine,

(iii)searching, via a resource locator including resource information on available hardware resources, for the requested resource on the plurality of gaming machines, and

(iv)in response to locating the requested resource on a second gaming machine of the plurality, accessing, via the resource locator, the requested resource and performing the function via the resource on the second gaming machine.