Open architecture communications in a gaming network
First Claim
1. A system for a gaming environment comprising:
- a plurality of gaming devices configured to generate and output data wherein each of the plurality of gaming devices includes a master min controller configured to manage a game played on the gaming machine and a communication interface device in communication with the master gaming controller, the communication interface device configured to communicate data and translate data to and from a plurality of communication protocols;
a plurality of general casino operating systems, each of said plurality of general casino operating systems configured to utilize a particular communication protocol which is different than communication protocols utilized by another general casino operating system; and
at least one open interface associated with each of the plurality of general casino operating systems, said open interface configured to permit communication between each of the plurality of general casino operating systems and the plurality of gaming devices and configured to translate data to and from the particular communication protocol of the associated general casino operating system and a common communication protocol for transmission over a network;
wherein the communication device is configured to receive data formatted in the common communication protocol from the at least one open interface and to translate the data formatted in the common protocol to the particular communication protocol;
wherein the communication device is further configured to translate data formatted in the particular communication protocol to the common protocol and to transfer the data formatted in the common communication protocol over the network to the at least one open interface;
wherein the at least one open interface is configured to receive data formatted in the common communication protocol from the communication device and to translate the data formatted in the common protocol to the particular communication protocol; and
wherein the at least one open interface is further configured to translate data from the particular communication protocol to the common protocol and to transfer the data formatted in the common communication protocol over the network to the communication device.
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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.
110 Citations
15 Claims
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1. A system for a gaming environment comprising:
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a plurality of gaming devices configured to generate and output data wherein each of the plurality of gaming devices includes a master min controller configured to manage a game played on the gaming machine and a communication interface device in communication with the master gaming controller, the communication interface device configured to communicate data and translate data to and from a plurality of communication protocols; a plurality of general casino operating systems, each of said plurality of general casino operating systems configured to utilize a particular communication protocol which is different than communication protocols utilized by another general casino operating system; and at least one open interface associated with each of the plurality of general casino operating systems, said open interface configured to permit communication between each of the plurality of general casino operating systems and the plurality of gaming devices and configured to translate data to and from the particular communication protocol of the associated general casino operating system and a common communication protocol for transmission over a network; wherein the communication device is configured to receive data formatted in the common communication protocol from the at least one open interface and to translate the data formatted in the common protocol to the particular communication protocol; wherein the communication device is further configured to translate data formatted in the particular communication protocol to the common protocol and to transfer the data formatted in the common communication protocol over the network to the at least one open interface; wherein the at least one open interface is configured to receive data formatted in the common communication protocol from the communication device and to translate the data formatted in the common protocol to the particular communication protocol; and wherein the at least one open interface is further configured to translate data from the particular communication protocol to the common protocol and to transfer the data formatted in the common communication protocol over the network to the communication device. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A network architecture for a gaming environment comprising:
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a casino floor system including; a plurality of gaming devices, each gaming device configured to present a plurality of games and generate data regarding gaming activities, each of the plurality of gaming devices including a master gaming controller configured to manage a game played on the gaming machine and a communication interface device in communication with the master gaming controller, the communication interface configured to communicate data and translate a plurality of communication protocols; and a main casino system, said main casino system including; a network provided between the main casino system and the casino floor system, the network configured to permit communication between the main casino system and the casino floor system; a plurality of general casino operating systems, each of said plurality of general casino operating systems configured to utilize a particular communication protocol which is different than another general casino operating system; and at least one open interface associated with each of the plurality of general casino operating systems, the at least one open interface being configured to translate data formatted in a common communication protocol to the particular communication protocol associated with each of the plurality of general casino operating systems; wherein data being transmitted from a gaming device to one of the plurality of general casino operating systems is converted from the particular communication protocol of the one of the plurality of general casino operating systems to the common communication protocol in the communication interface, and then converted back to the particular communication protocol in the at least one open interface associated with the one of the plurality of general casino operating systems. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A method of processing data in a gaming environment, comprising:
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receiving at a first communication interface of a gaming server, data formatted in a particular communication protocol; translating, by the first communication interface, the data into a common communication protocol for transmission over a network; transmitting the data formatted in the common communication protocol over the network to a second communication interface, the second communication interface being associated with a gaming machine; receiving, at the second communication interface, data formatted in the common communication protocol from the gaming services server; determining, by the second communication interface, a gaming machine communication protocol used by a gaming machine that is designated to receive the data; translating, by the second communication interface, data formatted in the common communication protocol to the gaming machine communication protocol; and transmitting, by the second communication interface, data formatted in the gaming machine communication protocol to the gaming machine. - View Dependent Claims (15)
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Specification