Open architecture communications in a gaming network

• US 8,454,440 B2
• Filed: 09/10/2008
• Issued: 06/04/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Brosnan, William R., LeMay, Steven G., Cockerille, Warner, Nelson, Dwayne, Breckner, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Pandya, Sunit
• Application Number:
  US12/283,382
• Publication Number:
  US 20090069094A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,728 Days
• Field of Search: 463 16- 20, 463/25, 463 39- 43, 463/29, 710100-103, 710/104, 710/105, 710/110, 710/314, 710/315
• 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 17/323 wherein the player is informed, e.g. advertisements, odds, instructions
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3239 Tracking of individual players
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/18 Multiprotocol handlers, e.g. single devices capable of handling multiple protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

Open architecture communication systems and methods are provided that allow flexible data transmission between gaming machines and other devices and nodes within a gaming machine network. The gaming machine and other devices employ a communication interface that sends and receives data via a common communication protocol and via common communication hardware. The communication interface and common communication protocol allow data transfer between gaming machines and other network nodes such as gaming service servers, despite the presence of different proprietary gaming machine functions and proprietary communication protocols and despite the presence of various proprietary hardware and proprietary communication protocols relied on by the servers.

Claims

1. A communication interface comprising:

one or more memory devices, the one or more memory devices being configured to store a plurality of communication protocols including at least a common network communication protocol, a first non-network communication protocol, and a second non-network communication protocol, each of the common network communication protocol, the first non-network communication protocol, and the second non-network communication protocol being different from one another;

one or more processors, the one or more processors being configured to unpackage, translate, and package communications in one or more of the common network communication protocol, the first non-network communication protocol, and the second non-network communication protocol; and

a plurality of communication ports, each communication port being configured to couple the communication interface to a node in a gaming network, each communication port being configured to enable communication with the corresponding node via a connection when the communication port is communicatively coupled to the node with the connection, the plurality of communication ports including;

one or more common network communication ports, each common network communication port being configured to enable communication with a node connected thereto according to the common network communication protocol;

one or more first communication ports, each first communication port being configured to enable communication with a node connected thereto according to the first communication protocol; and

one or more second communication ports, each second communication port being configured to enable communication with a node connected thereto according to a second communication protocol.

2. The communication interface of claim 1 wherein the first non-network communication protocol is a first proprietary communication protocol.

3. The communication interface of claim 2 wherein the second non-network communication protocol is a second proprietary communication protocol that is different from the first proprietary communication protocol.

4. The communication interface of claim 1 wherein one or more of the common network communication ports communicate data with a gaming machine server that provides at least one game service in the first non-network communication protocol.

5. The communication interface of claim 4 wherein the at least one game service is selected from the group consisting of progressive game services, bonus game services, player tracking services, cashless/ticketing services, game downloading services, prize services, entertainment content services, concierge services, lottery services and money transfer services.

6. The communication interface of claim 1 wherein the common network communication protocol is selected from the group consisting of a TCP/IP communication protocol, a SLIP communication protocol, and a PPP communication protocol.

7. The communication interface of claim 1 wherein the first non-network communication protocol is selected from the group consisting of a progressive game service protocol, a bonus game service protocol, a player tracking service protocol, a cashless/ticketing service protocol, a game downloading service protocol, a prize service protocol, an entertainment content service protocol, a concierge service protocol, a lottery service protocol and a money transfer service protocol.

8. The communication interface of claim 1 wherein the communication interface is included in a player tracking unit.

9. The communication interface of claim 1 wherein one or more of the first communication ports are connected to a node that is a gaming machine, and wherein the gaming machine employs proprietary gaming software that provides data in the first non-network communication protocol to one or more of the first non-network communication ports.

10. The communication interface of claim 9 wherein the proprietary gaming software is not configured to read messages transmitted in the second non-network communication protocol or the common network communication protocol.

11. The communication interface of claim 1 wherein the communication interface is assigned an IP address.

12. The communication interface of claim 1 wherein a physical interface of one or more of the first or second non-network communication ports is selected from the group consisting of RS-422/485, Fiber Optic, RS-232, DCS Current Loop, Link Progressive Current Loop, FireWire, Wireless, Ethernet and USB.

13. The communication interface of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are configured to unpackage communications received in the common network communication protocol and to translate and repackage these unpackaged communications into the first non-network communication protocol or the second non-network communication protocol.

14. The communication interface of claim 13, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to, in response to receiving a communication in the common network communication protocol, determine a communication port from the one or more first non-network communication ports or the one or more second non-network communication ports to which to send the repackaged communication.

15. The communication interface of claim 14, wherein:

when a communication in the common network communication protocol is received by the communication interface and determined by the one or more processors to be targeted to a node that is configured to communicate according to the first communication protocol, the one or more processors are configured to;

unpackage the communication;

translate the communication from the common network protocol to the first non-network communication protocol;

repackage the communication in the first non-network communication protocol; and

communicate the repackaged communication in the first non-network communication protocol via the determined one of the first communication ports to the node; and

when a communication in the common network communication protocol is received by the communication interface and determined by the one or more processors to be targeted to a node that is configured to communicate according to the second communication protocol, the one or more processors are configured to;

unpackage the communication;

translate the communication from the common network protocol to the second non-network communication protocol;

repackage the communication in the second non-network communication protocol; and

communicate the repackaged communication in the second non-network communication protocol via the determined one of the second communication ports to the node.

16. The communication interface of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are configured to unpackage communications received in either the first non-network communication protocol or the second non-network communication protocol and to translate and repackage these unpackaged communications into the common network communication protocol.

17. The communication interface of claim 16, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to, in response to receiving a communication in the first non-network communication protocol or the second non-network communication protocol, determine a communication port from the one or more common network communication ports to which to send the repackaged communication.

18. The communication interface of claim 17, wherein:

when a communication in the first non-network communication protocol is received by the communication interface and determined to be sent over the gaming network, the one or more processors are configured to;

unpackage the communication;

translate the communication from the first non-network communication protocol to the common network protocol;

repackage the communication in the common network communication protocol; and

communicate the repackaged communication in the common network communication protocol through the determined one of the common network communication ports; and

when a communication in the second non-network communication protocol is received by the communication interface and determined to be sent over the gaming network, the one or more processors are configured to;

unpackage the communication;

translate the communication from the second non-network communication protocol to the common network protocol;

repackage the communication in the common network communication protocol; and

communicate the repackaged communication in the common network communication protocol through the determined one of the common network communication ports.

19. The communication interface of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are configured to unpackage, translate, and repackage communications that are encrypted without first decrypting the encrypted communications.

20. The communication interface of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to encrypt translated communications to be sent in the common network protocol, the first non-network protocol, or the second non-network protocol.