System and method for connecting gaming devices to a network for remote play

• US 8,571,991 B2
• Filed: 04/14/2008
• Issued: 10/29/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Zynga Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Zynga Incorporated
• Inventors: Saunders, Michael W., Carlson, Rolf E., Miller, William D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nigh, James D
• Application Number:
  US12/102,808
• Publication Number:
  US 20080254897A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,024 Days
• Field of Search: 705/51, 462/25, 462/42, 462/43
• US Class Current: 705/51
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 7/58 Random or pseudo-random number generators
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 7/582 Pseudo-random number generators
• 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 17/3225 Data transfer within a gaming system, e.g. data sent between gaming machines and users
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/323 wherein the player is informed, e.g. advertisements, odds, instructions
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3237 about the players, e.g. profiling, responsible gaming, strategy/behavior of players, location of players
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3241 Security aspects of a gaming system, e.g. detecting cheating, device integrity, surveillance computer security G06F21/00

Abstract

A system and method for connecting remote player devices to regulated host gaming devices in a network to provide remote game play. A host gaming device is configured to provide game information to a plurality of remote player devices to allow remote play of the host game device. Whether each remote player device is permitted to receive gaming data is based upon, at least in part, the geographic location of the remote player device.

Claims

1. A method of resuming an interrupted gaming session, the method comprising:

generating gaming state information indicative of a state of a game at one or more points in a gaming session on a first gaming device;

encrypting the gaming state information;

transmitting the encrypted gaming state information from the first gaming device;

receiving the encrypted gaming state information at a receiving gaming device;

decrypting the gaming state information at the receiving gaming device; and

loading the game state information into the receiving gaming device to resume the gaming session based on the loaded game state information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the encrypted gaming state information from the first gaming device is transmitted to a receiving gaming device that is at least one remote player device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the encrypted gaming state information from the first gaming device is transmitted to a receiving gaming device that is at least one remote player device that is configured to receive encrypted game state information from the first gaming device over a data network and to send the encrypted game state information to the second gaming device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving gaming device is the first gaming device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving gaming device is configured to receive encrypted gaming state information from a first gaming device over a data network.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the gaming state information comprises user payment information.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the game state information to comprises gaming machine payout information.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising creating an auditable record of gaming transactions on the first gaming device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving gaming device is a second gaming device.

23. The method of claim 2, further comprising verifying that each of at least one remote player device is within a proximity of the first host gaming device.

10. A system for saving a gaming session, the system comprising:

a data network;

a processor configured to;

execute at least one game;

generate gaming state information indicative of a state of the gaming session at one or more points in the gaming session based on execution of at least one game; and

encrypt the game state information;

and

a transmitter configured to transmit the encrypted gaming state information over a data network.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the gaming state information includes user payment information.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the gaming state information includes gaming machine payout information.

13. The system of claim 10 further comprising:

a central gaming controller configured to create an auditable record of gaming transactions on the first gaming device.

24. The system of claim 10, wherein the gaming state information includes geographic information indicative of geographic location of the gaming machine.

14. A system for resuming a game, the system comprising:

a receiver configured to receive gaming state information indicative of a state of one or more points in a gaming session of at least one game; and

a processor configured to;

decrypt the game state information; and

load the game state information and resume execution of at least one game based on the game state information.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the gaming state information includes user payment information.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the game state information includes gaming machine payout information.

17. The system of claim 14, further comprising:

a central gaming controller configured to create an auditable record of gaming transactions on the second gaming device.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein the receiver is configured to receive the encrypted gaming state information over a data network.

25. The system of claim 14, wherein the gaming state information includes geographic information indicative of geographic location of the gaming machine.

26. The system of claim 17, wherein the game controller is configured to control the ability of the second gaming device to receive gaming state based on the geographic location of the second gaming device.

19. A system for saving a gaming session, the system comprising:

means for executing at least one game;

means for generating game state information indicative of a state of the game at a given point in the gaming session based on execution of at least one game;

means for encrypting the gaming state information; and

means for transmitting the encrypted gaming state information.

20. A system for resuming a game, the system comprising:

means for receiving gaming state information indicative of a state of the game at one or more points of a gaming session on a first gaming device;

means for decrypting the gaming state information; and

means for loading the gaming state information and resuming execution of at least one game based on the gaming state information.

21. A method of saving a gaming session, the method comprising:

generating game state information indicative of a state of the game at one or more points in the gaming session;

encrypting the game state information; and

transmitting the gaming state to a second device.

22. A method of resuming a gaming session on a first gaming device, the method comprising:

receiving encrypted game state information from a host gaming device, the game state information indicative of a state of a game at one or more points in a gaming session;

decrypting the game state information; and

loading the game state information to resume the gaming session on the first gaming device.

27. A gaming system comprising:

a receiver configured to receive, from a first device, encrypted gaming state information indicative of a state of a game at one or more points in a gaming session;

a storage configured to store the encrypted gaming state information;

wherein the receiver is further configured to receive, from a second device, request information indicative of a request to resume a gaming session;

at least one processor configured to verify the second device based, at least in part, on the request information; and

a transmitter configured to transmit the encrypted gaming state information to the second device.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the request information includes geographic information indicative of the geographic location of the second device and the processor is configured to verify the second device based, at least in part, on the geographic information.