Wagering game machine providing a write once run anywhere environment

• US 8,827,807 B2
• Filed: 09/05/2012
• Issued: 09/09/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LNW Gaming Incorporated (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: WMS Gaming Incorporated (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Inventors: Dasgupta, Ranjan, Hamlin, Vernon W., Saletnik, Mark J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pierce, Damon
• Assistant Examiner(s): WONG, JEFFREY KEITH
• Application Number:
  US13/604,304
• Publication Number:
  US 20120329562A1
• Time in Patent Office: 734 Days
• Field of Search: 463/30, 463/36, 463/47, 710/8, 710/11
• US Class Current: 463/36
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/323 wherein the player is informed, e.g. advertisements, odds, instructions

Abstract

Systems and methods include determining a hardware configuration in accordance with the detection of the presence or absence of hardware modules on a wagering game machine. Various services are selected base on the hardware configuration, where the service selected provides an interface to a wagering game. The services provide an abstraction of various functions provided by various hardware platforms upon which the wagering game may execute, and take into account differences in the platforms.

Claims

1. A gaming machine configured execute a gaming application that conducts a wagering game, the gaming machine comprising:

a plurality of hardware components;

one or more processors; and

one or more memory devices storing instructions including a plurality of sets of software services and a gaming application, each of the software services being on a layer between the operating system and a game framework that includes a wagering game software component, the instructions, when executed by at least one of the one or more processors, causing the gaming machine to;

detect the plurality of hardware components and implement a first hardware configuration of a plurality of hardware configurations based on the plurality of hardware components, wherein each of the sets of software services is associated with distinct ones of the hardware configurations;

identify hardware requirements of the gaming application;

select, based on the first hardware configuration and the identified hardware requirements, a first set of the plurality of sets of software services to provide a software interface between the gaming application and at least one of the plurality of hardware components;

instantiate each software service of the first set of software services;

execute, via the first set of software services, the gaming application to conduct the wagering game; and

associate a second hardware configuration with a second set of software services of the plurality of sets of software services such that instantiation of the second set of software services is based on the second hardware configuration and the hardware requirements of the gaming application or different hardware requirements of a second gaming application.

2. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein the instructions further cause the gaming machine to:

after executing the gaming application and conducting the wagering game, load the second gaming application that conducts a new wagering game into the gaming machine;

identify different hardware requirements of the second gaming application;

select, based on the implemented hardware configuration and the identified different hardware requirements, the second set of software services to provide a software interface between the second gaming application and at least one of the plurality of hardware components;

instantiate each software service of the second set of software services; and

execute, via the second set of software services, the second gaming application to conduct the new wagering game.

3. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein the hardware requirements of the gaming application include one or more specific hardware component characteristics.

4. The gaming machine of claim 3, wherein the one or more specific hardware component characteristics include at least one of a version number and a revision number.

5. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein at least one software service of the first set of software services emulates a function that is not provided natively by at least one of the one or more hardware components.

6. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of hardware components is a field programmable gate array.

7. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of hardware components is a video display device.

8. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of hardware components is pushbutton on a button panel.

9. A computer-implemented method of configuring a gaming machine to execute a gaming application, the gaming machine including a plurality of hardware components, the method comprising:

storing, on one or more memory devices in the gaming machine, a plurality of sets of software services and a gaming application, each of the software services being on a layer between the operating system and a game framework that includes a wagering game software component;

detecting, via at least one of one or more processors, the plurality of hardware components and implementing a first hardware configuration of the plurality of hardware configurations based on the plurality of hardware components;

associating, via at least one of the one or more processors, each of the sets of software services with distinct ones of the hardware configurations;

identifying, via at least one of the one or more processors, hardware requirements of the gaming application;

selecting, via at least one of the one or more processors and based on the first hardware configuration and the identified hardware requirements, a first set of the plurality of sets of software services to provide a software interface between the gaming application and at least one of the plurality of hardware components;

instantiating, via at least one of the one or more processors, each software service of the first set of software services;

executing, via the first set of software services, the gaming application conduct a wagering game on the gaming machine; and

associating a second hardware configuration with a second set of software services of the plurality of sets of software services such that instantiation of the second set of software services is based on the second hardware configuration and the hardware requirements of the gaming application or different hardware requirements of a second gaming application.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein at least one software service of the first set of software services provides interface characteristics that enable the gaming application to conduct aspects of the wagering game that utilize at least one of the plurality of hardware components.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein at least one software service of the first set of software services emulates a function that is not provided natively by at least one of the plurality of hardware components.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein at least one of the plurality of hardware components is a field programmable gate array.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein at least one of the plurality of hardware components is a video display device.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein at least one of the plurality of hardware components is pushbutton on a button panel.

15. A computer-readable, non-transitory medium including executable instructions for executing a gaming application on a gaming system, the instructions, when executed by at least one of one or more processors, causing the gaming system to perform a method comprising:

storing, on one or more memory devices in the gaming machine, a plurality of sets of software services and a gaming application, each of the software services being on a layer between the operating system and a game framework that includes a wagering game software component;

detecting a plurality of hardware components of the gaming system and implementing a first hardware configuration of the plurality of hardware configurations based on the plurality of hardware components;

associating, via at least one of the one or more processors, each of the sets of software services with distinct ones of the hardware configurations;

identifying hardware requirements of the gaming application;

selecting, based on the first hardware configuration and the identified hardware requirements, a first set of the plurality of sets of software services to provide a software interface between the gaming application and at least one of the plurality of hardware components;

instantiating each software service of the first set of software services;

executing, via the first set of software services, the gaming application to conduct a wagering game; and

associating a second hardware configuration with a second set of software services of the plurality of sets of software services such that instantiation of the second set of software services is based on the second hardware configuration and the hardware requirements of the gaming application or different hardware requirements of a second gaming application.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the hardware requirements of the gaming application include one or more specific hardware component characteristics.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein at least one software service of the first set of software services emulates a function that is not provided natively by at least one of the plurality of hardware components.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein at least one of the plurality of hardware components is a field programmable gate array.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein at least one of the plurality of hardware components is a video display device.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein at least one of the plurality of hardware components is pushbutton on a button panel.

21. A gaming system configured to execute one or more gaming applications on one or more gaming machines, the gaming system comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more memory devices storing instructions including a plurality of sets of software services, a first gaming application, and a second gaming application, each of the software services being on a layer between the operating system and a game framework that includes a wagering game software component, the instructions, when executed by at least one of the one or more processors, causing the gaming system to;

detect a plurality of first hardware components of a first gaming machine and implement a first hardware configuration of a plurality of hardware configurations on the first gaming machine based on the plurality of first hardware components, wherein each of the sets of software services is associated with distinct ones of the hardware configurations;

detect a plurality of second hardware components of a second gaming machine and implement a second hardware configuration of the plurality of hardware components on the second gaming machine based on the plurality of second hardware components;

identify first and second hardware requirements of the first and second gaming applications, respectively, wherein the first hardware requirements are different from the second hardware requirements;

select, based on the first hardware configuration and the first hardware requirements, a first set of the plurality of sets of software services to provide a software interface between the first gaming application and at least one of the plurality of first hardware components;

select, based on the second hardware configuration and the second hardware requirements, a second set of the plurality of sets of software services to provide a software interface between the second gaming application and at least one of the plurality of second hardware components;

prior to executing the first gaming application on the first gaming machine and the second gaming application on the second gaming machine, instantiate each software service of the first set of software services and each software service of the second set of software services;

execute the first and second gaming applications to conduct wagering games on the first and second gaming machines, respectively; and

associate a further hardware configuration with a further set of software services of the plurality of sets of software services such that instantiation of the further set of software services is based on the further hardware configuration and the hardware requirements of the first gaming application or different hardware requirements of a further gaming application.

22. The gaming system of claim 21, wherein the instructions further cause the gaming system to:

after executing the first gaming application on the first gaming machine, load the further gaming application that conducts a new wagering game into the first gaming machine;

identify new hardware requirements of the further gaming application, wherein the new hardware requirements are different from the first hardware requirements;

select, based on the first hardware configuration and the identified new hardware requirements, the further set of software services to provide a software interface between the further gaming application and at least one of the plurality of first hardware components;

instantiate each software service of the further set of software services; and

execute, via the further set of software services, the further gaming application to conduct the new wagering game.

23. The gaming system of claim 21, wherein the first and second gaming machines are communicably connected to a communications network, and wherein at least some of the plurality of software services resides on a network server on the communications network.

24. The gaming system of claim 21, wherein the hardware requirements of the gaming application include one or more specific hardware component characteristics.

25. The gaming system of claim 21, wherein at least one of the one or more selected services emulates a function that is not provided natively by at least one of the plurality of hardware components.

26. A computer-implemented method of operating a gaming system including a first gaming machine and a second gaming machine, the first and second gaming machines being configured to execute gaming applications on a common operating system, the method comprising:

storing, on one or more memory devices, a plurality of sets of software services on a layer between the operating system and a game framework that includes one or more wagering game software components;

detecting, via at least one of one or more first processors, a plurality of first hardware components on the first gaming machine and implementing a first hardware configuration of a plurality of hardware configurations based on the first hardware components;

detecting, via at least one of one or more second processors, a plurality of second hardware components on the second gaming machine and implementing a second hardware configuration of the plurality of hardware configurations based on the second hardware components;

identifying, via a configuration module operating at an application level, first and second hardware requirements for a respective first and second gaming application, the first hardware requirements being different from the second hardware requirements, and the first and second gaming applications being loaded onto the first and second gaming machine, respectively;

selecting, via at least one of the one or more first processors and based on the first hardware configuration and the first hardware requirements, a first set of software services of the plurality of sets of software services to provide a software interface between the first gaming application and the common operating system;

selecting, via at least one of the one or more first processors and based on the second hardware configuration and the second hardware requirements, a second set of software services of the plurality of sets of software services to provide a software interface between the second gaming application and the common operating system;

instantiating, via at least one of the one or more first and second processors, the first and second sets of software services;

executing, via the first set of software services and at least one of the one or more first processors, the first gaming application on the first gaining machine;

executing, via the second set of software services and at least one of the one or more second processors, the second gaming application on the second gaming machine; and

associating a further hardware configuration and a further set of software services of the plurality of sets of software services such that instantiation of the further set of software services is based on the further hardware configuration and the hardware requirement of the first gaming application or different hardware requirements of a further gaming application.