Device health monitoring for gaming machines

• US 8,696,430 B2
• Filed: 05/09/2013
• Issued: 04/15/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: Leap Forward Gaming, Inc. (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Wells, William R.
• Primary Examiner(s): DEODHAR, OMKAR A
• Application Number:
  US13/890,692
• Publication Number:
  US 20130244756A1
• Time in Patent Office: 341 Days
• Field of Search: 463/16, 463/20, 463/25, 463/29
• US Class Current: 463/16
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 11/00 Game accessories of general use , e.g. score counters, boxes
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3202 Hardware aspects of a gaming system, e.g. components, construction, architecture thereof
• 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 17/3241 Security aspects of a gaming system, e.g. detecting cheating, device integrity, surveillance computer security G06F21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3258 Cumulative reward schemes, e.g. jackpots
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/34 depending on the stopping of moving members in a mechanical slot machine, e.g. "fruit" machines
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/001 Interfacing with vending machines using mobile or wearable devices
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/009 User recognition or proximity detection
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/026 for alarm, monitoring and auditing in vending machines or means for indication, e.g. when empty

Abstract

A gaming peripheral for a gaming machine is described. The gaming peripheral can be configured to emulate the functions of a lighting device, such as a candle. The gaming peripheral can be configured to provide enhanced gaming features such as 1) enhanced networking capabilities, 2) enhanced peripheral device monitoring and upgrade capabilities, 3) enhanced player monitoring and security capabilities 4) enhanced gaming function capabilities and 5) enhanced player reward capabilities. The enhanced gaming features can be provided in a non-intrusive manner such that regulated software executed on a gaming machine does not have to be altered.

Claims

1. A method in a retrofit gaming device having a controller including a processor and a memory and a network interface, said retrofit gaming device retrofitted to an existing wager-based gaming machine having a touch screen video display, a value input device, a value output device and a game controller communicatively coupled to the value input device, the value output device and the touch screen video display wherein after a retrofit of the existing wager-based gaming machine, the retrofit gaming device, the game controller, the touch screen video display, the value input device and the value output device are each coupled to an existing gaming machine cabinet, comprising:

receiving, by the processor via a first communication pathway added during the retrofit that is between the retrofit gaming device and the value input device, first data from the value input device;

receiving, by the processor via a second communication pathway added during the retrofit that is between the retrofit gaming device and the value output device within the existing gaming machine cabinet, second data from the value output device;

receiving, by the processor via a third communication pathway added during the retrofit that is between the retrofit gaming device and the touch screen video display third data from the touch screen video display;

sending, by the processor via a fourth communication pathway added during the retrofit that is between the retrofit gaming device and the touch screen video display, first video data for output on at least a portion of the touch screen video display;

receiving, by the processor via a fifth communication pathway added during the retrofit that is between the retrofit gaming device and the game controller within the existing gaming machine cabinet, fourth data associated with a play of a wager-based game from the game controller;

wherein the game controller is configured to control the play of the wager-based game played on the existing gaming machine including outputting a video presentation associated with the play of the wager-based game on the touch screen video display;

sending, by the processor, via a sixth communication pathway added during the retrofit that uses the network interface, the first data, the second data and the fourth data to a remote server;

sending, by the processor, via the fourth communication pathway, second video data for a presentation of a second game, separate from the wager-based game, for output on at least the portion of the touch screen video display; and

after the second game is initiated, receiving via the third communication pathway, fifth data from the touch screen video display wherein the fifth data is associated with a play of the second game

wherein functions of the retrofit gaming device including receiving the first data from the value input device via the first communication pathway, receiving the second data from the value output device via the second communication pathway, receiving the third data and the fifth data from the touch screen video display via the third communication pathway, sending the first video data and the second video data to the touch screen video display via the fourth communication pathway and receiving the fourth data from the game controller via the fifth communication pathway do not require modification to existing game software executed by the game controller prior to the retrofit of the existing gaming machine.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the second video data for the presentation of the second game is customized based upon identification information received from a player at the gaming machine.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising receiving the identification information.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving information from a card reader via a seventh communication pathway added during the retrofit that is between the retrofit gaming device and the card reader.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the second video data for the presentation of the second game includes an indication of an award associated with the play of the second game.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising outputting audio associated with the second game via a seventh communication pathway added during the retrofit that is between the retrofit device and an audio device wherein the audio device is communicatively coupled to the game controller.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending commands for controlling a bonus device on the gaming machine during the presentation of the second game via a seventh communication pathway added during the retrofit that is between the retrofit device and a bonus device wherein the bonus device is communicatively coupled to the game controller.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the bonus device includes a wheel or a reel.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving sixth data associated with the second game from an input button on the gaming machine via a seventh communication pathway added during the retrofit that is between the retrofit device and the input button wherein the input button is communicatively coupled to the game controller.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending commands for controlling a lighting device on the gaming machine during the presentation of the second game via a seventh communication pathway added during the retrofit that is between the retrofit device and a lighting device wherein the lighting device is communicatively coupled to the game controller.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising communicating with the value input device via the first communication pathway as part of the play of the second game.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising communicating with the value output device via the second communication pathway as part of the play of the second game.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the second game is part of a tournament or a group game involving a plurality of participants.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the second game is initiated in response to one or more commands received from the remote server via the sixth communication pathway.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the second game is initiated in response to the fourth data received from the game controller via the fifth communication pathway.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the value output device is a printer.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending via the second communication pathway instructions for printing a ticket related to the play of the second game.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the fourth data includes wager amount data associated with the wager-based game and further comprising associating a portion of the wager amount data with a progressive jackpot.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the second video data includes information associated with an award of a progressive jackpot.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein an award for the second game is determined by the game controller.