Method and system for instant-on game download

• US 8,651,956 B2
• Filed: 01/07/2011
• Issued: 02/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Nguyen, Binh T., Hedrick, Joseph R., Wolf, Bryan
• Primary Examiner(s): Bumgarner, Melba
• Assistant Examiner(s): Leiva, Frank M
• Application Number:
  US12/986,861
• Publication Number:
  US 20110105234A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,138 Days
• Field of Search: 463/16, 463/17, 463/25, 463/29, 463/42, 345/473
• US Class Current: 463/42
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• 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

Abstract

Disclosed are methods, apparatus, and systems, including computer program products, implementing and using techniques for a method for providing a game on demand over a data network, in a gaming machine. The gaming machine sends a request message for a game application over the data network. In a network mode, the gaming machine receives outputted results from an executed game application over a streaming channel of the data network for network-based game play. During the network-based game play, the game application is downloaded over a download channel of the data network. In a local mode, the gaming machine executes the downloaded game application independent of the network-based game play. The gaming machine switches instantaneously from the network mode to the local mode for machine-based game play, including maintaining a status of the network-based game play.

Claims

1. A method in a gaming machine comprising:

receiving, at the gaming machine, a request by a player to play a game on the gaming machine;

receiving, at the gaming machine, a data stream of the game from a server via a data network for network-based play of the game;

presenting, at the gaming machine, the data stream of the game to the player for networked-based play of the game;

downloading to the gaming machine, during the network-based play of the game, a locally executable form of the game over the data network, wherein the locally executable form of the game is locally executable on the gaming machine;

executing the locally executable form of the game on the gaming machine; and

switching from the network-based game play of the game to the executed locally executable form of the game, including transferring state information of the networked-based play of the game to the executed locally executable form of the game being executed on the gaming machine such that game play by the player of the game is not interrupted during the switching.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the data stream is generated when the game is executed on the server.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the data stream is received after the game is executed or while the game is executed on the server.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

maintaining current game settings for the game being executed at the server, the current game settings including the state information.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the current game settings are downloaded over the data network from the server to the gaming machine.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the current game settings are stored in a processor-readable storage medium situated in the gaming machine.

7. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

terminating execution of the game being executed at the server after the switching from the network-based game play to the locally executed form of the game.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein the current game settings are in XML format or in HTML format.

9. The method of claim 4, wherein current game settings for the locally executed form of the game being executed by the gaming machine are stored in game IO logic.

10. The method of claim 4, wherein the current game settings include a bet configuration.

11. A method in a gaming system including a server and a gaming machine, the method comprising:

executing, at the server, a game to output a data stream of the game for server-based game play of the game at the gaming machine;

sending the data stream of the game from the server to the gaming machine over a data network for server-based play of the game;

downloading, by the gaming machine, during server-based play of the game, a downloadable form of the game to the gaming machine via the data network;

executing the downloadable form of the game on the gaming machine; and

switching from the server-based play of the game to an instance of the game executed locally on the gaming machine by transferring state information for the game executed at the server to the downloadable form of the game executed on the gaming machine such that game play by a player of the game is not interrupted during the switching from the server-based play of the game to the instance of the game executed locally on the gaming machine.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

retrieving the game from a processor-readable storage medium.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

terminating, after switching from the server-based play of the game to the instance of the game executed locally on the gaming machine, execution of the game at the server.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

authenticating the downloadable form of the game.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the downloadable form of the game is executed by the gaming machine upon completion of downloading.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the game is executed at the server in response to selection of the game at the gaming machine by the player.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the data stream includes video data and audio data.

18. A method in a gaming system comprising:

executing a game application by a streaming server to output a data stream of an instance of a game;

sending the data stream from the streaming server to a device over a data network for server-based play of the instance of the game;

downloading, during the server-based play of the instance of the game, a downloadable form of the game application from a download server to the device over the data network;

executing the downloadable form of the game application by the device independent of the streaming server; and

switching from the server-based play of the instance of the game to device-based play of the game application by transferring state information for the game application executed by the streaming server to the downloadable form of the game application executed by the device such that a player of the server-based play instance of the game continues game play of the instance of the game on the game application executed by the device without interruption during the switching from the server-based play of the game to the device-based play of the game.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

retrieving the game application from a processor-readable storage medium.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

terminating, after switching from the server-based play of the instance of the game to the device-based play of the game application, execution of the game application at the streaming server.

21. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

authenticating the downloadable form of the game application.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein the downloadable form of the game application is executed by the device upon completion of downloading.

23. The method of claim 18, wherein the game application is executed by the streaming server in response to selection of the game at the device.

24. The method of claim 18, wherein the data stream includes video data and audio data.

25. A device comprising:

a game logic module configured to;

i) receive a data stream of a game executed at a server over a data network for network-based play of the game, and

ii) download, during the network-based play of the game, a downloadable form of the game over the data network, to the device; and

a processor configured to;

i) present the data stream of the game to a player via an output of the device;

ii) execute the downloadable form of the game independent of the network-based play of the game, and

iii) switch from the network-based play of the game to device-based play of the game by transferring state information for the game executed at the server to the downloadable form of the game executed by the processor such that game play by the player of the game is not interrupted during the switch.

26. The device of claim 25, further comprising:

a processor readable storage medium configured to maintain current game settings including the state information for the game being executed at the server.

27. A system comprising:

a device configured to communicate with a data network;

a streaming server configured to communicate with the device via the data network, the streaming server having access to a game and configured to;

i) execute the game to produce a stream of the game, and

ii) send the stream of the game to the device over the data network for server-based play of the game; and

a download server configured to communicate with the device via the data network, the download server having access to a downloadable form of the game, the download server configured to transmit, during the server-based play of the game, the downloadable form of the game to the device over the data network;

wherein the device is further configured to;

i) present the stream of the game to a player via an output of the device;

ii) execute the downloadable form of the game independent of the streaming server during presentation of the stream of the game to the player, and

iii) switch from the server-based play of the game to device-based play of the game by transferring state information for the game executed by the streaming server to the downloadable form of the game executed by the device such that game play by the player of the game is not interrupted during the switch.

28. A computer program product, stored on a non-transitory processor-readable medium, comprising instructions for controlling one or more processors of a gaming machine to:

receive, at the gaming machine, a data stream of a game being executed at a server, the data stream received over a streaming channel of a data network for network-based play of the game;

download, during the network-based play of the game, a locally executable form of the game at the gaming machine over a download channel of the data network;

execute the locally executable form of the game by the gaming machine independent of the network-based play of the game; and

switch from the network-based play of the game to the locally executed form of the game, including transferring state information for the game executed by the streaming server to the locally executable form of the game executed by the gaming machine such that game play by the player of the game is not interrupted during the switching.