Peripheral update peripheral in a wagering game system

• US 8,409,009 B2
• Filed: 06/13/2007
• Issued: 04/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LNW Gaming Incorporated
• Original Assignee: WMS Gaming Incorporated (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Inventors: Motyl, Jim, Sylla, Craig J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Richards, N Drew
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dulka, John P
• Application Number:
  US12/304,229
• Publication Number:
  US 20090270176A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,120 Days
• Field of Search: 463/42, 463/20, 717/170, 717/173
• US Class Current: 463/42
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/323 wherein the player is informed, e.g. advertisements, odds, instructions

Abstract

There is provided a peripheral update device. The peripheral update device includes at least one interface adapted to communicatively connect to at least one peripheral device of a wagering game machine and to an update device, the at least one interface adapted to receive a firmware update from the update device for a peripheral device of the at least one peripheral device. The peripheral update device further includes a processor being communicatively connected to the at least one interface and adapted to receive the transmitted firmware update via the at least one interface and further adapted to apply the received firmware update to the peripheral device via the at least one interface.

Claims

1. A peripheral update device configured to install a firmware update in a peripheral device connected to a gaming machine, the gaming machine including one or more display devices, a plurality of peripheral devices, one or more gaming processors and a gaming memory device storing gaming instructions that, when executed by at least one of the one or more game processors, cause the one or more game processors to operate with the one or more display devices to conduct a wagering game, the peripheral update device comprising:

one or more interfaces configured to communicate with the plurality of peripheral devices;

one or more update processors, the one or more update processors being independent of the one or more gaming processors; and

an update memory device storing update instructions that, when executed by at least one of the one or more update processors, cause the peripheral update device to;

receive a firmware update data package including updated firmware for at least one of the plurality of peripheral devices, and

install, via at least one of the one or more interfaces, the updated firmware in the at least one peripheral device.

2. The peripheral update device of claim 1, wherein the one or more interfaces connect to the plurality of peripheral devices via a power line interface communicably connected to the game machine through a power line network.

3. The peripheral update device of claim 1, wherein the one or more interfaces connect to the plurality of peripheral devices via a power bus interface communicably connected to a power bus of the game machine.

4. The peripheral update device of claim 1, wherein the firmware update package is received directly from an update server via a communications network.

5. The peripheral update device of claim 1, wherein the firmware update package is received through the gaming machine.

6. A gaming machine configured to install a firmware update in a peripheral device connected to the gaming machine, the gaming machine comprising:

one or more display devices configured to display images of a wagering game;

one or more input devices;

a plurality of peripheral devices;

one or more gaming processors;

a peripheral update device including one or more interfaces configured to communicate with the plurality of peripheral devices, one or more update processors that are independent of the one or more game processors, and an update memory device storing executable update instructions that, when executed by at least one of the one or more update processors, cause the peripheral device to;

receive a firmware update data package including updated firmware for at least one of the plurality of peripheral devices;

install, via at least one of the one or more interfaces, the updated firmware in the at least one peripheral device; and

one or more gaming memory devices storing gaming instructions that, when executed by at least one of the one or more gaming processors, cause the gaming machine to;

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

randomly select, via at least one of the one or more gaming processors, a game outcome;

award an award in response to the game outcome being a winning outcome; and

activate the at least one updated peripheral device in response to a request from at least one of the one or more gaming processors.

7. The gaming machine of claim 6, further comprising an input/output bus connected to the plurality of peripheral devices, and wherein the one or more interfaces connect to the plurality of peripheral devices via the input/output bus.

8. The gaming machine of claim 6, further comprising a power bus connected to the plurality of peripheral devices, and wherein the one or more interfaces connect to the plurality of peripheral devices via the power bus.

9. The gaming machine of claim 8, further comprising a power bus interface connecting at least one of the plurality of peripheral devices to the power bus for communication with the peripheral update device.

10. The gaming machine of claim 6, wherein the peripheral update device receives the firmware update package directly from an update server.

11. The gaming machine of claim 6, wherein the peripheral update device receives the firmware update package via the gaming machine.

12. The gaming machine of claim 11, wherein the gaming machine:

i) receives the firmware update package,

ii) determines, via at least one or the one or more gaming processors, which of the plurality of peripheral devices will be updated by firmware in the firmware update package,

iii) disables, via at least one of the one or more gaming processors, the peripheral devices designated for updating, and

iv) transfers the firmware update package to the peripheral update device for installation.

13. The gaming machine of claim 6, wherein the peripheral update device comprises an internal component of the gaming machine.

14. The gaming machine of claim 6, wherein the peripheral update device is external to the gaming machine.

15. The gaming machine of claim 6, wherein the peripheral update device, prior to installing the updated firmware, further:

i) determines which peripheral devices will be updated by firmware in the firmware update package,

ii) notifies at least one of the one or more gaming processors as to which of the plurality of peripheral devices will be updated by firmware in the firmware update package, and

iii) receives notification that the designated peripheral devices have been disabled by at least one of the one of the one or more gaming processors.

16. A computer-implemented method of updating a peripheral device in a gaming machine via a peripheral update device, the gaming machine configured to conduct a wagering game, the peripheral update device including one or more update processors that are independent of the one or more gaming processors, and one or more interfaces connected for communication to a plurality of peripheral devices in the gaming machine, the method comprising:

executing, via at least one of the one or more update processors, stored update instructions that cause the peripheral update device to;

receive a firmware update package including updated firmware for at least one of the plurality of peripheral devices; and

install, via at least one of the one or more interfaces, the updated firmware in the at least one peripheral device; and

the method further comprising;

executing, via at least one of the one or more gaming processors, stored gaming instructions that cause the gaming machine to;

display, via one or more display devices, the wagering game;

randomly select a game outcome from a plurality of game outcomes;

award an award in response to the selected game outcome being a winning outcome; and

activate the at least one updated peripheral device in response to a request from at least one of the one or more gaming processors.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 16, wherein the peripheral update device receives the firmware update package directly from an update server via a communications network.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 16, wherein the stored gaming instructions further cause the gaming machine to:

i) receive the firmware update package,

ii) determine, via at least one or the one or more gaming processors, which of the plurality of peripheral devices will be updated by the firmware in the firmware update package,

iii) disable, via at least one of the one or more gaming processors, the peripheral devices designated for updating, and

iv) transfer the firmware update package to the peripheral update device for installation.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 16, wherein the stored update instructions further cause the peripheral device, prior to installing the updated firmware, to:

i) determine which peripheral devices will be updated by the firmware in the firmware update package,

ii) notify at least one of the one or more gaming processors as to which of the plurality of peripheral devices will be updated by firmware in the firmware update package, and

iii) receive notification that the designated peripheral devices have been disabled by at least one of the one of the one or more gaming processors.

20. A machine-readable, non-transitory medium for updating a peripheral device in a gaming machine via a peripheral update device, the gaming machine including one or more gaming processors configured to conduct a wagering game on the gaming machine, a plurality of peripheral devices, and one or more memory devices storing gaming instructions, and the peripheral update device including one or more update processors, the one or more update processors being independent of the one or more gaming processors, and one or more interfaces connected for communication to the plurality of peripheral devices, the machine-readable medium including executable instructions that, when executed by one or more update processors, cause the peripheral update device to perform a method comprising:

receiving a firmware update package including updated firmware for at least one of the plurality of peripheral devices; and

installing, via at least one of the one or more interfaces, the updated firmware in the at least one peripheral device.

21. The machine-readable medium of claim 20, wherein the medium resides on an update memory device within the peripheral update device.

22. The machine-readable medium of claim 20, wherein the medium resides on an update server, and wherein the update instructions are transmitted to the peripheral update device via a communications network.

23. The machine-readable medium of claim 20, wherein the medium and the peripheral update device both reside within the gaming machine.