Sharing wagering game machine resources

• US 8,821,253 B2
• Filed: 11/15/2012
• Issued: 09/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LNW Gaming Incorporated (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: WMS Gaming Incorporated (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Inventors: Ryan, Chad A., Bleich, Charles R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Deodhar, Omkar
• Assistant Examiner(s): TORIMIRO, ADETOKUNBO OLUSEGUN
• Application Number:
  US13/677,786
• Publication Number:
  US 20130090159A1
• Time in Patent Office: 656 Days
• Field of Search: 463/16, 463/24, 463/30, 463/40, 463/42, 273/292, 709/203
• US Class Current: 463/24
• 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 17/3244 Payment aspects of a gaming system, e.g. payment schemes, setting payout ratio, bonus or consolation prizes

Abstract

Apparatus, systems, and methods may operate to determine that a second resource is available to be shared in place of a first resource located in a first wagering game machine operable to receive a wager associated with a wagering game. The second resource may be located apart from the first wagering game, perhaps in a second wagering game machine, or in a wagering game server.

Claims

1. A gaming system configured to share resources between a plurality of gaming machines that are connected for communication, the gaming system comprising:

one or more memory devices storing instructions that, when executed by at least one of one or more processors, cause the gaming system to;

receive an input indicative of a wager from a player to play a wagering game on a first gaming machine of the plurality of gaming machines;

prior to the player cashing out of the first gaming machine, determine that a hardware resource to perform a function is unavailable on the first gaming machine; and

in response to determining that the hardware resource is unavailable on the first gaming machine, access the hardware resource outside of the first gaming machine, and perform the function with the accessed hardware resource.

2. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein accessing the hardware resource outside of the first gaming machine includes locating the hardware resource in at least one of the gaming system and a second gaming machine of the plurality of gaming machines.

3. The gaming system of claim 2, wherein a designated gaming machine of the plurality of gaming machines locates the hardware resources for any of the plurality of gaming machines.

4. The gaming system of claim 2, wherein accessing the hardware resource includes locating the hardware resource on the second gaming machine, and wherein the second gaming machine performs the function according to instructions received from the first gaming machine.

5. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein accessing the hardware resource outside of the first gaming machine includes searching stored resource information concerning hardware resources available from at least one of the gaming system and the plurality of gaming machines.

6. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the gaming system includes a multi-host universal serial bus (USB) hub connected to the plurality of gaming machines, and wherein accessing the hardware resource includes searching the multi-host USB hub interface ports.

7. The gaming system of claim 1, further comprising a resource server connected to the plurality of gaming machines via a communications network, wherein the hardware resource is accessed via the resource server.

8. The gaming system of claim 7, wherein the resource server locates the hardware resources for any of the plurality of gaming machines.

9. A computer-implemented method of sharing resources between a plurality of gaming machines that are connected for communication, the method comprising:

receiving, via one or more input devices, an input indicative of a wager to play a wagering game on a first gaming machine of the plurality of gaming machines;

prior to the player cashing out of the first gaming machine, determining, via one of one or more processors, that a hardware resource to perform a function is unavailable on the first gaming machine; and

in response to determining that the hardware resource is unavailable on the first gaming machine, accessing, via at least one of the one or more processors, the hardware resource outside of the first gaming machine and performing the function with the accessed hardware resource.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein accessing the hardware resource outside of the first gaming machine includes locating the hardware resource in a second gaming machine of the plurality.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein the second gaming machine performs the function according to instructions received from the first gaming machine.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein accessing the hardware resource outside of the first gaming machine includes searching stored resource information concerning hardware resources available from the plurality of gaming machines.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein a designated gaming machine of the plurality of gaming machines locates the hardware resources for any of the plurality of gaming machines.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein accessing the hardware resource includes searching interface ports of a multi-host universal serial bus (USB) hub connected to plurality of gaming machines.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the hardware resource is accessed through a resource server connected to the plurality of gaming machines via a communications network.

16. A computer-readable, non-transitory medium storing executable instructions that, when executed by at least one of one or more processors, cause a gaming system connected to a plurality of gaming machines to perform a method comprising:

receiving, via one or more input devices, an input indicative of a wager from a player to play a wagering game on a first gaming machine of the plurality of gaming machines;

prior to the player cashing out of the first gaming machine, determining, via at least one of the one or more processors, that a hardware resource to perform a function is unavailable on the first gaming machine; and

in response to determining that the hardware resource is unavailable on the first gaming machine, accessing, via at least one of the one or more processors, the hardware resource outside of the first gaming machine and performing the function with the accessed hardware resource.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein accessing the hardware resource outside of the first gaming machine includes locating the hardware resource in at least one of the gaming system and a second gaming machine of the plurality.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein accessing the hardware resource outside of the first gaming machine includes searching stored resource information concerning hardware resources available from the gaming system and the plurality of gaming machines.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the stored resource information is stored in a resource server connected to the plurality of gaming machines via a communications network.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein computer-readable medium resides on a resource server connected to the plurality of gaming machines via a communications network, and wherein the hardware resource is accessed via the resource server.