Secure media distribution in a wager gaming system

• US 9,002,745 B2
• Filed: 12/21/2006
• Issued: 04/07/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Muir, David, Nguyen, Binh, Underdahl, Brian
• Primary Examiner(s): Huang, Tsan-Yu J
• Application Number:
  US11/644,229
• Publication Number:
  US 20080153588A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,029 Days
• Field of Search: 463/42, 705/59
• US Class Current: 705/59
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2109 Game systems
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements

Abstract

Novel wager gaming systems, machines, and methods for ensuring that wager game code on a game disc executes on an authorized wager gaming machine are described. To prevent an unauthorized copy of a wager game disc or other storage medium is not able to execute on a gaming machine, the machine checks whether an authorization code has been previously written to the disc. If the disc does not have a code, the gaming machine generates a first segment of an authorization code which is used, along with other data, by a game provider to generate a final authorization code. This is done after the game provider verifies that the machine operator has permission, such as a license, to execute that game code contained on that specific disc. The final authorization code is transmitted to the gaming machine, equipped with a writeable optical disc drive, where it is written or “burned” onto the game disc. At this stage the game disc is tied to or associated with the gaming machine and can execute on that machine.

Claims

1. A method of operating a gaming system, the method comprising:

(a) accessing, by one of a plurality of gaming machines, a portable storage medium;

(b) determining, at a controller of said one of the plurality of gaming machines, whether any final authorization code has been written to the portable storage medium and whether any final authorization code has been written to a memory of said one of the plurality of gaming machines;

(c) when different final authorization codes have been written to the portable storage medium and to the memory of said one of the plurality of gaming machines, preventing said one of the plurality of gaming machines from executing wager gaming software stored on the portable storage medium;

(d) when final authorization codes have not been written to the portable storage medium or to the memory of said one of the gaming machines;

(i) preventing said one of the plurality of gaming machines from executing wager gaming software stored on the portable storage medium;

(ii) generating, at the controller of said one of the plurality of gaming machines, a first authorization code using data stored on the portable storage medium;

(iii) transmitting, by said one of the plurality of gaming machines, the first authorization code to an authorization server;

(iv) receiving, at said one of the plurality of gaming machines, a final authorization code from the authorization server; and

(v) writing, by said one of the plurality of gaming machines, the final authorization code to both (A) the portable storage medium and (B) a memory of said one of the plurality of gaming machines; and

(e) when the same final authorization code has been written to both the portable storage medium and the memory of said one of the plurality of gaming machines, enabling said one of the plurality of gaming machines to execute the wager gaming software stored on the portable storage medium.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein generating the first authorization code further comprises generating the first authorization code using gaming machine data.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the data stored on the portable storage medium includes a portable storage medium unique identifier.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein generating the first authorization code further comprises generating the first authorization code by executing a first authorization code function.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein executing the first authorization code function further comprises executing the first authorization code function by inputting the data stored on the portable storage medium and gaming machine data.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the memory of said one of the plurality of gaming machines is a non-volatile memory and further comprising saving the first authorization code to the non-volatile memory of said one of the plurality of gaming machines.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein transmitting the first authorization code further comprises transmitting the first authorization code over a network connection with the authorization server.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein transmitting the first authorization code further comprises transmitting the first authorization code by verbally communicating the first authorization code to the authorization server.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

transmitting, by said one of the plurality of gaming machines, gaming machine data and gaming operator data to the authorization server.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the memory of said one of the plurality of gaming machines is a non-volatile memory.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the portable storage medium is one selected from a group consisting of:

an optical disc, a magnetic storage, and a flash memory.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the final authorization code is generated by the authorization server based at least in part on the first authorization code.