Processing metadata in wagering game systems

• US 8,968,084 B2
• Filed: 06/05/2007
• Issued: 03/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LNW Gaming Incorporated
• Original Assignee: WMS Gaming Incorporated (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Inventors: Bytnar, Michael R., Sylla, Craig J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ahmed, Masud
• Application Number:
  US12/303,579
• Publication Number:
  US 20110183763A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,828 Days
• Field of Search: 463/29, 463/42, 715/854, 709/225, 709/249
• US Class Current: 463/29
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements

Abstract

This description describes wagering game systems that process metadata. In one embodiment, the apparatus includes a wagering game presentation unit configured to present wagering games and create extended metadata and wager gaming content. The apparatus can also include operating system modules configured to store the wager gaming content as a file in a file system and to store the extended metadata at locations associated with the file.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a processor;

a wagering game presentation unit configured for execution with the processor, the wagering game presentation unit configured to present wagering games based on wager gaming content and create extended metadata associated with the wager gaming content, the wager gaming content comprising data used to generate an electronic display of the wagering games with the wagering game presentation unit; and

operating system modules configured for execution with the processor, the operating system modules configured to store the wager gaming content as a file in a file system, the operating system modules further configured to store the extended metadata at locations associated with the file;

wherein the extended metadata includes an identifier associated with the file and a hash value or signature for verifying the file'"'"'s integrity, is stored in a database separate from the file system, and is different than predefined file system metadata.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

an application module configured for execution with the processor, the application module configured to request the file and the extended metadata from the operating system modules and to configure the wagering game presentation unit and the wagering games based on the extended metadata.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

an extended metadata database configured for execution with the processor, the extended metadata database configured to store the extended metadata, wherein the locations associated with the file are part of the extended metadata, and wherein the extended metadata database is separate from the file system.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the locations are inside the file system.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the extended metadata is different than predefined operating system metadata.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the extended metadata provides a plurality of metadata fields related to operations performed by the apparatus in connection with presentation of the wagering games, the operations including one or more of:

file operations, display operations, or gaming operations.

7. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium including instructions which when executed by a machine cause the machine to perform operations defined by the instructions, the instructions comprising:

instructions to receive a request to store extended metadata and wager gaming content in a file, wherein the wager gaming content comprises data used to generate an electronic display of one or more wagering games with a wagering game presentation unit, wherein the extended metadata is associated with the wager gaming content, wherein the extended metadata includes power tolerance information indicating at least one transactional state of the file, and wherein the extended metadata does not conform to a pre-defined file system metadata format;

instructions to store the file in a file system;

instructions to store the extended metadata at storage locations associated with and separate from the file.

8. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the storage locations associated with the file are part of a header included in the file.

9. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the header has a fixed size.

10. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the header has a variable size.

11. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the storage locations associated with the file are part of an extended metadata database that resides outside the file system.

12. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the extended metadata includes information about components of a wagering game machine.

13. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the extended metadata does not include information indicating the size of the file, when the file was created, and access rights to the file.

14. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the transactional state of the file is selected from a group of transactional states including uninitialized, writing to medium, and complete.

15. A method comprising:

selecting a file that includes wager gaming content, wherein the file is associated with extended metadata, wherein the wager gaming content comprises data used to generate an electronic display of one or more wagering games with a wagering game presentation unit, wherein the extended metadata is associated with the wager gaming content and is different than predefined file system metadata, and wherein the extended metadata provides information to track presentation characteristics of the wager gaming content in the file and to track uses of the file by the wagering game presentation unit; and

generating a second version of the file, where the second version of the file includes the wager gaming content but is not associated with the extended metadata and does not include any portion of the extended metadata.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising:

transmitting the second version of the file over a communications network.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the extended metadata does not include information indicating the size of the file, a time at which the file was created, or user access privileges of the file.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the file is stored in a file system, and wherein the extended metadata does not conform to a predefined static metadata format of the file system.

19. The method of claim 15 wherein the second version of the file does not include pre-defined file system metadata.