Universal game server

• US 8,864,576 B2
• Filed: 05/16/2005
• Issued: 10/21/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Gatto, Jean-Marie, Brunet de Courssou, Thierry, Beney, Pierre-Jean
• Primary Examiner(s): Lewis, David L
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hoel, Matthew D
• Application Number:
  US11/130,937
• Publication Number:
  US 20050221898A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,445 Days
• Field of Search: 463 30- 32, 463 40- 42, 463/29
• US Class Current: 463/29
• 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 17/3241 Security aspects of a gaming system, e.g. detecting cheating, device integrity, surveillance computer security G06F21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3244 Payment aspects of a gaming system, e.g. payment schemes, setting payout ratio, bonus or consolation prizes

Abstract

A trusted disaster tolerant system architecture supporting concurrently a number of distributed online gaming operations such as slip-scan lottery, video lottery, fixed odd betting terminals, Internet gaming, and interactive TV. A personality front end resolves the peculiarities of the various client systems before submitting the relevant transactional payload to a trusted transactional cache. A universal game random generator may be used either at the central game server or at each individual gaming machine, thus conferring a significant trust to the entire estate of gaming machines fitted with the game random generator. An auditable trusted log allows to rapidly resolve any dispute. The instant-draw model and the differed-draw model are supported. The system may advantageously be used in casino environments.

Claims

1. A gaming system coupled to a communication network, comprising:

at least one hardware-including central web server, each of the at least one central web server being coupled to the network,

at least one hardware-including central transaction server, separate from the at least one central web server, each of the at least one central transaction server being coupled to the network and,

at least one web browser based gaming machine coupled to the communication network, the at least one central transaction server and the at least one central web server each communicating independently with the at least one web browser based gaming machine via a separate communication path, each of the at least one web browser based gaming machine comprising;

a web browser being configured to display games produced by the at least one central web server, and

a plug-in for the web browser, the plug-in being configured to take over processing from the web browser upon detection of a player interaction with the web browser and to carry out a game transaction independently of the at least one central web server, the game transaction including a game bet and an amount wagered for each game played, the plug-in being configured to commit each game transaction by sending at least the game bet and the amount wagered to the at least one central transaction server and to receive a validation transaction corresponding to the committed game transaction back from the at least one central transaction server, the plug-in being further configured to relinquish control back to the web browser upon receipt of the validation transaction from the at least one central transaction server, the at least one central transaction server including an audit log into which the game bet and the amount wagered for each game transaction is logged.

2. A gaming system according to claim 1 wherein the communication network includes the Internet.

3. A gaming system according to claim 1, wherein the committed game transaction includes an inbound game payload comprising at least one of a gaming machine ID, a user/player ID, a transaction GUID, a gaming machine originating/return address and a game ID.

4. A gaming system according to claim 3 whereby the validation transaction from the at least one central transaction server includes an outbound packet comprising at least one of a gaming machine ID, a user/player ID, a transaction GUID, and an outcome of the game.

5. A gaming system according to claim 1 wherein the validation transaction includes an outcome of the game.

6. A gaming system according to claim 1 wherein the validation transaction includes an outcome of the game, the outcome of the game logged to the audit log.

7. A gaming system coupled to a communication network, comprising:

a central web server coupled to the communication network;

a central transaction server coupled to the communication network, and

a web browser based gaming machine coupled to the communication network, the web browser based gaming machine coupled to the central web server by a first communication path and the web browser based gaming machine coupled to the central transaction server by a second communication path, the web browser based gaming machine comprising;

a web browser, the web browser configured to display games communicated from the central web server;

a plug-in associated with the web browser, the plug-in configured to;

take over processing from the web browser upon detection of a player interaction with the web browser;

carry out a game transaction independently of the central web server, the game transaction comprising a game bet and a wager amount;

commit the game transaction to the central transaction server by sending the game bet and the wager amount, the central transaction server including an audit log;

log at least the game bet and the wager amount to the audit log;

receive a validation from the central transaction server, the validation corresponding to the transaction committed to the central transaction server, and

relinquish control back to the web browser upon receipt of the validation from the central transaction server.

8. A gaming system according to claim 7, wherein the committed game transaction includes an inbound game payload comprising at least one of a gaming machine ID, a user/player ID, a transaction GUID, a gaming machine originating/return address and a game ID.

9. A gaming system according to claim 8, wherein the validation transaction from the at least one central transaction server includes an outbound packet comprising at least one of a gaming machine ID, a user/player ID, a transaction GUID, and an outcome of the game.

10. A gaming system according to claim 7 wherein the plug-in associated with the web browser is further configured to log at least the outcome of the game to the audit log.

11. A method, comprising:

providing a central web server coupled to the communication network;

providing a central transaction server coupled to the communication network, and

providing a web browser based gaming machine coupled to the communication network, the web browser based gaming machine being coupled to the central web server by a first communication path and the web browser based gaming machine being coupled to the central transaction server by a second communication path, the web browser based gaming machine comprising a web browser, the web browser being configured to display games communicated from the central web server and a plug-in associated with the web browser, the plug-in carrying out steps of;

taking over processing from the web browser upon detection of a predetermined player interaction with the web browser;

carrying out a game transaction independently of the central web server, the game transaction comprising a game bet and a wager amount;

committing the game transaction to the central transaction server by sending the game bet and the wager amount thereto, the central transaction server including an audit log;

logging at least the game bet and the wager amount to the audit log;

receiving a validation from the central transaction server, the validation corresponding to the transaction committed to the central transaction server; and

relinquishing control back to the web browser upon receipt of the validation from the central transaction server.

12. A method according to claim 11, wherein the committing step is carried out with the game transaction including an inbound game payload comprising at least one of a gaming machine ID, a user/player ID, a transaction GUID, a gaming machine originating/return address and a game ID.

13. A method according to claim 12, wherein the receiving step is carried out with the validation from the at least one central transaction server including an outbound packet comprising at least one of a gaming machine ID, a user/player ID, a transaction GUID, and an outcome of the game.

14. A method according to claim 11, wherein the plug-in further carries out a step of logging at least the outcome of the game to the audit log.