Device health monitoring for gaming machines

• US 8,882,589 B2
• Filed: 03/12/2014
• Issued: 11/11/2014
• 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:
  US14/207,476
• Publication Number:
  US 20140200067A1
• Time in Patent Office: 244 Days
• Field of Search: 463 16- 20, 463 25- 29
• US Class Current: 463/29
• 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 mechanical reels, 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 mechanical reels wherein after a retrofit of the existing wager-based gaming machine, the retrofit gaming device, the mechanical reels, the game controller, the value input device and the value output device are disposed within 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 within the existing gaming machine cabinet, 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 input 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 a 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, video data to output on 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 a wager-based game played on the existing gaming machine including controlling the mechanical reels to display an outcome associated with the play of the wager-based;

in response to receiving the first data, the second data, the third data, the fourth data or combinations thereof, initiating by the processor a value transaction including a value amount to be added or to be dispensed from the existing wagering-based gaming machine;

sending, by the processor via a sixth communication pathway added during the retrofit that uses the network interface, transaction data associated with the value transaction to a remote server;

sending, by the processor, commands to one or more of the value input device via the first communication pathway, the value output device via the second communication pathway, the game controller via fifth communication pathway or combinations thereof to add or remove the value amount from the wager-based gaming machine; and

sending, by the processor, via the fourth communication pathway added during the retrofit, information related to the value transaction in the video data for output on the touch screen video display

wherein functions of the retrofit gaming device including communicating with the value input device via the first communication pathway, the value output device via the second communication pathway, the touch screen video display via the third communication pathway, the touch screen video display via the fourth communication pathway and 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, further comprising establishing, by the processor, communications with a portable electronic device.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising receiving, by the processor, fifth data associated with the value transaction from the portable electronic device.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the value transaction is initiated in response to the fifth data received from the portable electronic device.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising sending, by the processor, fifth data associated with the value transaction to the portable electronic device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the retrofit gaming device includes a wireless interface and wherein the communications are established with a portable electronic device via the wireless interface.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the value transaction is initiated in response to only receiving the third data from the touch screen video display.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the transaction data sent to the remote server via the sixth communication pathway is to transfer the value amount to a remote account associated with a person playing the wager-based game at the gaming machine.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising, receiving by the processor, identification information associated with the person.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising, receiving by the processor via a seventh communication pathway added during the retrofit, sixth data from a card reader coupled to the existing gaming machine cabinet.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the sixth data includes identification information associated with a card inserted in the card reader.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising sending, by the processor, the sixth data to remote server via the sixth communication pathway.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising initiating, by the processor, the value transaction in response to receiving the sixth data from the card reader.

14. The method of claim 10, further receiving, by the processor, verification data used to verify information associated with a card inserted in the card reader.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the verification data includes one or more numbers.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the value input device is a bill acceptor.

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

18. The method of claim 17, wherein one or more of the commands is for outputting a ticket from the printer.

19. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating a bonus game presentation for a bonus game wherein the video data includes the bonus game presentation.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the third data includes information associated with a play of the bonus game.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the video data includes a menu having a plurality of player-selectable options.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising receiving by the processor, from the touch screen video display, information associated with player selections of one or more of the player-selectable options from the menu.

23. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending by the processor, via a seventh communication pathway added during the retrofit, audio data for output on one or more audio devices.

24. The method of claim 1, further comprising, receiving by the processor, player tracking account information.

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

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the bonus device includes a wheel or a reel.

27. 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 mechanical reels, a value input device, a value output device and a game controller communicatively coupled to the value input device, the value output device and mechanical reels wherein after a retrofit of the existing wager-based gaming machine, the retrofit gaming device, the game controller, the mechanical reels, 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 a 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 a touch screen video display, first video data for output to 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 a play of a wager-based game played on the existing gaming machine including controlling the mechanical reels to display an outcome associated with the play of the wager-based game;

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, to output to 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, send 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.